All Stories by Ron Cowen
- Astronomy
Magnetic flip heralds solar max
Scientists have found another indicator that the sun has reached the maximum of its current activity cycle: The polarity of its magnetic field has reversed.
- Astronomy
In moon race, Saturn is still champ
New discoveries have raised the retinue of Saturn's known moons to 30, making the ringed planet the solar system's champ.
- Planetary Science
Images suggest icy eruptions on Ganymede
New stereo images of Ganymede, the solar system's largest satellite, suggest that eruptions of water or slushy ice a billion or more years ago gave parts of the moon a facelift, creating long, flat bands of nearly pure water-ice.
- Astronomy
Mining the Sky
A proposed national virtual observatory, a mammoth computer database integrating spectra, images, and other information covering the entire sky, could usher in a new age of discovery in astronomy.
- Astronomy
Cassini at Jupiter: Eyeing the Io torus
The Cassini spacecraft has captured the most detailed images ever taken of the Io torus, a doughnut-shaped ring of charged particles that surrounds Jupiter and is replenished by the planet's moon Io.
- Astronomy
Ancient Mars water: A deep source?
A new analysis of a Mars meteorite that fell to Earth suggests that much of the water believed to have once flowed on the surface of the Red Planet came from eruptions of molten rock that originated deep within the planet.
- Astronomy
Distant cluster suggests low-weight cosmos
Lured by the radio beacon of a faraway galaxy, astronomers have discovered the most distant cluster of galaxies known in the universe.
- Planetary Science
Happy landing: Craft descends onto Eros
On Feb. 12, NEAR Shoemaker became the first spacecraft to land on an asteroid, the space rock 433 Eros.
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Life’s Housing May Come from Space
The cell-like envelopes in which life on Earth arose and evolved may literally have dropped from the sky.
- Astronomy
Pulsar ages may need refiguring
New images taken by the Chandra X-ray Observatory confirm that a known pulsar, a rapidly spinning neutron star, was born in a supernova explosion that Chinese astronomers witnessed in 386 A.D. and call into question how astronomers traditionally compute the ages of pulsars.
- Astronomy
Cloudy puzzle on Uranus
Astronomers can’t explain the seemingly ephemeral nature of bright clouds seen on the northernmost sunlit edge of Uranus.
- Astronomy
Peering at black holes: An eventful look
Two new studies provide supporting evidence for event horizons, the one-way membranes that surround black holes.
