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Summer/Fall 2002 Astronomy News

Sources: NASA; SpaceflightNow; Sky & Telescope; Astronomy magazine; cosmiverse; The Universe Today.
See also the resources page. Note: Some links in this page are good only for a limited time.

Sky Observation (see also the Sky & Telescope page and Spaceweather update)

  • 12/13: Saturn: On December 17th Saturn will be in opposition, and at perihelion (NASA)
  • 12/10: Meteor Showers: Astronomers are trying to understand the Leonids' smoky trails (S&T)
  • 12/06: Meteor Showers: The Geminid shower is coming up, on December 13-14 (space, NASA)
  • 11/18: Lunar Eclipse: The full Moon will enter the Earth's penumbra tomorrow evening (space)
  • 11/12: Meteor Showers: Tips for observing this year's November 19th Leonids (space, S&T, NASA)
  • 11/01: Zodiacal Light: Your chance to observe it in a clear, dark predawn sky (space)
  • 10/28: Light Pollution: More of its negative consequences are becoming known (S&T)
  • 10/24: The Sun: If both the Sun and clouds are up, you could see Sun dogs, halos, pillars (NASA)
  • 10/12: Solar Eclipse: There will be one in South Africa and Australia on December 4th (S&T, space)
  • 10/12: Asteroids: Observing Ceres and Melpomene with binoculars this Fall (S&T)
  • 10/09: Meteor Showers: What are the predictions for this year's Leonid meteors? (NASA, S&T)
  • 10/08: Constellations: Observing the Queen of Ethiopia, easily recognizable Cassiopeia (space)
  • 10/07: Planets: Observing Uranus and Neptune with binoculars in the Fall (space)
  • 10/02: Near Earth Objects: House passes amateur astronomy bill honoring Pete Conrad (spaceref)
  • 09/27: Constellations: A quick guide to Capricornus, Aquarius, and the other autumn ones (space)
  • 09/06: Stars: Some suggestions on observation of double stars at this time of the year (space)
  • 09/03: Light Pollution: A racetrack developer may cooperate with an observatory in Texas (S&T)
  • 08/23: Constellations: Three small summer constellations, the Dolphin, the Fox and the Arrow (space)
  • 08/21: Near Earth Objects: Watch a short movie of passing asteroid 2002 NY40 (space, S&T)
  • 08/06: Meteor Showers: The Perseids will soon hit Earth (space), like insects on a windshield (NASA)
  • 08/03: Comets: Recently spotted comet Hoenig is in Cassiopeia, becoming brighter (S&T, space, S&T)
  • 08/02: Stars: This is a good time to see Brocchi's Cluster (the Coathanger) in Vulpecula (space)
  • 07/30: Asteroids: A near Earth asteroid that will swing by us will be visible with binoculars (NASA)
  • 07/26: Constellations: Scorpius is now visible in the South, and really loks like a scorpion (space)
  • 07/19: Meteor Showers: The yearly Perseid shower is on August 12-13 (NASA, space1, space2, S&T)
  • 07/19: Constellations: Two summer constellation in the southern sky, Ophiuchus and Serpens (space)
  • 07/05: Constellations: Three bright stars in different constellations form the Summer Triangle (space)
  • 06/28: Constellations: The Little Dipper's stars are a way to check your sky's darkness (space)

