All Stories by Ron Cowen
- Astronomy
Stellar motions provide hole-y data
Measuring for the first time the acceleration of stars near the dense core of our galaxy, astronomers have obtained more precise information on the location and density of the black hole that lurks there.
- Astronomy
New Images: They Might Be Planets
Astronomers have for the first time obtained images of as many as 18 objects beyond our solar system that, based on their mass alone, could qualify as planets.
- Astronomy
Astronomy: Man Bites Dog; Planet heats its star
Observing a sunlike star 90 light-years from Earth, astronomers have found evidence of a closely orbiting planet heating its star.
- Astronomy
Taste of a Comet: Spacecraft samples and views Wild 2
Pummeled by debris, a NASA spacecraft last week snatched up dust samples while taking the sharpest images ever of a comet's icy core.
- Astronomy
X-ray images highlight galaxy collisions
A new study provides graphic evidence that X-ray observations may be the best way to identify ancient collisions between galaxies.
- Planetary Science
Lunar finding doesn’t hold water
A new radar study of craters at the moon's north and south poles reveals that neither region contains substantial amounts of frozen water.
- Planetary Science
Next Stop, Interstellar Space
Data recorded by the venerable Voyager 1 spacecraft suggest the craft has either recently encountered or will soon enter a key region near the edge of the solar system.
- Astronomy
Cool Cosmos: Orbiting telescope views infrared universe
Astronomers unveiled the first images and spectra taken by the most sensitive and highest-resolution infrared observatory ever sent into space.
- Astronomy
Cool Cosmos: Orbiting telescope views infrared universe
Astronomers unveiled the first images and spectra taken by the most sensitive and highest-resolution infrared observatory ever sent into space.
- Planetary Science
Did rivers once run on the Red Planet?
A fan-shaped region of debris on Mars is providing new evidence that some places on the Red Planet, now bone-dry, once had long-lasting rivers or lakes.
- Planetary Science
Did rivers once run on the Red Planet?
A fan-shaped region of debris on Mars is providing new evidence that some places on the Red Planet, now bone-dry, once had long-lasting rivers or lakes.
- Astronomy
Breach of the Shield: Magnetic links between sun and Earth last hours
Once breaches have formed in Earth's protective magnetic field, they persist for many hours, allowing charged particles from the sun to gush through and create electrical disturbances.
