Nomads of the galaxy
Recently, a study was published in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society proposing planets simply adrift in space may be something of a common phenomenon. View More (2012-05-24)
Free-floating planets in the Milky Way outnumber stars by factors of thousands
A few hundred thousand billion free-floating life-bearing Earth-sized planets may exist in the space between stars in the Milky Way. View More (2012-05-11)
Dawn reveals complexities of ancient asteroidal world
New findings from NASA's Dawn spacecraft lay the groundwork for the first geological overview of asteroid (4)Vesta and confirm the existence of not one but two giant impact basins in its southern hemisphere. View More (2012-05-11)
The music of the (hemi)spheres sheds new light on schizophrenia
In 1619, the pioneering astronomer Johannes Kepler published Harmonices Mundi in which he analyzed data on the movement of planets and asserted that the laws of nature governing the movements of planets show features of harmonic relationships in music. View More (2012-05-10)
Looking for Earths by looking for Jupiters
In the search for Earth-like planets, it is helpful to look for clues and patterns that can help scientist narrow down the types of systems where potentially habitable planets are likely to be discovered. View More (2012-05-08)
UF astronomer: Some giant planets in other systems most likely to be alone
"Hot Jupiter-type" planets are most likely to be alone in their systems, according to research by a University of Florida astronomer and others, made public today. View More (2012-05-08)
Four white dwarf stars caught in the act of consuming 'earth-like' exoplanets
University of Warwick astrophysicists have pinpointed four white dwarfs surrounded by dust from shattered planetary bodies which once bore striking similarities to the composition of the Earth. View More (2012-05-04)
Science nugget: Lightning signature could help reveal the solar system's origins
Every second, lightning flashes some 50 times on Earth. Together these discharges coalesce and get stronger, creating electromagnetic waves circling around Earth, to create a beating pulse between the ground and the lower ionosphere, about 60 miles up in the atmosphere. View More (2012-05-04)
Venus to appear in once-in-a-lifetime event
On 5 and 6 June this year, millions of people around the world will be able to see Venus pass across the face of the Sun in what will be a once-in-a-lifetime experience. View More (2012-05-01)
Record-Breaking Radio Waves from Ultra-Cool Star
Penn State University astronomers using the world's largest radio telescope, at Arecibo, Puerto Rico, have discovered flaring radio emissions from an ultra-cool star, not much warmer than the planet Jupiter, shattering the previous record for the lowest stellar temperature at which radio waves were detected. View More (2012-04-30)
Splatters of molten rock signal period of intense asteroid impacts on Earth
New research reveals that the Archean era - a formative time for early life from 3.8 billion years ago to 2.5 billion years ago - experienced far more major asteroid impacts than had been previously thought, with a few impacts perhaps even rivaling those that produced the largest craters on the Moon, according to a paper published online today in Nature. View More (2012-04-26)
Some Stars Capture Rogue Planets
New research suggests that billions of stars in our galaxy have captured rogue planets that once roamed interstellar space. View More (2012-04-18)
Asteroid craters on Earth give clues in search for life on Mars
Craters made by asteroid impacts may be the best place to look for signs of life on other planets, a study suggests. View More (2012-04-17)
ALMA Reveals Workings of Nearby Planetary System
A new observatory still under construction has given astronomers a major breakthrough in understanding a nearby planetary system that can provide valuable clues about how such systems form and evolve. View More (2012-04-13)
UF-led team uses new observatory to characterize low-mass planets orbiting nearby star
University of Florida astronomers have found compelling evidence for two low-mass planets orbiting the nearby star Fomalhaut, just 25 light years from Earth. View More (2012-04-13)
Much faster than a speeding bullet, planets and stars escape the Milky Way
Idan Ginsburg, a graduate student in Dartmouth's Department of Physics and Astronomy, studies some of the fastest moving objects in the cosmos. View More (2012-03-30)
Many billions of rocky planets in the habitable zones around red dwarfs in the Milky Way
This first direct estimate of the number of light planets around red dwarf stars has just been announced by an international team using observations with the HARPS spectrograph on the 3.6-metre telescope at ESO's La Silla Observatory in Chile. View More (2012-03-28)
Super-Earth unlikely able to transfer life to other planets
While scientists believe conditions suitable for life might exist on the so-called "super-Earth" in the Gliese 581 system, it's unlikely to be transferred to other planets within that solar system. View More (2012-03-21)
Experients may force revision of astrophysical models of the universe
In a challenge to current astrophysical models of the universe, researchers at Sandia National Laboratories Z machine and the University of Rostock in Germany have found that current estimates of ice-giant planetary interiors overstate water's compressibility by as much as 30 percent. View More (2012-03-20)
NIST/CU 'star comb' joins quest for Earth-like planets
If there is life on other planets, a laser frequency comb developed at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) may help find it. View More (2012-03-08)
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