On April 25, NASA's Swift satellite picked up the brightest flare ever seen from a normal star other than our sun. The flare, an explosive release of energy from a star, packed the power of thousands of solar flares. It would have been visible to the naked eye if the star had been easily observable in the night sky at the time. The star (EV Lacertae) can be likened to an unruly child that throws frequent temper tantrums.
NASA's Swift satellite picked up one of the brightest solar flares ever seen — not from our own sun, but a star 16 light-years away. This flare packed the power of thousands of solar flares combined, and a flare of this magnitude from our own sun would have stripped Earth's atmosphere and sterilized the [...]
The whole point of putting telescopes in orbit is to avoid distortions caused by our murky atmosphere. But now astronomers say they have calculated only half the light of our universe reaches telescopes ? even those in orbit ? because of the amount of dust that permeates the universe. In essence, they say, [...]
If you haven't yet discovered Astronomy Picture of the Day, its an absolutely wonderful site that provides a different image every day of our universe, with explanations written by two professional astronomers, Robert Nemiroff and Jerry Bonnell. Today's APOD post is not a picture, however, but a movie. Combining data taken from [...]
Looking for a new and exciting job that will take you places? Now is the time to take the leap, as everyone is looking for astronauts. The European Space Agency today opened applications for talented individuals wishing to become an astronaut. There hasn't been a call for new applicants for the European [...]
ESA has recently opened applications for talented individuals wishing to become an astronaut in the European Astronaut Corps. There has not been a selection campaign since 1992, so this is a rare opportunity to be at the forefront of ESA's human spaceflight programmes including future missions to the ISS, the moon and beyond.
When it comes to the mighty Jupiter - and seeing Jupiter's moons through a small telescope or binoculars - timing is everything. Jupiter's satellites are constantly on the move, and almost any time you observe you'll see at least one. The four largest of Jupiter's moons are known as the Galileans, and go [...]
New observations from NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter indicate that the crust and upper mantle of Mars are stiffer and colder than previously thought. The findings suggest any liquid water that might exist below the planet's surface and any possible organisms living in that water, would be located deeper than scientists had suspected.
Some of the first satellite images have been released of areas in China hit by the 7.9 magnitude earthquake on May 12, 2008. This image shows Beichuan, one of the worst-hit areas in Sichuan Province of southwest China. The pictures reveal a large forest, a school and clusters of residential houses along a [...]