Space Technology, Telescopes and Agencies

  • 12/17: Exploration: NASA wants a step-by-step approach to expanding humankind's reach (spaceref)
  • 12/17: UV Telescopes: New satellite will collect spectra from interstellar plasma (space, spaceref)
  • 12/04: Optical Telescopes: An update on plans for building Extremely Large Telescopes (spaceref)
  • 12/04: Optical Telescopes: An update on the construction of the Large Binocular Telescope (space)
  • 11/15: Space Tourism: NASA and other agencies help commercial space industry (NASA, space)
  • 11/13: Space Communication: NIST micro-positioner may help send messages from the stars (spaceref)
  • 11/05: Propulsion Technology: Beamed energy propulsion is getting closer to reality (space)
  • 10/30: Propulsion Technology: NASA funds study on antimatter use for missions beyond Pluto (space)
  • 10/23: Gamma Ray Telescopes: The ESA launches its gamma ray space telescope Integral (spaceref)
  • 10/14: World Space Congress: Walter Cronkite and others spoke at inaugural ceremony (space)
  • 10/12: NASA: Gary L. Martin named as NASA's future technology architect (SFN, spaceref)
  • 10/10: Starships: Team Encounter's "Earthview" to be previewed at World Space Congress (spaceref)
  • 10/08: IR Telescopes: The new UKIRT can produce 3D views of nebulas and galaxies (SFN)
  • 10/05: Propulsion Technology: A team will study how to develop nuclear power in space (SFN)
  • 09/30: Radio Telescopes: VLBI links telescopes located in several continents (spaceref, SFN, space)
  • 09/27: Gravitational Wave Telescopes: The LIGO detector has started taking scientific data (S&T)
  • 09/16: Future Spacecraft: New, smart materials will dramatically improve performance (NASA, space)
  • 09/13: Exploration Technology: In the future, humans and rovers may explore planets together (NASA)
  • 09/10: Future Telescopes: NASA selects builder for Next Generation Space Telescope (space, SFN)
  • 09/05: IR Telescopes: The airplane-mounted telescope Sofia is closer to coming online (space)
  • 08/30: Propulsion Technology: NASA selects teams to lead R&D (spaceref); info (NASA1, NASA2)
  • 08/28: NASA: An interesting inside view of the Agency and its new Administrator (spaceref, spaceref)
  • 08/23: Gamma Ray Telescopes: NASA selects builder for GLAST, to be launched in 2006 (spaceref)
  • 08/14: Imaging Technology: New telescope camera will take 1000 color photographs per second (space)
  • 08/06: Imaging Technology: SuperNova/Acceleration Probe will have billion-pixel CCD (spaceref)
  • 07/29: Space Communication: Lasers on satellites could replace radio transmitters in ten years (SFN)
  • 07/18: Future Missions: A preview of NASA's plans for further exploration of Mars and beyond (space)
  • 07/11: Future Missions: NASA-commissioned survey plots strategy for Solar System Exploration (space)
  • 07/11: Propulsion Methods: Planetary Society hopes to launch the first solar sail this year (SFN)
  • 07/11: Future Telescopes: The ESO plans to build an OverWhelmingly Large one (cosmiverse, space)
  • 07/10: Deep Space Network: New antenna for communication with spacecraft being built in Spain (SFN)
  • 07/03: Space Telescopes: Canada to launch the small MOST telescope within the next year (space)

Planet Earth

  • 12/02: Meteorites: University of Alberta cameras capture rare fireball as it happens (spaceref)
  • 11/20: Impact Risk: Study says we can expect about 1/century causing serious local damage (spaceref)
  • 11/19: Meteorites: NASA grant will support expanded search for Antarctic meteorites (spaceref)
  • 11/17: Impacts: 2-cm thick, 217 million year old layer from asteroid impact in England (spaceref)
  • 11/07: Meteorites from Mars: Every month, on average, a rock from Mars lands on Earth (space, S&T)
  • 10/28: Past Impacts: The causes of two of the largest craters on Earth, and their implications (spaceref)
  • 10/21: Quasi-Satellites: There is an asteroid that stays "close" to Earth for long periods of time (space)
  • 10/11: Earth's Core: A newly found inner inner core may be the remnant of the Earth's seed (spaceref)
  • 10/11: Urban Sprawl: NASA can now provide satellite data to visualize forest fragmentation (NASA)
  • 10/08: Impact Risk: The frequency of asteroid impacts may be lower than previously estimated (spaceref)
  • 10/05: Meteorites: A large one fell recently near two Siberian villages (spaceref); Update (space)
  • 10/05: Climate Change: Human-caused land use must be counted as one of the main factors (SFN)
  • 10/02: Near Earth Objects: NEO-hunting telescope proposed at congressional hearing (space, spaceref)
  • 09/20: Orbiting Object: Have we captured an asteroid, or part of an Apollo rocket? (NASA, SFN, space)
  • 09/16: Earth Rings? Two scientists suggest the Earth may have had rings 35 Myr ago (SFN, space)
  • 09/13: Impacts and Extinctions: Did two almost simultaneous asteroid impacts kill the dinosaurs? (S&T)
  • 09/08: Near Earth Objects: Ideas on how to deal with a possible threat are evolving (SFN)
  • 09/07: Gravitational Field: The GRACE satellites produce the best map yet (space)
  • 09/06: Meteoroids: Did a boulder-sized space rock crash yesterday in Southern Australia? (space, BBC)
  • 09/05: Earth's Past: Diamonds offer clues of a water world 3.3 billion years ago (space, spaceref)
  • 09/04: Past Impacts: NASA scientists study the origin of the Iturralde Crater in Bolivia (spaceref, space)
  • 09/03: Near Earth Objects: A closer look at asteroid 2002 NY40 using adaptive optics (spaceref)
  • 08/29: Space Weather: Forecasts and protection are a growing concern for our technology (spaceref)
  • 08/28: Earth Formation: New results indicate the Earth is older than previously thought (space)
  • 08/22: Past Impacts: Scientists confirm age of oldest known meteorite hit (spaceref1, spaceref2, space)
  • 08/01: Earth's Shape: 4-year shift in Earth's gravity suggests equator is bulging (space, spaceref, SFN)
  • 07/31: Past Impacts: 60-65 million year old crater found beneath the North Sea floor (space, S&T)
  • 07/30: Global Warming: New study of link between cloud cover and cosmic ray flux (spaceref, SFN)
  • 07/29: Near Earth Objects: Are news reports justified or just alarmist? (space1, space2, S&T, BBC)
  • 07/26: Past Impacts: First evidence found for early meteorite bombardment of Earth (spaceref, SFN)
  • 07/26: Near Earth Objects: Newly discovered one has a tiny chance of hitting us in 2019 (NASA, S&T)
  • 07/23: Near Earth Objects: True number seems to be near the high end of previous estimates (space)
  • 07/12: Near Earth Objects: Panel says that search efforts need increased support (SFN, S&T, space)
  • 07/11: Future Missions: NASA approves the AIM mission to study the outer atmosphere (SFN)
  • 07/10: Space Junk: Increased collision risk calls for improved spacecraft design (space); update (SFN)
  • 07/02: Earth's Orbit: On July 6th we'll be further from the Sun than any other time of the year (NASA)

