http://space.about.com/ Get the latest headlines from the About.com http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hh http://www.about.com/ 118 20 en-us 2012-02-14T09:35:12Z Tue, 14 Feb 2012 09:35:12 +0000 hourly 1 2000-01-01T12:00+00:00 http://space.about.com/b/2012/02/22/faster-than-light-neutrinos-not-so-fast.htm <p>Back in September <a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc&#038;zu=http://space.about.com/b/2011/09/26/neutrinos-that-travel-faster-than-light-maybe.htm">I reported</a> on a startling result from the CERN and OPERA experiments, claiming that they had found <a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc&#038;zu=http://space.about.com/od/deepspace/a/What-Is-Dark-Matter.htm">neutrinos</a> created during particle collisions were traveling <a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc&#038;zu=http://space.about.com/b/2011/04/22/is-it-possible-to-travel-faster-than-the-speed-of-light.htm">faster than the speed of light</a>.</p>...<p><a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc&#038;zu=http://space.about.com/b/2012/02/22/faster-than-light-neutrinos-not-so-fast.htm">Read Full Post</a></p> http://space.about.com/b/2012/02/22/faster-than-light-neutrinos-not-so-fast.htm Wed, 22 Feb 2012 20:18:30 +0000 2012-02-22T20:18:30Z http://space.about.com/b/2012/02/14/simulating-life-on-mars.htm <p style="text-align:center"><img src="http://0.tqn.com/d/space/1/0/-/1/1/valmar.jpg" alt="" width="500" /></p> <p>The United States Government has made a point, in recent years, to offer a vision for space travel in our lifetimes. Specifically, the current administration wants to set the wheels in motion that will eventually lead to a manned mission to Mars.</p>...<p><a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc&#038;zu=http://space.about.com/b/2012/02/14/simulating-life-on-mars.htm">Read Full Post</a></p> http://space.about.com/b/2012/02/14/simulating-life-on-mars.htm Tue, 14 Feb 2012 09:35:12 +0000 2012-02-14T09:35:12Z http://space.about.com/b/2012/02/04/should-we-continue-to-fund-the-james-webb-telescope.htm <p style="text-align:center"><img src="http://0.tqn.com/d/space/1/0/T/N/1/JamesWebbConstruction.jpg" alt="" /></p> <p>When most people think about astronomy they almost immediately picture beautiful images of nebulae, galaxies and star clusters. The primary reason they are able to visualize these objects is because of the amazing work of the <a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc&#038;zu=http://space.about.com/od/telescopesandoptics/p/hubbleinfo.htm">Hubble Space Telescope</a>.</p>...<p><a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc&#038;zu=http://space.about.com/b/2012/02/04/should-we-continue-to-fund-the-james-webb-telescope.htm">Read Full Post</a></p> http://space.about.com/b/2012/02/04/should-we-continue-to-fund-the-james-webb-telescope.htm Sat, 04 Feb 2012 13:50:18 +0000 2012-02-04T13:50:18Z http://space.about.com/b/2012/01/25/strong-solar-storm-reaches-earth.htm <p style="text-align:center"><img src="http://0.tqn.com/d/space/1/0/l/N/1/SolarFlare.jpg" alt="" width="500" /></p> <p>A strong solar storm (<a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc&#038;zu=http://www.swpc.noaa.gov/NOAAscales/">rated an S3</a>, with S5 being the strongest) erupted on Sunday evening, launching intense radiation and charged particles toward Earth.</p> <p>Late last night, the coronal mass ejecta interacted with Earth's magnetic field, creating brilliant auroras across northern Europe, and even parts of northern Michigan and Maine and on into Canada.</p>...<p><a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc&#038;zu=http://space.about.com/b/2012/01/25/strong-solar-storm-reaches-earth.htm">Read Full Post</a></p> http://space.about.com/b/2012/01/25/strong-solar-storm-reaches-earth.htm Wed, 25 Jan 2012 11:34:09 +0000 2012-01-25T11:34:09Z http://space.about.com/b/2012/01/15/a-day-on-mercury.htm <p style="text-align:center"><img src="http://0.tqn.com/d/space/1/0/7/N/1/Mercury.jpg" alt="" /></p> <p>NASA's <strong>ME</strong>rcury <strong>S</strong>urface, <strong>S</strong>pace <strong>EN</strong>vironment, <strong>GE</strong>ochemistry and <strong>R</strong>anging (MESSENGER) Probe has <a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc&#038;zu=http://space.about.com/b/2011/03/30/messengers-first-images-from-mercury.htm">settled into orbit</a> around <a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc&#038;zu=http://space.about.com/od/solarsystem/tp/mercury10things.htm">Mercury</a>.</p> <p>Some of the measurements that have been taken are already generating debate among planetary scientists (more on this later in the week). But the MESSENGER team has also been at work creating very cool animations about what it is like on the surface of the closest planet to the Sun.