Space
- Planetary Science
See how it lands
A camera on a Mars-orbiting spacecraft caught an image of NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander suspended from its parachute just before it descended onto the Red Planet’s northern plains on May 25.
- Planetary Science
Touchdown! Phoenix lands on Mars
The first close-up color images of the northern arctic circle on the Red Planet were recorded by the Mars Phoenix Lander spacecraft only a few hours after its flawless descent at 7:38 p.m. EDT, May 25. The detailed images suggest ice lies beneath the hard soil.
- Space
Many stars, many planets
A new study reveals that as many as 30 percent of sunlike stars have close-in, relatively small planets — only 4 to 30 times as heavy as Earth.
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- Space
BOOK REVIEW | Einstein and Oppenheimer: The Meaning of Genius by Silvan S. Schweber
Review by Tom Siegfried.
- Astronomy
When Worlds Collide
Parallel universes aren’t supposed to be observable, but a cosmic crash might leave a visible sign of their existence.
- Space
Martian sands
Sandy soil on the Red Planet hints at an ancient mix of volcanic activity and water, a potent breeding ground for life.
- Space
Gamma-ray bling!
A recent, unusually luminous gamma-ray burst is shedding new light on these stellar explosions and the visible light they produce.
- Space
Supernova Outbreak
Thanks to a lucky break and an overactive galaxy, astronomers report the earliest detection yet of a normal supernova—the explosive death of a massive star.
- Space
Twisted roots for solar jets
Researchers have constructed the first 3-D image of a jet of gas zooming out of the sun's outer atmosphere, revealing the role that twisted magnetic fields play in generating such outbursts.
- Astronomy
Galaxy’s youngest supernova
Astronomers have found the youngest Milky Way supernova remnant ever recorded from Earth.
- Space
A shifty moon
Astronomers have found evidence that the icy shell of Jupiter's large moon Europa has rotated nearly a quarter-turn, which supports the notion that the moon has a subterranean ocean.