The Moon and the Sun

  • 12/24: Moon Travel: Transorbital announces successful Moon test launch (spaceref)
  • 12/21: Apollo Missions: Even NASA unsure how to counter claims of faked Moon fissions (space)
  • 12/14: Moon Impacts: Crater formed in 1953 asteroid impact identified (space)
  • 11/25: Moon Exploitation: There seems to be a lot of interest in a Moon resort and casino (spaceref)
  • 11/13: Sun Surface: Solar observatory produces most detailed pictures of sunspots yet (space), S&T)
  • 11/04: Solar Activity: The Sun put on a spectacular eruption show on October 25th (SFN)
  • 10/18: Meteorites from Earth: They could hold evidence on the origin of life here (NASA, spaceref)
  • 09/24: Moon Observation: Mare Orientalis will be visible in November and December (S&T)
  • 09/23: Moon Exploration: Several countries including the US have plans (space1, space2, space3)
  • 09/05: Moon Exploitation: US goverment ok's the first commercial mission to the Moon (nature)
  • 08/22: Moon Use: Should be Moon be used to store radioactive nuclear waste? (space)
  • 08/13: Moon Trees: The story of the trees that went to the Moon on Apollo 14 (SFN, space, NASA)
  • 08/12: Lunar Surface: The VLT takes amazingly sharp ground-based photographs (spaceref, SFN)
  • 08/01: Moon Exploration: Scientists push for South Pole-Aitken crater basin exploration (space)
  • 07/30: Moon Exploration: ESA is preparing the SMART mission for launch next year (space, space)
  • 07/23: Lunar Samples: Four arrested for stealing and trying to sell moon rocks (space); update (spaceref)
  • 07/23: Meteorites from Earth: The Moon holds evidence of Earth's early history (spaceref, space)
  • 07/19: Sun Surface: There is a sunspot group so large that it can be seen without magnification (S&T)
  • 07/18: Moon Exploration: Scientists want to go back and possibly establish bases (space, cosmiverse)
  • 07/16: Moon Surface: The peculiar features of the rarely seen Southern Sea (S&T)

