Space

Earth watching satellite Proba-V opens its eyes to map land cover and vegetation growth across the entire planet

May 17, 2013

European Space Agency (ESA) successfully launched its Proba-V satellite on May 7, 2013 aboard a Vega rocked. This new earth watching satellite was deployed into its Sun-synchronous near-polar orbit at 820 km altitude just 55 minutes after launch. According to

Earth and Moon pelted by meteors - Impact causes bright explosion on the Moon

May 17, 2013

A meteor with estimated weight of 40 kg, approximately 0.3 - 0.4 meters wide, and traveling at speed of 90 123 km/h hit the lunar surface in Mare Imbrium on March 17, 2013. The resulting explosion packed as much punch as 5 tons of TNT. "It exploded in

First global topographic map of Titan, a world much like Earth

May 16, 2013

Scientists have created the first global topographic map of Saturn's moon Titan giving researchers a valuable tool for learning more about one of the most Earth-like and interesting worlds in the solar system. The map was just published as part of a paper in

2013 Eta Aquarid meteor shower overview

May 07, 2013

This year’s annual Eta Aquarid meteor shower peaked on May 5/6 as our planet passed through a stream of debris from Halley’s Comet. International Meteor Organization (IMO) reported peak of 135 meteors per hour on May 6, 2013. far more than

Is Comet ISON just an ordinary comet?

May 05, 2013

Well, if you ask the question from the title, most people who are even remotely interested in astronomy and comets will most likely answer – NO - Comet ISON ( Comet C/2012 S1) is not an ordinary comet! In fact, it is a very interesting comet with

The annual Eta Aquarids meteor shower peaks on May 6, 2013

May 03, 2013

The Eta Aquarid meteors usually provide a solid display at the beginning of May. Few annual meteor showers provide a decent show for the southern hemisphere observers as the Eta Aquarid do. That is because the radiant is very near a Y-shaped asterism in northern

Massive hurricane-like storm on Saturn

May 02, 2013

The international Cassini spacecraft has found a behemoth hurricane swirling around Saturn’s north pole, surrounded by the curious rotating hexagonal band of clouds. This storm has been churning since at least 2006. The images Cassini took on November 27,

May 2013 Skywatching guide

April 30, 2013

May 2013 brings few interesting sky events. This years Eta Aquarid meteor shower will peak on May 6 with expected zenith hourly rate of 55 meteors per hour. We are about to experience annular solar eclipse on May 9/10. Annularity will be visible from

How did this year’s Lyrids perform?

April 28, 2013

During the last week, our planet has been passing through debris from Comet Thatcher, source of the annual Lyrid meteor shower. On the nights around April 22nd, while the peak of this years meteor shower was, All Sky Fireball Network (NASA) reported more than 30

Cassini - meteoroids are breaking into streams of rubble and crashing into Saturn's rings

April 27, 2013

New results from NASA's Cassini spacecraft show that small meteoroids are breaking into streams of rubble and crashing into Saturn's rings.Saturn's rings are the only place besides Earth, the moon, and Jupiter where researchers along with amateur

Saturn and Earth line up for an amazing view of the golden planet

April 27, 2013

If you have any interest in astronomy you have probably seen dozens if not hundreds of breathtaking images of the universe and our Solar System. Those images are usually acquired by some of Earth's best spacecrafts, like Hubble, Cassini, Messenger and others who beam

Water in Jupiter's atmosphere came from 1994 comet impact

April 26, 2013

Observations by ESA's Herschel space observatory have revealed origin of water's mysterious presence in Jupiter's atmosphere. Using sensitive spectral imaging, researchers were able to confirm that water came from historic comet impact in July 1994.During July 1994,

The growing threat of space debris

April 23, 2013

There is a continuing increase in space debris that poses a growing threat to economically vital orbital regions. Many experts like satellite operators around the world, including those flying telecom, weather, navigation, broadcast and climate-monitoring missions,

