Universe Today (Page 210)

Carnival of Space #444

By susie - February 15, 2016 09:08 PM UTC | Site News

Messier 3 (M3) - The NGC 5272 Globular Cluster

By tammy-plotner - February 15, 2016 07:30 PM UTC | Observing

Messier Object 3 (aka. NGC 5272), a globular cluster located in the constellation of Canes Venatici, is one of the brightest clusters in the sky.

Rosetta's Philae Lander in Permanent Sleep

By jmajor - February 15, 2016 06:56 PM UTC | Missions

Astronomy Cast Ep. 403: Funding Big Science: from Alma to LIGO to TMT

By Fraser Cain - February 15, 2016 02:56 PM UTC | Site News

Watch the Moon Beat a Path Across the Hyades Tonight

By David Dickinson - February 15, 2016 01:23 PM UTC | Observing

Watch the Moon as it crosses the Hyades star cluster tonite, and occults the bright star Aldebaran for observers in the United States northwest.

Was The Big Bang Just A Black Hole?

By Fraser Cain - February 15, 2016 12:00 AM UTC | Cosmology

Chinese Fusion Test Reportedly Reaches New Milestone

By Matthew Williams - February 14, 2016 09:30 PM UTC | Physics

Researchers at the Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak facility in Hefei, China, claim that they have reached a major milestone in fusion power

Send Your Sweetie An Out-Of-This-World Valentine

By bob-king - February 13, 2016 11:52 AM UTC | Site News

Looking for a cosmic way to say "I love you" this Valentine's Day? Let Mars, Pluto and Bennu help you out.

Obama Administration Proposes Smaller 2017 NASA Budget of $19 Billion with Big Exploration Cuts

By ken-kremer - February 12, 2016 09:05 PM UTC | Space Policy

The Obama Administration has announced its new Federal budget and is proposing to cut NASA's Fiscal Year 2017 Budget to $19 billion by carving away significant funding for deep space exploration, whereas the overall US Federal budget actually increases to over $4.1 trillion.

The Andromeda Constellation

By tammy-plotner - February 12, 2016 06:00 PM UTC | Extragalactic

Weekly Space Hangout – Feb. 12, 2016: Amy Shira Teitel

By Fraser Cain - February 12, 2016 02:59 PM UTC | Site News

Retro Travel Posters Show Us The Future

By Evan Gough - February 12, 2016 02:43 PM UTC | Site News

These beautiful, retro-style posters from NASA recall the glory days of space tourism. That haven't happened yet.

Musk Says Hyperloop Could Work On Mars... Maybe Even Better!

By Matthew Williams - February 12, 2016 02:02 PM UTC | Space Exploration

During the awards ceremony for the Hyperloop Pod Competition, Elon Musk commented on the possibility of Hyperloop on Mars

Massive Planet Gone Rogue Discovered

By Evan Gough - February 11, 2016 05:12 PM UTC | Exoplanets

A massive rogue planet has been discovered in the Beta Pictoris moving group.

Gravitational Waves Discovered: A New Window on the Universe

By Evan Gough - February 11, 2016 03:24 PM UTC | Physics

The discovery of gravitational waves generated by the collision of two massive black holes could revolutionize our understanding of the universe.

NASA Says Indian Event Was Not Meteorite

By bob-king - February 11, 2016 01:05 PM UTC | Planetary Science

On Feb. 6th a bus driver in India was reportedly struck and killed by a falling meteorite. Did this really happen? Almost certainly not. We look at the details.

Why Do Planets Have Rings?

By Fraser Cain - February 11, 2016 12:26 PM UTC | Site News

Sources of Gravitational Waves: The Most Violent Events in the Universe

By markuspossel - February 10, 2016 05:52 PM UTC | Physics

In the third and final article in our gravitational wave guide, we explain what kinds of events can generate these powerful ripples in spacetime.

Great Attractor Revealed? Galaxies Found Lurking Behind the Milky Way

By Evan Gough - February 10, 2016 04:37 PM UTC | Extragalactic

The discovery of hundreds of galaxies, hidden from view behind the Milky Way, help shed light on the nature of The Great Attractor.