Mars

  • 12/09: Water? Dark streaks on Martian slopes may be a sign of running water (spaceref, water)
  • 12/09: Mars' Past: Data cast doubt on the idea that that it once was a warm, hospitable place (space)
  • 12/06: Mars Exploration: NASA selects 4 proposals as candidates for 2007 "Scout" mission (SFN)
  • 12/05: Mars' Past: Ancient impacts may caused scalding rains, flash floods and worse (space, spaceref)
  • 11/19: Life? How life might have formed in a martian crater, and how to search for it (space)
  • 11/08: Orbit: In 2003 Mars will come closer to Earth than ever before in recorded history (space)
  • 11/05: Ancient Impacts: Father & daughter team find evidence for old buried craters (space)
  • 10/15: Surface: Mars Global Surveyor produces new high-resolution images (space)
  • 10/15: Mars Institute: Nonprofit corporation for Mars study and exploration unveiled today (spaceref)
  • 10/08: First Words: Want to submit a suggestion for what the first astronaut there should say? (space)
  • 10/02: Climate: Ice and dust layers near polar cap provide clues to understand the planet's past (space)
  • 09/12: Exploration: Canadian Space Agency makes plans to join exploration efforts (spaceref)
  • 09/03: Life? The ESA's Mars Express and Beagle 2 have a chance at settling the issue (spaceref, SFN)
  • 08/23: Future Missions: NASA tests two robotic Mars rovers in a California desert (spaceref, space)
  • 08/21: Future Missions: Ferrari's red paint "Rosso Corsa" is being tested for space by ESA (spaceref)
  • 08/19: Future Missions: Scientists are rehearsing for launch of Exploration Rover next year (spaceref)
  • 08/09: Fiction: A short science-based story on an astronaut's search for water on Mars (NASA)
  • 08/09: Exploration: Test of top-secret Mars rover will be webcast live on August 19th (space)
  • 08/04: Life? There is new evidence that some meteorite material was produced by ancient bacteria (SFN)
  • 07/26: Exploration: ESA is preparing to launch a mission to search for life next year (cosmiverse)
  • 07/07: Exploration: Five years after Mars Pathfinder, scientists are planning new rovers (SFN)
  • 06/30: Surface: Dust may constitute the major force eroding the planet's surface (SFN)
  • 06/23: Surface: Geologists find evidence of past lake and catastrophic flood on Mars (SFN, space)

Other Planets and Moons

  • 12/23: Europa: Possibility of life there may depend on whether the core is chewy or crunchy (spaceref)
  • 12/18: Titan: Detailed images from Keck reveal clouds on Saturn's largest moon (space, S&T)
  • 12/15: Jupiter's Moons: A new model is proposed for the formation of the Galilean moons (SFN, S&T)
  • 12/09: Amalthea: Jupiter's potato-shaped inner moon is likely a loose jumble of pieces (spaceref, space)
  • 12/07: Titan: Scientists speculate about Saturn's largest moon and its potential for life (SFN, spaceref)
  • 11/26: Jupiter's Moons: 11 recently discovered ones have now been given names (S&T)
  • 11/15: Io: Scientists at Keck observe massive volcanic eruption with adaptive optics (spaceref)
  • 11/13: Venus Missions: Global Aerospace develops a hybrid satellite-balloon for the Venus skies (space)
  • 11/08: Galileo Mission: Jupiter's rings and Amalthea among spacecraft's final tasks (NASA, SFN, S&T).
  • 11/06: Venus Missions: ESA confirms it will go ahead with the Venus Express mission (spaceref)
  • 11/01: Cassini Mission: A picture taken by the spacecraft of its still distant destination (SFN)
  • 10/30: Europa: Reddish spots on the icy surface may indicate warmer ice rising from below (SFN)
  • 10/23: Saturn's Tilt: Two scientists suggest that Neptune's orbit is responsible for it (S&T)
  • 10/12: Saturn's Moons: Chaos in the motion of the spherding moons for ring F (SFN, spaceref, space)
  • 10/10: Pluto: House and Senate Appropriations Committees move to fund mission (S&T, spaceref)
  • 10/09: Pluto: Warming of Pluto as it moves away from the Sun puzzles astronomers (space, S&T, SFN)
  • 10/07: Quaoar: A Kuiper belt object is more than half the size of Pluto (NASA, BBC, SFN, USAtoday)
  • 10/03: Europa: Tidal heating, and possibly more liquid water than in Earth's oceans (space)
  • 10/02: Uranus Moon: A recently discovered very small one brings the total to at least 22 (space, SFN)
  • 09/25: Amalthea: Galileo spacecraft being repared for flyby in early November (space, spaceref)
  • 09/20: Titan: Astrobiologists say that we may find life on it, but not as we know it (SFN, spaceref)
  • 08/28: Cassini Mission: Status and overview of what it has already done (spaceref); update (SFN)
  • 08/23: Saturn's Rings: What do we know about its rings, and how and when they formed? (NASA)
  • 08/21: Titan: Smog on this moon shows weather patterns and seasonal variations (space, spaceref, S&T)
  • 08/16: Pluto: The atmosphere seems to be getting colder, the surface warmer (space, S&T, spaceref)
  • 08/14: Voyager Missions: The two spacecraft mark 25 years in space and counting (space1, space2)
  • 07/25: Cassini Mission: A hazy camera on the spacecraft has cleared up after heat treatment (SFN)
  • 07/23: Pluto Missions: The New Horizons project faces a key funding test (SFN) and passes it (SFN)
  • 07/17: Venus Missions: ESA reconsiders shelved Venus Express mission (SFN); update (spaceref)
  • 07/12: Pluto: National Research Council says Pluto should be NASA's top priority (cosmiverse, S&T)
  • 06/28: Venus: A possible explanation for the spokes Percival Lowell saw on its surface (S&T)

