Space Exploration News – Latest Headlines

River networks on Titan point to a puzzling geologic history

Findings suggest the surface of Saturn's largest moon may have undergone a recent transformation.

Jul 20th, 2012

Colorful science sheds light on solar heating

Heliophysics nuggets are a collection of early science results, new research techniques, and instrument updates that further our attempt to understand the sun and the dynamic space weather system that surrounds Earth.

Jul 20th, 2012

A wrinkle in space-time

Mathematicians at UC Davis have come up with a new way to crinkle up the fabric of space-time -- at least in theory.

Jul 19th, 2012

Scientists discover exoplanet neighbor smaller than Earth

The University of Central Florida has detected what could be its first planet, only two-thirds the size of Earth and located right around the corner, cosmically speaking, at a mere 33light- years away.

Jul 18th, 2012

A magnification of two million

Telescope network zooms in on the heart of a distant quasar.

Jul 18th, 2012

The electric atmosphere: Plasma is next NASA science target

A new NASA mission called the Radiation Belt Storm Probes (RBSP), due to launch in August 2012, will improve our understanding of what makes plasma move in and out of these electrified belts wrapped around our planet.

Jul 18th, 2012

Students to design, build experiment to fly on space station

NASA has selected a team of students from Purdue and North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State universities to design and build an experiment to be operated on the International Space Station.

Jul 11th, 2012

An extraterrestrial collision of international importance

An 18-member international team of researchers has found exciting new evidence that supports the theory of an extraterrestrial impact that occurred nearly 13 000 years ago. Their evidence lies in material found in a thin layer of sedimentary rock in Pennsylvania and South Carolina in the United States and in Syria.

Jul 11th, 2012

Hubble unmasks ghost galaxies

Astronomers have used the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope to study some of the smallest and faintest galaxies in our cosmic neighbourhood. These galaxies are fossils of the early Universe: they have barely changed for 13 billion years.

Jul 10th, 2012

Researchers create 'MRI' of the sun's interior motions

A team of scientists has created an "MRI" of the Sun's interior plasma motions, shedding light on how it transfers heat from its deep interior to its surface.

Jul 9th, 2012

Belching black hole proves a biggie

Observations with CSIRO's Australia Telescope Compact Array have confirmed that astronomers have found the first known "middleweight" black hole.

Jul 9th, 2012

Close-up of active galactic nucleus

First interferometric signals between the Effelsberg telescope and orbital radio telescope Spektr-R.

Jul 6th, 2012

Buried ocean lends insight into Titan's dense, methane-rich atmosphere

To better understand Saturn's moon Titan, scientists must study the methane in its atmosphere, the persistence of which was likely influenced by an ocean of water recently discovered 100 kilometers below the moon's surface.

Jul 5th, 2012

Spaceflight may extend the lifespan of microscopic worm

The effect of spaceflight on a microscopic worm - Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans) - could help it to live longer. The discovery was made by an international group of scientists studying the loss of bone and muscle mass experienced by astronauts after extended flights in space.

Jul 5th, 2012

Rising plasma offers clues to sun storms

Rice researcher part of team that used Doppler shifts to ID phenomenon; may help predict space weather.

Jul 3rd, 2012

Gemini Observatory captures Comet ISON hurtling toward uncertain destiny with the Sun

A new series of images from Gemini Observatory shows Comet C/2012 S1 racing toward an uncomfortably close rendezvous with the Sun. In late November the comet could present a stunning sight in the twilight sky and remain easily visible, or even brilliant, into early December of this year.