Space

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We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.

  1. Space

    Satellite collision: brief update on Hubble and debris

    In an unprecedented collision, two large satellites crashed into each other in low-Earth orbit on February 10. The effect on a planned Hubble repair mission remains unclear.

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  2. Space

    New window on the high-energy universe

    New telescope finds strange behavior in gamma-ray bursts, and also documents the highest energy burst known.

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  3. Space

    Galaxy mix: No dark matter required

    New ultraviolet observations suggest dwarf galaxies may form without dark matter. The findings have implications for the early universe.

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  4. Astronomy

    A green visitor makes its approach

    Comet Lulin, which passes closest to Earth on February 24, may be a sight for sore eyes.

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  5. Planetary Science

    Earth may be home to unearthly life

    No need to look on other planets for new forms of life — weird life could exist right here on Earth.

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  6. Space

    Cosmic mystery

    High-energy invaders from space could signal a nearby pulsar, or perhaps dark matter.

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  7. Tech

    Two satellites collide in Earth orbit

    In an unprecedented collision, two large satellites crashed into each other in low-Earth orbit on February 10.

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  8. Space

    About-face: A look at the moon’s farside

    Researchers have for the first time mapped the gravitational field of the moon’s farside — the lunar half that is permanently turned away from Earth.

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  9. Chemistry

    New money for undergraduate research

    A new program will foster interdisciplinary physical-science research at predominantly undergraduate colleges.

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  10. Space

    Early galaxy bulges in the middle

    By tracing star birth in a galaxy that existed when the universe was less than 1 billion years old, researchers have captured what appears to be the formation of a key galactic component — a central concentration of stars known as the bulge.

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  11. Space

    Smallest known transiting planet discovered

    Astronomers have found the smallest known extrasolar planets that is blocking light from its parent star. The discovery could help reveal information about the structure of planets that may resemble Earth.

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  12. Earth

    The Solar System’s Big Bang

    Finding signs of a lost beginning.

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