Japan space agency unveils asteroid hunting probe
Japanese space scientists have unveiled the asteroid hunting space probe they hope to launch later this year on a mission to mine a celestial body.
View ArticleGlowing galaxies in telescopic timelapse
We often speak of the discoveries and data flowing from astronomical observatories, which makes it easy to forget the cool factor. Think of it—huge telescopes are probing the universe under...
View ArticleExplainer: What makes the spring equinox?
It's the time of the equinox or more specifically the spring equinox for us in the southern hemisphere.
View ArticleImage: Jet activity at the neck of the Rosetta comet
(Phys.org) —The four images that make up a new montage of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko were taken on September 26, 2014 by the European Space Agency's Rosetta spacecraft. At the time, Rosetta was...
View ArticleImage: Hubble captures the Butterfly Nebula
Many celestial objects are beautiful – swirling spiral galaxies or glittering clusters of stars are notable examples. But some of the most striking scenes are created during the death throes of...
View ArticleThe abundance of water in asteroid fragments
A new study could provide insights about the abundance of water in fragments from a famous asteroid.
View ArticleCosmic first: European spacecraft lands on comet (WATCH LIVE)
Landing with a bounce after traveling 4 billion miles, a European spacecraft made history Wednesday by successfully reaching the icy, dusty surface of a speeding comet—a cosmic first designed to answer...
View ArticleSpace agency releases first picture from comet
The European Space Agency on Thursday published the first image taken from the surface of a comet, and said that its Philae lander is still "stable" despite a failure to latch on properly to the rocky...
View ArticleBridgmanite: World's most abundant mineral finally named
A team of geologists in the U.S. has finally found an analyzable sample of the most abundant mineral in the world allowing them to give it a name: bridgmanite. In their paper published in the journal...
View ArticleMap of mysterious molecules in galaxy sheds new light on century-old puzzle
By analyzing the light of hundreds of thousands of celestial objects, Johns Hopkins astronomers from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey have created a unique map of enigmatic molecules in our galaxy that are...
View ArticleResearchers find aldehydes in ices meant to simulate interstellar molecular...
(Phys.org)—A team of researchers working in France has detected the presence of aldehydes in ice samples in their lab which were created to simulate material found in interstellar molecular clouds. In...
View ArticleThe two faces of Mars
A moon-sized celestial object that crashed into the south pole: ETH researchers use a simulation to demonstrate why Mars consists of two notably different hemispheres.
View ArticleImage: XMM-Newton and Hubble view of Jupiter's ghost
Names of astronomical objects are often ambiguous, especially when the historical designation of a certain class of celestial body preceded their physical understanding and was based on their...
View ArticleDark Energy Camera unveils small objects in solar system
The 570-megapixel Dark Energy Camera, built at DOE's Fermilab and mounted on the 4-meter Victor Blanco Telescope in Chile, delivers some of the most detailed images of celestial objects. While about a...
View ArticleKepler-432b is a dense, massive celestial body with extreme seasons
Two research groups of Heidelberg astronomers have independently of each other discovered a rare planet. The celestial body, called Kepler-432b, is one of the most dense and massive planets known so...
View ArticleClose pairing of Venus and Mars on February 20-21
Look west in twilight this Friday and Saturday (February 20th and 21st), and an unusual astronomical sight will await you.
View ArticleA recipe for returning Pluto to full planethood
A storm is brewing, a battle of words and a war of the worlds. The Earth is not at risk. It is mostly a civil dispute, but it has the potential to influence the path of careers. In 2014, a Harvard led...
View ArticleSeveral "new" craters found in Siberia
At least seven newly created mysterious craters have now been officially discovered in Siberia, though satellite imagery suggests there may be as many as 20. The discovery of the first three last year...
View ArticleChemists claim to have solved riddle of how life began on Earth
(Phys.org)—A team of chemists working at the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, at Cambridge in the UK believes they have solved the mystery of how it was possible for life to begin on Earth over...
View ArticleDistance measurement of a microlensing event
The distance to celestial objects is key to calculating their intrinsic properties like mass and luminosity. Distance, unfortunately, is also one of the most difficult parameters to measure. The most...
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