Gravitational Wave Detectors: How They Work

By markuspossel - February 10, 2016 02:39 PM UTC | Physics

Time to brush up on your gravitational wave basics, if you haven't done so! In Gravitational waves and how they distort space, I had a look at what gravitational waves do. Now, on to the next step: How can we measure what they do? How do gravitational wave detectors such as LIGO work?

Largest Rocky World Found

By Evan Gough - February 10, 2016 01:25 PM UTC | Exoplanets

Astrophysicists using the Kepler Spacecraft have discovered the largest rocky planet yet: BD+20594b is 16 times as massive as Earth.

Messier 2 (M2) - The NGC 7089 Globular Cluster

By tammy-plotner - February 09, 2016 04:17 PM UTC | Observing

Also known as NGC 7089, Messier 2 is a large globular star cluster located in the constellation Aquarius, 33,000 light years from Earth.

NASA Unveils Orion Pressure Vessel at KSC Launching on EM-1 Moon Mission in 2018

By ken-kremer - February 09, 2016 03:49 PM UTC | Space Exploration

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FL - NASA officials proudly unveiled the pressure vessel for the agency's new Orion capsule destined to launch on the EM-1 mission to the Moon in 2018, after the vehicle arrived at the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Florida last week aboard NASA's unique Super Guppy aircraft.

Vesta Rules the February Dusk Skies

By David Dickinson - February 09, 2016 03:17 PM UTC | Planetary Science

Now is the time to catch sight of the asteroid 4 Vesta, as it pairs with Uranus and several stars in the early dusk sky.

Carnival of Space #443

By susie - February 09, 2016 02:42 PM UTC | Site News

New Horizons Latest Find: Floating Ice Hills On Pluto!

By Matthew Williams - February 09, 2016 09:00 AM UTC | Planetary Science

In the latest discovery to come from the New Horizons mission, it now seems that Pluto has hills of water ice that "float" across its surface

All Primary Mirrors Fully Installed on NASA's James Webb Space Telescope

By ken-kremer - February 08, 2016 10:16 PM UTC | Telescopes

NASA GODDARD SPACE FLIGHT CENTER, MD - All 18 of the primary mirrors have been fully installed onto the flight structure of what will become the biggest and most powerful space telescope ever built by humankind - NASA's James Webb Space Telescope (JWST).

Gravitational Waves and How They Distort Space

By markuspossel - February 08, 2016 08:31 PM UTC | Physics

It's official: on February 11, 10:30 EST, there will be a big press conference about gravitational waves by the people running the gravitational wave detector LIGO.

Astronomy Cast Ep. 402: Gravity Eyes: See The Invisible With The Force

By Fraser Cain - February 08, 2016 03:02 PM UTC | Physics

Peculiar 'Cauliflower Rocks' May Hold Clues To Ancient Mars Life

By bob-king - February 08, 2016 10:14 AM UTC | Astrobiology

An Arizona State University research team hypothesizes that strange "cauliflower-shaped" rocks discovered by the Spirit Rover in 2008 may have been sculpted by microbes.

6th Man on Moon Edgar Mitchell, Dies at 85 on Eve of 45th Lunar Landing Anniversary

By ken-kremer - February 06, 2016 11:42 PM UTC | Space Exploration

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FL - NASA astronaut Edgar Mitchell, the 6th man to walk on the Moon, passed away on Thursday, Feb. 4, on the eve of the 45th anniversary of his Apollo 14 mission lunar landing.

Space Station Back At Dusk / See Orion's Curlicue and Five Dawn Planets

By bob-king - February 06, 2016 12:59 PM UTC | Observing

Here are some cool things to look for in the night sky this coming week including many passes of the space station, a curious curlicue in Orion and the fab five-planet alignment at dawn.

