Stellar nursery found around Milky Way's black hole
(Jul 24, 2008) The neighborhood around a black hole seems like no place to raise a star. Violent gravitational forces can rip gas clouds apart, making it hard for stars to condense. But astronomers have spotted evidence of very young stars in a ring of gas close to the heart of the Milky Way, where a massive black hole is thought to reside.
Black holes dine on hot, gassy pancakes
(Jul 24, 2008) For the first time astronomers have seen discs of hot matter swirling onto huge black holes. It was accomplished by viewing them through a high-tech equivalent of polarised sunglasses – a trick that could reveal why the environs of a black hole can shine with the light of a trillion Suns.
Manned spaceship design unveiled
(Jul 23, 2008) The first official image of a Russian-European manned spacecraft has been unveiled. It is designed to replace the Soyuz vehicle currently in use by Russia and will allow Europe to participate directly in crew transportation. The reusable ship was conceived to carry four people towards the Moon, rivalling the US Ares/Orion system.
Spitzer reveals 'no organics' zone around Pinwheel Galaxy
(Jul 22, 2008) M101, also called the Pinwheel galaxy, is dominated by a mishmash of spiral arms. In Spitzer's new view, in which infrared light is color coded, the galaxy sports a swirling blue center and a unique, coral-red outer ring. A new paper appearing July 20 in the Astrophysical Journal explains why this outer ring stands out. According to the authors, the red color highlights a zone where organic molecules called polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, which are present throughout most of the galaxy, suddenly disappear.
The star that everyone missed
(Jul 21, 2008) XMM-Newton has discovered an exploding star in the Milky Way. Usually that would be important in itself, but this time there is a special twist. Calculations show that the explosion must have been clearly visible to the unaided eye but was missed by the legions of star watchers around the planet.
CERN lab goes 'colder than space'
(Jul 19, 2008) A vast physics experiment built in a tunnel below the French-Swiss border is fast becoming one of the coolest places in the Universe. The Large Hadron Collider is entering the final stages of being lowered to a temperature of 1.9 kelvin (-271C; -456F) - colder than deep space. The LHC has thousands of magnets which will be maintained in this frigid condition using liquid helium.
Deep Impact films Earth as an alien world
(Jul 18, 2008) NASA's Deep Impact spacecraft has created a video of the moon transiting (passing in front of) Earth as seen from the spacecraft's point of view 31 million miles away. Scientists are using the video to develop techniques to study alien worlds. "Making a video of Earth from so far away helps the search for other life-bearing planets in the Universe by giving insights into how a distant, Earth-like alien world would appear to us," said University of Maryland astronomer Michael A’Hearn, principal investigator for the Deep Impact extended mission, called EPOXI.
Mars Express to rendezvous with Martian moon
(Jul 18, 2008) Scientists and engineers are preparing ESA's Mars Express for several close fly-bys of the Martian moon Phobos. Passing within 100 km of the surface, Mars Express will conduct some of the most detailed investigations of the moon to date.
NASA spacecraft shows diverse, wet environments on ancient Mars
(Jul 17, 2008) Two studies based on data from NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter have revealed that the Red Planet once hosted vast lakes, flowing rivers and a variety of other wet environments that had the potential to support life. One study, published in the July 17 issue of Nature, shows that vast regions of the ancient highlands of Mars, which cover about half the planet, contain clay minerals, which can form only in the presence of water.
Undersea volcanoes triggered marine extinction, says study
(Jul 17, 2008) Undersea volcanic activity triggered a mass extinction of marine life and buried a thick mat of organic matter on the sea floor about 93 million years ago, which became a major source of oil, according to a new study. University of Alberta scientists Turgeon and Robert Creaser say the lava fountains that erupted altered the chemistry of the sea and possibly of the atmosphere.
Early galaxies had magnetic fields as strong as today's
(Jul 17, 2008) How did galaxies get their mysteriously massive magnetic fields? The favoured theory says that galaxies "spin" their own fields over many billions of years. Now a study of light from distant quasars is casting serious doubt on this mechanism.
Phoenix Mars Lander to begin rasping frozen layer
(Jul 16, 2008) A powered rasp on the back of the robotic arm scoop of NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander is being tested for the first time on Mars in gathering sample shavings of ice. The lander has used its arm in recent days to clear away loose soil from a subsurface layer of hard-frozen material and create a large enough area to use the motorized rasp in a trench informally named "Snow White."
Brightest star in the Galaxy has new competition
(Jul 15, 2008) A contender for the title of brightest star in our Milky Way Galaxy has been unearthed in the dusty metropolis of the galaxy's center. Nicknamed the "Peony Nebula star," the bright stellar bulb was revealed by NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope and other ground-based telescopes. It blazes with the light of an estimated 3.2 million suns.
