Astronomy

Astronomy

Mystery of missing lithium extends beyond Milky Way

Stars in cluster Messier 54, part of a nearby dwarf galaxy, have just as little lithium as stars in the Milky Way, suggesting that the mystery of the missing element is universal.

Astronomy

Rosetta’s comet shows few signs of surface ice

The first data sent back from one instrument aboard the Rosetta spacecraft suggests that comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko has little surface ice.

Astronomy

Plasma corkscrews form on sun during stellar eruption

Coronal mass ejection creates twisted loop in sun’s magnetic field.

Astronomy

Milky Way connected to a vast network of galaxies

The Milky Way galaxy lives on the outer edge of a newly discovered supercluster of galaxies named Laniakea that is 520 million light-years across.

Astronomy

Subatomic particles give glimpse into sun’s core

For the first time, a subterranean detector has captured neutrinos generated in the main nuclear reactions that power the sun.

Astronomy

Pleiades star cluster is a bit farther away than thought

New observations might impact Gaia satellite’s mission to map the Milky Way.

Astronomy

Wake of nearby supernova hints at explosion’s origins

Gamma rays from radioactive decay of cobalt formed in a nearby supernova reveal unprecedented details of the explosion’s aftermath.

Astronomy

Chemical signature of first-generation star found

The unusual balance of elements in the atmosphere of a star most likely came from the explosion of another star more than 100 times as massive as the sun.

Astronomy

Distance to quasars debated

Some astronomers thought quasars were buzzing around our galaxy; turns out these starlike objects live on the other side of the universe.

Astronomy

Dust nabbed by spacecraft may be from outside the solar system

NASA’s Stardust mission captured seven particles that probably come from interstellar space, providing researchers with the first direct samples from beyond the solar system.

Planetary Science

Spacecraft films Pluto’s largest moon in orbit

New Horizons spacecraft, en route to Pluto, captures nearly one orbit of dwarf planet’s largest moon.

Astronomy

The craziest NASA mission ever proposed

In this issue, Meghan Rosen provides an in-depth report on that mission, but without the erroneous conclusion that the Asteroid Redirect Mission has much to do with asteroid defense.