Astronomers track the birth of a 'super-earth'
'Synthetic observations' simulating nascent planetary systems could help explain a puzzle that has vexed astronomers for a long time.
Jul 11th, 2017
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Space Exploration News – Latest Headlines
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Heart of an exploded star observed in 3-D
Supernova forges billowing, tangled knots of new molecules.
Jul 10th, 2017
Read moreHidden lake discovery sheds light on alien hunt
Evidence of new strains of bacteria in a lake hidden under an Icelandic glacier far from the sun has revealed how life might thrive in sub-surface oceans on the icy moons around Saturn and Jupiter.
Jul 7th, 2017
Read moreHubble pushed beyond limits to spot clumps of new stars in distant galaxy
By applying a new computational analysis to a galaxy magnified by a gravitational lens, astronomers have obtained images 10 times sharper than what Hubble could achieve on its own. The results show an edge-on disk galaxy studded with brilliant patches of newly formed stars.
Jul 6th, 2017
Read moreIntelligent life may guide the evolution of the cosmos - here's how
Does humanity exist to serve some ultimate, transcendent purpose? Conventional scientific wisdom says no. One scientists believes otherwise.
Jul 6th, 2017
Read moreCalm lakes on Titan could mean smooth landing for future space probes
New research has found that most waves on Titan's lakes reach only about 1 centimeter high, a finding that indicates a serene environment that could be good news for future probes sent to the surface of that moon.
Jul 5th, 2017
Read moreFastest stars in the Milky Way are 'runaways' from another galaxy
A group of astronomers have shown that the fastest-moving stars in our galaxy - which are travelling so fast that they can escape the Milky Way - are in fact runaways from a much smaller galaxy in orbit around our own.
Jul 5th, 2017
Read moreStudy calls into question theories on pulsar phenomena
Researchers have cast doubt over established explanations for certain behaviours in pulsars - highly magnetised rotating neutron stars, formed from the remains of supernovae.
Jul 3rd, 2017
Read moreUnder pressure - Extreme atmosphere stripping may limit exoplanets' habitability
New models of massive stellar eruptions hint at an extra layer of complexity when considering whether an exoplanet may be habitable or not. Models developed for our own Sun have now been applied to cool stars favoured by exoplanet hunters.
Jul 3rd, 2017
Read moreNeutron stars could be our GPS for deep space travel
NASA's Neutron Star Interior Composition Explorer, or NICER will study the exotic astrophysical objects known as neutron stars and examine whether they could be used as deep-space navigation beacons for future generations of spacecraft.
Jun 30th, 2017
Read moreThe Bee-Zed asteroid orbits in the opposite direction to planets
The asteroid makes a complete circuit around the Sun every 12 years, corresponding with the orbital period of Jupiter, which shares its orbit but travels in the opposite direction.
Jun 28th, 2017
Read moreGroundbreaking discovery confirms existence of orbiting supermassive black holes
For the first time ever, astronomers say they've been able to observe and measure the orbital motion between two supermassive black holes hundreds of millions of light years from Earth - a discovery more than a decade in the making.
Jun 27th, 2017
Read moreNeutrinos as drivers of supernovae
Radioactive elements in gaseous supernova remnant Cassiopeia A provide glimpses into the explosion of massive stars.
Jun 26th, 2017
Read moreMagnetic memories of a metal world
Research deciphering the hidden magnetic messages encoded in a rare group of meteorites has helped secure nearly half a billion dollars of NASA funding for a journey to their parent asteroid.
Jun 22nd, 2017
Read moreThe curious case of the warped Kuiper Belt
The plane of the solar system is warped in the outer reaches of the Kuiper Belt, signaling the presence of an unknown Mars-to-Earth-mass planetary object far beyond Pluto.
Jun 22nd, 2017
Read moreHubble captures massive dead disk galaxy that challenges theories of galaxy evolution
By combining the power of a 'natural lens' in space with the capability of NASA's Hubble Space Telescope, astronomers made a surprising discovery - the first example of a compact yet massive, fast-spinning, disk-shaped galaxy that stopped making stars only a few billion years after the big bang.
Jun 21st, 2017
Read moreOur expanding universe: Delving into dark energy
Space is expanding ever more rapidly and scientists are researching dark energy to understand why.
Jun 21st, 2017
Read moreNew branch in family tree of exoplanets discovered
In a new study, researchers have classified exoplanets in much the same way that biologists identify new animal species.
Jun 19th, 2017
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