Space

  1. Astronomy

    Feeling the heat of an extrasolar planet

    Astronomers have measured the temperature variation between the lit and unlit sides of a planet outside the solar system.

    By Ron Cowen
  2. Planetary Science

    Satanic Winds

    Dust devils send prodigious amounts of dust into Earth's atmosphere, and on Mars the electric fields generated by the dusty vortices may actually stimulate changes in atmospheric chemistry that sterilize the soil.

    By Sid Perkins
  3. Astronomy

    Assault on Andromeda: Nearby galaxy had recent collision

    New findings suggest that a small galaxy recently plunged into Andromeda, opening a new window on collisions that are rare today but were common in the early universe.

    By Ron Cowen
  4. Planetary Science

    A sunrise view of Mars

    The first high-resolution images sent by the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter support the notion that water once flowed across much of the Red Planet.

    By Julie Rehmeyer
  5. Astronomy

    Record-breaking galaxy

    Looking ever deeper into space and farther back in time, astronomers have found a galaxy more distant than any other known in the universe.

    By Ron Cowen
  6. Planetary Science

    Ring Shots

    With the sun poised behind Saturn, the Cassini spacecraft recently got a unique view of the rings' icy dust particles, enabling it to discover two new rings and confirm the presence of two ringlets.

    By Ron Cowen
  7. Planetary Science

    Web Special: Clay magic on Mars

    NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter has just completed a week of picture taking from as low as 300 kilometers above the surface of the Red Planet.

    By Julie Rehmeyer
  8. Astronomy

    Enigmatic Eruption

    An erupting star near the outskirts of the Milky Way has become one of the most puzzling objects in the galaxy.

    By Ron Cowen
  9. Planetary Science

    Web Special: Welcome to Mars’ Victoria Crater

    With stunningly powerful vision, the HiRISE camera on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter has taken a remarkable picture that shows the exploration rover Opportunity poised on the rim of Victoria Crater on Mars.

    By Ron Cowen
  10. Astronomy

    Jet Set: Astronomers identify the makeup of quasar streams

    Astronomers have identified the particles in jets emanating from supermassive black holes as electrons and protons, which carry much more energy than some computer models had suggested.

    By Ron Cowen
  11. Astronomy

    Oversize supernova

    Researchers have found a supernova so luminous that it must have been produced by a much heavier star than the standard theory allows.

    By Ron Cowen
  12. Planetary Science

    A discordant name for a dwarf planet

    The largest known object at the fringes of the solar system, the icy body whose discovery heated up the debate about the nature of planethood, has an apt new name.

    By Ron Cowen