Space

  1. Astronomy

    Magnetic Memory: New model forecasts solar storms

    A new computer model predicts that the next solar-activity cycle won't begin until late 2008, a year later than the sun's standard cycle would forecast.

    By Ron Cowen
  2. Planetary Science

    Pluto’s posse

    Images taken by the Hubble Space Telescope on Feb. 15 confirm that Pluto has two small, previously unknown moons.

    By Ron Cowen
  3. Astronomy

    Peeling Back Orion’s Layers

    By studying the most detailed portrait ever assembled of the Orion nebula, astronomers hope to glean new insights about star birth throughout the galaxy.

    By Ron Cowen
  4. Astronomy

    Unique Explosion: Gamma-ray burst leads astronomers to supernova

    Astronomers have found a supernova associated with the second-closest-known gamma-ray burst, confirming a model in which bursts arise from material blasted into space by a supernova explosion.

    By Ron Cowen
  5. Astronomy

    Chasing a stellar blast

    An exploding star recently discovered in a nearby galaxy may be a milestone in the study of type 1a supernovas.

    By Ron Cowen
  6. Planetary Science

    Eyeing a Saturn storm

    The Cassini spacecraft recently captured an image of the most powerful storm ever seen on Saturn.

    By Ron Cowen
  7. Astronomy

    Tiny planet orbits faraway star

    Taking advantage of some gravitational sleight of hand, astronomers have found indirect evidence of the smallest planet known to exist outside the solar system.

    By Ron Cowen
  8. Astronomy

    Radio Daze: Staccato pulses suggest a new stellar class

    Astronomers have discovered what may be a new class of star that emits bursts of radio waves for 2 to 30 milliseconds before falling silent for minutes to hours.

    By Ron Cowen
  9. Planetary Science

    Stellar passage yields Charon’s girth

    By observing Pluto's moon Charon passing in front of a star, astronomers have obtained precise measurements of the moon's radius and density.

    By Ron Cowen
  10. Astronomy

    Found: A missing hot halo

    Astronomers have for the first time found a halo of hot inflowing gas around a massive, spiral galaxy, a likely leftover from the galaxy's formation.

    By Ron Cowen
  11. Astronomy

    Blasts from the Past

    Gamma-ray bursts may soon surpass quasars and galaxies as the most distant known objects in the universe and are likely to provide a new window on the early universe.

    By Ron Cowen
  12. Astronomy

    Galactic cannibalism

    A highly elongated group of stars is most likely a dwarf galaxy that is being gobbled up by the Milky Way.

    By Ron Cowen