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Storming sun sets the skies aglow
A slight solar storm ejected from a powerful sunspot brightened skies as far south as Colorado on Friday night — and there should be more to come. The heightened geomagnetic activity was sparked by a burst of electrically charged particles thrown off from an active spo …
Scientists respond to planet hunter's plight with pointers – and poetry
NASA is getting plenty of advice — and sympathy — as it assesses whether its Kepler planet-hunting telescope can be revived after the failure of its reaction-control system. The reactions from scientists and engineers range from repair tips to an Audenesque …
Buggy hordes of cicadas sighted in Virginia ... but New York? Not yet
There's been a groundswell of 17-year cicadas in Virginia and other southern states, as revealed by a fresh wave of photos and eyewitness reports. In some areas, the outbreak has been accompanied by the insects' loud chorus call. And that's music to the ears of University of Conn …
'Star Trek' stars go ga-ga over real astronauts during video hangout
You'd think that traveling at warp speed to the planet Nibiru would be the coolest thing in outer space, but for the Hollywood types who made "Star Trek Into Darkness," talking with a real astronaut on the International Space Station was way more awesome. "I'll just act like this …
'The World at Night' can be brightly beautiful – but there's a dark side, too
Are the images featured in The World at Night's annual "Earth and Sky" photography contest meant to celebrate the wonders of the night sky, or draw attention to the worries about the night sky? They're meant to do both, says astrophotographer Babak Tafreshi.
For example, consider …
Chris Hadfield's 'Space Oddity' is a hit: What's next for space superstar?
Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield finished out his five-month flurry of songs, snapshots and social media from outer space with a real doozy: a rendition of David Bowie’s “Space Oddity” that even Bowie is retweeting.
The music video was months in the making: Wit …
Can't get to Australia? Get an online look at the 'ring of fire' solar eclipse
If you can't make it to the South Pacific's eclipse zone in time to watch the sun turn into a "ring of fire" on Thursday, you can still get in on the spectacle online.
The annular solar eclipse begins at 6:33 p.m. ET (22:33 GMT) with the touchdown of the moon's shadow in western …
15-year-old Astronaut Abby fuels her outreach mission with social media
"Astronaut Abby" is at the controls of a social-media machine that is launching the 15-year-old from Minnesota to Kazakhstan this month for the liftoff of the International Space Station's next crew — and if Facebook and Twitter count for anything, it just might get her to …
Engage! Astronomers need your assistance to detect space warps
Think you can find space warps? Astronomers have recruited thousands of citizen scientists to look for exoplanets, galaxies, moon craters and other cosmic curiosities — and now they need your help to go after one of the weirdest phenomena in space-time: gravitational lenses …
Everything you know about dinosaurs is wrong: Tour guide sets you straight
When it comes to dinosaurs and other prehistoric monsters, even the experts can get things wrong — as dino-fanatic Brian Switek explains in his tour guide to the paleontological frontier.
Switek will discuss what we know about dinosaurs, and what we don't know, on "Vir …
CSI Jamestown: Anthropologists lay out evidence of colonial cannibalism
Experts have provided the grisly goods to back up 17th-century accounts of cannibalism during the Jamestown colony's "starving time" — including a skull that shows signs of being chopped at and pried apart.
"Our team has discovered partial human remains before, but th …
Space station skipper gives Canada's new $5 bill an out-of-this-world debut
Canada's new printed-polymer $5 bill has received the country's highest sendoff, altitude-wise, from International Space Station commander Chris Hadfield. Tuesday's ceremony in space was just the latest in a series of achievements that have drawn attention to Canada's best-known …
Who knew a monstrous Saturnian hurricane could look so lovely?
The eye of a super-hurricane at Saturn's north pole looks like a peaceful red rose in a fresh bouquet of pictures from NASA's Cassini orbiter. But don't be fooled: That rosy appearance is merely due to the false colors ascribed to infrared wavelengths. This storm's eye measures 1 …
Billionaire Richard Branson can't wait for his own SpaceShipTwo trip
British billionaire Richard Branson's Virgin companies operate airplanes and trains, sell music and phones, offer games and radio shows. He's an adventurer who has flown balloons over oceans, has swum with sharks and whales, and has even started up his own ocean exploration ventu …
SpaceShipTwo goes supersonic during first rocket-powered flight
Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo rocket plane lit up its engine for the first time in flight on Monday, taking a giant supersonic leap toward outer space. The crucial 16-second blast took place at about 7:50 a.m. PT (10:50 a.m. ET), high above California's Mojave Air and Space Port …
Scientists show how a hot, steamy afternoon kills the chill on a beer can
Droplets of condensation may make a cold can of beer look more appealing on a hot day, but they're also making that frosty brew warm up faster. So here's some news you can use: If it's hot and humid, put a cover over your can of cold beverage. And if you want to warm up a frozen …
SpaceX's Elon Musk and friends look to the future: Engage warp drive!
What will the far future look like? For actor Will Smith and his son Jaden, the next generation could mark a "tipping point" for the environment. For futurist Ray Kurzweil, solar power is the solution to our energy ills. But for a look at the really far future, turn to Elon Musk, …
A suspected meteor flash briefly transforms night to day in Argentina
A suspected meteor flash wowed observers in Argentina early Sunday — and sparked memories of February's more serious blast over Russia. The fireball lit up the night in north and central Argentina at about 3:30 a.m. local time, according to accounts from Argentine news …
Thousands want to take one-way trip to Mars, but will you pay their way?
Organizers of the Dutch-based Mars One project opened up their website on Monday to take applications for a one-way trip to Mars in 2022. That's right: These astronauts won't be coming back. The idea is to jump-start a permanent settlement on Mars, with more supplies and se …
Tale of Richard III's skeleton is filled with drama – and it's not over yet
The tale surrounding the discovery of King Richard III's skeleton beneath an English parking lot is about much more than a pile of 528-year-old bones — all you have to do is look at the face of Philippa Langley as she breaks down during an archaeological autopsy.
"I don't …
- Hubble Space Telescope
- International Space Station
- Transit of Venus
- Mars Science Laboratory
- Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter
- Red Planet
- SpaceX Dragon
- Solar Dynamics Observatory
- European Space Agency
- Alpha Centauri
- Neil Armstrong
- NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center
- NASA
- Sally Ride
- Comet ISON
- The Planetary Society
- Hurricane Sandy
- Pacific Ocean
- Buzz Aldrin
- Saturn
