A bright arc, which is 1,200 kilometers long and 10 kilometers wide, at the edge of Saturn's rings suggests that the planet may be making a new moon.
Space Science Institute/JPL-Caltech/NASA
Atom & Cosmos
Topic Image Rail
RETAINING WATER Mars’ thin atmosphere, seen in a photograph taken by Viking 1, was denser in the past but not dense enough to keep surface temperatures above the freezing point of water for long times.
NASA
GAMMA GENERATOR Gamma-ray emissions from the center of the Milky Way appear as colors other than purple in these images.. The panel at right shows that when emissions from known gamma-ray sources are removed, a strong signal about 10,000 light-years across remains. A team of physicists argues that dark matter particles are responsible for those gamma rays.
T. Linden, Univ. of Chicago
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Astronomy
News
Early Mars couldn't hold liquid water long
Small rocks hit Mars 3.6 billion years ago, suggesting an early atmosphere too thin for liquid water to hang around very long.News
Neutrinos from space rain down from all directions
Using Earth as a filter, scientists detect thousands of neutrinos from beyond the solar system. -
Cosmology
News in Brief
Galaxy’s gamma-ray glow may expose dark matter
An excess of gamma rays at the center of the Milky Way could be a signature of dark matter.News in BriefSpeed of early universe’s expansion determined
The rate known as the Hubble constant is measured with great precision for the universe of 11 billion years ago. -
Planetary Science
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Particle Physics
NewsExotic particle packs a foursome of quarks
Tetraquarks could help physicists understand the universe’s first generations of matter.Reviews & Previews
Catching Particle Fever
Interspersed with the plot of Particle Fever are artful explanatory animations and commentary by six articulate physicists. Through these characters, we learn that the Higgs is a stepping stone toward a deeper understanding of the universe. -
Exoplanets
News
Exoplanet water seen in new light
Astronomers used a new technique to characterize the atmosphere of a gas giant exoplanet.Science TickerKepler data confirm 715 new exoplanets
The population of planets outside the solar system has grown by about 70 percent, thanks to discoveries culled from Kepler space telescope data. Researchers are announcing 715 new confirmed planets in a February 26 press conference.Note: To comment, Science News subscribing members must now establish a separate login relationship with Disqus. Click the Disqus icon below, enter your e-mail and click “forgot password” to reset your password. You may also log into Disqus using Facebook, Twitter or Google.
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Astrobiology
NewsExoplanet oxygen may not signal alien life
Oxygen in an exoplanet atmosphere may come from water and ultraviolet light, not alien life.Reviews & Previews
Making the most of zero gravity
Astronaut and author Chris Hadfield discusses life in, and after, space.
