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Lava floods the ancient plains of Mars

Two distinct volcanic eruptions have flooded this area of Daedalia Planum with lava, flowing around an elevated fragment of ancient terrain.

March 6, 2014 Read more

ALMA sees icy wreckage in nearby solar system

Astronomers using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) telescope have discovered the splattered remains of comets colliding together around a nearby star; the researchers believe they are witnessing the total destruction of one of these icy bodies once every five minutes.

March 6, 2014 Read more

A small step toward discovering habitable earths

For the first time, astronomers have used the same imaging technology found in a digital camera to take a picture of a planet far from our solar system with an Earth-based telescope. The accomplishment is a small step toward the technology astronomers will need in order to characterize planets suitable for harboring life.

March 6, 2014 Read more

Laser beam from the Moon to Earth

The signal was transmitted by the Lunar Lasercom Space Terminal (LLST) on board the NASA spacecraft Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer (LADEE), which has been orbiting the Moon since October 2013. This is the first time that an optical link has been analysed after a long passage through space.

March 6, 2014 Read more

Hubble telescope witnesses asteroid's mysterious disintegration

The Hubble Space Telescope has recorded the never-before-seen break-up of an asteroid into as many as 10 smaller pieces.

March 6, 2014 Read more

GOSSS catalogue clears the way for study of massive stars

GOSSS (Galactic O-Star Spectroscopic Survey) substantially improves on prior catalogues. It is a very ambitious project from the point of view of the number of objects and the quality of the data; it will yield a homogeneous sample, with data from both hemispheres which will be constantly updated, so it will be a very solid tool.

March 6, 2014 Read more

First Light for MUSE - Powerful 3D spectrograph successfully installed on VLT

A new innovative instrument called MUSE (Multi Unit Spectroscopic Explorer) has been successfully installed on ESO's Very Large Telescope (VLT) at the Paranal Observatory in northern Chile. MUSE has observed distant galaxies, bright stars and other test targets during the first period of very successful observations.

March 5, 2014 Read more

Galactic gas stations

MIT team proposes storing extra rocket fuel in space for future missions.

March 5, 2014 Read more

'Dimer molecules' aid study of exoplanet pressure, hunt for life

Astronomers have developed a new method of gauging the atmospheric pressure of exoplanets, or worlds beyond the solar system, by looking for a certain type of molecule.

March 4, 2014 Read more

Spiral galaxy spills blood and guts

This new Hubble image shows spiral galaxy ESO 137-001, framed against a bright background as it moves through the heart of galaxy cluster Abell 3627. This cluster is violently ripping the spiral's entrails out into space, leaving bright blue streaks as telltale clues to this cosmic crime.

March 4, 2014 Read more

Every red dwarf star has at least one planet

Three new planets classified as habitable-zone super-Earths are amongst eight new planets discovered orbiting nearby red dwarf stars by an international team of astronomers from the UK and Chile.

March 4, 2014 Read more

Standard-candle supernovae are still standard, but why?

The Nearby Supernova Factory based at Berkeley Lab shows that Type Ia supernovae have a surprisingly large range of masses.

March 3, 2014 Read more

Giant sunspot makes third trip across the sun

A giant sunspot - a magnetically strong and complex region on the sun's surface - has just appeared over the sun's horizon. This is the third trip for this region across the face of the sun, which takes approximately 27 days to make a complete rotation.

February 28, 2014 Read more