Space : Science World Report

Mar 01, 2012 09:04 AM EST

Volcanic Activity in the Red Sea

Volcanic activity in the Zubair Island Group appears to have ceased. Satellites detected sulfur dioxide and a small volcanic plume on December 19, 2011, and by December 23 a new island had formed in the Red Sea

Mar 01, 2012 07:26 AM EST

NASA Satellite Sees Tropical Cyclone Irina Headed for Mozambique

Visible and Infrared satellite imagery together provide a clearer picture of what a tropical cyclone is doing. NASA's Aqua satellite passed over newly strengthened Cyclone Irene and captured both types of images, which showed the extent and power of the storm.

Mar 01, 2012 07:18 AM EST

NASA Finds Thickest Parts of Arctic Ice Cap Melting Faster

A new NASA study revealed that the oldest and thickest Arctic sea ice is disappearing at a faster rate than the younger and thinner ice at the edges of the Arctic Ocean's floating ice cap.

Feb 29, 2012 09:45 AM EST

New Model Provides Different Take on Planetary Accretion

The prevailing model for planetary accretion, also called fractal assembly, and dating back as far as the 18th century, assumes that the Solar System's planets grew as small grains colliding chaotically, coalescing into bigger ones, colliding yet more until they formed planetesimals. The planetesima...

Feb 29, 2012 08:49 AM EST

Mysterious Electron Acceleration Explained

A mysterious phenomenon detected by space probes has finally been explained, thanks to a massive computer simulation that was able to precisely align with details of spacecraft observations. The finding could not only solve an astrophysical puzzle, but might also lead to a better ability to predict ...

Feb 29, 2012 06:47 AM EST

NASA's TRMM Satellite Measures Heavy Rainfall in Madagascar from System 92S

A weak tropical low pressure area known as System 92S, and locally called Irina caused flooding over northern Madagascar less than two weeks after deadly flooding by Tropical Cyclone Giovanna in the south and central part of the island nation. NASA's TRMM satellite measured System 92S's rainfall ove...

Feb 28, 2012 04:21 PM EST

Salty Soil Can Suck Water Out of Atmosphere: Could it Happen on Mars?

The frigid McMurdo Dry Valleys in Antarctica are a cold, polar desert, yet the sandy soils there are frequently dotted with moist patches in the spring despite a lack of snowmelt and no possibility of rain. A new study, led by an Oregon State University geologist, has found that that the salty so...

Feb 28, 2012 04:15 PM EST

3 Days of NASA Infrared Images Show System 92S Tropically Developing

NASA satellites have been watching the low pressure area called System 92S for days, and infrared imagery from NASA's Aqua satellite showed cloud temperatures were cooling, indicating the storm was getting more organized after it moved over northern Madagascar. Now it may be headed for landfall in M...

Feb 28, 2012 09:09 AM EST

NASA: Dust in Sudan

The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASAâ€™s Terra and Aqua satellites observed the intensification of a dust storm in the eastern Sahara Desert on February 25, 2012. The top image shows the Terra overpass (11:20 a.m. local time) and the bottom image shows the Aqua over...

Feb 27, 2012 05:05 PM EST

Ultra-fast Outflows Help Monster Black Holes Shape Their Galaxies

A curious correlation between the mass of a galaxy's central black hole and the velocity of stars in a vast, roughly spherical structure known as its bulge has puzzled astronomers for years. An international team led by Francesco Tombesi at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., now h...

Feb 27, 2012 04:09 PM EST

A New Generation of Meteorological Satellites

Europe's next fleet of meteorological satellites is set to debut in 2017, following today's signing of the development contract. While Meteosat Third Generation will ensure full continuity with the current Meteosat satellite family, it will also introduce significant improvements.

Feb 27, 2012 09:35 AM EST

2.5 Million Pound Boost for UK Space Technology Industry

Twenty-two innovative British companies are to share #2.5 million pounds of government support for the design and development cutting-edge space products and technologies.