Hubble telescope witnesses asteroid's mysterious disintegration
The Hubble Space Telescope has recorded the never-before-seen break-up of an asteroid into as many as 10 smaller pieces.
Mar 6th, 2014
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GOSSS catalogue clears the way for study of massive stars
GOSSS (Galactic O-Star Spectroscopic Survey) substantially improves on prior catalogues. It is a very ambitious project from the point of view of the number of objects and the quality of the data; it will yield a homogeneous sample, with data from both hemispheres which will be constantly updated, so it will be a very solid tool.
Mar 6th, 2014
Read moreFirst Light for MUSE - Powerful 3D spectrograph successfully installed on VLT
A new innovative instrument called MUSE (Multi Unit Spectroscopic Explorer) has been successfully installed on ESO's Very Large Telescope (VLT) at the Paranal Observatory in northern Chile. MUSE has observed distant galaxies, bright stars and other test targets during the first period of very successful observations.
Mar 5th, 2014
Read moreGalactic gas stations
MIT team proposes storing extra rocket fuel in space for future missions.
Mar 5th, 2014
Read more'Dimer molecules' aid study of exoplanet pressure, hunt for life
Astronomers have developed a new method of gauging the atmospheric pressure of exoplanets, or worlds beyond the solar system, by looking for a certain type of molecule.
Mar 4th, 2014
Read moreSpiral galaxy spills blood and guts
This new Hubble image shows spiral galaxy ESO 137-001, framed against a bright background as it moves through the heart of galaxy cluster Abell 3627. This cluster is violently ripping the spiral's entrails out into space, leaving bright blue streaks as telltale clues to this cosmic crime.
Mar 4th, 2014
Read moreEvery red dwarf star has at least one planet
Three new planets classified as habitable-zone super-Earths are amongst eight new planets discovered orbiting nearby red dwarf stars by an international team of astronomers from the UK and Chile.
Mar 4th, 2014
Read moreStandard-candle supernovae are still standard, but why?
The Nearby Supernova Factory based at Berkeley Lab shows that Type Ia supernovae have a surprisingly large range of masses.
Mar 3rd, 2014
Read moreGiant sunspot makes third trip across the sun
A giant sunspot - a magnetically strong and complex region on the sun's surface - has just appeared over the sun's horizon. This is the third trip for this region across the face of the sun, which takes approximately 27 days to make a complete rotation.
Feb 28th, 2014
Read moreNew fast and furious black hole found
A team of Australian and American astronomers have been studying nearby galaxy M83 and have found a new superpowered small black hole, named MQ1, the first object of its kind to be studied in this much detail.
Feb 28th, 2014
Read moreClosest, brightest supernova in decades is also a little weird
The closest and brightest supernova in decades, SN 2014J, brightens faster than expected for Type Ia supernovae, the exploding stars used to measure cosmic distances, according to University of California Berkeley astronomers.
Feb 27th, 2014
Read moreTouchy-feely joystick heading to Space Station
Stowed inside ESA's next supply ship to the International Space Station will be one of the most advanced joysticks ever built, designed to test the remote control of robots on the ground from up in orbit.
Feb 26th, 2014
Read moreHubble monitors supernova in nearby galaxy M82
This is a Hubble Space Telescope composite image of a supernova explosion designated SN 2014J in the galaxy M82.
Feb 26th, 2014
Read moreSMA unveils how small cosmic seeds grow into big stars
New images from the Smithsonian's Submillimeter Array (SMA) telescope provide the most detailed view yet of stellar nurseries within the Snake nebula. These images offer new insights into how cosmic seeds can grow into massive stars.
Feb 26th, 2014
Read more'Super-Earths' may be dead worlds
A team of scientists have looked at how these worlds form and suggest that many of them may be a lot less clement than was though. They find that planets that form from less massive cores can become benign habitats for life, whereas the larger objects instead end up as 'mini-Neptunes' with thick atmospheres and probably stay sterile.
Feb 26th, 2014
Read moreHow did the universe begin: Hot Big Bang or slow thaw?
A physicist at Heidelberg University has developed a theoretical model that complements the nearly 100-year-old conventional model of cosmic expansion. According tohis theory, the Big Bang did not occur 13.8 billion years ago - instead, the birth of the universe stretches into the infinite past.
Feb 25th, 2014
Read moreWhen dwarves collide
Studying Andromeda II, astronomers observe where little galaxies come from.
Feb 25th, 2014
Read moreSubaru telescope detects rare form of nitrogen in comet ISON
This is the first time that astronomers have reported a clear detection of a relatively rare nitrogen isotope in a single comet and also measured the relative abundance of two different forms of nitrogen of cometary ammonia.
Feb 25th, 2014
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