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Even brown dwarfs may grow rocky planets

ALMA sizes up grains of cosmic dust around failed star.

Nov 30th, 2012

Scientists discover water ice on Mercury

Ice and organic material may have been carried to the planet by passing comets.

Nov 30th, 2012

NASA's Cassini sees abrupt turn in Titan's atmosphere

Data from NASA's Cassini spacecraft tie a shift in seasonal sunlight to a wholesale reversal, at unexpected altitudes, in the circulation of the atmosphere of Saturn's moon Titan.

Nov 29th, 2012

Record-setting X-ray jet discovered

A jet of X-rays from a supermassive black hole 12.4 billion light years from Earth has been detected by NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory. This is the most distant X-ray jet ever observed and gives astronomers a glimpse into the explosive activity associated with the growth of supermassive black holes in the early universe.

Nov 28th, 2012

Giant black hole could upset galaxy evolution models

A group of astronomers have discovered a black hole that could shake the foundations of current models of galaxy evolution. At 17 billion times the mass of the Sun, its mass is much greater than current models predict - in particular in relation to the mass of its host galaxy.

Nov 28th, 2012

Asteroid dust from space

To the naked eye there is nothing to see, and yet the small transparent container holds something never observed before. For the first time, scientists are studying asteroid dust collected by a spacecraft and returned to Earth.

Nov 28th, 2012

Researchers use 3-D printer to make parts from moon rock

Imagine landing on the moon or Mars, putting rocks through a 3-D printer and making something useful - like a needed wrench or replacement part.

Nov 28th, 2012

Biggest black hole blast discovered

New European Southern Observatory observations reveal most powerful quasar outflow ever found.

Nov 28th, 2012

NREL updates solar radiation database

The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and collaborators released a 20-year updated version of the U.S. National Solar Radiation Database, a web-based technical report that provides critical information about solar and meteorological data for 1,454 locations in the U.S. and its territories.

Nov 28th, 2012

NASA seeks concepts for innovative uses of large space telescopes

NASA is exploring options for innovative and imaginative uses of two large space telescopes recently transferred to the agency. In a request for information (RFI) published Monday, NASA seeks information about system concepts and architectures that would take advantage of these assets to address NASA's goals in astrophysics, heliophysics, planetary sciences, and human spaceflight.

Nov 28th, 2012

Graphite experiment shines new light on giant planets, white dwarfs, and laser-driven fusion

An international team led by researchers from the University of Warwick and Oxford University is now dealing with unexpected results of an experiment with strongly heated graphite (up to 17,000 degrees Kelvin). The findings may pose a new problem for physicists working in laser-driven nuclear fusion and may also lead astrophysicists to revise our understanding of the life cycle of giant planets and stars.

Nov 28th, 2012

One step closer to "space climate" forecasting

Scientists have compared cycles of solar magnetic activity over the past 10,000 years - as reconstructed from ice cores - with the action of the planets. The agreement observed is very striking, raising hopes that our ability to forecast periods of intense solar activity may ultimately be improved.

Nov 28th, 2012

Do missing Jupiters mean massive comet belts?

Using ESA's Herschel space observatory, astronomers have discovered vast comet belts surrounding two nearby planetary systems known to host only Earth-to-Neptune-mass worlds. The comet reservoirs could have delivered life-giving oceans to the innermost planets.