The Rest of the Solar System

  • 12/24: Rosetta Mission: The spacecraft is getting ready for its January launch (spaceref)
  • 12/20: Contour Mission: NASA gives up for good trying to contact the lost spacecraft (space)
  • 12/13: Kuiper Belt: New theory accounts for existence and wide separations of binaries (spaceref, SFN)
  • 11/29: Formation: Simulation suggests large planets form in a surprisingly short time (SFN, spaceref)
  • 11/01: Cosmic Rays: Some of the ions that reach the Earth come from the Kuiper belt (S&T, SFN)
  • 10/28: Asteroids: Stardust spacecraft to meet asteroid Annefrank (spaceref); update (SFN); images (SFN)
  • 10/21: Comet Borrelly: Even the features on a comet can look a lot like some on Earth (space)
  • 10/03: Asteroids: With 121 Hermione, there are now 31 known binary asteroids (space)
  • 09/11: Kuiper Belt: Researchers are trying to understand why so many objects are binaries (SFN, space)
  • 09/05: Formation: Chemist accurately dates the first objects to form in the solar system (spaceref, SFN)
  • 09/05: Comets: Comets can break up even very far from the inner solar system (spaceref, SFN)
  • 09/04: Asteroids: The spin axes of some asteroids formed in a collision are strangely aligned (space)
  • 08/26: Contour Mission: NASA panel studies loss of spacecraft, possible new mission (space, spaceref)
  • 08/21: Rosetta Mission: Updates on the ESA spacecraft that will land on a comet (spaceref1, spaceref2)
  • 08/21: Contour Mission: The spacecraft has been spotted orbiting the Sun, broken (space)
  • 08/16: Contour Mission: The comet-bound spacecraft may have broken up in flight (SFN, space)
  • 08/15: Contour Mission: NASA has lost contact with the spacecraft (NYT, space, S&T, SFN)
  • 08/07: Stardust Mission: The comet mission has begun to collect interstellar dust (SFN, spaceref)
  • 07/25: Comets:.Many pieces of 57P/du Toit-Neujmin-Delporte's nucleus have broken off (spaceref, S&T)
  • 07/19: Formation: Scientist proposes the Solar System formed from a single exploded star (cosmiverse)
  • 07/18: Exploration: Interplanetary superhighway can reduce fuel needed space travel (cosmiverse, SFN)
  • 07/10: Formation: Scientist proposes a radically new theory for how the Solar System formed (space)
  • 07/03: Comet Missions: The CONTOUR spacecraft is on its way to comet encounters (SFN, S&T)
  • 06/24: Asteroids: US astronomers look for a possible asteroid belt inside Mercury's orbit (BBC)

