Space Exploration News – Latest Headlines

NASA telescopes coordinate best-ever flare observations

On March 29, 2014, an X-class flare erupted from the right side of the sun - and vaulted into history as the best-observed flare of all time. The flare was witnessed by four different NASA spacecraft and one ground-based observatory - three of which had been fortuitously focused in on the correct spot as programmed into their viewing schedule a full day in advance.

May 8, 2014 Read more

Galaxies out of a Supercomputer

A new computer simulation shows the formation of galaxies with unprecedented precision, allowing astrophysicists to indirectly confirm the standard model of cosmology.

May 7, 2014 Read more

Astronomers gain new insights into star cluster formation

Using data from NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory and infrared telescopes, astronomers have made an important advance in the understanding of how clusters of stars come into being.

May 7, 2014 Read more

A stellar explosion on the outer reaches of the Universe provides clues about black hole formation

On 24 October 2012 observatories across the world were alerted about a huge stellar explosion, the GRB121024A. The data obtained on that explosion, which took place about 11,000 million years ago, have made it possible to reconstruct how a black hole is formed.

May 7, 2014 Read more

Nearest bright 'hypervelocity star' found

Astronomers discovered a 'hypervelocity star' that is the closest, second-brightest and among the largest of 20 found so far. Speeding at more than 1 million mph, the star may provide clues about the supermassive black hole at the center of our Milky Way and the halo of mysterious 'dark matter' surrounding the galaxy.

May 7, 2014 Read more

Neutron star magnetic fields: Not so turbulent, after all?

New findings could help advance understanding of matter at extreme densities.

May 6, 2014 Read more

Planck reveals magnetic fingerprint of our galaxy

An international team of astrophysicists has released an unprecedented map of the entire sky that charts the magnetic field shaping our Milky Way Galaxy. The map reveals magnetic field lines running parallel to the plane of the Galaxy, as well as great loops and whorls associated with nearby clouds of gas and dust.

May 6, 2014 Read more

Are we ready for contact with extraterrestrial intelligence?

The SETI project scientists are known for tracking possible extraterrestrial signals, but now they are also considering sending messages from Earth telling of our position. A researcher questions this idea in view of the results from a survey taken by students, revealing the general level of ignorance about the cosmos and the influence of religion when tackling these matters.

May 6, 2014 Read more

Astronomers harness the galaxy's biggest telescope to make most precise measurement of spinning star (w/video)

An international team of astronomers has made a measurement of a distant neutron star that is one million times more precise than the previous world's best.

May 6, 2014 Read more

Space Station research shows that hardy little space travelers could colonize Mars

Three recent scientific papers examined the risks of interplanetary exchange of organisms using research from the International Space Station.

May 5, 2014 Read more

Astronomers use supernovae to gauge power of cosmic lenses

Distant exploding stars observed by NASA's Hubble Space Telescope are providing astronomers with a powerful tool to determine the strength of naturally-occurring 'cosmic lenses' that are used to magnify objects in the remote universe.

May 1, 2014 Read more

Astronomers observe corkscrew nature of light from a distant black hole

For the first time an international team of astronomers has measured circular polarisation in the bright flash of light from a dying star collapsing to a black hole, giving insight into an event that happened almost 11 billion years ago.

May 1, 2014 Read more

A different spin - exoplanet's 'day' is measured for the first time

Over the past two decades, almost 1,500 exoplanets have been discovered orbiting distant stars - but Dutch astronomers have determined for the very first time just how fast one of those exoplanets is spinning on its axis.

May 1, 2014 Read more

A 'wimpy' dwarf fossil galaxy reveals new facts about early universe

Faintest galaxy ever detected illuminates unusual aspects of the universe's early evolution.

May 1, 2014 Read more

Spectrum of gamma-ray burst's afterglow indicates the beginning of the re-ionization process

Researchers discovered an indicator of when re-ionization of the primordial Universe began. Direct measurement of the absorption features in the spectrum of the afterglow toward GRB 130606A, located at a great distance, revealed the proportion of neutral hydrogen gas absorbing the light in its vicinity. This finding provides the best estimate of the amount of such neutral gas in the early Universe.

April 30, 2014 Read more

Entire star cluster thrown out of its galaxy

The galaxy known as M87 has a fastball that would be the envy of any baseball pitcher. It has thrown an entire star cluster toward us at more than two million miles per hour. The newly discovered cluster, which astronomers named HVGC-1, is now on a fast journey to nowhere. Its fate: to drift through the void between the galaxies for all time.

April 30, 2014 Read more

Shields Up! Students devise concept for Star Wars-style deflector shields (w/video)

If you have often imagined yourself piloting your X-Wing fighter on an attack run on the Death Star, you'll be reassured that University of Leicester students have demonstrated that your shields could take whatever the Imperial fleet can throw at you.

April 30, 2014 Read more

How do we clean up the junkyard orbiting Earth?

The biggest-sized junkyard in the world orbits it, and a University of Alabama in Huntsville aerospace systems engineering graduate student says it's time to get active about reducing the debris field before we reach a tipping point beyond which we may not be able to do much.

April 30, 2014 Read more