Space
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We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.
- 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.
By Ron Cowen - 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.
By Ron Cowen - 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.
By Ron Cowen - Astronomy
A green visitor makes its approach
Comet Lulin, which passes closest to Earth on February 24, may be a sight for sore eyes.
By Ron Cowen - 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.
- Space
Cosmic mystery
High-energy invaders from space could signal a nearby pulsar, or perhaps dark matter.
By Susan Gaidos - 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.
By Ron Cowen - 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.
By Ron Cowen - Chemistry
New money for undergraduate research
A new program will foster interdisciplinary physical-science research at predominantly undergraduate colleges.
By Janet Raloff - 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.
By Ron Cowen - 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.
By Ron Cowen -