Space News
Amazing New X-Ray Image of the Whirlpool Galaxy Shows it is Dotted with Black Holes
Universe Today - 4 Jun 2014 00:01
In the Milky Way there's a single X-ray binary -- a system consisting of a black hole capturing and heating material from an orbiting companion star -- known as Cygnus X-1. But 30 million light-years away in the Whirlpoo...
Humans on Mars as Soon as 2037 Should Be NASA's Goal: Panel
Scientific American - 4 Jun 2014 23:20
A prestigious panel of scientists recommends sending humans to the red planet as the space agency's wisest long-range goal --
SpaceX Aims to Boost Rocket Production to Two Per Month by Year's End
Space News - 4 Jun 2014 23:17
SpaceX president respondedto nagging questions about the company's ability to keep pace with its growing launch manifest.
ALMA upgrade to supercharge Event Horizon Telescope, astronomy's 'killer app'
Phys.org - 4 Jun 2014 22:45
Scientists recently upgraded the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) by installing an ultraprecise atomic clock at ALMA's Array Operations Site, home to the observatory's supercomputing correlator. This u...
Strange Hybrid Object Discovered --1st Ever Predicted in 1975
The Daily Galaxy - 4 Jun 2014 22:44
In a discovery decades in the making, scientists have detected the first of a "theoretical" class of stars first proposed in 1975 by physicist Kip Thorne and astronomer Anna ytkow. Thorne- ytkow objects (T Os) are hybrid...
5 Bright Planets Visible in June Night Sky: How to See Them (Video)
SPACE.com - 4 Jun 2014 21:58
The five brightest planets of the night sky, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn, can be a dazzling sight to see in the June sky, but only if you know when and where to look. Here's a look at the most amazing planet...
Contact With 36-Year Old Spacecraft Results in Dancing, Hugs. Now Comes Even Bigger Challenge
Universe Today - 4 Jun 2014 21:51
What is it like to make contact with a 36-year old dormant spacecraft? "The intellectual side of you systematically goes through all the procedures but you really end up doing a happy dance when it actually works," Keith...
Massive Burst of Light Soon After Big Bang Just Reached Earth
The Daily Galaxy - 4 Jun 2014 21:30
Intense light from the enormous explosion of a star more than 12 billion years ago -- shortly after the Big Bang -- recently reached Earth and was visible in the sky. Known as a gamma-ray burst, light from the rare,...
Violent Galaxy Cluster Smash Spawns Weird Radio Wiggle
SPACE.com - 4 Jun 2014 20:59
A galactic cluster four-way collision has been recorded 5 billion light-years distant, an event previously unseen by astronomers.
Black hole 'batteries' keep blazars going and going
e! Science News - 4 Jun 2014 20:10
Astronomers studying two classes of black-hole-powered galaxies monitored by NASA's Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope have found evidence that they represent different sides of the same cosmic coin. By unraveling how these...
Astronomers Find Evidence of a Strange Type of Star
Universe Today - 4 Jun 2014 20:09
One has never been spotted for sure in the wild jungle of strange stellar objects out there, but astronomers now think they have finally found a theoretical cosmic curiosity: a Thorne-Zytkow Object, or TZO, hiding in the...
Saturn's Largest Moon Has Waves: Waves on Titan Indicate Methane Seas That May Be Home to Life
Scientific American - 4 Jun 2014 20:00
Waves on Saturn's largest moon indicate methane seas—a potential home to alternative forms of life --
Lake on Saturn's Largest Moon May Have Waves
Scientific American - 4 Jun 2014 20:00
Waves on Titan indicate bodies of liquid methane may be home to life --
SpaceX's Huge Falcon Heavy Rocket: How It Works (Infographic)
SPACE.com - 4 Jun 2014 19:18
SpaceX's three-core Falcon Heavy rocket is a mega-booster that would be the largest, most powerful launch vehicle since NASA's Saturn V moon rocket. Here's how SpaceX's Falcon Heavy rocket works.
Extreme Space Weather of Common Stars Could Make Alien Life Scarce
SPACE.com - 4 Jun 2014 19:16
Severe space weather events from common red dwarf stars could doom any chances for life on planets orbiting those stars, scientists say. That may mean that alien life might be rarer than previously thought.
New suspect identified in supernova explosion
Phys.org - 4 Jun 2014 19:02
(Phys.org) --Supernovas are often thought of as the tremendous explosions that mark the ends of massive stars' lives. While this is true, not all supernovas occur in this fashion. A common supernova class, called Type Ia...
Surprisingly Strong Magnetic Fields Challenge Black Holes' Pull
PTTU - 4 Jun 2014 19:01
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory: A new study of supermassive black holes at the centers of galaxies has found magnetic fields play an impressive role in the systems' dynamics. In fact, in dozens of black holes surv...
Surprisingly strong magnetic fields challenge black holes' pull
Phys.org - 4 Jun 2014 19:00
A new study of supermassive black holes at the centers of galaxies has found magnetic fields play an impressive role in the systems' dynamics. In fact, in dozens of black holes surveyed, the magnetic field strength match...
The Daily Show and the Anti-Vaxxers
Bad Astronomy - 4 Jun 2014 18:11
Y'know, back in May when I said that I had nothing to add to Stephen Colbert's takedown of anti-vaccine nonsense, I'm glad the folks at The Daily Show didn't listen. Because this: There's some truth in this segment; anti...
See Double Stars in the Night Sky: A 'Starhopping' Guide
SPACE.com - 4 Jun 2014 18:02
Double star systems in the night sky can be spotted in binoculars and telescopes if you know where to look. See how 'starhopping' can help lead the way.
NASA Statement on National Research Council Report on Human Spaceflight
NASA Breaking news - 4 Jun 2014 18:00
The following is a statement from NASA regarding the National Research Council report, "Pathways to Exploration - Rationales and Approaches for a U.S. Program of Human Space Exploration."
NASA Invites Universities to Submit Innovative Early-Stage Technology Proposals
NASA Breaking news - 4 Jun 2014 18:00
NASA is seeking proposals from universities to advance the agency's plans for exploration to deep space and Mars. The Early Stage Innovations NASA Research Announcement calls for innovative space technology proposals tha...