Space

Astronomy

Worlds of Astronomy

British astronomer and writer David Darling has created an impressive, online encyclopedia devoted to topics in astronomy, astrobiology, spaceflight, space physics, and much more. From the Abell cluster to the Zwicky Catalogue, the site provides clear, straightforward explanations of a variety of concepts, along with brief biographies and much other material, including relevant images. Go […]

Astronomy

Alien Light: Extrasolar planets are detected in new way

Two teams of scientists report that they have for the first time directly detected the glow of planets that circle sunlike stars hundreds of light-years from Earth.

Planetary Science

Jupiter as mirror for the sun’s X rays

X rays emanating from Jupiter's midriff actually originate on the sun, new observations show.

Astronomy

Too Darn Hot

A new theory of planet formation suggests that sizzling-hot Earths may be abundant throughout the galaxy and could soon be detected.

Planetary Science

Saturn says ‘cheese’

Astronomers have assembled the largest and most-detailed global portrait of the ringed planet ever made.

Astronomy

Puzzling radio blasts

Astronomers are stumped by powerful radio waves emanating from the center of our galaxy.

Astronomy

Weighing In on a Star: A stellar size limit

A new study suggests that no star in our galaxy can weigh more than 150 times the mass of the sun.

Planetary Science

Slowpoke: Atmosphere put brakes on meteorite that formed famed crater

The extraterrestrial object that gouged out Arizona's Meteor Crater about 50,000 years ago struck at a speed much slower than most scientists had previously proposed.

Astronomy

Radiation from a baby star

X-ray telescopes have captured the earliest and clearest view of the core of a gas cloud about to transform into a star.

Planetary Science

Martian Landscaping: Spacecraft eyes evidence of a frozen sea

After analyzing images taken by the orbiting Mars Express spacecraft, researchers reported that a flat region near the Red Planet's equator holds a frozen ocean that was once the size of the North Sea.

Astronomy

Nursery Pictures: Astronomers glimpse primordial clustering

Astronomers have found the earliest traces of galaxy clustering, from a period just 1 billion years after the birth of the universe.

Astronomy

Hole power

New computer simulations and observations are adding to the evidence that supermassive black holes control the growth of the galaxies they inhabit, wielding an influence far beyond their gravitational grasp.