Solar missions to observe comet ISON (How to track ISON on SOHO and STEREO imagery)

April 23, 2013

Comet ISON is on a journey through our solar system that will culminate in its close encounter with the Sun on November 28, 2013. At that time the comet will pass at a distance of only 2.7 solar radii from the Suns center. Comet C/2012 S1, named ISON, was

ESA's Aeolus mission - profiling winds around the globe with UV laser

April 22, 2013

ESA's wind mission ADM-Aeolus is going to probe global atmosphere using novel UV laser technique. Undergone rigorous testing, the Aeolus satellite is equipped with innovative instruments to improve weather forecasts and contribute to climate research.

Earth could enter into dusty meteor shower from Comet ISON's tail

April 20, 2013

As comet ISON is approaching for its close encounter with the sun in November, 2013, excitement and anticipation are rising. Already being named the potential "Comet of the century" by some, because of the show it might put on for stargazers all over our

Kepler mission finds 2 most Earth-like planets

April 18, 2013

Continuing its hunt for habitable planets, Kepler mission has discovered 3 new planets in "habitable zones" of their solar system, NASA revealed on Thursday, April 18, 2013. Two of the newly discovered planets are most Earth-like planets found to date. They belong to

Lyrid meteor shower peaks on April 22, 2013

April 18, 2013

Earth is approaching the debris field of ancient Comet Thatcher, source of the annual Lyrid meteor shower. Every year in late April Earth passes through the dusty tail of Comet Thatcher (C/1861 G1), and the encounter causes a meteor shower – the Lyrids.Flakes of

Jupiter's moon Io - new discoveries about the most volcanically active world in the Solar System

April 17, 2013

Jupiter's moon Io is the most volcanically active world in the Solar System. It has hundreds of volcanoes and volcanic activity 25 times that of Earth. However, according to NASA and European Space Agency researchers, the concentrations of volcanic activity are

Bright fireball streaked across the sky above Madrid, Spain

April 16, 2013

A bright fireball streaked across the sky above the Spanish capital Madrid and was seen across the entire country on April 13, 2013. The object struck the atmosphere above the Villamuelas district in the province of Toledo, southwest of Madrid around 21:45 UTC

Earth-Mars communications affected by a Mars solar conjunction

April 13, 2013

This month communication between Mars and Earth may be disrupted due to a planetary arrangement called Mars solar conjunction, where Mars will be passing almost directly behind the sun from Earth's perspective. Mars solar conjunction happens once about every 26

The Beginning of the Universe in 3 Minutes

April 11, 2013

CERN physicist Tom Whyntie shows how cosmologists and particle physicists explore these questions by replicating the heat, energy, and activity of the first few seconds of our universe, from right after the Big Bang.Source:

Using sound to determine and understand the shape of the universe

April 10, 2013

A recent paper in the Physical Review Letters has reported a new mathematical tool that can help understand and reveal the shape of the Universe to a great extent.As the universe expands, it is continually subjected to energy shifts, or “quantum

MinutePhysics: The True Science of Parallel Universes

April 08, 2013

Imagine if there were multiple universes, where you live a different life, have different friends, work a different job, and tackle different life problems, where you don’t even have access to the internet. These multiple universes are all related to ours and they

Discovering the unknown with the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer

April 07, 2013

The Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer (AMS) is a cosmic ray particle physics detector, on the exterior of the International Space Station. It was launched to the Space Station on the space shuttle Endeavour's STS-134 mission on May 16, 2011.The first results of the AMS

Comet ISON could become Comet of the Century

April 04, 2013

NASA's Scientific Visualization Studio released another excellent video of Comet ISON (C/2012 S1). It is expected to become one of the most dazzling skywatching event while making a passage around the Sun later this year. Based on

What's up for April 2013

April 01, 2013

JPL released another video guide for skywatchers, introducing sky events in April 2013. Jupiter's moon Io crosses Jupiter's face on April 3, followed by its tiny black shadow. Comet PanSTARRS will pass 2° west (lower right) of the Andromeda Galaxy, M31 on April 4.

