ESA’s Cluster Spacecraft Detects Plasmaspheric Wind
In a newly published study, researcher Iannis Dandouras details the discovery of plasmaspheric wind, providing the first conclusive proof of the existence this wind first…
Astronomy News
New Adaptive Optics System GeMS Delivers Sharper Images of the Universe
A new adaptive optics system, called GeMS, uses a combination of multiple lasers and deformable mirrors to remove atmospheric distortions from ground-based images, providing astronomers…
Time-Lapse Video Captures Comet ISON Heading Toward the Sun
This short time-lapse video shows the comet ISON as it zooms toward the Sun at 48,000 mph (77,000 kph).. This July Fourth the solar system…
Red Dwarf Stars Could Leave Habitable Earth-Like Planets Vulnerable to Radiation
New research from scientists at the University of St Andrews investigates the effect of the magnetic fields of M dwarf stars on potentially habitable Earth-like…
Astronomers Determine the Size and Mass of Super-Earth HD 97658b
Using the Microvariability & Oscillations of Stars (MOST) space telescope, astronomers were able to estimate the true size and mass of super-Earth HD 97658b for…
Cloud Modeling Doubles Estimate of Habitable Planets Orbiting Red Dwarfs in the Milky Way
Researchers from the University of Chicago and Northwestern University have published a new study that used computer simulations of cloud behavior to help suggest that…
Hubble Views Galaxy Pair MRK 1034
This Hubble image shows spiral galaxies PGC 9074 and PGC 9071, also known as galaxy pair MRK 1034. Looking towards the constellation of Triangulum (The…
Magnetic Winds From a Young Star in the Orion Nebula
Astronomers used the Very Large Array radio telescopes to track the motions of the gas near radio Source I in the Orion Nebula for over…
Rocket-Launched Hi-C Camera Captures Detailed Images of the Solar Corona
A team of scientists used a sounding rocket to launch NASA’s High Resolution Coronal Imager, capturing images of the solar corona five times sharper than…
Quasar Microlensing May Reveal New Details About the Internal Structure of Quasars
Research presented at the 2013 RAS National Astronomy Meeting describes a new quasar microlensing technique that should allow astronomers to better map out the internal…
NASA Decommissions GALEX
After a decade of service, operators at Orbital Sciences Corporation sent the signal to decommission NASA’s Galaxy Evolution Explorer. NASA has turned off its Galaxy…
Stellar Collision Results in a New Type of Pulsating Star
A newly published study describes recent observations of the remnant of a stellar collision, revealing that the remnant of the stripped red giant is a…
Planet-Finding Campaign Reveals That Gas-Giant Exoplanets Orbit Close to Their Parent Stars
Using data from Gemini Observatory’s Planet-Finding Campaign, several new studies reveal the nature of gas-giant exoplanets, finding that they tend to dwell near their parent…
NASA’s Voyager 1 Explores the Outer Limits of Our Heliosphere
Now more than 18 billion kilometers away from Earth, NASA’s Voyager 1 is close to entering interstellar space. Using data from the spacecraft’s journey, several…
Supercomputer Simulations Reveal the Violent Birth of Neutron Stars
Scientists at the Max Planck Institute used some of the most powerful supercomputers in the world to generate elaborate computer simulations showing the violent birth…
Study Suggest Spiral Galaxies Are Larger Than Previously Thought
A newly published study from the University of Colorado suggests that spiral galaxies, like the Milky Way, are larger than previously thought. Let’s all fist…
Chandra Reveals New Details About the Remains of Supernova Remnant G1.9+0.3
Using NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory, astronomers have discovered new details about the remains of a supernova that is the most recent, in Earth’s time frame,…
Astronomers Discover Transiting Planets in Star Cluster NGC 6811
A team of astronomers have discovered two planets (Kepler-66b and Kepler-67b) that are about three-fourths the size of Neptune orbiting Sun-like stars 3,000 light-years from…