Space

News

FBI Arrests NASA Contractor Employee Fleeing to China

Apr 15, 2013 11:55 PM EDT

NASA's 'Planetary Defenders' Meeting This Week

Congress held its third hearing earlier this week on the potential threat asteroids pose to Earth. The hearings come in the wake of the asteroid explosion over Chelyabinsk, Russia, last February, which injured about 1,500 people and left the region scrambling to repair damaged buildings.

graphic depicts the orbit of comet 2013 A1 (Siding Spring) through the inner solar system

Apr 15, 2013 09:21 PM EDT

Enormous Comet Impact into Mars Less Likely, Says NASA

The enormous comet C/2013 A1, also called Sliding Spring, that is on a near-collision course with Mars is after all very unlikely to hit when it closely approaches the Red Planet later in 2014, NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory said in an update.

Apr 15, 2013 10:55 AM EDT

IAU Warns Against Planet-Naming Contest: Scam or Misunderstanding?

If you paid to name a planet after you favorite pet, you may have been scammed. The International Astronomical Union has announced that a company that charges people to suggest names for exoplanets has no bearing on the names that the more than 800 discovered exoplanets actually receive.

Apr 13, 2013 11:20 PM EDT

Hawaii Approves Project to Build World’s Largest Optical Telescope

Hawaii Board of Land and Natural Resources has given green light to one of the most daring scientific projects the Pacific paradise archipelago has undertaken.

Apr 13, 2013 08:21 AM EDT

Geomagnetic Storm Impacts Earth This Weekend: Solar Flare's CME Creates Northern Lights

A geomagnetic storm may occur during this weekend, and it could produce some dazzling sights. A solar flare that occurred around 3:16 a.m. on Thursday morning produced a coronal mass ejection (CME), which could mean that Earth is in store for a spectacular display of northern lights this evening.

Apr 13, 2013 07:45 AM EDT

Weekend Sky Show During the Day! Spot Jupiter and the Moon in Daylight

If you look to the skies this weekend, you may be in for a spectacular treat. Tomorrow, April 14, you could have the chance of seeing Jupiter during the daytime and join the ranks of people that have spotted the giant plant while the sun is in the sky.

Apr 12, 2013 10:24 AM EDT

NASA's Asteroid Capture Initiative Benefits from Rich History (Video)

NASA's asteroid capture mission idea actually benefits from a rich history. Past research could aid this initiative to snag an asteroid and drag it near Earth.

Apr 12, 2013 09:42 AM EDT

NASA Mars Orbiter Spots Lost 1971 Soviet Lander on Red Planet

Images from NASA Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter may reveal the 1971 Soviet lander that only transmitted for a few seconds before being lost on the Red Planet.

Apr 12, 2013 08:42 AM EDT

Icy Cloud on Titan Marks Change of Seasons: 'Winter is Coming' on Saturn's Moon

An icy cloud at Titan's south pole has marked the change of seasons for the moon, which normally last for seven and a half Earth years. Now, researchers are studying the phenomenon to find out more about Earth's own poles.

Arima Twin Craters in the Thaumasia Planum region of Mars, imaged by ESA Mars Express orbiter.

Apr 11, 2013 06:45 PM EDT

Eyes of Mars Watching? Twin Crater Pits Result of Huge Underground Explosions

Two large and very similar Martian impact craters also reveal deep pits in their center, which most likely resulted from dramatic underground explosions. There are different theories about the cause of these explosions though.

Apr 11, 2013 03:25 PM EDT

Sun Slings Largest Solar Flare Yet: Coronal Mass Ejection Hurtles to Earth

The sun has let loose its largest solar flare yet this year. It's also been associated with a coronal mass ejection, which is hurtling toward Earth.

Apr 11, 2013 12:04 PM EDT

Blue Supergiant Star Discovered: Giant Born in a Wild Environment

A blue supergiant star has been discovered far beyond our Milky Way Galaxy in an extremely wild environment. The finding could lead to a new understanding as to how stars are born.