New Research Reveals the Role of Magnetic Fields in Star Formation
Using the Submillimeter Array to study the magnetic field in a massive star cluster, astronomers were able to determine the properties of the magnetic field…
Astronomy News
Spacecraft Reveal Siding Spring’s Effects on Martian Atmosphere
Data from several spacecraft have revealed that debris from Comet Siding Spring added a temporary and very strong layer of ions to the ionosphere of…
Hubble Views Galaxy Cluster Abell 1413
This newly released Hubble Space Telescope image shows the super-rich galaxy cluster Abell 1413. Located between the constellations of Leo (The Lion) and Coma Berenices,…
MAGIC Telescopes Observe Black Hole Gamma-Ray Lightning
Using the MAGIC telescopes at La Palma, astronomers have recorded an extreme event coming from the regions immediately surrounding a supermassive black hole located in…
Hubble Completes Largest Survey of Dusty Debris Disks around Other Stars
Using the Hubble Space Telescope, astronomers have uncovered a similar diversity in the debris systems that coincide with the formation of exoplanets, suggesting that there…
CIBER Rocket Findings Redefine What Scientists Think of as Galaxies
Observations from the Cosmic Infrared Background Experiment (CIBER) have revealed a surprising surplus of infrared light in the dark space between galaxies, redefining what astronomers…
Gravitational-Wave Observations Shine New Light on Universe Expansion
A newly published study details how scientists developed a new way to use gravitational waves to measure the expansion rate of the universe. In a…
ALMA Reveals Birth of Planets in Astonishing Detail
While testing the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array’s new high-resolution capabilities, astronomers captured the best image ever of planet formation around an infant star. This revolutionary…
SDO Detects Third Mid-Level Flare from New Sunspot
NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory observed a third mid-level flare from the Sun. The flare was classified as an M5.4-class flare. On November 5, 2014, the…
How Asteroid Vesta May Have Gotten Its Deep Grooves
Using NASA’s ultra-high-speed cannon and computer models to simulate asteroid collisions, researchers from Brown University show how Vesta may have gotten the deep grooves that…
Curiosity Rover Provides First Confirmation of a Mineral Mapped from Orbit
A sample of powdered rock extracted by the Curiosity rover’s drill from the “Confidence Hills” target has provided NASA scientists with the first confirmation of…
Astronomers Identify Bizarre Object at the Center of the Milky Way
In a new study, astronomers reveal that the bizarre object known as G2 is most likely a pair of binary stars that had been orbiting…
Theoretical Physicists Suggest Dark Matter May Be Massive
In a new study, theoretical physicists from Case Western Reserve University suggest that dark matter may be massive and that the Standard Model may account…
How to Land on a Comet Moving 40 Times Faster Than a Speeding Bullet
A new four minute ScienceCast video previews the first-ever landing on a comet. Showing how difficult it will be for the Philae lander since comet…
MAVEN Spacecraft Set to Continue Mars Exploration
The 10-month, 442-million-mile trip is complete and the MAVEN spacecraft is set to continue the exploration of Mars that began 50 years ago. When the…
Astronomers Detect Exozodiacal Light Close to the Habitable Zones of Nearby Stars
Using the Very Large Telescope Interferometer, astronomers have discovered exozodiacal light close to the habitable zones around nine nearby stars. This light is starlight reflected…
Heritage of Water Ice in the Solar System
New research from astronomers at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics reveals that water in our solar system almost certainly derives in large part from interstellar…
Rosetta Image Reveals Increased Activity on Comet 67P
As ESA’s Philae lander prepares for its November 12th landing on Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko, the comet is showing signs of increased activity. Images of the comet…