The Sky Tonight

August 01, 2014

Lifetime of gravity measurements heralds new beginning
Paris (ESA) Aug 01, 2014
Although ESA's GOCE satellite is no more, all of the measurements it gathered during its life skirting the fringes our atmosphere, including the very last as it drifted slowly back to Earth, have been drawn together to offer new opportunities for science. Carrying the first 3D gravity sensor in space, this state-of-the-art satellite measured Earth's gravity with unprecedented accuracy. GOCE's four years in orbit resulted in a series of four gravity models, each more accurate than the last. T ... read more

Previous Issues

Jul 31

Jul 30

Jul 29

Jul 28

Jul 25

Young binary star system may form planets with weird and wild orbits Unlike our solitary Sun, most stars form in binary pairs - two stars that orbit a common center of mass. Though remarkably plentiful, binaries pose a number of questions, including how and where pl ... more		Tidal forces gave moon its shape The shape of the moon deviates from a simple sphere in ways that scientists have struggled to explain. A new study by researchers at UC Santa Cruz shows that most of the moon's overall shape can be ... more		Mercury's magnetic field tells scientists how its interior is different from Earth's Earth and Mercury are both rocky planets with iron cores, but Mercury's interior differs from Earth's in a way that explains why the planet has such a bizarre magnetic field, UCLA planetary physicis ... more
				MESSENGER Gets Closer to Mercury than Ever Before On July 25, MESSENGER moved closer to Mercury than any spacecraft has before, dropping to an altitude at closest approach of only 100 kilometers (62 miles) above the planet's surface. "The sci ... more		Solar Probe Plus, Highest Energy Mission Ever Several years ago, NASA selected the Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) of Johns Hopkins University to develop a most ambitious mission to the Sun. This was dubbed the Solar Probe Plus mission, intend ... more

CubeSats, SmallSats and MicroSats

William Cress Corporation - We Build To Last

Startup in the Land of the Rising Sun; A Japanese Solar Venture - by Bradley L. Bartz

Tempur-Pedic Mattress Comparison & Memory Foam Mattress Review

Our galaxy is way smaller than previous estimates The Milky Way is smaller than astronomers previously thought, according to new research. For the first time, scientists have been able to precisely measure the mass of the galaxy that contains our s ... more		Astronomers measure weight of galaxies, expansion of universe Astronomers at the University of British Columbia have collaborated with international researchers to calculate the precise mass of the Milky Way and Andromeda galaxies, dispelling the notion that t ... more		Sidekick autonomy software guides YFQ-42A test mission for CCA program Infleqtion lists shares on NYSE as neutral atom quantum firm Top Chinese gaming companies continue to challenge		Riddle of bulging Moon solved at last Far from being perfectly round, the Moon has a weird shape, with a highland bulge on the side facing the Earth and another bulge on its far side - a riddle that has fascinated scientists for decades. ... more
				Mysterious molecules in space Over the vast, empty reaches of interstellar space, countless small molecules tumble quietly though the cold vacuum. Forged in the fusion furnaces of ancient stars and ejected into space when those ... more		The Quantum Cheshire Cat: Scientists separate a particle from its properties The Quantum Cheshire Cat: Can a particle be separated from its properties? On July 29, the prestigious journal, Nature Communications, published the results of the first Cheshire Cat experiment, sep ... more

Gaia: 'Go' for science Following extensive in-orbit commissioning and several unexpected challenges, ESA's billion-star surveyor, Gaia, is now ready to begin its science mission. The satellite was launched on 19 December ... more		Perseid Meteors vs. the Supermoon Every year, sky watchers and summertime campers circle on their calendars a few key August nights-the 11th, 12th and 13th. These are the dates of the annual Perseid meteor shower, which rarely fails ... more		Solar-driven ionosphere charges may nudge stressed faults toward rupture Stable black carbon in mangrove soils boosts coastal climate role Low crystallinity iron minerals show promise for chromium cleanup and carbon storage		Titan Offers Clues to Atmospheres of Hazy Planets When hazy planets pass across the face of their star, a curious thing happens. Astronomers are not able to see any changes in the range of light coming from the star and planet system. This pr ... more
Glow in Space is Evidence of A Hot Bubble in Our Galaxy When we look up to the heavens on a clear night, we see an immense dark sky with uncountable stars. With a small telescope we can also see galaxies, nebulae, and the disks of planets. If you look at ... more		NASA-funded X-ray Instrument Settles Interstellar Debate New findings from a NASA-funded instrument have resolved a decades-old puzzle about a fog of low-energy X-rays observed over the entire sky. Thanks to refurbished detectors first flown on a NASA sou ... more		The source of the sky's X-ray glow In findings that help astrophysicists understand our corner of the galaxy, an international research team has shown that the soft X-ray glow blanketing the sky comes from both inside and outside the ... more		Measuring the Smallest Magnets Imagine trying to measure a tennis ball that bounces wildly, every time to a distance a million times its own size. The bouncing obviously creates enormous "background noise" that interferes with th ... more

	Refrigerator magnets The magnets cluttering the face of your refrigerator may one day be used as cooling agents, according to a new theory formulated by MIT researchers. The theory describes the motion of magnons - quas ... more		Alien Atmospheres - Methane, CFCs and other signs of smart ETs Sometimes we get lucky: an exoplanet many light-years away passes in front of its star at the perfect angle. This transit allows us to read certain features of that planet's atmosphere. The resultin ... more

AALTO plans Zephyr stratospheric hub in northern Australia and seeks local payload partners

Ancient guano drove Chincha coastal power

UAH lands first DARPA award for biological sciences department

Mapping the optimal route between 2 quantum states		Scientists separate a particle from its properties		Collecting just the right data		A New Approach to SETI: Targeting Alien Polluters		Biomarkers of the Deep
Bepicolombo Integration Testing Completed At Thales		New mass map of a distant galaxy cluster is the most precise yet		Astronomers come up dry in search for water on exoplanets		Hubble Finds Three Surprisingly Dry Exoplanets		Hubble Finds Three Surprisingly Dry Exoplanets

Surface impressions of Rosetta's comet

Mysterious black holes may be exploding into 'white holes'

Measuring Gravitational Waves with eLISA

The Most Precise Measurement of an Alien World's Size

Australian researchers pioneer a Google street view of galaxies

Lives and Deaths of Sibling Stars

MIPT-based researcher models Titan's atmosphere

Mysterious dance of dwarfs may force a cosmic rethink

Near Miss: The Solar Superstorm of July 2012

NEOWISE Spots a Comet That Looked Like an Asteroid

'Challenges' in quest to find water on Earth-like worlds: study

Earth survived near-miss from 2012 solar storm: NASA

Boosting the Force of Empty Space

NASA's Mars orbiters to witness comet flyby

Scientists Find Way to Maintain Quantum Entanglement in Amplified Signals

China's biggest moon challenge: returning to earth

Transiting Exoplanet with Longest Known Year

A new multi-bit 'spin' for MRAM storage

Seeing Earth As An Exoplanet: What Signs Of Life Are Visible?

Voyager Spacecraft Might Not Have Reached Interstellar Space

Free Newsletters - Space - Defense - Environment - Energy

Buy Advertising

Media Advertising Kit

Editorial & Other Enquiries

Privacy statement

The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2014 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. Privacy Statement All images and articles appearing on Space Media Network have been edited or digitally altered in some way. Any requests to remove copyright material will be acted upon in a timely and appropriate manner. Any attempt to extort money from Space Media Network will be ignored and reported to Australian Law Enforcement Agencies as a potential case of financial fraud involving the use of a telephonic carriage device or postal service.