Comet C/2011 W3 (Lovejoy) re-emerging from behind the Sun on Dec. 15, 2011. (NASA/SDO) It was just about three months ago that the astronomy world watched in awe as the recently-discovered comet Lovejoy plummeted toward the Sun on what was expected to be its final voyage, only to reappear on the other side seemingly unscathed! [continue reading]
Missions to the space station last six months, but missions to Mars could last years The eyes and brains of astronauts who have spent long periods of time in orbit can develop abnormalities, new research has suggested. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) on 27 spacefarers found effects similar to those that can occur in intracranial [continue reading]
A towering dust devil, casts a serpentine shadow over the Martian surface in this image acquired by the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera on NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. A towering dust devil, casts a serpentine shadow over the Martian surface in this image acquired by the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) [continue reading]
Caltech researchers explain why the man in the moon faces Earth The moon’s near side (left) is covered with dark splotches of lunar maria that look like a man’s face when seen from Earth. The moon’s far side (right), with its many craters and elevated topography, looks quite different. Many of us see a man [continue reading]
This animation shows the geocentric phase, libration, position angle of the axis, and apparent diameter of the Moon throughout the year 2012, at hourly intervals. Until the end of 2012, the initial Dial-A-Moon image will be the frame from this animation for the current hour. The jagged, cratered, airless lunar terrain casts sharp shadows that [continue reading]
Plasma from a neighboring star gets pulled into the orbit of a neutron star, where it slams into the stellar surface, creating thermonuclear explosions. Image: NASA For the first time, researchers at MIT and elsewhere have detected all phases of thermonuclear burning in a neutron star. The star, located close to the center of the [continue reading]