Space : Science World Report

Mar 22, 2012 08:53 AM EDT

Dawn Sees New Surface Features on Giant Asteroid

NASA's Dawn spacecraft has revealed unexpected details on the surface of the giant asteroid Vesta. New images and data highlight the diversity of Vesta's surface and reveal unusual geologic features, some of which were never previously seen on asteroids.

Mar 21, 2012 04:11 PM EDT

Data from MESSENGER Spacecraft Reveals New Insights on Planet Mercury

Thanks to the MESSENGER spacecraft, and a mission that took more than 10 years to complete, scientists now have a good picture of the solar system's innermost planet.

Mar 20, 2012 06:14 AM EDT

Magnitude 7.4 Earthquake Strikes Oaxaca, Mexico

A strong earthquake, measured at magnitude 7.4, struck southern Mexico on March 20, 2012. The epicenter was in the state of Oaxaca, near the village of San Juan Tepeltlapa. According to the U.S. Geological Survey, the earthquake was caused by the convergence of the Cocos and North American tectonic ...

Mar 20, 2012 06:02 AM EDT

Historic Heat in North America Turns Winter to Summer

A huge, lingering ridge of high pressure over the eastern half of the United States brought summer-like temperatures to North America in March 2012. The warm weather shattered records across the central and eastern United States and much of Canada.

Mar 20, 2012 05:30 AM EDT

NASA's Swift Narrows Down Origin of Important Supernova Class

Studies using X-ray and ultraviolet observations from NASA's Swift satellite provide new insights into the elusive origins of an important class of exploding star called Type Ia supernovae.

Mar 20, 2012 05:14 AM EDT

VISTA Stares Deep Into the Cosmos

ESO's VISTA telescope has been trained on the same patch of sky repeatedly to slowly accumulate the very dim light of the most distant galaxies. In total more than six thousand separate exposures with a total effective exposure time of 55 hours, taken through five different coloured filters, have be...

Mar 20, 2012 04:17 PM EDT

Explosive Stars with Good Table Manners

An exploding star known as a Type Ia supernova plays a key role in our understanding of the universe. Studies of Type Ia supernovae led to the discovery of dark energy, which garnered the 2011 Nobel Prize in Physics. Yet the cause of this variety of exploding star remains elusive.

Mar 20, 2012 03:38 PM EDT

Space Tourism Set for Takeoff by 2014, FAA Says

The Obama administration is preparing for a space tourism industry that is expected to be worth $1 billion in 10 years, the head of the Federal Aviation Administration's commercial space office said on Tuesday.

Mar 20, 2012 02:39 PM EDT

Satellite Captures Images of Sandstorm

ESA's Envisat satellite has captured images of a sandstorm over Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain and southern Iraq and Iran. The animation shows two images of the region: the first captured on 10 March and the second on 18 March. The latest image shows how sand has swept over the Persian Gulf States ...

Mar 20, 2012 12:35 PM EDT

Detection of Cosmic Effect May Bring Universe's Formation into Sharper Focus

The first observation of a cosmic effect theorized 40 years ago could provide astronomers with a more precise tool for understanding the forces behind the universe's formation and growth, including the enigmatic phenomena of dark energy and dark matter.

Mar 20, 2012 12:06 PM EDT

Super-Earth Unlikely Able to Transfer Life to Other Planets

While scientists believe conditions suitable for life might exist on the so-called "super-Earth" in the Gliese 581 system, it's unlikely to be transferred to other planets within that solar system.

Mar 20, 2012 08:44 AM EDT

Cassini Sees Saturn Stressing out Enceladus

Images from NASA's Cassini spacecraft have, for the first time, enabled scientists to correlate the spraying of jets of water vapor from fissures on Saturn's moon Enceladus with the way Saturn's gravity stretches and stresses the fissures. The result is among the Cassini findings presented today at ...