astronomy – News Stories About astronomy - Page 14

Tonight's Full Moon Will
Be Brightest of the Year

Stargazer Alert

Jan 29, 2010 2:25 PM CST

Tonight's Full Moon Will Be Brightest of the Year

If you've got a clear sky, try scoping out some lunar topography

(Newser) - If you’re planning to do something moonlit in the near future, tonight might be the night. The full moon tonight will be the biggest and brightest of 2010. If you have a clear sky, the so-called wolf moon offers a great chance to see if you can spot the...

Astronomer: Kepler Will Find Habitable Earth 'Twin'

Discovery of Earth's Twin
'Within Reach'

Jan 27, 2010 5:05 AM CST

Discovery of Earth's Twin 'Within Reach'

Kepler will find habitable planet like ours: astronomer

(Newser) - The Kepler spacecraft prowling the far reaches of the Milky Way will soon find a habitable planet similar to earth, a leading astronomer is convinced. Recent technological advances in the observation of planets outside our own solar system have rapidly brought us closer to finding earth's "twin" planet,...

Mystery Object to Hurtle
Past Earth Tonight

asteroid or space junk?

Jan 13, 2010 6:37 AM CST

Mystery Object to Hurtle Past Earth Tonight

Shows small asteroids can be detected two days before hitting earth

(Newser) - Scientists aren't sure what exactly the small object whizzing toward earth is—it could be an asteroid or space junk—but they are confident that it will narrowly miss hitting our planet. The 33-foot-wide object known as 2010 AL30 will shave past earth today at a distance of 80,000...

Nearby Star
Could Doom Earth,
Scientists Warn

Jan 7, 2010 4:45 AM CST

Nearby Star Could Doom Earth, Scientists Warn

... in 10 million years

(Newser) - The T Pyxidis binary star system is a lot closer than earlier believed, and that could be very bad news for Earthlings, according to a team of astronomers. One of its stars is a white dwarf set to become a Type 1A supernova—10 million times stronger than a regular...

Astronomers Find
Watery Planet

Dec 16, 2009 6:06 PM CST

Astronomers Find Watery Planet

Probably can't support life, but it's the closest find yet

(Newser) - Astronomers have found a planet made mostly of water, coming ever closer to finding something out there that could theoretically support life. This one, dubbed GJ 1214b, probably isn't it—it's way too hot and surrounded by superheated gases. But it's "the most watertight evidence so far for a...

ET, Phone Rome:
Vatican Holds
Alien Conference

Nov 11, 2009 2:35 AM CST

ET, Phone Rome: Vatican Holds Alien Conference

Astrobiology experts ponder big picture

(Newser) - Does intelligent life exist elsewhere in the universe and if so, is it Christian? Those and other weighty questions are up for discussion this week at a Vatican conference on astrobiology. Religious leaders and a range of scientists—including some non-Catholics—have been called in to discuss the possibility of...

Farthest-Ever Star Blast
From Ancient Cosmos

Oct 29, 2009 8:09 AM CDT

Farthest-Ever Star Blast From Ancient Cosmos

Gamma ray burst took 13 billion years to reach Earth

(Newser) - Astronomers have detected a cosmic object more distant than any ever seen: a gamma ray burst about 13 billion light-years from Earth. The massive, luminous burst occurred about 600 million years after the Big Bang—that is, when the universe was 4% of its current age—and only lasted for...

Scientists Find Rocky Exoplanet

Sep 16, 2009 12:33 PM CDT

Scientists Find Rocky Exoplanet

(Newser) - Scientists have at long last discovered a rocky world outside of our solar system, Wired reports. Dubbed COROT-7b (it circles the star COROT-7), the planet has a density similar to Earth’s, said researchers, who believe our greatest chance of finding extraterrestrial life is on a rocky planet with such...

Scientists Spot
Galaxy 'Cannibalism'

Sep 3, 2009 3:52 AM CDT

Scientists Spot Galaxy 'Cannibalism'

Andromeda is consuming other galaxies and the Milky Way's on the menu

(Newser) - The vast Andromeda galaxy has been growing by gobbling up neighboring galaxies, reports the BBC. Astronomers mapping the galaxy—at 2.5 million light years away, the Milky Way's closest neighbor—discovered stars within that they believe to be the remnants of dwarf galaxies consumed by Andromeda. The galaxy is...

Galileo's World-Changing
Telescope Turns 400

Aug 25, 2009 10:37 AM CDT

Galileo's World-Changing Telescope Turns 400

(Newser) - On August 25, 1609—400 years ago today—Galileo Galilei introduced Venice to the telescope, and the discoveries it enabled were every bit as revolutionary as Darwinism, writes Peter Walker of the Guardian. With his telescope, a brown stick weaker than today's store-bought models, Galileo detected moon-like phases of Venus,...

