Space News
2014 AZ5: The Fake Asteroid that Won’t Hit Earth
Universe Today - 7 Mar 2013 19:20
Be careful where you get your news. Some websites have headlines that are screaming “GIANT ASTEROID HEADING TO EARTH!†or “2014 END OF THE WORLD!†It’s been billed as the largest threat to ...
Violent Martian Waters Carved Secret Trench
Universe Today - 8 Mar 2013 01:33
Massive floodwaters on Mars gouged a channel more than 600 miles (1,000 kilometers) long, making a trench that was hidden to scientists until now because volcanic flows buried it underground. Erupting groundwater, perhap...
Mystery Solved: Breakdown of Russell Crowe’s UFO Video
Universe Today - 8 Mar 2013 00:47
Actor Russell Crowe made some waves this week when he claimed to have captured photos of a UFO outside the window of his office in Australia. It turns out it really was an UFO…. an Undentified Floating Object, whic...
Russian Asteroid Explosion and Past Impactors Paint a Potentially Grim Future for Earth
Universe Today - 7 Mar 2013 22:05
The recent meteor explosion over Chelyabinsk brought to the forefront a topic that has worried astronomers for years, namely that an impactor from space could cause widespread human fatalities.  Indeed, the thou...
A Rather Quiet Solar Maximum … For Now
Universe Today - 7 Mar 2013 20:51
2013 was supposed to be the year of Solar Max, the peak of the 11-year sunspot cycle. But so far, solar activity has been fairly low, with sunspot numbers well below expectations as well as infrequent solar flares. (...)...
Video: Why Is Curiosity Looking for Organics?
Universe Today - 7 Mar 2013 19:54
This short 60-second video explains organic molecules and what they can tell us about the history of Mars. It’s also a good segue to provide an update on how the Curiosity rover is doing following the computer pro...
Comet of the Century? Sun-Grazing Comet ISON Explained (Infographic)
SPACE.com - 7 Mar 2013 19:23
Comet ISON could become a spectacular night sky object in November 2013. Find out why here.
Our Retro-Future Life on Mars
Universe Today - 7 Mar 2013 18:52
I don’t know exactly what our presence on Mars will look like 50, 100, 200 years in the future, but I sure do hope that it’s popularized here on Earth like in this awesome animation by Czech artist Lukas Vo...
Looking Into the Moon’s Permanently Shadowed Craters
Universe Today - 7 Mar 2013 18:42
There are some craters on the Moon that never see the light of day. But that doesn’t stop the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter from shedding new light on some the darkest mysteries on the lunar surface. With its batte...
Kepler’s Weirdest Exoplanets
Universe Today - 7 Mar 2013 17:40
Captain Kirk has nothing on the “strange new worlds†the Kepler space telescope has found. NASA’s planet-probing orbiting observatory launched its quest to find more Earths four years ago this week. Si...
Distant Suns Astronomy App Giveaway
Universe Today - 7 Mar 2013 04:23
Have you ever been out on a beautiful, starry night and wondered what it was you were seeing? Maybe you are walking your date home on an amazing, clear night and want to impress the heck out of her by comparing her eyes ...
Evil Empire Beware: Gas Giant Planets are Hard to Destroy
Universe Today - 7 Mar 2013 03:05
Last year, physicists worked out the plausibility of a fully functional (if not fictional) Death Star being able to destroy planets, and found that the Galactic Empire’s technological terror could indeed destroy E...