Extrasolar Systems

  • 12/10: Virtual Planets: NASA will simulate distant planets to understand their environments (space)
  • 12/09: Theory: More Sun-like stars may have planetary systems than currently thought (spaceref, SFN)
  • 12/03: Masses: Astrometry data from HST allow measurement of planetary masses (spaceref, S&T)
  • 10/28: Future Telescopes: NASA awards contract for Kepler mission development (spaceref, SFN)
  • 10/23: New Discovery: Dust patterns around Epsilon Eri reveal a 2nd, distant planet (spaceref, space)
  • 10/10: New Discovery: Planet discovered around the bright star Fomalhaut (space, spaceref, spaceref)
  • 10/09: New Discovery: Planet discovered in the unlikely situation of a tight binary system (space, SFN)
  • 10/08: Extrasolar Moons: Astronomers are starting to think about their possible existence (space)
  • 10/03: Searches: Amateur astronomers will help find transits of extrasolar planets (spaceref, SFN)
  • 09/18: New Discovery: A new Jupiter-like one brings the count of exoplanets to 100 (SFN, space)
  • 09/17: Patterns: We are getting closer to seeing more systems like our own (spaceref)
  • 09/09: A Non-Planet? Swiss astronomers disputes claim of planet un-discovery (space)
  • 09/05: A Non-Planet: The star HD 192263 has dark spots on its surface, not a planet (space, BBC)
  • 07/02: Discoveries: The total count is near 100, astronomers scramble to keep track (space)
  • 06/28: Discoveries: What are the current situation and number of known planets? (space1, space2)
  • 06/24: Discoveries: Astronomers are on the brink of a watershed in planet discoveries (space)

Stars

  • 12/23: New Stars: Sophisticated camera at UK Infrared Telescope sees many new ones (spaceref, SFN)
  • 12/16: Supernovas: Their threat to Earth may be lower than previously estimated (space)
  • 11/29: Size of Stars: Astronomers have now measured the size of stars like Proxima (spaceref)
  • 11/18: Black Holes: A nearby one is crossing our galaxy like a cannonball (spaceref, space, S&T)
  • 11/05: Variable Stars: The eccentric star V838 Mon is attracting astronomers' attention (spaceref)
  • 11/04: Magnetars: The new record holder for strongest known magnetic field is a neutron star (SFN)
  • 11/04: Hot Disks: Astronomers may have an explanation for the gas rings around some stars (SFN)
  • 10/30: Old Stars: A very metal-deficient, low-mass star is found in our galaxy's halo (space, S&T)
  • 10/12: Novas: A 1998 nova has recovered faster than astronomers expected it to (SFN, spaceref)
  • 10/01: Black Holes: X-ray images allow astronomers to follow evolution of high-energy jets (SFN)
  • 09/22: Novas: A 5th-magnitude "new star" has just appeared in Sagittarius (S&T)
  • 09/18: Medium Black Holes: The HST has spotted them inside some globular clusters (SFN, space)
  • 09/14: Neutron Stars: There is evidence that Anomalous X-ray Pulsars are magnetars (SFN, space)
  • 09/13: Neutron Stars: Astronomers produce X-ray/optical movie of the Crab pulsar (NASA, SFN)
  • 08/30: Variable Stars: The stars Dschubba and Mira are worth looking for right now (space)
  • 08/23: Massive Stars: Heavy Wolf-Rayet stars can form in heavy-element environments (spaceref)
  • 08/17: Astroseismology: Two missions will study vibtrations on the Sun and other stars (SFN)
  • 08/09: Quark Stars? Was a quark star reportedly discovered in April just a neutron star? (S&T)
  • 08/02: Brown Dwarfs: Ground-based observations shed light on how they form (spaceref, space, SFN)
  • 07/24: Black Holes: Scientists visualize waves in space caused by black hole mergers (spaceref, SFN)
  • 07/23: Brown Dwarfs: The first non-planetary objects seen to have changing weather (spaceref, SFN)
  • 06/26: Black Holes: Light seen losing energy moving away from a black hole (spaceref, SFN)

Clusters, Nebulae and Interstellar Matter

  • 12/18: Open Clusters: Mysterious cloud of high-energy electrons seen in young cluster (spaceref, space)
  • 11/02: Planetary Nebulae: Magnetic fields may be responsible for their asymmetric shapes (SFN, space)
  • 10/29: Interstellar Gas: UV radiation from bright stars helps keep it stirred up (spaceref, SFN, space)
  • 08/16: Deep Sky Objects: The story of Charles Messier and the "M" of many deep sky objects (space)
  • 07/19: Planetary Nebulae: The Hubble Telescope takes a picture of an unusually long one (SFN)
  • 07/14: Nanodiamonds: Did this exotic kind of stardust form in the Solar System? (SFN, space, S&T)
  • 06/28: Globular Clusters: Why is the past history of Omega Centauri interesting? (S&T)

