Superflares Found on Sun-like Stars
There is no explanation for how flares more than 1 million times more powerful than solar flares are occurring.
Scientists have found superflares more than 1 million times more powerful than flares generated by the sun occurring on sun-like stars being studied by NASA’s Kepler space telescope.
The finding, culled from 120 days of observations of 83,000 stars, is the first to detail how often and how energetic flares on other stars can be.
The discovery, however, raises a question about how the massive outbursts, believed to be caused by complex magnetic interactions, can physically occur.
Breathtaking View of Earth by Russian Satellite
Think of it as an amped up version of the iconic “Blue Marble” image. A new photo of Earth from space highlights the striking beauty and intensely rich colors of our home planet.
The photo was taken by a Russian weather satellite, called Elektro-L No.1, which flies in a geostationary orbit more than 22,000 miles (35,700 kilometers) above the Earth’s equator.
Vesta is a Baby Planet, Not an Asteroid
Asteroid Vesta turns out to be an ancient protoplanet that never made it to the big leagues.
Hubble to Use the Moon to View Transit of Venus
It’s one of the first things kids learn when they start to turn their heads skywards: never look directly at the sun. Even if there’s a solar eclipse you’re dying to see, don’t do it.
It turns out the Hubble Space Telescope operates under the same guidelines –- it can’t look directly at the sun.
This isn’t normally something astronomers want to do, but the upcoming transit of Venus is too exciting to miss with Hubble’s amazing eyes in the sky. So to protect its cameras, the orbiting telescope is going to use perhaps the neatest way to observe the transit. It’s going to use the moon as a mirror.
Buzz Aldrin thanks Stephen for promoting space exploration and awards him the National Space Society’s coveted trophy.
Saturn, Moon, Star to Offer Triple Night Sky Treat
The conjunction offers a chance to see how quickly the moon moves from night to night.
Look toward the southeast on Thursday night (THAT’S TONIGHT!!) about an hour after sunset, and you will behold a rare and beautiful sight, a triple conjunction of the moon, the planet Saturn, and the bright star Spica.
A conjunction occurs when two or more astronomical objects are close together in the sky. In reality they are far apart in space; their closeness is just an effect of perspective. In astrology such close encounters are supposed to cause serious effects, but astronomers know that conjunctions are nothing more than a beautiful sight and a photo opportunity.
Giant black hole is seen gobbling up a star: A star in another galaxy was ripped apart by the black hole’s intense gravity. “It turned into this really thin piece of spaghetti,” an astronomer says.
Image: Computer-simulated image shows gas from a shredded star falling into a black hole. Credit: Suvi Gezari / Johns Hopkins University
Newborn Stars Choked by Glowing Dust
With springtime in full swing for the Northern Hemisphere, you may be able to hear the chirping of recently-hatched chicks wrapped snugly in their nests. But for Messier 78, a reflection nebula near the famous Orion’s Belt, springtime has been erupting for millions of years inside a cocoon of thick, choking smog. Messier 78’s ‘spring’ won’t end until its gas and dust has either been blown away or consumed by the voracious appetites of the clutch of baby stars it hides.
Sun’s Twin Discovered — the Perfect SETI Target?
There are 10 billion stars in the Milky Way galaxy that are the same size as our sun. Therefore it should come as no surprise that astronomers have identified a clone to our sun lying only 200 light-years away.
Still, it is fascinating to imagine a yellow dwarf that is exactly the same mass, temperature and chemical composition as our nearest star. In a recent paper reporting on observations of the star — called HP 56948 — astronomer Jorge Melendez of the University of San Paulo, Brazil, calls it “the best solar twin known to date.”
SpaceX and NASA prepare for historic spacecraft launch
NASA says everything’s on schedule for SpaceX’s world-first commercial robotic flight to the International Space Station, currently scheduled for April 30. The flight is a test of sorts, for SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft’s capabilities, and the company’s ability to deliver on the promise of unmanned transportation of goods to/from the ISS. If all goes to plan, SpaceX officials hope to begin regular deliveries for NASA by the end of 2012. (Photo by Robert Goodwin) source
Shuttle Discovery spotted on the back of 747 over Washington as it makes its way to final resting place in Smithsonian
The shuttle Discovery, the most journeyed spacecraft of the now-retired U.S. fleet, on Tuesday made its final flight from Florida toward the Washington area museum where it will go on display. (Photos: Reuters;AFP/Getty Images)
Sixteen times a day, astronauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS) get to see the moon drop below the horizon. And in this stunning orbital photograph, European Space Agency astronaut André Kuipers managed to snap the Earth’s natural satellite just as it was dipping from view.
Mars Viking Robots ‘Found Life’
New analysis of 36-year-old data, resuscitated from printouts, shows NASA found life on Mars, an international team of mathematicians and scientists conclude in a paper published this week.
Further, NASA doesn’t need a human expedition to Mars to nail down the claim, neuropharmacologist and biologist Joseph Miller, with the University of Southern California Keck School of Medicine, told Discovery News.
“The ultimate proof is to take a video of a Martian bacteria. They should send a microscope — watch the bacteria move,” Miller said.
“On the basis of what we’ve done so far, I’d say I’m 99 percent sure there’s life there,” he added.
Maybe. It’s still inconclusive and highly speculative.
Robot Cargo Ship’s Space Station Arrival
Astronauts aboard the International Space Station captured an extraordinary photo of an unmanned European cargo ship as it docked to the orbiting outpost last week.
The European Space Agency’s third Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV-3) launched into orbit on March 23, and arrived at the space station five days later, on March 28. The robotic cargo ship delivered about 7 tons of supplies, including water, oxygen, food, clothing, experiments and propellant.
