Solar Cycle Update: The Sun Shows Signs of Life
A surge of new-cycle sunspots in October may signal the beginning of the end of the ongoing solar minimum.
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Archive for Far away in space
NASA Begins Hunt for New Meteor Showers
NASA astronomers have set up a monitoring station to scan the night sky for unknown or unexpected meteor showers--and they're finding more than they bargained for.
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Hubble Directly Observes a Planet Orbiting Another Star
NASA's Hubble Space Telescope has taken the first visible-light snapshot of a planet circling another star. The planet, called 'Fomalhaut b', orbits the bright southern star Fomalhaut, located 25 light-years from Earth.
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Discovered: Cosmic Rays from a Mysterious, Nearby Object
An international team of researchers has discovered a puzzling surplus of high-energy electrons bombarding Earth from space. The source of these cosmic rays is unknown, but it must be close to the solar system and it could be made of dark matter.
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Solar Wind Rips Up Martian Atmosphere
The solar wind appears to be ripping big chunks of air from the atmosphere of Mars. This could help solve a longstanding mystery about the Red Planet.
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Magnetic Portals Connect Earth to the Sun
Researchers have discovered 'magnetic portals' forming high above Earth that can briefly connect our planet to the Sun. Not only are the portals common, one space physicist contends they form twice as often as anyone had previously imagined.
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Saving Lunar Images
What an extraordinary story this is, a tale of long forgotten photos of the moon, as well as obsolete media, and the dedicated fans who worked to bring off an amazing restoration project years in the making.
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Halloween Sky Show
The planets are gathering for spooky sunset sky show on Oct. 31st. Read today's story to find out where to look.
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The Case of the Missing Gamma-ray Bursts
Gamma-ray bursts are by far the brightest and most powerful explosions in the Universe, second only to the Big Bang itself. So it might seem a bit surprising that a group of them has gone missing.
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India Orbits Moon
The Indian spacecraft Chandrayaan 1 has achieved lunar orbit according to this BBC News report:
The mission will compile a 3D atlas of the lunar surface and map the distribution of elements and minerals. [...] The Indian experiments include a 30kg probe that will be released from the mothership to slam into the lunar surface. The Moon Impact Probe (MIP) will record video footage on the way down and measure the composition of the Moon's tenuous atmosphere. It will also drop the Indian flag on the surface of the Moon.
I don't think it counts though unless the flag is right side up and unfurled. I'm kidding, this is a great accomplishment for India and it's a much better national investment than building nuclear missiles to aim at Pakistan.
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