The Milky Way and Nearby Galaxies

  • 12/19: Dwarf Galaxies: The Hubble Telescope finds one in the making only 68 Mly away (space, SFN)
  • 12/18: Elliptical Galaxies: Giant 90,000 ly wide, X-ray emitting disk in NGC 1700 (spaceref, SFN)
  • 12/12: Merging Galaxies: The Hubble Space Telescope looks at Seyfert's Sextet (spaceref, space)
  • 11/20: Galactic Black Holes: The galaxy NGC6240 has two supermassive black holes (NASA, space)
  • 11/07: Milky Way Center: The black hole at the center of our galaxy is on a starvation diet (spaceref)
  • 10/29: Trous Noirs: Existence d'un trou noir supermassif au centre de notre Galaxie (spaceref)
  • 10/18: Milky Way Surroundings: Clouds found floating high above Milky Way (spaceref)
  • 10/16: Milky Way Center: The path of a star confirms the presence of a black hole (space)
  • 10/06: Galaxy Mergers: Image of Centaurus A shows remnant of merged small galaxy (SFN, space)
  • 10/02: Milky Way Center: Infrared picture shows gas swirling into giant black hole (spaceref, SFN)
  • 08/07: Nearby Galaxies: X-ray arcs show remnants of old eruption in Centaurus A (space, SFN)
  • 08/07: Milky Way Evolution: Computer simulation can now follow it from the very beginning (space)
  • 07/26: Milky Way Clusters: Some of them were stolen from other galaxies (cosmiverse)
  • 07/23: Dwarf Galaxies: They may be supplying heavy elements to intergalactic space (spaceref, SFN)
  • 07/11: Future Missions: NASA approves the SPIDR mission to map the intergalactic hot gas (SFN)
  • 06/22: Age of Stars: Relatively new star clusters seen in 12-billion year old galaxy (SFN, spaceref)

Distant Galaxies and The Universe

  • 12/23: Gamma Ray Bursts: Scientists catch first elusive "dark" gamma-ray burst (spaceref, space)
  • 12/11: Early Galaxies: Infrared ESO images show surprisingly mature early galaxies (space, spaceref)
  • 12/03: Quasars: Radio waves from quasar may twinkle because of interstellar matter (spaceref, space)
  • 11/25: Dark Matter: X-ray glow of oxygen gas shows vast intergalactic gas clouds (spaceref)
  • 11/12: Dark Energy: New evidence for its existence comes from lensing of distant quasars (spaceref)
  • 10/25: Dark Matter: The halo of NGC 720 cannot be explained by modifying gravity (S&T, space)
  • 10/10: Gamma Ray Bursts: A recent one was caught in the act by various telescopes (S&T, SFN)
  • 10/03: Quasars: UK team overturns studies supporting view that quasars are nearby (spaceref, SFN)
  • 09/24: Microwave Background: A detector at the South Pole finds that it is polarized (SFN, S&T)
  • 09/19: Fate of the Universe: New model suggests that it may recollapse in 10-20 billion years (SFN)
  • 09/18: Black Holes: Surprised astronomers find active ones in an old galaxy cluster (SFN, spaceref)
  • 09/05: Ring Galaxies: A beautiful picture of Hoag's Object may help understand them (spaceref, space)
  • 08/29: Dark Energy: South Pole telescope to help explain why universe is accelerating (spaceref, BBC)
  • 08/19: Dark Matter: Study of one galaxy contradicts models of dark matter distribution (spaceref)
  • 08/14: Gamma Rays: Scientists say galaxy clusters produce most of the universe's gamma rays (SFN)
  • 08/08: Distant Galaxies: Composite photo shows details of deep sky around NGC300 (SFN, space)
  • 08/01: Galactic Black Holes: Computer simulation shows merger after galaxy collision (space, SFN)
  • 08/01: Intergalactic Space: Chandra discovers hot gas in "rivers of gravity" (spaceref, SFN, space)
  • 07/17: Intergalactic Space: Supermassive black holes help keep its gas hot (space, cosmiverse, SFN)
  • 07/10: Age of the Universe: X-rays from distant quasar show "too much" iron 13.5 Gyr ago (SFN)
  • 06/28: Quasars: Astronomers may have been overestimating their mass, because of lensing (SFN)
  • 06/25: Color of the Universe: What does "true color" really mean in this case? (space, CNN)

