Space : Science World Report

May 11, 2012 08:46 AM EDT

Cygnus-X: the Cool Swan Glowing in Flight

Chaotic networks of dust and gas signpost the next generations of massive stars in this stunning new image of the Cygnus-X star-nursery captured by ESA's Herschel space observatory.

May 11, 2012 08:00 AM EDT

Scientists Spot Unseen Planet in Kepler Scope Data

Scientists poring over data collected by NASA's Kepler space telescope have discovered a world outside its field of view, demonstrating a new technique for finding planets beyond the Solar System, scientists reported on Thursday.

May 10, 2012 05:02 PM EDT

First Instrument for the JWST is Completed and Handed over to NASA

First instrument for the JWST is completed and handed over to NASA After more than ten years of work by more than 200 engineers, the Mid InfraRed Instrument (MIRI), a camera so sensitive it could see a candle on one of Jupiter's moons, has been declared ready for delivery by the European Space Agenc...

May 10, 2012 02:17 PM EDT

NASA Spacecraft Detects Changes in Martian Sand Dunes

NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter has revealed that movement in sand dune fields on the Red Planet occurs on a surprisingly large scale, about the same as in dune fields on Earth.

May 10, 2012 11:06 AM EDT

Ice Melting on Lake Baikal

For several months each year, Russia's Lake Baikal is covered by a thick layer of ice. Formation begins in late-December, and by mid-January the entire lake is usually blanketed. Come spring, the lake begins its long, slow melt. Patches of open water usually appear in the southern part of the lake i...

May 10, 2012 09:19 AM EDT

Hubble Observes a Dwarf Galaxy with a Bright Nebula

The starry mist streaking across this image obtained by the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope is the central part of the dwarf galaxy known as NGC 2366. The most obvious feature in this galaxy is a large nebula visible in the upper-right part of the image, an object listed just a few entries prior in ...

May 10, 2012 08:44 AM EDT

SOFIA: Molecules and Star Formation in the Milky Way

The Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) has completed its first series of science flights using the German Receiver for Astronomy at Terahertz Frequencies (GREAT).

May 10, 2012 07:02 AM EDT

Shuttle Rocket-builder Vying for NASA Space Taxi Work

Two of NASA's prime contractors are teaming with Europe's Astrium to develop a commercial space taxi built from shuttle heritage booster rockets and a prototype NASA spaceship originally designed as an alternative to the deep-space Orion capsule, the companies announced on Wednesday.

May 09, 2012 11:20 PM EDT

Sunspot 1476 Poses a Threat for X-Class Solar Flares

The large solar spot 1476 currently producing M-Class solar flares is expected to produce much larger X-Class flares soon as spaceweather.com reported. This most powerful class of solar flares needs large amounts of energy, which seem to be present in the sunspot 1476 and could be released tomorrow.

May 09, 2012 03:49 PM EDT

VIDEO: Super Earth Reveals Itself to Spitzer

This artist's animation depicts 55 Cancri e as it orbits its star. The planet whips around the star closely and quickly: It is 25 times closer to the star than Mercury is to our sun and completes one orbit -- its year -- in a mere 18 hours.

May 09, 2012 03:41 PM EDT

Massive Black Holes Halt Star Birth in Distant Galaxies

Astronomers, using the European Space Agency's (ESA) Herschel Space Observatory, have shown that the number of stars that form during the early lives of galaxies may be influenced by the massive black holes at their hearts. This helps explain the link between the size of the central bulges of galaxi...

May 09, 2012 11:35 AM EDT

ESA Declares End of Mission for Envisat

Just weeks after celebrating its tenth year in orbit, communication with the Envisat satellite was suddenly lost on 8 April. Following rigorous attempts to re-establish contact and the investigation of failure scenarios, the end of the mission is being declared.