Science News

Fifth Moon Discovered Around Pluto
July 13, 2012
Science@NASA Headline News — 2012
While scanning the Pluto system for possible hazards to the approaching New Horizons spacecraft, astronomers using the Hubble Space Telescope have discovered a fifth moon orbiting the dwarf planet.

A Good Reason to Wake Up at Dawn
July 3, 2012
Science@NASA Headline News — 2012
The brightest planets in the solar system are converging for a beautiful sunrise sky show that begins on the 4th of July.
Hidden Portals in Earth's Magnetic Field
June 29, 2012
Science@NASA Headline News — 2012
A NASA-sponsored researcher at the University of Iowa has developed a way for spacecraft to hunt down hidden magnetic portals in the vicinity of Earth. These portals link the magnetic field of our planet to that of the sun.

Titan's Underground Ocean
June 28, 2012
Science@NASA Headline News — 2012
Saturn's giant moon Titan appears to have an underground ocean of liquid water, according to a newly-released analysis of data from NASA's Cassini probe.

Stellar Flare Blasts Exoplanet
June 28, 2012
Science@NASA Headline News — 2012
Working in tandem, NASA's Hubble Space Telescope and Swift satellite have caught a distant star blasting one of its own planets with a powerful stellar flare. The eruption stripped thousands of tons of material from the planet's atmosphere.

Cassini Shows Why Jet Streams Cross-Cut Saturn
June 26, 2012
Turbulent jet streams, regions where winds blow faster than in other places, churn east and west across Saturn. Scientists have been trying to understand for years the mechanism that drives these wavy structures in Saturn's atmosphere and the source from which the jets derive their energy.

Voyager 1 at the Final Frontier
June 22, 2012
Science@NASA Headline News — 2012
At the edge of the solar system, Voyager 1 is reporting a sharp increase in cosmic rays that could herald the spacecraft's long-awaited entry into interstellar space.

A "DisasterCam" for the ISS
June 20, 2012
Science@NASA Headline News — 2012
A prototype camera to be installed on the International Space Station this summer could help scientists and emergency personnel monitor disasters unfolding on the Earth below.

Evidence Mounts for Ice in Shackleton Crater
June 20, 2012
Science@NASA Headline News — 2012
According to data from NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO), ice may make up as much as 22 percent of the surface material in Shackleton crater at the moon's south pole.

Study Finds Ancient Warming Greened Antarctica
June 18, 2012
A new university-led study with NASA participation finds ancient Antarctica was much warmer and wetter than previously suspected. The climate was suitable to support substantial vegetation -- including stunted trees -- along the edges of the frozen continent.