Life, the Universe and Everything

  • 12/19: SETI: What type of information can be shared by humans and extraterrestrials? (space)
  • 12/17: Panspermia: Bacteria found in Earth's stratosphere support controversial theory (space)
  • 12/12: Meteorites: Possible precursors to early life found in "Tagish Lake" meteorite (spaceref)
  • 12/05: Ancient Astronomy: Was the Great Enclosure in Zimbabwe an observatory? (CNN)
  • 12/05: SETI: Possible interstellar signal from the 70s continues to puzzle researchers (space)
  • 12/02: SETI: How many alien civilizations are there, and how smart are they? (space, spaceref)
  • 11/26: Life on Earth: Is it possible that life came to Earth on meteors from outer space? (space)
  • 10/30: Life on Earth: Astronomers detect life on our planet looking at light from the Moon (SFN)
  • 10/28: Life on Earth: Astrobiologists study ancient fossils at world's highest lake (space2, space3)
  • 10/25: UFO's: Most Americans think the government is concealing the truth from them (space)
  • 10/24: SETI: International SETI introduces signal detection scale (spaceref); Phoenix update (space)
  • 10/21: Space Travel: How will astronauts get along under stressful mission conditions? (NASA)
  • 10/14: Life on Earth: Does the first evidence of life date to 3.85 or 3.65 billion years ago? (space)
  • 09/30: Space Travel: Researchers discuss how to keep astronauts healthy during long trips (NASA)
  • 08/29: Life: What is our current understanding of what a form of life is, anyway? (space)
  • 08/28: SETI: SETI@home team announces plans to expand data taking capabilities (S&T, space)
  • 08/19: Environments: Microorganisms can grow at low pressures, like on Mars (spaceref, space)
  • 08/15: SETI: What kind of political systems are extraterrestrials likely to have? (space)
  • 08/06: Space Travel: First-time astronauts experience space sickness during the first hours (spaceref)
  • 08/05: UFO's: Investigation casts light on the mysterious flying black triangle (space)
  • 08/04: Space Travel: We must make sure we don't contaminate planets with Earth life forms (SFN)
  • 07/25: Life on Earth: Searching for alien-like life forms in unusual places on our planet (space)
  • 07/25: Environments: Freeman Dyson bets the first life form discovered won't be on a planet (space)
  • 07/18: Astrobiology: Scientists convene for Bioastronomy 2002 conference (space); Report (space)
  • 07/17: Space Travel: Astronauts will need protection from particles and radiation in space (space)
  • 07/15: Rare Earth? How rare is the occurrence of complex life in the universe? (part 1, 2, 3, 4, 5)
  • 07/14: Research: Lockheed Martin awarded contract to support NASA's astrobiology research (SFN)
  • 06/27: UFO's: Does it make sense to think that aliens would want to visit us? (space)
  • 06/24: UFO's: Scotland seems to be ranked as one of Earth's top spots for alien visitors (CNN)

Science, History and Fundamental Questions

  • 12/20: Star of Bethlehem: Going back in time to examine the possibilities (space)
  • 12/18: Gravity and Scents: Roses in space don't smell the same as roses on Earth (NASA)
  • 11/12: Quark-Gluon Plasmas: Early-universe type matter doesn't behave as expected (space, spaceref)
  • 11/11: Jets: Nuclear research program produces device that mimicks black hole jets (space)
  • 10/29: Gravity Waves: Physicists prepare for their detection in the next few years (spaceref, SFN)
  • 10/18: History: Science historian completes 30-year census of Copernican masterpiece (spaceref)
  • 10/08: Nobel Prize: Physics prize this year awarded for neutrino and X-ray astrophysics (space, S&T)
  • 10/08: Heinemann Prize: James York and Yvonne Choquet-Bruhat win this year's prize (spaceref)
  • 09/12: Gravity: A series of ESA missions will test and improve our knowledge of gravity (SFN)
  • 09/03: Speed of Gravity: A team of scientists will attempt to measure its value (spaceref, SFN, BBC)
  • 08/11: Antimatter: The balloon-borne antimatter detector BESS has collected new data (SFN, spaceref)
  • 08/08: Speed of Light: New results indicate it may be slowing down over billions of years (spaceref)
  • 06/25: Science Books: Stephen Hawking wins the Aventis Prize for Science Books (BBC)

Other Semesters

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