Space News
Biggest Solar Flares of 2014: Sun Storm Photos
SPACE.com - 8 Jan 2014 06:22
See photos and images of the biggest solar flares of 2014 in this SPACE.com gallery of photos by NASA spacecraft and solar astronomers.
Why the Moon Looks Different in Winter [Video]
Scientific American - 8 Jan 2014 23:05
As we steel ourselves against the cold and curse the polar vortex for bringing these bitter winds upon us, it’s helpful to remember that winter can also be a magical time of fluttering... --
Complete Coverage of the 223rd AAS Meeting
SPACE.com - 8 Jan 2014 22:12
Check out our full coverage of the year's largest astronomy meeting.
Quasars illuminate swiftly swirling clouds around galaxies
Phys.org - 8 Jan 2014 22:48
(Phys.org) --A new study of light from quasars has provided astronomers with illuminating insights into the swirling clouds of gas that form stars and galaxies, proving that the clouds can shift and change much more quic...
Black Hole Blasts Bright X-Rays | 6-Year Time-Lapse Video
SPACE.com - 8 Jan 2014 22:15
The supermassive singularity at the center of our galaxy (Sgr A*) flares in X-ray radiation every 5 - 10 days. Astronomers swing NASA's Swift XRT spacecraft to spy on the 4 million solar mass black hole every few days.
Intergalactic Gas Lines Fed Ancient Galaxies
Scientific American - 8 Jan 2014 22:00
How did youthful galaxies in the early universe fatten up to become the behemoths we see today? One explanation, put forth more than a decade ago, is that galaxies in the early universe supped on... --
Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Diviner maps geologic context of Chang'e 3 landing site
Planetary Society - 8 Jan 2014 21:53
The LRO Diviner Lunar Radiometer has been mapping the entire Moon on a nearly continuous basis since July, 2009. The Diviner team has produced maps of the thermal behavior and and a range of derived quantities at Chang'e...
Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey measures the universe to one-percent accuracy
Phys.org - 8 Jan 2014 21:10
Today the Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey (BOSS) Collaboration announced that BOSS has measured the scale of the universe to an accuracy of one percent. This and future measures at this precision are the key to d...
NASA extends space station life to 2024 (Update 2)
Phys.org - 8 Jan 2014 20:07
The $100-billion International Space Station will be extended by four years, or until at least 2024, allowing for more global research and scientific collaboration, NASA said Wednesday.
BOSS measures the universe to 1-percent accuracy
e! Science News - 8 Jan 2014 23:18
Today the Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey (BOSS) Collaboration announced that BOSS has measured the scale of the universe to an accuracy of one percent. This and future measures at this precision are the key to d...
Northern lights may expand south next couple days
Phys.org - 8 Jan 2014 23:00
Northerners thawing out from a bitter freeze may get rewarded with shimmering northern lights the next couple days.
Swift Catches X-ray Action at Milky Way's Center
SpaceRef - 8 Jan 2014 22:40
Recent observations by NASA's Swift spacecraft have provided scientists a unique glimpse into the activity at the center of our galaxy and led to the discovery of a rare celestial entity that may help them test predictio...
'Whiteout' Over Great Lakes Seen from Space (Photo)
SPACE.com - 8 Jan 2014 22:26
The five Great Lakes, in all their glory, barely peak out from the veil of clouds and whooshing snowfall above them in a new satellite image captured Monday (Jan. 6) as the Arctic's polar vortex barreled southward.
Swift catches X-ray action at Milky Way's center
Phys.org - 8 Jan 2014 21:51
(Phys.org) --Recent observations by NASA's Swift spacecraft have provided scientists a unique glimpse into the activity at the center of our galaxy and led to the discovery of a rare celestial entity that may help them t...
New Cosmic Distance Measurement Points the Way to Elusive Dark Energy
Scientific American - 8 Jan 2014 21:45
NATIONAL HARBOR, Md.--More galaxies are separated by about 490 million light-years than by any other large distance, astronomers have found in the most precise measurement yet of this key cosmic... --
International Space Station Gets Life Extension Through 2024
SPACE.com - 8 Jan 2014 21:39
NASA and White House officials are announcing plans today (Jan. 8) to keep the International Space Station running through at least 2024 -- a four-year life extension for the largest spacecraft ever built.
Scale of Universe Measured with 1-Percent Accuracy
SPACE.com - 8 Jan 2014 21:18
An ultraprecise new galaxy map is shedding light on the properties of dark energy, the mysterious force thought to be responsible for the universe's accelerating expansion.
NASA: International Space Station Operations Extended to 2024
Universe Today - 8 Jan 2014 21:02
NASA announced today that the Obama administration has approved NASA’s request for an extension of operations for the International Space Station for an additional four years to 2024. This means work on board the orbit...
BOSS Measures the Universe to One-Percent Accuracy
PTTU - 8 Jan 2014 20:58
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory: The Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey (BOSS), the largest component of the third Sloan Digital Sky Survey, has measured the clustering of nearly 1.3 million galaxies spectrosc...
Gigantic Sunspot Unleashes Flare; Expect Aurorae Tonight!
Bad Astronomy - 8 Jan 2014 20:16
Right now, the Sun is sporting a huge sunspot called AR1944. It's grown in size over the past few days to a staggering 200,000 kilometers (125,000 miles) across. As I wrote the other day, sunspots are regions of intense ...
Many small exoplanets found to be covered in gas
Phys.org - 8 Jan 2014 19:50
During its four-year mission, NASA's Kepler space telescope discovered thousands of "planetary candidates" in our Milky Way galaxy--the vast majority of which are almost certainly actual planets. But before scientists ca...
Status Update: GPM Completes Spacecraft Alignments
PTTU - 8 Jan 2014 19:08
NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center: After a holiday break, final tests for the GPM Core Observatory resumed on Dec. 30, 2013, with alignment measurements. The spacecraft's instruments and components, such as star tracker...