Space Exploration News – Latest Headlines

Tangled threads weave through cosmic oddity

New observations from the Hubble Space Telescope have revealed the intricate structure of the galaxy NGC 4696 in greater detail than ever before. The elliptical galaxy is a beautiful cosmic oddity with a bright core wrapped in system of dark, swirling, thread-like filaments.

December 1, 2016 Read more

First signs of weird quantum property of empty space?

VLT observations of neutron star may confirm 80-year-old prediction about the vacuum.

November 30, 2016 Read more

Timing the shadow of a potentially habitable extrasolar planet paves the way to search for alien life

Astronomers have observed the transit of a potentially Earth-like extrasolar planet known as K2-3d. While transits have previously been observed for thousands of other extrasolar planets, K2-3d is important because there is a possibility that it might harbor extraterrestrial life.

November 28, 2016 Read more

Shear brilliance: computing tackles the mystery of the dark universe

Scientists working on a revolutionary telescope project have harnessed the power of distributed computing from the UK's GridPP collaboration to tackle one of the Universe's biggest mysteries - the nature of dark matter and dark energy.

November 24, 2016 Read more

Mars ice deposit holds as much water as Lake Superior

Frozen beneath a region of cracked and pitted plains on Mars lies about as much water as what's in Lake Superior, largest of the Great Lakes, a team of scientists has determined using data from NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter.

November 22, 2016 Read more

Stellar simulators

Astrophysicists will use a supercomputer to explore the driving forces behind mass loss in massive stars.

November 22, 2016 Read more

Large number of dwarf galaxies discovered in the early universe

A team of astronomers has discovered a large number of dwarf galaxies in the early universe by using the gravitational lensing phenomenon, completing astronomers' census of star-forming galaxies in that epoch.

November 21, 2016 Read more

X-ray pulsars fade as propeller effect sets in

Astrophysicists catch a glimpse of rapidly spinning neutron stars that 'black out'.

November 18, 2016 Read more

Pluto's icy, slushy heart

Data from New Horizons mission suggest a water-ice ocean lies beneath Pluto's heart-shaped basin.

November 17, 2016 Read more

Astronomers discover a nearby 'superearth'

Its short orbital period could help with future studies of biological activity.

November 16, 2016 Read more

Do extremely reddened quasars extinguish star formation?

Astronomers have linked extremely reddened quasars to strong galactic outflowing winds that inhibit star formation in the early universe.

November 15, 2016 Read more

Mystery solved behind birth of Saturn's rings

A team of researchers has presented a new model for the origin of Saturn's rings based on results of computer simulations. The results of the simulations are also applicable to rings of other giant planets and explain the compositional differences between the rings of Saturn and Uranus.

November 15, 2016 Read more

Atomic beltway could solve problems of cosmic gravity

A new theoretical paper suggests that intentionally creating a 'traffic jam' out of a ring of several thousand ultracold atoms could enable precise measurements of motion. If implemented with the right experimental setup, the atoms could provide a measurement of gravity, possibly even at distances as short as 10 micrometers.

November 14, 2016 Read more

Meteorites reveal lasting drought on Mars

The lack of liquid water on the surface of Mars today has been demonstrated by new evidence in the form of meteorites on the Red Planet examined by an international team of planetary scientists.

November 11, 2016 Read more

Supermoon? Meh. It may be closer, but it won't be super duper

NASA, Space.com, Sky and Telescope magazine, observatories everywhere - just about any entity with a stake in the night sky - have been busy telling us how great the full moon will be Nov. 14 because the satellite will be closer to Earth than it's been for almost 70 years. But to the casual observer, the moon will look little different from any other full moon.

November 10, 2016 Read more

A funnel on mars could be a place to look for life

A strangely shaped depression on Mars could be a new place to look for signs of life on the Red Planet, according to a new study. The depression was probably formed by a volcano beneath a glacier and could have been a warm, chemical-rich environment well suited for microbial life.

November 10, 2016 Read more

The Super-Kamiokande detector awaits neutrinos from a supernova

At the Super-Kamiokande detector in Japan, a new computer system has been installed in order to monitor in real time and inform the scientific community of the arrival of these mysterious particles, which can offer crucial information on the collapse of stars and the formation of black holes.

November 10, 2016 Read more

Sculpting solar systems

ESO's SPHERE instrument reveals protoplanetary discs being shaped by newborn planets.

November 9, 2016 Read more