|
|
|
  Goleta CA (SPX) Dec 17, 2018 A special visitor is crossing the sky this December: Comet 46P/Wirtanen, sighted with telescopes and binoculars in recent weeks, is on the way to its closest approach to Earth this weekend, when it might become visible to the naked eye. "Comet 46P/Wirtanen has been a popular proposed target comet for several spacecraft missions. This has resulted in intensive observation campaigns from the ground to prepare for the potential missions," says Dr. Tim Lister, Staff Scientist at Las Cumbres Observator ... read more |
 |
 
A nuclear-powered 'tunnelbot' to search for life on Jupiter's icy moon EuropaChicago IL (SPX) Dec 18, 2018 Between 1995 and 2003, NASA's Galileo spacecraft made several flybys of Jupiter's moon, Europa. Several findings from observations of the moon pointed to evidence of a liquid ocean beneath Europa's ... more  
A young star caught forming like a planetLeeds UK (SPX) Dec 17, 2018 Astronomers have captured one of the most detailed views of a young star taken to date, and revealed an unexpected companion in orbit around it. While observing the young star, astronomers led ... more 
Planets with Oxygen Don't Necessarily Have LifeBaltimore MD (SPX) Dec 18, 2018 In their search for life in solar systems near and far, researchers have often accepted the presence of oxygen in a planet's atmosphere as the surest sign that life may be present there. A new Johns ... more 
Narrowing the universe in the search for lifeColumbus OH (SPX) Dec 18, 2018 Humankind's exploration of space has for years pondered one central question: Is there another world somewhere in the universe where human beings could survive? And as astrophysicists and astr ... more |
|
|
|
| Previous Issues | Dec 14 | Dec 13 | Dec 12 | Dec 11 |
|
|
|
Where did the hot Neptunes goGeneva, Switzerland (SPX) Dec 17, 2018 "But where did the hot Neptunes go?" This is the question astronomers have been asking for a long time, faced with the mysterious absence of planets the size of Neptunes very close to their star. A ... more  
Tangled magnetic fields power cosmic particle acceleratorsMenlo Park CA (SPX) Dec 17, 2018 Magnetic field lines tangled like spaghetti in a bowl might be behind the most powerful particle accelerators in the universe. That's the result of a new computational study by researchers from the ... more 
In search of missing worlds, Hubble finds a fast-evaporating exoplanetBaltimore MD (SPX) Dec 17, 2018 Fishermen would be puzzled if they netted only big and little fish, but few medium-sized fish. Astronomers likewise have been perplexed in conducting a census of star-hugging extrasolar planets. The ... more 
Dancing with the enemyMunich, Germany (SPX) Dec 17, 2018 While testing a new subsystem on the SPHERE planet-hunting instrument on ESO's Very Large Telescope, astronomers were able to capture dramatic details of the turbulent stellar relationship in the bi ... more  
Cosmic fountain powered by giant black holeHuntsville AL (SPX) Dec 17, 2018 Before electrical power became available, water fountains worked by relying on gravity to channel water from a higher elevation to a lower one. This water could then be redirected to shoot out of th ... more |
|
 New squeezing record at GEO600 gravitational-wave detector  
NASA seeks US partners to develop reusable systems to land astronauts on MoonWashington DC (SPX) Dec 14, 2018 As the next major step to return astronauts to the Moon under Space Policy Directive-1, NASA announced plans on Dec. 13 to work with American companies to design and develop new reusable systems for ... more  |
|
|
|
Watch Comet 46P Wirtanen as it nears EarthMadison WI (SPX) Dec 14, 2018 On Dec. 16, you can get your best look yet at a comet - with a mouthful of a name - that has been hurtling toward Earth all month. When you do, you'll be taking in the sight of a comet discove ... more 
Hubble finds faraway planet vanishing at record speedBaltimore MD (SPX) Dec 14, 2018 The speed and distance at which planets orbit their respective blazing stars can determine each planet's fate - whether the planet remains a longstanding part of its solar system or evaporates into ... more 
Rosetta witnesses birth of baby bow shock around cometParis (ESA) Dec 13, 2018 A new study reveals that, contrary to first impressions, Rosetta did detect signs of an infant bow shock at the comet it explored for two years - the first ever seen forming anywhere in the Solar Sy ... more 
UNLV study unlocks clues to how planets formLas Vegas NV (SPX) Dec 13, 2018 Astronomers have cataloged nearly 4,000 exoplanets in orbit around distant stars. Though the discovery of these newfound worlds has taught us much, there is still a great deal we do not know about t ... more 
Astronomers find that dark matter dominates across cosmic timeAustin TX (SPX) Dec 13, 2018 In findings published in The Astrophysical Journal, University of Texas at Austin astronomers report that they have stumbled on an extraordinary galaxy that may corroborate a recently contested theo ... more |
|
|
|
|
 Washington DC (SPX) Dec 18, 2018 
A team of astronomers has discovered the most distant body ever observed in our solar system. It is the first known solar system object that has been detected at a distance that is more than 100 times farther than Earth is from the Sun.
The new object was announced on Monday, December 17, 2018, by the International Astronomical Union's Minor Planet Center [https://www.minorplanetcenter.net ... more |
|
 |
|
|
 Geneva, Switzerland (SPX) Dec 17, 2018 
"But where did the hot Neptunes go?" This is the question astronomers have been asking for a long time, faced with the mysterious absence of planets the size of Neptunes very close to their star. A team of researchers, led by astronomers from the University of Geneva (UNIGE), Switzerland, has just discovered that one of these planets is losing its atmosphere at a frantic pace.
