January 2016 Skywatching: Orange Giant Star, Planets and More | Video
The ‘eye’ of the Taurus (the bull) constellation is K5 giant star Aldeberan and it’s 35-40 times the diameter of the Sun. Jupiter rises above the horizon late in the evening while Mars rises in the early morning. On Jan 3rd and 4th, the Quadrantid meteor shower will peak. Credit: Space Telescope Science Institute, Office […]
What are UFOs? New Study Aims to Find Out
Monitoring UAP phenomena in Hessdalen, Norway. Light distribution and radiant power. Shape changes. Translucency. Light variability and optical spectra. Wavelength.Credit: UFODATA A new science project launched in 2015 with a lofty goal: to record data on reported sightings of “Unidentified Flying Objects” (or UFOs) in the hopes of identifying what they are. The group is […]
Exoplanet Hunters Made Key Finds in 2015
When it comes to science, exoplanets are easy to love. They play roles in most science fiction books and movies and spark the imagination of nearly everyone. Beyond the realm of fiction, understanding these worlds remains a significant challenge that astronomers are working hard to overcome. As 2015 winds down , we caught up with […]
Lunar Leap: Europe Is Reaching for a Moon Base by the 2030s
Europe is shaping a moon-first program of human exploration beyond low-Earth orbit.Credit: ESA There is growing interest in Europe to prioritize the moon as humanity’s next deep-space destination. The moon, supporters say, can serve as a springboard to push the human exploration of the solar system, with Mars as the horizon goal. So Europe is […]
Bright Planets, Moon, Put on New Year's Show
At dawn on Thursday, Dec. 31, the four brightest planets outline the ecliptic, the path followed by the sun and moon. The moon visits each in turn over the next week.Credit: Starry Early risers this week will be treated to a spectacular display by the moon and the four brightest planets in the sky, in […]
Stargazer Spies Space Station Streaking Through Orion's Belt (Photo)
Laura Austin captured this stunning image of the ISS streaking through Orion’s Belt on Sept. 10, 2015 from Sarnia, Ontaria, Canada.Credit: Laura Austin The International Space Station hurled through Orion’s Belt in this image captured by Laura Austin. Austin snapped this well-timed image on Sept. 10 from Sarnia, Ontaria, Canada. For Austin, any viewing of […]
Sun Blasts Flare at Earth: New Year's Eve Storm?
This NASA Solar Dynamics Observatory observation shows a composite view of our sun in extreme-ultraviolet light. On Dec. 28, the sunspot cluster AR2473 erupted with a M1.9 flare, sending a coronal mass ejection at Earth.Credit: NASA/SDO You can say what you like about our nearest star, but as this latest solar eruption proves, it certainly […]
NASA's Plutonium-238 Reserves Get Boost For Space Missions | Video
Rover Tracks: Robots with Rock Star Personalities Rover Tracks: The Strange Case of Bounce Rock NASA’s Morpheus Lander Tests: Behind the Scenes Planning the Assault: Why Bomb the Moon? Protecting Space Robots…from People! Up Close: See NASA’s Test Firing of Ares 1 Rocket GOOGLE-ing Our Carbon Footprints Who Hates SPACEX and Why? – Elon Musk […]
European Space Agency In 2015 – Highlight Video
Meet the New Space Station Crew The Herschel/Planck Mission Return with Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Planning the Assault: Why Bomb the Moon? Splashdown! Ares I-X’s Fall to Earth The Serious Search for Intelligent Life: 4 Key Questions Constellation Lunar Mission Way Off Road: On The Moon Transforming the Shuttle The Legacy of Space Shuttle Atlantis ISS: […]
Reading the Alphabet From Space
NASA’s Earth Observatory has tracked down images resembling all 26 letters of the English alphabet using only NASA satellite imagery and astronaut photography. In this image, the letter ‘Y’ is for yardangs, elongated landforms sculpted by erosion and similar to sand dunes, but instead comprised of sandstone or siltstone. To source
Pluto, Mars Water and More! The Biggest Space Stories of 2015
The year that was 2015 swept in a significant amount of space and astronomy science. NASA’s New Horizons probe reached Pluto after a decade of travel across interplanetary space, exploring the most well-known dwarf planet. But this wasn’t the only great solar system story this year; Ceres, Mars and the moons of Saturn also revealed […]
Mysterious Pulsar and Jellyfish Nebula Share Explosive Birth (Photo)
New observations suggest that a pulsar embedded deep within the Jellyfish Nebula may have formed at the same time; both remnants of an ancient supernova blast.Credit: Wide Field Optical: Focal Pointe Observatory/B.Franke, Inset: X-ray: NASA/CXC /MSFC/D.Swartz et al, Inset: Optical: DSS, SARA An explosion in space may have created not only a brilliant nebula but […]
British Astronaut Tim Peake to Run London Marathon in Space
British astronaut Tim Peake, pictured here, plans to run the London Marathon (or at least its equivalent) while on board the International SpaceCredit: ESA One astronaut is about to bravely go where no man has gone before: for a 26-mile (42 kilometer) run aboard the International Space Station. Tim Peake, a British astronaut with the […]