Astronomy News
Courtesy of Astronomy

Atlantis' payload delivered; astronauts return to Kennedy Ground teams are preparing for the final part of launch dress rehearsal for the STS-129 mission to the International Space Station. Publ.Date : Friday, October 30, 2009 LCROSS impacts the Moon in search for water ice LCROSS science instruments worked exceedingly well and returned a wealth of data that will greatly improve our understanding of the Moon. Publ.Date : Friday, October 09, 2009 The LCROSS has landed Despite public disappointment over the lack of a visible debris plume, NASA remains confident of the mission's success. Publ.Date : Friday, October 09, 2009 Astronomy magazine accepting entries for 2009 outreach award Astronomy's Out-of-this-world Award recognizes excellence in astronomy outreach. The winning group receives $2,500 to put toward their public programming. Publ.Date : Friday, October 23, 2009 NASA gives "go" for space shuttle Atlantis launch November 16 Senior NASA and contractor managers assessed the risks associated with the mission and determined the shuttle's equipment, support systems, and procedures are ready. Publ.Date : Friday, November 06, 2009 Rapid supernova could be new class of exploding star The rapid drop in brightness, coupled with the supernova's faintness, the strong signature of helium in the spectrum of the explosion, the absence of hydrogen, and the possible presence of vanadium points toward helium detonation on a white dwarf. Publ.Date : Thursday, November 05, 2009 Frost-covered Phoenix Lander seen in winter images The HiRISE team targeted their camera at the known location of the lander to get the new images and compared them to a HiRISE image of the frost-free lander taken June 2008. Publ.Date : Thursday, November 05, 2009 Galaxy cluster smashes distance record The galaxy cluster JKCS041 beats the previous record holder by about a billion light-years. Publ.Date : Thursday, October 29, 2009 Fermi telescope caps its first year with a glimpse of space-time Scanning the entire sky every 3 hours, the Large Area Telescope is giving Fermi scientists an increasingly detailed look at the extreme universe. Publ.Date : Thursday, October 29, 2009 Opening up a colorful cosmic jewel box One of the most spectacular star clusters nestles deep in the southern skies near the Southern Cross in the constellation Crux. Publ.Date : Thursday, October 29, 2009 MESSENGER spacecraft reveals more hidden territory on Mercury Many new features were revealed during the third flyby, including a region with a bright area surrounding an irregular depression that is suspected to be volcanic in origin. Publ.Date : Wednesday, November 04, 2009 Carbon atmosphere discovered on neutron star Scientists determined that the neutron star in Cassiopeia A has an ultra-thin coating of carbon. Publ.Date : Wednesday, November 04, 2009 Ares I-X rocket completes successful flight test NASA's Ares I-X test rocket lifted off at 11:30 a.m. EDT Wednesday from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida for a 2-minute powered flight. Publ.Date : Wednesday, October 28, 2009 Shedding light on the cosmic skeleton Astronomers were able to make a real demographic study of a massive filamentary structure, and they have identified several groups of galaxies surrounding the main galaxy cluster. Publ.Date : Tuesday, November 03, 2009 Ares I-X launch delayed until Wednesday The Ares I-X launch team is preparing for a 24-hour turnaround, targeting 8 a.m. on Wednesday as liftoff time for the Ares I-X flight test vehicle. Publ.Date : Tuesday, October 27, 2009 "Ultra-primitive" particles found in comet dust The biggest surprise about the dust is the abundance of tiny dust particles that formed in previous generations of stars and in supernova explosions before the formation of the solar system. Publ.Date : Monday, November 02, 2009 VERITAS telescope array helps solve the origin of cosmic rays Observations show that exploding stars and stellar "winds" power cosmic rays. Publ.Date : Monday, November 02, 2009 Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO): NASA's mission to map the lunar surface Keep up with Astronomy magazine's coverage of this important mission. Here you'll find the latest headlines and blogs about the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter and the Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite (LCROSS). Publ.Date : Monday, June 15, 2009 Astronomy magazine celebrates its new observatory On September 17, 2009, editors will dedicate the magazine's observatory at Rancho Hidalgo, near Animas, New Mexico. Publ.Date : Monday, September 14, 2009 MESSENGER at Mercury — the third time's the charm NASA's MESSENGER spacecraft will sweep low over Mercury September 29, when it will snap more than 1,500 pictures and adjust its trajectory for entering orbit in 2011. Publ.Date : Monday, September 28, 2009