This observa ... more |
|
 Pasadena CA (JPL) Dec 12, 2018 
NASA's InSight lander isn't camera-shy. The spacecraft used a camera on its robotic arm to take its first selfie - a mosaic made up of 11 images. This is the same imaging process used by NASA's Curiosity rover mission, in which many overlapping pictures are taken and later stitched together. Visible in the selfie are the lander's solar panel and its entire deck, including its science instruments ... more |
|
|
 Washington DC (SPX) Dec 14, 2018 
As the next major step to return astronauts to the Moon under Space Policy Directive-1, NASA announced plans on Dec. 13 to work with American companies to design and develop new reusable systems for astronauts to land on the lunar surface. The agency is planning to test new human-class landers on the Moon beginning in 2024, with the goal of sending crew to the surface in 2028.
Through upco ... more |
|
 Austin TX (SPX) Dec 13, 2018 
In findings published in The Astrophysical Journal, University of Texas at Austin astronomers report that they have stumbled on an extraordinary galaxy that may corroborate a recently contested theory about dark matter.
Dark matter is matter that does not give off any light, but is detectable by its gravitational pull on other matter. It was first discovered in the 1970s in studies of spir ... more |
|
|
 Sao Jose Dos Campos, Brazil (AFP) Dec 13, 2018 
The vast Amazon forest may be hard to penetrate, posing a problem for authorities trying to stop illegal logging - but there are still eyes in the sky keeping track of the destruction.
For three decades, a group of researchers have been monitoring forest clearing, agriculture and land use thanks to satellites orbiting the Earth and beaming images to Brazil's National Institute for Space Res ... more |
|
 Madrid, Spain (SPX) Dec 14, 2018 
The technological multinational GMV leads an international consortium entrusted with designing the analysis of the HERA mission and developing its Guidance, Navigation and Control (GNC) System. The HERA mission is run by the European Space Agency (ESA) and led by OHB-System AG.
Based on the heritage of the Asteroid Impact Mission (AIM) project, HERA aims to be the first interplanetary miss ... more |
|
|
 San Antonio TX (SPX) Dec 13, 2018 
Andres Munoz-Jaramillo and Jose Manuel Vaquero, from Southwest Research Institute and University of Extremadura, respectively, have developed a new technique for looking at historic solar data to distinguish trustworthy observations from those that should be used with care. This work is critical to understanding the Sun's past and future as well as whether solar activity plays a role in climate ... more |
|
 Beijing (XNA) Dec 13, 2018 
China's Chang'e-4 probe decelerated and entered the lunar orbit Wednesday, completing a vital step on its way to make the first-ever soft landing on the far side of the moon, the China National Space Administration (CNSA) announced.
After flying about 110 hours from earth, an engine on the probe was ignited when it was 129 km above the surface of the moon, in line with instructions sent fr ... more |
|
|
|
Austin TX (SPX) Dec 13, 2018
In findings published in The Astrophysical Journal, University of Texas at Austin astronomers report that they have stumbled on an extraordinary galaxy that may corroborate a recently contested theory about dark matter.
Dark matter is matter that does not give off any light, but is detectable by its gravitational pull on other matter. It was first discovered in the 1970s in studies of spir ... more |
|
 Hong Kong (AFP) Dec 11, 2018 
From ankle-deep mud in Central Asia to the scorching heat of Australia, Mina Guli is running 100 marathons in 100 days to highlight a looming global water shortage.
The 48-year-old Australian is galloping across the planet, 42 kilometres (26 miles) at a time, with barely a moment to adjust her watch before it's on to the next stop.
Her unorthodox world tour began in New York on November ... more |
|
|
 Edwards AFB CA (SPX) Dec 13, 2018 
A winged spacecraft will soon take off with four NASA-supported technology experiments onboard. Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo will separate from the WhiteKnightTwo twin-fuselage carrier aircraft and continue its rocket-powered test flight.
The flight, scheduled for no earlier than Dec. 13, is Virgin Galactic's first mission for NASA. The agency's Flight Opportunities program helped the fo ... more |
|
 Greenbelt MD (SPX) Dec 14, 2018 
A new NASA-led study has determined that an increase in snowfall accumulation over Antarctica during the 20th century mitigated sea level rise by 0.4 inches. However, Antarctica's additional ice mass gained from snowfall makes up for just about a third of its current ice loss.
"Our findings don't mean that Antarctica is growing; it's still losing mass, even with the extra snowfall," said B ... more |
|
|
 East Boothbay ME (SPX) Dec 14, 2018 
New research shows that phytoplankton iron storage strategies may determine which species thrive in changing oceans and impact marine food webs, according to a recent paper in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The research examined two primary methods of iron storage and found that one makes species more resilient against shortages of the rare and essential element.
"The ... more |
|
 Hannover, Germany (SPX) Dec 17, 2018 
The detection of Einstein's gravitational waves relies on highly precise laser measurements of small length changes. The kilometer-size detectors of the international network (GEO600, LIGO, Virgo) are so sensitive that they are fundamentally limited by tiny quantum mechanical effects.
These cause a background noise which overlaps with gravitational-wave signals. This noise is always presen ... more |
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
 |
 |
 |
|
| Buy Advertising | Media Advertising Kit | Editorial & Other Enquiries | Privacy statement |
| The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2018 - 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 |
