Space : Science World Report

May 17, 2012 11:54 AM EDT

3-Telescope Interferometry Allows Astrophysicists to Observe How Black Holes Are Fueled

By combining the light of three powerful infrared telescopes, an international research team has observed the active accretion phase of a supermassive black hole in the center of a galaxy tens of millions of light years away, a method that has yielded an unprecedented amount of data for such observa...

May 17, 2012 10:46 AM EDT

Earth Observatory: Retreat of Alaskaâ€™s Columbia Glacier

The Columbia Glacier descends from an ice field 3,050 meters (10,000 feet) above sea level, down the flanks of the Chugach Mountains, and into a narrow inlet that leads into Prince William Sound in southeastern Alaska. It is one of the most rapidly changing glaciers in the world.

May 17, 2012 09:28 AM EDT

NASA Survey Counts Potentially Hazardous Asteroids

Observations from NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) have led to the best assessment yet of our solar system's population of potentially hazardous asteroids. The results reveal new information about their total numbers, origins and the possible dangers they may pose.

May 16, 2012 02:59 PM EDT

Baby Galaxies Grew up Quickly

Baby galaxies from the young Universe more than 12 billion years ago evolved faster than previously thought, shows new research from the Niels Bohr Institute. This means that already in the early history of the Universe, there was potential for planet formation and life. The research results have be...

May 16, 2012 11:32 AM EDT

Astronomers Discovered Ancient Egyptian Observations of a Variable Star

The study of the "Demon star", Algol, made by a research group of the University of Helsinki, Finland, has received both scientific and public attention. The period of the brightness variation of this eclipsing binary star has been connected to good prognoses three millennia ago. This result has rai...

May 16, 2012 10:00 AM EDT

A Deeper Look at Centaurus A

The strange galaxy Centaurus A is pictured in a new image from the European Southern Observatory. With a total exposure time of more than 50 hours this is probably the deepest view of this peculiar and spectacular object ever created. The image was produced by the Wide Field Imager of the MPG/ESO 2....

May 16, 2012 09:19 AM EDT

Black Holes Turn up the Heat for the Universe

HITS astrophysicists discover a new heating source in cosmological structure formation

May 15, 2012 02:10 PM EDT

A Supernova Cocoon Breakthrough

Observations with NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory have provided the first X-ray evidence of a supernova shock wave breaking through a cocoon of gas surrounding the star that exploded. This discovery may help astronomers understand why some supernovas are much more powerful than others.

May 15, 2012 08:27 AM EDT

How much Water Is There on, in, and above the Earth?

As you know, the Earth is a watery place. But just how much water exists on, in, and above our planet? The picture to the left shows the size of a sphere that would contain all of Earth's water in comparison to the size of the Earth. You're probably thinking I missed a decimal point when running my ...

May 15, 2012 07:43 AM EDT

During the first week of May, 2012, Mexico's PopocatÃ©petl Volcano maintained a high level of activity. Nearby seismographs recorded periods of harmonic tremor (long lasting, low frequency earthquakes that occur during some volcanic eruptions), along with occasional bursts of spasmodic tremor (sho...

May 15, 2012 06:48 AM EDT

U.S., Russian Crew Blast off for Space Station

A Soyuz spaceship carrying two Russians and one American astronaut blasted off for the International Space Station (ISS) on Tuesday after more than a month's delay over a problem with the hull of the Russian-built capsule.

May 14, 2012 12:41 PM EDT

A Graceful Retirement for Envisat after 10 Years Watching over Our Planet

Following the unexpected loss of contact with Envisat on 08 April 2012 the European Space Agency (ESA) has spent the last month trying to re-establish communication. They have now declared the end of the mission that has been informing our understanding of the planet for a decade.