Space

Hubble Catches Stunning Glipse Of Saturn's Aurorae

It takes Saturn almost thirty years to orbit the Sun, with the opportunity to image both of its poles occurring only twice in that period. 2009 brought a unique chance for Hubble to image Saturn with the rings edge-on and both poles in view. At the same ti ...

Article - News Staff - Sep 8 2010 - 7:02pm

Parachute jump from 36 km above the earth.

The highest jump ever made was by Joseph Kittinger in 1960--31 km. This year, astronaut Felix Baumgartner will attempt a 36 km jump, and there is talk about Michael Fournier attempting a 40 km jump. According to medical director Jonathan Clark (via Science ...

Blog Post - Adam Retchless - Feb 14 2010 - 12:09pm

Why Don't Galaxies Make As Many Stars As They Used To? Astronomers Explain

Scientists have known for more than a decade that galaxies in the early universe produced many more stars than galaxies today. But what has remained unknown is why. Now, researchers writing in a recent issue of Nature say they may have an explanation for t ...

Article - News Staff - Sep 8 2010 - 7:02pm

Fermi Telescope Closes In On Source Of Cosmic Rays

New images from NASA's Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope showing where supernova remnants emit radiation a billion times more energetic than visible light have brought astronomers a step closer to understanding the source of cosmic rays. Cosmic rays con ...

Article - News Staff - Sep 8 2010 - 7:02pm

Primitive Stars Discovered In Neighboring Dwarf Galaxies

Primitive stars are thought to have formed from material forged shortly after the Big Bang, 13.7 billion years ago and are mainly observed in the Milky Way. But now researchers are reporting that they have uncovered more primitive stars located in neighbor ...

Article - News Staff - Sep 8 2010 - 7:02pm

Astronomers Catch Prehistoric Galaxies Coming Together

Astronomers have detected the astronomical equivalent of prehistoric life in our intergalactic backyard: a group of small, ancient galaxies that has waited 10 billion years to come together. These "late bloomers" are on their way to building a la ...

Article - News Staff - Feb 18 2010 - 11:56am

Why Do Astronomy?

Did you ever wonder why some people become astronomers?  I asked random astronomers at last month's AAS meeting, and in my latest 365DOA podcast, you can find out what each said-- and how each explained their research in 30 seconds or less.  For the b ...

Article - Alex "Sandy" Antunes - Feb 19 2010 - 3:30pm

Anatomy Of A Satellite

IT arrived. With little fanfare, an ordinary cardboard box full of packing peanuts has thrown my life into panic and confusion. For the mighty packing slip says it all. "Parts&Packing List". Inside is... a piece of paper. And, hopefully, bur ...

Article - Project Calliope - Mar 2 2010 - 2:17pm

Wild 2 Provides First Measurement Of The Age Of Cometary Material

Comets are thought to be some of the oldest, most primitive bodies in the solar system, but new research on the comet Wild 2 indicates that inner solar system material was transported to the comet-forming region at least 1.7 million years after the formati ...

Article - News Staff - Feb 25 2010 - 5:14pm

Calliope Launch (Artist Rendition)

NASA creates dramatic artistic renderings of upcoming launches, in full color animation, often scaled for the IMAX screen.  They're great eye candy, but they are also informative, and have genuine science at their core. For example, the STEREO solar p ...

Article - Project Calliope - Mar 2 2010 - 8:32pm