Chinese space probe flies by asteroid Toutatis
China's space probe Chang'e-2 has successfully conducted a maneuver in which it flew by the asteroid Toutatis, about seven million km away from the Earth.
Dec 21st, 2012
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New meteorite suggests that asteroid surfaces more complex than previously thought
Meteorites that had fallen from an asteroid impact that lit up the skies over California and Nevada in April are showing scientists just how complex an asteroid surface can be.
Dec 20th, 2012
Read moreStars reveal the secrets of looking young
In certain circumstances, stars can be given a new burst of life, receiving extra fuel that bulks them up and substantially brightens them. This can happen if one star pulls matter off a neighbour, or if they collide.
Dec 19th, 2012
Read moreClosest Sun-like star may have planets
An international team of scientists, including Carnegie's Paul Butler, has discovered that Tau Ceti, one of the closest and most Sun-like stars, may have five planets.
Dec 19th, 2012
Read moreResearchers find a 'glitch' in pulsar 'glitch' theory
Researchers from the University of Southampton have called in to question a 40 year-old theory explaining the periodic speeding up or 'glitching' of pulsars.
Dec 18th, 2012
Read moreA swoosh in space: Merry Christmas from Hubble
The NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope celebrates the holiday season with a striking image of the planetary nebula NGC 5189. The intricate structure of the stellar eruption looks like a giant and brightly coloured ribbon in space.
Dec 18th, 2012
Read moreResearchers confirm 'gusty winds' in space turbulence
Study is first direct measurement of its kind in the lab.
Dec 18th, 2012
Read moreCommercial space travel carries implications for health
A new UCSF study looks at the health implications of flying into outer space and suggests establishing health screening standards for private citizens who want to blast off.
Dec 17th, 2012
Read moreHow white dwarfs mimic black holes
New research has revealed that bright X-ray flares in nearby galaxies, once assumed to indicate the presence of black holes, can in fact be produced by white dwarfs.
Dec 17th, 2012
Read moreHot iron in the cosmos
A precision experiment has provided details of the X-ray emissions from highly ionised iron, advancing our understanding of black holes and supernovae.
Dec 16th, 2012
Read morePhysical constant passes the alcohol test
Fundamental properties of molecules have not changed during the past seven billion years.
Dec 14th, 2012
Read moreStudy reveals a remarkable symmetry in black hole jets
A new study using data from NASA's Swift satellite and Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope shows that high-speed jets launched from active black holes possess fundamental similarities regardless of mass, age or environment. The result provides a tantalizing hint that common physical processes are at work.
Dec 13th, 2012
Read moreTwin NASA spacecraft prepare to crash into moon
Twin lunar-orbiting NASA spacecraft that have allowed scientists to learn more about the internal structure and composition of the moon are being prepared for their controlled descent and impact on a mountain near the moon's north pole at about 5:28 p.m. EST Monday, Dec. 17.
Dec 13th, 2012
Read moreHubble census finds galaxies at redshifts 9 to 12
Astronomers using the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope have uncovered seven primitive galaxies from a distant population that formed more than 13 billion years ago.
Dec 13th, 2012
Read more24-armed giant to probe early lives of galaxies
The K-band Multi-Object Spectrograph (KMOS), attached to the Very Large Telescope (VLT) Unit Telescope 1 at ESO's Paranal Observatory in Chile, has successfully achieved first light.
Dec 12th, 2012
Read moreResearchers discover galaxies near cosmic dawn
A team of astronomers led by the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) has used NASA's Hubble Space Telescope to discover seven of the most primitive and distant galaxies ever seen.
Dec 12th, 2012
Read moreX-ray laser takes aim at cosmic mystery
Scientists have used powerful X-rays from the Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS) at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, to study and measure, in atomic detail, a key process at work in extreme plasmas like those found in stars, the rims of black holes and other massive cosmic phenomena.
Dec 12th, 2012
Read moreMicroquasar found in neighbor galaxy, tantalizing scientists
Object is first of its type found beyond our own Milky Way.
Dec 12th, 2012
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