2011
Comet Storm in a Nearby Star System
Oct. 19, 2011
NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope has detected signs of icy bodies raining down in an alien solar system. The downpour resembles our own solar system several billion years ago during a period known as the "Late Heavy Bombardment."
600 Mysteries in the Night Sky
Oct. 17, 2011
The Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope recently produced a map of the night sky. Out of 1873 new sources, nearly 600 were complete mysteries. In today's story from Science@NASA, researchers speculate on the nature of the mystery objects--including the possibility that they are made of dark matter.
Draconid Meteor Outburst
Oct. 4, 2011
Forecasters say Earth is heading for a stream of dust from Comet 21P/Giacobini-Zinner. A close encounter with the comet's fragile debris could spark a meteor outburst over parts of our planet on October 8th.
The Strange Attraction of Gale Crater
Sept. 30, 2011
NASA's newest rover "Curiosity" is getting ready to leave Earth. Its destination: Gale crater on Mars. Today's story from Science@NASA explains the attraction of this Martian crater with a strangely-sculpted mountain the middle.
The Secret Lives of Solar Flares
Sept. 19, 2011
NASA-supported researchers say that solar flares have been keeping a secret. The new finding, reported in the Astrophysical Journal, suggests that explosions on the sun could affect Earth even more than previously thought.
Cool Video: Dawn Flies Around Vesta
Sept. 16, 2011
A just-released video from NASA's Dawn spacecraft takes viewers on a breathtaking flyover of the giant asteroid Vesta.
Kepler Discovers a Planet with Two Suns
Sept. 15, 2011
The existence of a world with a double sunset, as portrayed in the film Star Wars more than 30 years ago, is now scientific fact. NASA's Kepler mission has made the first unambiguous detection of a "circumbinary planet" -- a planet orbiting two stars -- 200 light-years from Earth.
GRAIL and the Mystery of the Missing Moon
Sept. 6, 2011
Did our planet once have two moons? Some researchers say so. Moreover, the missing satellite might still be up there--splattered against the far side of the Moon. NASA's GRAIL mission, due to launch on Sept. 8th, could help confirm or refute the "two moon" hypothesis.
Dwarf Planet Mysteries Beckon to New Horizons
Sept. 2, 2011
Dwarf planet Pluto is a world of mystery waiting to be visited for the first time. NASA's New Horizons probe is racing across the solar system for a close encounter that could dramatically alter what researchers "know" about Pluto and other small worlds.
Sunspot Breakthrough
Aug. 25, 2011
A new breakthrough in sunspot detection could provide days of extra early warning of solar storms heading for Earth.