Space Exploration News

This is a schematic view of the peanut-shaped asteroid Itokawa. Image credit: ESO / JAXA.

Itokawa: Scientists Reveal Structure of Strange Asteroid

Feb 5, 2014 by News Staff

Using very precise ground-based observations with ESO’s New Technology Telescope (NTT), an international team of planetary scientists has found that...

Scientists Create Map of Solar System’s Asteroids

Jan 30, 2014 by News Staff

Planetary scientists from Massachusetts Institute of Technology and European Space Astronomy have created a map of more than 100,000 asteroids throughout...

This is an artist's impression of the dwarf planet Ceres. Image credit: NASA / JPL-Caltech.

Ceres: Water Vapor Detected on Dwarf Planet

Jan 23, 2014 by News Staff

Astronomers using the Herschel Space Observatory have detected water vapor on the dwarf planet Ceres, the biggest object in the main asteroid belt. This...

Titan and Rhea. Image credit: NASA / JPL-Caltech / Space Science Institute.

Cassini Captures New Images of Saturn, Titan, Rhea, Enceladus

Dec 29, 2013 by News Staff

NASA’s Cassini team has released stunning new images of Saturn and its three moons – Titan, Enceladus and Rhea. Saturn. Image credit: NASA...

Andrew Williams, a multimedia composer at the University of Leicester, provides insight into the sounds of space. Image credit: Andrew Williams.

British Project Reveals ‘Animalistic’ Sounds of Space

Dec 25, 2013 by News Staff

A project led by Andrew Williams from the University of Leicester’s Space Center has revealed the ‘animalistic’ sounds in the dark, cold...

Mars. Image credit: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center.

Mars: First Radiation Measurements from Planet’s Surface

Dec 19, 2013 by News Staff

Scientists using the Radiation Assessment Detector (RAD) aboard the Mars Science Laboratory’s Curiosity rover have made detailed measurements of...

This artist's impression shows Jupiter and its moon Europa using actual Jupiter and Europa images in visible light. The Hubble ultraviolet images showing the faint emission from the newly discovered water vapor plumes have been superimposed, respecting the size but not the brightness of the plumes. Image credit: NASA / ESA / M. Kornmesser / L. Roth, Southwest Research Institute and University of Cologne / J. Saur, University of Cologne / K. Retherford, Southwest Research Institute / D. Strobel and P. Feldman, Johns Hopkins University / M. McGrath, Marshall Space Flight Center / F. Nimmo, University of California, Santa Cruz.

Europa: Huge Water Vapor Plumes Seen Erupting from Jupiter’s Moon

Dec 13, 2013 by News Staff

An international team of astronomers using NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope has discovered strong evidence of giant water-vapor geysers shooting off...

Recurrent slope linea on the south-facing slope of a crater on the floor of Melas Chasma, Mars. Image credit: McEwen AS et al / NASA / JPL-Caltech / University of Arizona.

Mars: Scientists Find Evidence of Present-Day Water

Dec 12, 2013 by News Staff

Observations from NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter have revealed what may be seasonal flows of salty water. Recurrent slope linea on the south-facing...

NASA Scientists Discover Evidence of Ancient Lake on Mars

Dec 10, 2013 by News Staff

Researchers from NASA’s Curiosity rover mission have found evidence that there was once an ancient lake on Mars that may have been able to support...

This image of the comet Lovejoy was taken on December 3, 2013 by Subaru Telescope. Image credit: Masafumi Yagi / NAOJ.

C/2013 R1: Astronomers Zoom in on Tail of Comet Lovejoy

Dec 9, 2013 by News Staff

A team of astronomers from Japan and the United States using Subaru Telescope has captured an image of the comet C/2013 R1 Lovejoy’s ion tail. This...

4.43-billion-year-old Martian meteorite NWA 7533. Image credit: Meteorites.tv.

Meteoritic Zircons Help Determine Age of Martian Crust: 4.43 Billion Years

Nov 29, 2013 by News Staff

Zircons – one of the most commonly used geochronometers – found within the Martian meteorite NWA 7533 have enabled an international team of scientists...

NASA astronomers say ‘no more nucleus.’ Image credit: ESA / NASA / SOHO.

Comet ISON Likely Disintegrated by Sun

Nov 28, 2013 by News Staff

A new image from NASA’s Solar and Heliospheric Observatory suggests the comet ISON has broken up. NASA astronomers say ‘no more nucleus.’ Image...

Comet ISON streams toward the Sun from the lower right in this image, captured on November 27, 2013. Image credit: ESA / NASA / SOHO.

SOHO Space Observatory Sees Comet ISON Approaching Sun

Nov 28, 2013 by News Staff

A new image of the comet ISON has been captured by researchers using NASA’s Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO). Comet ISON streams toward...

This image taken by STEREO-A spacecraft shows comet ISON, Earth, Mercury and comet 2P/Encke. Image credit: Karl Battams / NASA / STEREO / CIOC.

STEREO-A Spacecraft Zooms in on Comet ISON

Nov 26, 2013 by Natali Anderson

Astronomers using NASA’s Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory (STEREO) spacecraft have captured a series of images of the comet ISON. This image...

Distinctive feldspar-rich composition of Nili Patera, the Syrtis Major volcano, Mars. Image credit: NASA / JPL / JHUAPL / MSSS.

Planetary Scientists Find Evidence for Granite on Mars

Nov 19, 2013 by News Staff

U.S. researchers reporting in the journal Nature Geoscience have found strong evidence that the Red Planet has granitic rocks. Distinctive feldspar-rich...

This image shows ancient Mars capable of supporting liquid water on its surface. Image credit: Michael Lentz / NASA Goddard Conceptual Image Lab.

What Mars Looked Like 4 Billion Years Ago

Nov 18, 2013 by News Staff

A new animation by NASA scientists illustrates what Mars – the fourth planet from the Sun and the second smallest planet in the Solar System –...

P/2013 P5 as seen by Hubble on September 10, 2013. Image credit: NASA / ESA / D. Jewitt, University of California, Los Angeles / J. Agarwal, Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research / H. Weaver, Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory / M. Mutchler, STScI / S. Larson, University of Arizona.

P/2013 P5: Hubble Spots Bizarre Asteroid with Six Comet-Like Tails

Nov 8, 2013 by News Staff

A group of scientists using NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope has discovered a unique multi-tailed object, labeled P/2013 P5, in the main asteroid belt. P/2013...

This photograph shows the meteor streaking through the sky above Chelyabinsk, Russia. Image credit: M. Ahmetvaleev.

Scientists Shed More Light on Chelyabinsk Meteorite

Nov 7, 2013 by News Staff

An object that exploded over Chelyabinsk, Russia in February 2013 initially measured 20-m across and was about 4,452 million years old, according to three...

The International Space Station, as seen from Space Shuttle Endeavour in 2011. Image credit: NASA.

Space’s Microgravity Accelerates Biological Aging of Some Cells, Scientists Say

Nov 1, 2013 by News Staff

According to a team of researchers led by Dr Silvia Bradamante from Institute of Molecular Science and Technologies in Milan, Italy, microgravity accelerates...