Venus, Mars and Uranus seen by SOHO's coronograph

March 31, 2013

NASA/ESA's SOHO images are revealing a sight no one else gets to see: Venus, Mars and Uranus are all crowding into the same picture with the Sun. From our perspective on Earth, it is happening in the daylight sky very close to the glaring Sun. Using a disk to block

MAVEN gets magnetometers to study the Red planet's magnetic field

March 27, 2013

Could Mars have supported life? Many scientists think that long ago it had a denser atmosphere, cloudy skies that supported liquid water flowing over the surface. They propose the red planet lost its atmosphere due to sputtering as it eroded by interactions with

Farside active region shoots bright CME toward Venus

March 24, 2013

An active region in the Sun's far-southern hemisphere erupted on March 23, 2013 around 13:00 UTC hurling bright Coronal Mass Ejection (CME) toward the Venus. A glancing impact is expected on March 25th. Venus has no global magnetic field to protect it from CME's so the

Bright meteor streaks over eastern United States

March 23, 2013

The American Meteor Society received over 600 reports of bright meteor that lit up the sky over eastern US and parts of Canada on Friday, March 22, 2013. Reports of this meteor, bright enough to be called fireball, started coming in around 8 pm EDT (midnight UTC). It

Infrared: Beyond the Visible

March 22, 2013

The answers to some of the universe's greatest mysteries are being beamed through the night sky in light we can't see with human eyes ... but it won't be invisible to us forever. Explore the wonder of infrared astronomy and the promise of the upcoming Webb Space

"In Search of Our Cosmic Origins (The ALMA Movie)"

March 21, 2013

This 16-minute video presents the history of ALMA from the origins of the project several decades ago to the recent first science results. Illustrated by dramatic helicopter footage, the movie takes you on a journey to the 5000-metre-high Chajnantor Plateau, where ALMA

Mars in a minute: What happens when the Sun blocks signal?

March 21, 2013

How can you communicate with Mars spacecraft when the Sun is in the way? Learn more about "solar conjunction" in this JPL's 60-second video.Source: JPLnewsFeatured image: Youtube screenshot

New technology aims at improvising exoplanet discovery

March 18, 2013

A new advanced telescope imaging system is expected to improve detection of exoplanets obscured by exponentially bright stars. Unlike Kepler mission which uses the transit method to find out exoplanets transiting in front of their stars, this one actually blots out

"ALMA: The View from a Different World"

March 17, 2013

ALMA (Atacama Large Millimeter Array), the huge international telescope project that was inaugurated in Chile this week. It is located in the Atacama Desert, the driest place on Earth and an area that bears a striking resemblance to the Red Planet. ALMA is a single

A day in the life of a living Mars (animation)

March 15, 2013

Watch an interesting animation by Kevin McGill, showing a day on a living Mars. Generated using data from the Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter aboard the Mars Global Surveyor spacecraft and satellite imagery from the Blue Marble Next Generation project.

Rock sample analysis indicates ancient Mars could have supported life

March 13, 2013

Finally, NASA revealed results obtained from analysis of rock sample collected by Curiosity last month and reported ancient Mars could have had environment suitable for microbial life. Gray colored sample drilled out of a sedimentary rock contained some of the key

Comet Pan-STARRS now visible on STEREO Behind imagery

March 12, 2013

Comet Pan-STARRS (C/2011 L4) passed inside the orbit of Mercury on March 10, 2013 reaching perihelion (its closet approach to the Sun). Now, it is visible object in the field of view of NASA's STEREO-B Heliospheric Imager. An animation of Comet

Scientists create 3-D view of ancient flood channels beneath Martian surface

March 12, 2013

While Curiosity is drilling Martian rocks, NASA's Mars reconnaissance orbiter is continuing its observations to demystify the Red planet. Recently, scientists created 3-D reconstruction of ancient water channels beneath martian surface using images taken by the