NASA Says "No Chance" Small Asteroid Will Hit Earth On March 5th

By Matthew Williams - February 05, 2016 06:07 PM UTC | Planetary Science

On March 5th, asteroid 2013 TX68 could be making a close flyby Earth. But NASA's asteroid watchers insist there's no reason to worry.

ULA Atlas V Delivers Final GPS IIF Navigation Satellite to Orbit for USAF - Critical to Military/Civilian Users

By ken-kremer - February 05, 2016 05:39 PM UTC | Missions

CAPE CANAVERAL AIR FORCE STATION - Despite howling winds and unseasonably frigid temperatures in the 'sunshine state', United Launch Alliance's workhorse Atlas V rocket successfully blasted off this morning, Friday, Feb 5, and delivered the final GPS satellite in the IIF series to orbit for the US Air Force.

Weekly Space Hangout – Feb. 5, 2016: Dr. Or Graur

By Fraser Cain - February 05, 2016 03:00 PM UTC | Site News

What Are The Constellations?

By tammy-plotner - February 05, 2016 01:00 PM UTC | Observing

Humans have been looking up at the stars and finding patterns for millennia. Today, there are 88 recognized constellations, each with their own story.

Jupiter Not the Planetary Protector We Thought it Was?

By Evan Gough - February 05, 2016 12:18 PM UTC | Planetary Science

Far from being a deflector shield that protected Earth from comets, a new study shows that Jupiter may have directed planetesimals, with their payload of life-friendly chemicals, into Earth itself.

First Atlas Launch of 2016 Set For Blastoff with Air Force GPS Satellite on Feb. 5 - Watch Live

By ken-kremer - February 04, 2016 07:17 PM UTC | Missions

CAPE CANAVERAL AIR FORCE STATION - The first launch of 2016 from Cape Canaveral, Florida, is poised for blastoff on Friday, Feb. 5, and features a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket carrying a US Air Force payload that will fortify the GPS constellation of navigation satellites that is critically important to military and civilian users on a 24/7 basis.

What Are Alien Megastructures?

By Fraser Cain - February 04, 2016 02:06 PM UTC | Astrobiology

The Highest-Resolution Image Ever Seen in Astronomy

By Evan Gough - February 04, 2016 12:53 PM UTC | Observing

This image of a jet of material streaming out of a black hole 900 million light years from Earth, required 16 telescopes working together to capture.

China Shares Stunning New Moon Photos With the World

By Evan Gough - February 03, 2016 09:07 PM UTC | Planetary Science

China has released hundreds of photos from Chang'e 3 lunar lander and Yutu rover.

50 Years Ago We Got Our First Picture from the Moon

By jmajor - February 03, 2016 04:59 PM UTC | Space Exploration

Astronomy Cast Ep. 401: Predictions for 2016 and Beyond

By Fraser Cain - February 03, 2016 02:52 PM UTC | Site News

A Challenge in Visual Athletics: Hunting the Gegenschein

By David Dickinson - February 03, 2016 09:25 AM UTC | Observing

Hunting the elusive counter glow known as the gegenschein takes sharp eyes, dark skies, persistence and patience. This weekend provides an excellent chance to check this one off your astronomical life list, as the Moon heads toward New phase. Here are our tips on sighting the gegenschein, along with facts, history and more.

Saturn's Rings Continue to Surprise Scientists

By jmajor - February 03, 2016 01:00 AM UTC | Planetary Science

A Cataclysmic Collision Formed the Moon, but Killed Theia

By Evan Gough - February 02, 2016 03:42 PM UTC | Site News

The Moon is the first object in space that fascinate us Earthlings, and wondering how it got there is a compelling question.

NASA's Orion Crew Module Backbone Arrives at KSC Aboard Super Guppy for Exploration Mission-1

By ken-kremer - February 02, 2016 03:18 PM UTC | Space Exploration

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER - Looking amazingly like a fish flying across the skies high above the Florida space coast, NASA's unique Super Guppy aircraft loaded with the structural backbone for NASA's next Orion crew module, swooped in for a landing at the Kennedy Space Center on Monday afternoon, Feb. 1.