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San Francisco, 8:55 PM
Sun Dec 27
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Vampirism and Collisions Keep Ancient Stars Young
Here are some vampires we don't mind sparkling. This globular cluster, Messier 30, contains two types of ancient stars that have managed to keep themselves brilliant and young. One type relies on interstellar collisions; the other drinks from its neighbors. More »First Clear Look At One Of The Galaxy's Greatest Mysteries
The ESA's Herschel satellite has instruments aboard that created this never-before-seen image of a star factory inside a dust-shrouded, mysterious region of the galaxy called "Gould's Belt." It's a vast ring of young stars that encircles our solar system. More »Monkeys May Be the First Primates Headed to Mars
Monkeys made it into space before humans ever broke the atmosphere, and now they might beat us to Mars. Russia is considering a program to train monkeys to work with robots for the long flight to Mars. More »Reason #23 Not To Move To Another Planet: Comets
According to recent simulations, the idea of making a life for yourself on a planet closer to the center of the galaxy has hit a natural barrier as well as a (lack-of-way-to-get-there-and-survive) technological one: Too many comets. More »Sail Titan's Friendly Sea
Scientists are planning a cruise that could be described as "out of this world," despite being more business than pleasure. The secret? It'll take place on Titan, one of Saturn's moons. More »Did Someone Hitch A Ride On This Massive Fiery Meteor?
This is one of the biggest fireballs ever photographed. Astrophotographer Wally Pacholka photographed it during the annual Geminid Meteor Shower, in California's Mojave Desert the other day. Did someone — or something — hitch a ride on this bad boy?When Stars Orbit Black Holes
A star, no bigger than our own sun, orbits a black hole, and every once in a while they get so close, the black hole starts siphoning off pieces of the star — creating an explosive particle blast. More »How Close Are We To Colonizing Space?
How close are we to long-term human habitation beyond low-Earth orbit? Colonies on the moon or Mars are still many years off, but the good news is there are several serious efforts underway to make it happen. More »Plan Your Space Vacation with the First Ever Map of Mercury
If you're planning a trip to Mercury, you'll need the first map ever released of the solar system's innermost planet, a mosaic of photos from the Mercury missions. More »"Super Earth" Discovered Orbiting A Red Dwarf Star
Just 13 parsecs away, a planet astronomers are calling a "super Earth" is orbiting a dwarf star. Its radius is over twice that of Earth, and there's something very surprising in its core. More »Has India Found Organic Matter on the Moon?
Earth's moon is looking less barren by the hour. Just months after scientists announced the presence of water on the moon's surface, Indian scientists are saying they may have found organic matter on the moon as well. More »A Map Of The Cathedral Galaxy, Including Ancient Alien Artifacts
Aerospace engineer Joseph Shoer whipped up this cool map of a galactic civilization in his spare time, when he wasn't researching designs for real-life spacecraft. Not only is this galaxy thoroughly mapped, but it's also got an ultrafast transportation system. More »What Caused This Galaxy's Power Surge?
The galaxy 3C 454.3 is located 7.2 billion light years away, but it's suddenly become the brightest source of gamma rays in the sky. Its particle jet has increased 10 times since the summer — and it's aimed at us. More »The Secret Stars At The Heart Of The Flame Nebula — Revealed!
More proof we're living in a golden age for space images: Another new telescope, the Visible and Infrared Survey Telescope for Astronomy (ViSTA) just started up, and already we have some gorgeous images. Click through to see a couple more. More »They Arrived On Titan Just As Saturn Was Setting
The captain brought their ship in low over the old lake jetty, parts of it crumbling with age. As the thin band of Saturn's rings reflected the sunlight, sparks seemed to fly from methane waves as they frothed to shore. More »Scientists Ponder Saturn's Mysertious Hexagon
At Saturn's North pole sits a weather mystery: a giant hexagon formed by the path of a jet stream. It's a phenomenon that has remained largely unchanged for decades, at least, and scientists are trying to figure out why. More »Norway Light Spiral Was a Failed Missile Launch, Says Scientist [Updated]
New Scientist is reporting that the strange spiral of light that Norwegians saw in the sky two nights ago was in fact a failed Russian missile launch. More »People In These Galaxies May Have Pointed Their Telescopes At The Big Bang
The Hubble Space Telescope's newly installed Wide Field Camera 3 took the deepest image of the universe ever in infrared light. The reddest and faintest galaxies date from just 600 million years after the Big Bang. More »Top 10 Science Fiction Disappointments Of The Past Decade
Disappointment sometimes seems the natural state of mind for science-fiction fans, but it's because we have so much hope. We raise our hopes again and again, only to suffer crushing disappointment. Here are the 10 worst letdowns of the 2000s. More »Is Some Ignorance Bliss?
When is some information too much information? When it can impede scientific progress, according to Roberto Trotta of the Imperial College London. He's worried that if we know too much at once, we'll be unable to create new theories. More »12/04/09
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