New Type of Alien Planet Is a Steamy ‘Waterworld’
Scientists have discovered a new type of alien planet — a steamy waterworld that is larger than Earth but smaller than Uranus. The standard-bearer for this new class of exoplanet is called GJ 1214b, which astronomers More...
NASA identifies interstellar matter entering solar system
NASA has for the first time analyzed the ‘alien matter’ in the interstellar wind. The Interstellar Boundary Explorer (IBEX) Earth-orbiting spacecraft has spotted hydrogen, oxygen, neon and helium – More...
NASA’s J-2X deep space engine gets tested
NASA is poised to kick off a new series of tests on the J-2X – the engine that will help carry humans to deep space. As NASA exec William Gerstenmaier notes, tests on the J-2X engine bring the space agency More...
Scientists confirm rocks fell from Mars
They came from Mars, not in peace, but in pieces. Scientists are confirming that 15 pounds of rock collected recently in Morocco fell to Earth from Mars during a meteorite shower last July. This is only the fifth More...
NASA discovers three smallest exoplanets
NASA’s discovered its tiniest solar system yet, which includes the three smallest exoplanets ever found. Data from NASA’s Kepler mission has revealed planets that are 0.78, 0.73 and 0.57 times the radius More...
Mars-bound NASA rover aiming for an August landing
A NASA spacecraft hurtling toward Mars prepared to fire its thrusters Wednesday to put itself on course for an August landing. Engineers closely tracked the one-ton rover nicknamed Curiosity, which has been cruising More...
Moon probes in place after successful burn
NASA’s two GRAIL probes have now successfully been placed in orbit around the moon. After a planned main engine burn, GRAIL-B achieved lunar orbit at 2:43 pm PST on New Year’s Day, following a similar More...
Ancient galaxy seen creating two stars a week
Astronomers using NASA’s Spitzer and Hubble space telescopes have discovered that one of the most distant galaxies known is churning out stars at the rate of 100 per year. The blob-shaped galaxy, called GN-108036, More...
Ecosystems shift as climate changes
By 2100, nearly 40 percent of land-based ecosystems – forest, grassland or tundra, for example – will have moved from one type to another. According to a modeling study from NASA’s Jet Propulsion More...
Comet defies death, brushes up to sun and lives
A small comet survived what astronomers figured would be a sure death when it danced uncomfortably close to the broiling sun. Comet Lovejoy, which was only discovered a couple of weeks ago, was supposed to melt More...