Astronomy

Astronomy

Comet LINEAR: Breaking up isn’t hard to do

New images reveal that Comet LINEAR, which passed near the sun late last month, has broken into at least 10 fragments.

Astronomy

Evidence grows for nearby planetary system

Astronomers have found the nearest known planet that lies outside the solar system, a mere 10.5 light-years from Earth.

Astronomy

Telescope finds tiny moon of Jupiter

Astronomers reported the discovery of Jupiter's 17th known moon, the first Jovian moon discovered in 25 years and perhaps the tiniest known satellite of any planet.

Astronomy

A comet’s chilly origin

Astronomers have detected argon in comet Hale-Bopp, the first time an inert gas has been found in one of these icy bodies and an indication that the comet formed in the frigid outer solar system between the orbits of Uranus and Neptune.

Astronomy

X-ray flare from a dim source

An X-ray flare coming from a old, failed star has surprised astronomers.

Astronomy

Dead stars may masquerade as ingenues

A heavenly deception in which dead stars lie about their ages could throw into disarray theories describing some of the densest objects in the cosmos.

Astronomy

The smashup that rejuvenates

For some elderly stars, the fountain of youth may be only a collision away.

Astronomy

Astronomers get radio protection

Astronomers studying the universe at millimeter-wave energies-the high-frequency portion of the radio spectrum-were given an official guarantee last month that commercial satellites and other communication devices won't interfere with the scientists' observations.

Astronomy

Stars’ wobbles reveal six more planets

Swiss astronomers have found indirect evidence of six additional planets that lie outside the solar system, bringing the tally to more than 40.

Astronomy

Gamma-ray craft plunges into Pacific

As planned, NASA's Compton Gamma Ray Observatory, which had detected some of the highest-energy radiation in the universe for 9 years, crashed into the Pacific Ocean on June 4.

Astronomy

Model Tracks Storms from the Sun

Teams of astronomers have developed a reliable method for predicting the time it takes for solar storms to arrive at Earth and have gathered observations confirming a model of how the sun's outer atmosphere, or corona, manages to store up enough magnetic energy to induce these upheavals.

Astronomy

Sugarcoated news arrives from space

Scientists spotted a simple sugar in interstellar space for the first time.