Jupiter's melting heart sheds light on mysterious exoplanet

Jupiter's melting heart sheds light on mysterious exoplanet

Billions of habitable worlds in our galaxy

Could there really be billions of habitable worlds in our galaxy? Learn whether there could really be billions of habitable worlds in our galaxy.

Runaway planets zoom at a fraction of light speed

Seven years ago, astronomers boggled when they found the first runaway star flying out of our galaxy at a speed of 1.5 million miles per hour. The discovery intrigued theorists, who wondered: If a star can get tossed outward at such an extreme velocity, could the same thing happen to planets?

New theory on size of black holes: gas-guzzling black holes eat two courses at a time

Astronomers have put forward a new theory about why black holes become so hugely massive -- claiming some of them have no

Second biggest flare of the solar cycle

The leading edge of the first of two major coronal mass ejections will reach Earth at about 1:25 AM EST on the morning of March 8 (plus or minus 7 hours). Such a CME could result in a severe geomagnetic storm, causing aurora at low latitudes, with possible disruption to high frequency radio communication, global positioning systems (GPS), and power grids.

The future of space

In the new book Space Chronicles: Facing the Ultimate Frontier, Neil deGrasse Tyson says America is at a critical moment for future space exploration, as he

Oxygen detected in atmosphere of Saturn's moon Dione

Los Alamos National Laboratory scientists and an international research team have announced discovery of molecular oxygen ions (O2+) in the upper-most atmosphere of Dione, one of the 62 known moons orbiting the ringed planet. The research appeared recently in Geophysical Research Letters and was made possible via instruments aboard NASA's Cassini spacecraft, which was launched in 1997.

Space weather: explosions on Venus

In the grand scheme of the solar system, Venus and Earth are almost the same distance from the sun. Yet the planets differ dramatically: Venus is some 100 times hotter than Earth and its days more than 200 times longer. The atmosphere on Venus is so thick that the longest any spacecraft has survived on its surface before being crushed is a little over two hours. There's another difference, too. Earth has a magnetic field and Venus does not -- a crucial distinction when assessing the effects of the sun on each planet.

Cosmic buckyball particle 'factory' discovered

For the first time, buckyballs have been discovered in the cosmos in a solid form in the vicinity of a binary star system 6,500 light-years away.

Rare Earth element tellurium detected for the first time in ancient stars

Nearly 13.7 billion years ago, the universe was made of only hydrogen, helium and traces of lithium — byproducts of the Big Bang. Some 300 million years later, the very first stars emerged, creating additional chemical elements throughout the universe. Since then, giant stellar explosions, or supernovas, have given rise to carbon, oxygen, iron and the rest of the 94 naturally occurring elements of the periodic table. 

Four-telescope linkup creates world’s largest mirror

The European Southern Observatory (Eso) has linked up its four telescopes of the Very Large Telescope (VLT) at the Paranal Observatory to form a virtual

VLT takes most detailed infrared image of the Carina Nebula

ESO’s Very Large Telescope has delivered the most detailed infrared image of the Carina Nebula stellar nursery taken so far. Many previously hidden features, scattered across a spectacular celestial landscape of gas, dust and young stars, have emerged. This is one of the most dramatic images ever created by the VLT.

Space weather center to add world's first 'ensemble forecasting' capability

Leaner, greener flying machines for the year 2025 are on the drawing boards of three industry teams under contract to the NASA Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate

New super-Earth detected within the habitable zone of a nearby star

Mouse skin cells can be converted directly into cells that become the three main parts of the nervous system, according to researchers at the Stanford