Space News
Space Observatories Watch a Black Hole Go Dormant
Universe Today - 11 Jun 2013 21:45
The Chandra X-ray Observatory has been keeping an eye on a black hole actively munching away on gas at the middle of the nearby Sculptor galaxy. Now, with the added eyes of the Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array (NuST...
'Space Selfie' Telescope Could Hunt Alien Planets ... If It Raises A Cool $2M
Universe Today - 12 Jun 2013 00:05
A crowdfunded telescope -- best known for offering "space selfies" for backers as an incentive to send money -- is now considering a search for alien planets. Planetary Resources Inc. (the proposed asteroid miners) annou...
A Rare Opportunity to Watch a Blue Straggler Forming
Universe Today - 11 Jun 2013 23:36
A unique and enigmatic variety of stars known as blue stragglers appear to defy the normal stellar aging process. Discovered in globular clusters, they appear much younger than the rest of the stellar population. Since t...
SpaceX Fires Up Falcon 9-R in a Long Duration Test
Universe Today - 11 Jun 2013 20:02
Last week, SpaceX fired up a new version of the Falcon 9 for a short 10-second test fire. Now, they've completed a long-duration fire, lasting 112 seconds. The test was of the first stage of the F9-R, an advanced prototy...
'Space Class' Among Aims of Chinese Taikonauts Who Left Earth Today
Universe Today - 11 Jun 2013 19:19
Riding atop a fiery Long March rocket, three taikonauts blasted off from Earth today (June 11) to kick off an expected 15-day mission in space that will include the first Chinese "space class" from orbit. Shenzhou 10 dep...
Astrophotos: Crescent Moon, Mercury and Venus Together in the Sky
Universe Today - 11 Jun 2013 18:13
Last night (June 10, 2013) the two innermost worlds of our Solar System visible were joined by a very slender waxing crescent Moon, just over two days after New phase (see our preview of the event here). Several of our r...
Cassini Captures Saturn's Darkest Rings
Universe Today - 11 Jun 2013 06:08
The closest to the planet itself, the hazy arcs of Saturn's D ring may lack the reflective brilliance and sharply-defined edges of the other main rings, but they nevertheless possess their own ethereal beauty and mysteri...
Opportunity Rover Discovers Martian Habitable Zone Favorable for Pre-biotic Chemistry
Universe Today - 11 Jun 2013 05:17
On the cusp of the 10th anniversary since launching to the Red Planet, NASA's long lived Opportunity rover has discovered a habitable zone on Mars that once coursed with 'drinkable water' and possesses the chemical ingre...
Chris Hadfield Hangs Up His Astronaut Suit
Universe Today - 11 Jun 2013 02:33
In a somewhat surprise announcement, Canadian astronaut -- and social media icon -- Chris Hadfield announced his retirement from the astronaut corps, just weeks after he returned home from his highly successful expeditio...