How Round is the Sun?
[2 Oct 2008 at 1:00am]
Scientists using NASA's RHESSI spacecraft have measured the roundness of the sun with unprecedented precision, and they find that it is not a perfect sphere. During years of high solar activity the sun develops a thin "cantaloupe skin" that significantly increases its apparent oblateness.
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MESSENGER Returns to Mercury
[1 Oct 2008 at 1:00am]
NASA's MESSENGER spacecraft is returning to Mercury. On Monday, Oct. 6, 2008, the probe will conduct the second of three planned flybys and photograph most of Mercury's remaining unseen surface.
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Spotless Sun: Blankest Year of the Space Age
[30 Sep 2008 at 1:00am]
Astronomers who count sunspots have announced that 2008 has become the "blankest year" of the Space Age. Sunspot counts are at a 50-year low, signifying a deep minimum in the 11-year cycle of solar activity.
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Solar Wind Loses Power, Hits 50-year Low
[23 Sep 2008 at 1:00am]
In a briefing today at NASA headquarters, solar physicists announced that the solar wind is losing power. This development has repercussions across the solar system.
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Pollen Alert!
[19 Sep 2008 at 1:00am]
NASA is teaming up with public health organizations to create a pollen alert system that could help people with maladies ranging from common hay fever to serious heart and lung diseases.
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Polar Crown Prominences
[17 Sep 2008 at 1:00am]
Japan's Hinode spacecraft is beaming back must-see movies of a spectacular solar phenomenon known as 'polar crown prominences.'
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Spooky Hurricane Science
[12 Sep 2008 at 1:00am]
To improve hurricane forecasting, NASA engineers are spending time in a spooky room where 'no one can hear you scream.'
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Naked-Eye Gamma-ray Burst Aimed Directly at Earth
[10 Sep 2008 at 1:00am]
Scientists are beginning to unravel the mystery of an extraordinary gamma-ray burst on March 19, 2008, which was visible to the naked eye. It turns out the explosion was aimed directly at Earth.
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NASA to Explore a "Secret Layer" of the Sun
[5 Sep 2008 at 1:00am]
NASA researchers are preparing to launch an experimental telescope that can see a layer of the sun thought to be the "birthplace of space weather."
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Amateur Astronomers See Perseids Hit the Moon
[2 Sep 2008 at 1:00am]
Backyard astronomers watching the Perseid meteor shower last month saw meteoroids hitting not only Earth but also the Moon. They recorded the impacts using backyard telescopes and off-the-shelf cameras, showing that "lunar meteors" are easy targets for amateur observatories and that amateur astronomers can contribute to NASA's lunar research.
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First Light for the Fermi Space Telescope
[26 Aug 2008 at 1:00am]
Today, NASA revealed first light images and announced a new name for its latest space telescope.
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Strange Clouds at the Edge of Space
[25 Aug 2008 at 1:00am]
Astronauts on board the International Space Station have recently photographed strange electric-blue clouds hovering at the edge of space.
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Living with a Star
[19 Aug 2008 at 1:00am]
What if you woke up one morning and found your whole planet had been swallowed by the atmosphere of a star? Don't laugh, it could happen to you, and NASA has a special program to deal with it.
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A Flash of Insight: LCROSS Mission Update
[11 Aug 2008 at 1:00am]
There are places on the Moon where the sun hasn't shined for millions of years, inky-dark places that may harbor a treasure of great value. NASA's is about to light one of them up.
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A Brief History of Solar Sails
[31 Jul 2008 at 1:00am]
Have you ever stared up at the night sky, felt a gentle breeze, and wished you could set sail for the stars? Get in line. Many great thinkers from history have had the same idea. This long-held fancy could soon become reality with one solar sail mission on the drawing board and another already on the launching pad, slated to blast off this summer.
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Partial Eclipse, Total Fun
[29 Jul 2008 at 1:00am]
This Friday, August 1st, millions of people in China will witness a well-publicized total eclipse of the sun. Less widely reported is the partial eclipse, which *billions* of people across a quarter of the globe can observe and enjoy.
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Plasma Bullets Trigger Northern Lights
[24 Jul 2008 at 1:00am]
Researchers have discovered what powers brilliant outbursts of Northern Lights: gigantic plasma bullets launched toward Earth by explosions 1/3rd of the way to the Moon.
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The 2008 Perseid Meteor Shower
[22 Jul 2008 at 1:00am]
The 2008 Perseid meteor shower peaks during the dark hours before dawn on Tuesday, August 12th, and forecasters say it should be a good show.
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NASA scientists are preparing to launch a "flying tractor" with microwave sensors to explore the nitty-gritty realm beneath your feet.
NASA scientists are using an infra-red sounder in space to improve short-term weather forecasting.