China could reach Moon before US
(Jul 15, 2008) China is capable of sending astronauts back to the Moon before the US does, the head of NASA has told the BBC. The space agency plans to return people to the lunar surface by 2020 using its next-generation spacecraft, Orion. But it is just possible the first people on the Moon since the Apollo 17 mission in 1972 could be planting a flag with five stars, not 50.
Scientists plan to bring back rocks – and perhaps even life – from Mars
(Jul 14, 2008) It would be the most audacious and technologically challenging space mission since the Apollo programme landed Neil Armstrong and Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin on the moon in 1969. An international team of scientists has put together detailed plans for a mission to bring back samples of rock, and possibly microscopic life, from the surface of Mars.
Mystery star cluster has 3 different birthdays
(Jul 14, 2008) Imagine having three clocks in your house, each chiming at a different time. Astronomers have found the equivalent of three out-of-sync "clocks" in the ancient open star cluster NGC 6791. The dilemma may fundamentally challenge the way astronomers estimate cluster ages, researchers said.
Exploding asteroid theory strengthened by new clues
(Jul 14, 2008) Geological evidence found in Ohio and Indiana in recent weeks is strengthening the case to attribute what happened 12,900 years ago in North America – when the end of the last Ice Age unexpectedly turned into a phase of extinction for animals and humans – to a cataclysmic comet or asteroid explosion over top of Canada.
Rare "star-making machine" found in distant universe
(Jul 13, 2008) Astronomers have uncovered an extreme stellar machine – a galaxy in the very remote universe pumping out stars at a surprising rate of up to 4,000 per year. In comparison, our own Milky Way galaxy turns out an average of just 10 stars per year. The discovery, made possible by several telescopes including the Spitzer Space Telescope, goes against the most common theory of galaxy formation.
Hot super-Earths could host life after all
(Jul 12, 2008) Massive, rocky worlds called 'super-Earths' – even those orbiting searingly close to their stars – may provide the right conditions for life, new research suggests. At up to 15 times the mass of Earth, the rocky bodies are bigger and easier to spot than Earth-sized worlds, which have yet to be detected.
Jupiter's third red spot torn apart by siblings
(Jul 11, 2008) Jupiter's third giant red storm has been chewed up by a collision with the planet's other two red spots and does not appear to have survived. Astronomers are still scrambling to capture pictures of the aftermath, but it appears Jupiter's third spot was torn up last week when it squeezed between its larger cousins, the Great Red Spot and Red Spot Junior.
Moon's interior 'did hold water'
(Jul 10, 2008) US scientists have found evidence that water was held in the Moon's interior, challenging some elements of the theory of how Earth's satellite formed. The Moon is thought to have been created in a violent collision between Earth and another planet-sized object. Scientists thought the heat from this impact had vaporised all the water.
Lucky Hubble find raises star cluster mystery
(Jul 9, 2008) While observing stars in our own Milky Way galaxy with the Hubble Space Telescope, astronomers stumbled upon a rare find: a distant galaxy teeming with clusters of stars too dim for most telescopes to see. Curiously, the light from some of these clusters is redder than expected, an observation astronomers are still struggling to explain.
NASA reveals final shuttle dates
(Jul 8, 2008) NASA has fixed the dates of its last shuttle flights. The final orbiter to launch before the whole fleet goes into retirement will be Endeavour on 31 May, 2010. It will be carrying critical spare parts for the International Space Station (ISS) including communications equipment and shielding panels.
Space experts prepare for Martian land grab
(Jul 7, 2008) Space experts will meet in France later this week to thrash out plans for an ambitious robotic spacecraft mission to return rocks from Mars to Earth – arguably the most ambitious interplanetary adventure ever attempted.
Stellar nursery found around Milky Way's black hole 
Black holes dine on hot, gassy pancakes 
Manned spaceship design unveiled 
Spitzer reveals 'no organics' zone around Pinwheel Galaxy 
The star that everyone missed 
CERN lab goes 'colder than space' 
Deep Impact films Earth as an alien world 
Mars Express to rendezvous with Martian moon 
NASA spacecraft shows diverse, wet environments on ancient Mars 
Undersea volcanoes triggered marine extinction, says study 
Early galaxies had magnetic fields as strong as today's 
Phoenix Mars Lander to begin rasping frozen layer 
Brightest star in the Galaxy has new competition 
China could reach Moon before US 
Scientists plan to bring back rocks – and perhaps even life – from Mars 
Mystery star cluster has 3 different birthdays 
Exploding asteroid theory strengthened by new clues 
Rare "star-making machine" found in distant universe 
Hot super-Earths could host life after all 
Jupiter's third red spot torn apart by siblings 
Moon's interior 'did hold water' 
Lucky Hubble find raises star cluster mystery 
NASA reveals final shuttle dates 
Space experts prepare for Martian land grab 
