An answer to a lunar mystery: Why is the moon's gravity so uneven?
Simulations based on GRAIL data show how gravitational anomalies developed early in lunar history.
May 30th, 2013
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Radiation exposure on journey to Mars could exceed NASA's career limit for astronauts
Measurements taken by NASA's Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) mission as it delivered the Curiosity rover to Mars in 2012 are providing NASA the information it needs to design systems to protect human explorers from radiation exposure on deep-space expeditions in the future.
May 30th, 2013
Read moreMars curiosity rover provides strong evidence for flowing water
Rocks analyzed by NASA's Mars Curiosity Rover team provide solid evidence that Mars had rivers or streams.
May 30th, 2013
Read moreA stellar mid-life crisis: why do some cluster stars die early?
It was written in the stars all along, but we've just found out: a whopping 70% of stars in a widely-studied cluster die before reaching old age which, for stars, is the most productive stage of their lives.
May 30th, 2013
Read moreResearchers use weightlessness of space to design better materials for Earth
Researchers from Northeastern University are among the many scientists helping NASA use the weightlessness of space to design stronger materials here on Earth.
May 29th, 2013
Read moreA new kind of cosmic glitch
The physics behind some of the most extraordinary stellar objects in the Universe just became even more puzzling. A group of astronomers using NASA's Swift satellite have discovered a new kind of glitch in the cosmos, specifically in the rotation of a neutron star.
May 29th, 2013
Read moreThe DNA ARK project wants to send your DNA to extraterrestrial civilizations
The DNA Ark Project is organised to preserve the human heritage even in case of a universal catastrophe. The DNA Ark is a holder containing DNA samples, as well as graphic and written messages to extraterrestrial civilizations on the hull.
May 29th, 2013
Read moreMeasuring all the light in the universe since the Big Bang
How much light has been emitted by all galaxies since the cosmos began? After all, almost every photon from ultraviolet to far infrared wavelengths ever radiated by all galaxies that ever existed throughout cosmic history is still speeding through the Universe today. If we could carefully measure the number and energy (wavelength) of all those photons we might learn important secrets about the nature and evolution of the Universe.
May 24th, 2013
Read moreHubble reveals the Ring Nebula's true shape
The Ring Nebula's distinctive shape makes it a popular illustration for astronomy books. But new observations by NASA's Hubble Space Telescope of the glowing gas shroud around an old, dying, sun-like star reveal a new twist.
May 23rd, 2013
Read moreA hidden population of exotic neutron stars
Magnetars - the dense remains of dead stars that erupt sporadically with bursts of high-energy radiation - are some of the most extreme objects known in the Universe. A major campaign using NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory and several other satellites shows magnetars may be more diverse and common - than previously thought.
May 23rd, 2013
Read moreESO's Very Large Telescope celebrates 15 years of success
With this new view of a spectacular stellar nursery ESO is celebrating 15 years of the Very Large Telescope - the world's most advanced optical instrument.
May 23rd, 2013
Read moreResearchers explain magnetic field misbehavior in solar flares
When a solar flare erupts from the sun, its magnetic fields sometime break a widely accepted rule of physics. Why? Now we know.
May 22nd, 2013
Read moreWatching for hazards: ESA opens asteroid center
ESA today inaugurated a new hub that will strengthen Europe's contribution to the global hunt for asteroids and other hazardous natural objects that may strike Earth.
May 22nd, 2013
Read moreRare merger reveals secrets of galaxy evolution
A rare encounter between two gas-rich galaxies spotted by ESA's Herschel space observatory indicates a solution to an outstanding problem: how did massive, passive galaxies form in the early Universe?
May 22nd, 2013
Read moreNASA calls for Phase II Visionary Advanced Concepts
NASA is looking for far-out ideas. NASA's Innovative Advanced Concepts (NIAC) Program is seeking Phase II proposals for continuation of promising studies selected during the first phase of the visionary program.
May 22nd, 2013
Read moreNASA builds unusual testbed for analyzing X-ray navigation technologies
Pulsars have a number of unusual qualities. Like zombies, they shine even though they're technically dead, and they rotate rapidly, emitting powerful and regular beams of radiation that are seen as flashes of light, blinking on and off at intervals from seconds to milliseconds. A NASA team has built a first-of-a-kind testbed that simulates these distinctive pulsations.
May 21st, 2013
Read moreEarth watcher Proba-V opens its eyes
Earth watcher Proba-V is in good health following its launch last week. The Vegetation imager has been switched on and the first image has been captured over western France.
May 18th, 2013
Read moreNASA's asteroid sample return mission moves into development (w/video)
NASA's first mission to sample an asteroid is moving ahead into development and testing in preparation for its launch in 2016.
May 18th, 2013
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