Astronomy

Meteor Shower November 2009: WATCH Leonid Meteor Shower Preview (VIDEO)

Posted 11.16.2009 | Green


The Leonid Meteor Shower will hit its peak early in the morning Tuesday, Nov. 17. For those far enough from city lights and fortunate enough to hav...

Dozens Of "Earth-Like" Planets Discovered Outside Solar System

AP | SETH BORENSTEIN | Posted 10.19.2009 | Technology


WASHINGTON — European astronomers have found 32 new planets outside our solar system, adding evidence to the theory that the universe has many p...

Astronomers Shocked: "The Edge Of The Solar System Is Tied Up With A Ribbon" (VIDEO)

Huffington Post | Katherine Goldstein | Posted 10.16.2009 | Green


NASA's Interstellar Boundary Explorer, or IBEX, has just produced new images of the solar system that has shocked astronomers. This first full-sized m...

Save Space: Letter-Writing Campaign To Save The Space Program

Posted 10.12.2009 | Impact


The national space program is scheduled to end soon, and a vocal group of enthusiasts, businesses and cities have banded together to promote Save Spac...

2012: Mayan Year 2012 Stirs Apocalypse Predictions, Doomsayers

AP | MARK STEVENSON | Posted 10.11.2009 | World


MEXICO CITY — Apolinario Chile Pixtun is tired of being bombarded with frantic questions about the Mayan calendar supposedly "running out" on De...

Our Noisy Sun: Happy Solar Outage Month

Lisa Napoli | Posted 10.10.2009 | Media


Lisa Napoli

The other night when I turned on my boob-tube, there was no signal. Control freaks take heart: If you must know exactly when this might happen to you and your TV service, type in "solar outage calculator" online.

Help Save the Moon

Amy Ephron | Posted 10.07.2009 | Comedy


Amy Ephron

On Friday, NASA is planning to crash into the moon. I'm just wondering: who gave them permission to crash into the moon?

The Discovery of Neptune

Michael Kaplan | Posted 11.22.2009 | Home


Michael Kaplan

Semi-irregularity, by combining the familiar and the changeable, gives the mind its best tools for effective thought: patterns and exceptions.

Corot-7b: New Planet Discovered; Astronomers Say There's Solid Ground

AP | SETH BORENSTEIN | Posted 11.16.2009 | Home


WASHINGTON — Astronomers have finally found a place outside our solar system where there's a firm place to stand – if only it weren't so b...

Saving Mount Wilson

Gabriel Rotello | Posted 10.18.2009 | Living


Gabriel Rotello

It's heartening to see that in the case of the Mt. Wilson observatory, people were willing to put their lives on the line to save a bucolic piece of living history.

Naked Eye Astronomy -- 5 Tips For Seeing The Stars

BBC NEWS | Posted 09.28.2009 | Green


To mark the 400th anniversary of Galileo Galilei's first recorded discoveries in the sky through a telescope, 2009 has been declared the International...

Suicidal Planet Seems On Death Spiral Into Star

AP | SETH BORENSTEIN | Posted 09.26.2009 | Living


WASHINGTON — Astronomers have found what appears to be a gigantic suicidal planet. The odd, fiery planet is so close to its star and so large t...

How I Became an Eclipse Chaser -- And Dragged My Family Along!

Suzanne Deal Booth | Posted 08.30.2009 | Living


Suzanne Deal Booth

Eclipse chasing is a serious endeavor. The first time I chased one was with my 16 year old daughter in 2006 in Cappadocia, Turkey, not far from the first recorded total solar eclipse.

Why does John McCain hate planetariums?

Phil Plait | Posted 11.08.2008 | Politics


Phil Plait

Planetaria show us the beauty and grandeur of the Universe, and shouldn't be cynically relegated to being a political bludgeon used to score cheap points.

New Discovery: More of the Worlds!

Joel Schwartzberg | Posted 07.03.2008 | Living


Joel Schwartzberg

Last week, astronomers uncovered new planets in the celestial lounge: we'll wonder how quickly they'll take our jobs, then we'll build a border fence around the planet. That's just the kind of worldly neighbors we are.

Astronomers: Discovery Of Earth-Like Planets Inevitable

space.com | Posted 07.02.2008 | Home


Planet hunters say it's just a matter of time before they lasso Earth's twin, which almost surely is hiding somewhere in our star-studded galaxy. Mom...

Human triumph on Mars

Phil Plait | Posted 06.03.2008 | Living


Phil Plait

This is what we humans can do when we try. When we persist and learn from our mistakes, we can literally touch other worlds.

Astronomers Weigh Biggest Black Hole In The Universe

BBC News | Paul Rincon | Posted 03.28.2008 | Home


The biggest black hole in the Universe has been weighed by astronomers. The monster celestial object is 18 billion times more massive than our own Su...

Home Observatories Are Newest Luxe Home Accessories

New York Times | Kate Murphy | Posted 03.28.2008 | Business


In the quaint seaside community of Gloucester, Mass., on Cape Ann, one gray clapboard house stands out from the rest. It has a big white dome rising f...