astronomy

House Science Committee Slashes NASA’s Earth Science Budget

Medicine & Technology May 01, 2015

In a vote on party lines, Republicans in the House Committee on Science, Space and Technology approved a budget authorization for NASA that would see funding for the Orion and the Space Launch System continue but would slash the agency’s budget for its Earth science division.

NASA’s Messenger Mission Comes to an End As Probe Crashes into Mercury’s Surface

May 01, 2015

The only spacecraft ever to have orbited Mercury has ended its mission by crashing into the surface, leaving behind a new crater as a monument of its landmark achievement.

May Will Be a Big Month for Sky Gazers

May 01, 2015

May is shaping up to be one of the best months of 2015 for sky gazers and amateur astronomers across the world with planet watching and meteor showers just some of the highlights of what will be available to see in the night sky.

NASA May Have Just Accidentally Discovered Faster than Light Travel

Apr 30, 2015

Long home to science fiction, traveling faster than the speed of light is quite commonplace as heroes and villains alike zip around their galaxy in an effort to engage each other. It has become so popular, in fact, that you would be hard pressed to find anyone on Earth that didn't know about the concept. Now it seems that scientists could have accidentally brought the notion of faster than light travel out of the realm of science fiction and into real science.

Messenger Prepares to Dive Bomb Mercury

Apr 30, 2015

NASA's Mercury orbiter, Messenger, is going out with a bang as it prepares to dive bomb the planet in glorious fashion, leaving behind a new crater on the planet closest to the sun that will measure approximately 16 meters wide once the dust has settled.

NASA’s Best Photos Yes of Pluto Show Possible Ice Cap

Apr 30, 2015

NASA's New Horizons probe has snapped some of the best photos yet of Pluto and its large moon Charon. The new photos are now beginning to reveal distinct surface features of the distant dwarf planet, including one bright area that could be a snowy polar cap, mission managers said.

What If Astronauts “Lose It” in Space?

Apr 30, 2015

We all know that being an astronaut is no easy task, that is why NASA has one of the most elaborate and difficult psychological tests of any organization on the planet. Despite all the astronauts currently zooming through space have passed these tests, there is always a risk that one might suffer a psychological breakdown while orbiting high above the Earth. If this happens, what are the fellow astronauts supposed to do about it?

Another Falcon 9 Launch—Will This One Be Different?

Apr 29, 2015

For the second time this month, the Elon Musk led SpaceX launched cargo into space. This time the privately owned company delivered its first satellite into orbit owned and operated by the former Soviet republic of Turkmenistan.

Protestors On Mauna Kea Aren't Alone—Cyberterrorists Attack TMT Site on Sunday

Apr 27, 2015

It seems locals aren't the only ones upset about the construction of one of the world's largest telescopes near the summit of Mauna Kea, which is already home to not one but 13 large telescopes. The Thirty Meter Telescope will be one of the largest in the world when completed, but today, those opposed to the project received help from cyber protesters as they hacked the Thirty Meter Telescope website bringing it down for about two hours.

Eleven Galaxies on the Run

Apr 25, 2015

A team of Russian astronomers has announced the discovery of eleven galaxies that are on the run, after being pushed away from their original clusters, and are now floating adrift in what scientists describe as intercluster space.

Scientists Catch Light Bouncing Off Exoplanet

Apr 24, 2015

An international team of astronomers says they have managed to take the first visible light spectrum from an exoplanet, giving them yet another new tool to probe the nature of the exoplanet known as 51 Pegasi b, otherwise known as “hot Jupiter.”

NASA’s NExSS Initiative Seeks Out New Life

Apr 23, 2015

NASA’s NExSS Initiative, or Nexus for Exoplanet System Science initiative plans to bring together top research groups and will provide a synthesized approach in the search for habitable exoplanets while also looking for signs of extraterrestrial life.