</p>...<p><a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc&#038;zu=http://space.about.com/b/2012/01/15/a-day-on-mercury.htm">Read Full Post</a></p> http://space.about.com/b/2012/01/15/a-day-on-mercury.htm Sun, 15 Jan 2012 14:40:03 +0000 2012-01-15T14:40:03Z http://space.about.com/b/2012/01/05/stephen-hawking-reveals-greatest-mystery-in-the-universe-women.htm <p><img src="http://0.tqn.com/d/space/1/0/z/2/1/hawking1.jpg" alt="" hspace="5" align="right" />I have to admit, I didn't see this one coming.</p> <p>When <a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc&#038;zu=http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg21328460.500-stephen-hawking-at-70-exclusive-interview.html">New Scientist Magazine</a> asked the famed physicist what he thinks about most his response was simple. "Women. They are a complete mystery."</p>...<p><a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc&#038;zu=http://space.about.com/b/2012/01/05/stephen-hawking-reveals-greatest-mystery-in-the-universe-women.htm">Read Full Post</a></p> http://space.about.com/b/2012/01/05/stephen-hawking-reveals-greatest-mystery-in-the-universe-women.htm Thu, 05 Jan 2012 14:59:37 +0000 2012-01-05T14:59:37Z http://space.about.com/b/2012/01/04/were-as-close-to-the-sun-as-were-going-to-get.htm <p style="text-align:center"><img src="http://0.tqn.com/d/space/1/0/1/K/1/CoronalMassEjection.jpg" alt="" width="500" /></p> <p>Literally as I write this the <a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc&#038;zu=http://space.about.com/cs/solarsystem/p/earthinfo.htm">Earth</a> is leaving the point in its <a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc&#038;zu=http://space.about.com/od/astronomydictionary/g/What-Are-Rotation-And-Revolution.htm">orbit</a> known as Perihelion. Simply, this is the point where Earth is closest to the Sun.</p> <p>Now, many of you in the northern hemisphere may be looking outside at the wintery weather and wondering how that can be.</p>...<p><a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc&#038;zu=http://space.about.com/b/2012/01/04/were-as-close-to-the-sun-as-were-going-to-get.htm">Read Full Post</a></p> http://space.about.com/b/2012/01/04/were-as-close-to-the-sun-as-were-going-to-get.htm Wed, 04 Jan 2012 21:33:59 +0000 2012-01-04T21:33:59Z http://space.about.com/b/2011/12/23/2011-space-image-of-the-year.htm <p style="text-align:center"><img src="http://0.tqn.com/d/space/1/0/k/N/1/StarFormingRegionS106.jpg" alt="" width="500" /></p> <p>I find it amusing that so many of the "Top [insert generic topic of interest here] of 2011" lists come out in October or November, more than a month before the actual end of the year. In fact, the 2012 (yes 2012!) North American Car of the Year has already been determined by <a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc&#038;zu=http://www.motortrend.com/oftheyear/car/1201_2012_motor_trend_car_of_the_year_volkswagen_passat/viewall.html">Motor Trend</a>, several weeks before the end of 2011! (Though they sort of get a pass since Car manufacturers seems to designate the model years of their cars about 6 months ahead of the actual calendar year.)</p>...<p><a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc&#038;zu=http://space.about.com/b/2011/12/23/2011-space-image-of-the-year.htm">Read Full Post</a></p> http://space.about.com/b/2011/12/23/2011-space-image-of-the-year.htm Fri, 23 Dec 2011 20:51:22 +0000 2011-12-23T20:51:22Z http://space.about.com/b/2011/12/14/did-cern-find-the-god-particle.htm <p>CERN of one of the major experiments looking for the Higgs Boson, sometimes referred to as the God Particle; an as-yet-undetected particle that is believed responsible for giving all other particles mass.</p>...<p><a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc&#038;zu=http://space.about.com/b/2011/12/14/did-cern-find-the-god-particle.htm">Read Full Post</a></p> http://space.about.com/b/2011/12/14/did-cern-find-the-god-particle.htm Wed, 14 Dec 2011 11:08:29 +0000 2011-12-14T11:08:29Z http://space.about.com/b/2011/12/05/kepler-finds-planet-in-habitable-zone.htm <p style="text-align:center"><img src="http://0.tqn.com/d/space/1/0/j/N/1/PlanetInHabitableZone.jpg" alt="" /></p> <p>The headline over on <em>Yahoo.com</em> earlier this evening read "NASA Finds Planet that can Sustain Life".</p> <p>Uh, not so fast.</p> <p>What NASA found, using its Kepler planet finding satellite, was a planet smack dab in the middle of the habitable zone orbiting a Sun similar to our own.</p>...<p><a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc&#038;zu=http://space.about.com/b/2011/12/05/kepler-finds-planet-in-habitable-zone.htm">Read Full Post</a></p> http://space.about.com/b/2011/12/05/kepler-finds-planet-in-habitable-zone.htm Mon, 05 Dec 2011 21:12:11 +0000 2011-12-05T21:12:11Z