Amateurs Enlisted to Solve Astronomy Mystery

Aug 25, 2009 8:29 AM CDT

Amateurs Enlisted to Solve Astronomy Mystery

(Newser) - Scientists are calling on amateur astronomers to help solve the centuries-old puzzle of a super-bright star that goes dim every 27 years. Epsilon Aurigae will fade out from this fall to spring 2011; this time around, scientists are looking to ordinary sky-watchers to provide extra data on the mysterious companion...

Meteor Shower Peaks Tonight

Aug 11, 2009 4:05 PM CDT

Meteor Shower Peaks Tonight

Up to 80 shooting stars visible at height of Perseid shower

(Newser) - Stargazers will want to stay up for the peak of the Perseid meteor shower after midnight tonight, Wired reports. The Perseid shower—with up to 80 shooting stars an hour—happens every year when the Earth travels through debris left in the wake of the comet Swift-Tuttle. Best showings will...

Mysterious Bright Spot
Appears on Venus

Aug 1, 2009 10:45 AM CDT

Mysterious Bright Spot Appears on Venus

Scientists suspect volcanic eruption

(Newser) - Astronomers are puzzling over a strange white spot that recently appeared in the clouds of Venus, the BBC reports. The European Space Agency’s Venus Express spacecraft confirmed the spot, originally noticed by an amateur stargazer on July 19. Data suggests it appeared 4 days before that and has been...

Hubble Snaps Photos
of Jupiter Impact

Jul 25, 2009 10:24 AM CDT

Hubble Snaps Photos of Jupiter Impact

(Newser) - NASA pulled the recently upgraded Hubble space telescope out of testing yesterday to take a photo of the Earth-sized impact scar on Jupiter, CNN reports. “Because we believe this magnitude of impact is rare, we are very fortunate to see it with Hubble,” a NASA scientist says. “...

Despite Its Faults (and Costs), Hubble Remains Crucial

OPINION

May 21, 2009 1:07 PM CDT

Despite Its Faults (and Costs), Hubble Remains Crucial

Pricey telescope enhances our understanding of space

(Newser) - The Hubble Space Telescope has expanded our knowledge of black holes, so it’s ironic that critics complain the $9.6 billion device is sucking up money and energy that could be shifted to other programs. But, on CNET, Don Reisinger defends the telescope as earthlings’ best shot at unlocking...

Explore Galaxy With New Google App

May 11, 2009 10:03 AM CDT

Explore Galaxy With New Google App

Star Droid helps cellphone astronomers with GPS, maps, tags

(Newser) - Budding astronomers will soon have a new cell-phone tool that spots the stars they’re looking for, the Telegraph reports. Google’s Star Droid helps stargazers navigate the night sky using GPS technology that cross-references the user’s position with existing space maps, and adds identifying tags to the heavenly...

Space Blob Stumps Scientists

Apr 23, 2009 7:53 AM CDT

Space Blob Stumps Scientists

Cosmic blob from the dawn of time confounds theories on early universe

(Newser) - A gigantic blob at the edge of the universe is forcing scientists to rethink their ideas on how galaxies form, reports the BBC. The radiation-emitting object 12.9 billion light years away is one of the most distant—and consequently oldest—things ever seen by astronomers, and is much bigger...

Mystery East Coast Fireball
Was a Russian Rocket

Mar 31, 2009 2:47 AM CDT

Mystery East Coast Fireball Was a Russian Rocket

Naval Observatory 99% sure explosion was remains of Soyuz booster

(Newser) - The fireball that lit up parts of the East Coast Sunday night was almost certainly the exploding remains of a Russian rocket, a US Naval Observatory official tells Space.com. The second stage of the Soyuz rocket was slated to enter the atmosphere at the time and place the fireball...

Mysterious Fireball Reported Along Atlantic Coast

Mar 30, 2009 2:28 PM CDT

Mysterious Fireball Reported Along Atlantic Coast

Meteor suspected

(Newser) - Residents along the mid-Atlantic coast spotted a huge fireball last night—likely a meteor—followed by an explosion and a loud noise minutes later, the Virginian-Pilot reports. “This brilliant green meteor was probably two or three times brighter than the moon,” says one amateur astronomer who spotted the...

Scientists Track Meteor
to Earth for First Time

Mar 25, 2009 5:56 PM CDT

Scientists Track Meteor to Earth for First Time

Discovery is like first clue to asteroid 'Rosetta Stone'

(Newser) - Scientists have accomplished a first by tracking an asteroid from space into Earth's atmosphere and down to a Sudanese desert, Wired reports. A team of searchers found about 280 small chunks of the meteor, all of a type never before collected. "This is like the first step toward a...