Space Exploration News – Latest Headlines

Team observe closest milemarker supernova in generation

Researcher have intently studied the closest type Ia supernova discovered in a generation. The proximity to Earth could yield better understanding of this particular type of supernova that astronomers use to gauge distances in the universe and learn about its expansion history.

March 25, 2014 Read more

Don't forget F-type stars in search for life

F-type stars, more massive and hotter than our sun, warrant more consideration as spots to look for habitable planets, according to a newly published study that also examined potential damage to DNA from UV radiation.

March 25, 2014 Read more

Mars mimicking chamber explores habitability of other planets

Researchers in Spain have designed a vacuum chamber capable of mimicking conditions on Mars to test gear for use in future missions.

March 25, 2014 Read more

Studying crops, from outer space

New research reveals a fundamentally new approach for measuring photosynthetic activity as it occurs around the planet.

March 25, 2014 Read more

Simple, like a neutron star

New research demonstrates that in certain respects these stars can instead be described very simply and that they show similarities with black holes.

March 25, 2014 Read more

Plugging the hole in Hawking's black hole theory (w/video)

Recently physicists have been poking holes again in Stephen Hawking's black hole theory - including Hawking himself. Now professor Chris Adami, Michigan State University, has jumped into the fray. He believes he has solved the decades-old information paradox debate in a groundbreaking new study.

March 24, 2014 Read more

Like being inside a star

Scientists used a simulation model that is far more accurate than previously used, and carried out an experiment to test a hypothesis about the behaviour of hydrogen that is splitting the scientific community.

March 24, 2014 Read more

The amazing anatomy of James Webb Space Telescope mirrors

New technology created Webb mirrors.

March 20, 2014 Read more

Spitzer telescope brings 360-degree view of galaxy to our fingertips

Touring the Milky Way now is as easy as clicking a button with NASA's new zoomable, 360-degree mosaic presented Thursday at the TEDActive 2014 Conference in Vancouver, Canada.

March 20, 2014 Read more

Surface of Titan Sea is mirror smooth

Using radar measurements gathered by NASA's Cassini spacecraft, geophysicists have concluded that the surface of Ligeia Mare, Titan's second largest sea, has a mirror-like smoothness, possibly due to a lack of winds. As the only other solar system body with an Earth-like weather system, Titan could serve as a model for studying our own planet's early history.

March 20, 2014 Read more

Van Allen Probes reveal 'zebra stripes' structure in Earth's inner radiation belt

Scientists have discovered a new, persistent structure in Earth's inner radiation belt using data from the twin NASA Van Allen Probes spacecraft. Most surprisingly, this structure is produced by the slow rotation of Earth, previously considered incapable of affecting the motion of radiation belt particles, which have velocities approaching the speed of light.

March 19, 2014 Read more

Research for next-generation batteries to be used in space

The U.S. Department of Energy's Joint Center for Energy Storage Research (JCESR) and NASA Glenn Research Center are collaborating to develop next-generation batteries for use in future space missions.

March 19, 2014 Read more

Researchers detect water around a hot Jupiter

Researchers have detected water vapor in the atmosphere of a planet outside our solar system. The team applied a sophisticated Doppler technique to the infrared to directly detect the planet and demonstrate the presence of water in its atmosphere.

March 19, 2014 Read more

Fierce 2012 magnetic storm barely missed Earth (w/video)

On July 23, 2012, a huge magnetic storm propelled by two nearly simultaneous coronal mass ejections on the sun plowed through Earth's orbit. Luckily, Earth was on the other side of the sun at the time. Had the outburst hit Earth, however, it would have rivaled the largest magnetic storm to strike Earth in recorded history, possibly wreaking havoc with the electrical grid, satellites and GPS.

March 19, 2014 Read more

Astronomers illuminate cause of sun's 'perfect storm'

Scientists uncover the origin and cause of an extreme space weather event that occurred on July 22, 2012 at the sun and generated the fastest solar wind speed ever recorded directly by a solar wind instrument.

March 18, 2014 Read more

New view of supernova death throes

A powerful, new three-dimensional model provides fresh insight into the turbulent death throes of supernovas, whose final explosions outshine entire galaxies and populate the universe with elements that make life on Earth possible.

March 18, 2014 Read more

Antarctic telescope may have provided the first direct evidence of cosmic inflation and the origins of the universe

Uniquely cold and dry conditions of the atmosphere over Antarctica's polar plateau made the observations possible.

March 18, 2014 Read more

NASA releases first interactive mosaic of lunar north pole

Scientists, using cameras aboard NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO), have created the largest high resolution mosaic of our moon's north polar region. The six-and-a-half feet (two-meters)-per-pixel images cover an area equal to more than one-quarter of the United States.

March 18, 2014 Read more