Alien Planets May Thrive on Many Wavelengths of Light
New discoveries are making chlorophyll-d and a cyanobacterium named Acaryochloris marina interesting for scientists trying to find life on extrasolar planets
Stories by SPACE.com
Spring Arrives with Equinox Tuesday, Earliest in More Than a Century
Spring is arriving early in a meteorological sense in the eastern U.S., and in an astronomical sense as well, making its earliest arrival since 1896
Best Mars Sky Show of 2012 Occurs Saturday: How to Watch Online
The online Slooh Space Camera will broadcast a free, real-time feed of the Mars opposition, beginning at 11:00 P.M. EST
Earth Formed from Diverse Meteorite Mix
A match of silicon isotopes in terrestrial and lunar rock samples is revealing more about how both bodies really formed
Alien Life May Not Survive on Planets with Uranus-Like Tilts
Subdued seasonality might be linked to the emergence of complex life on Earth around 600 million years ago
Newfound Alien Planet Is Best Candidate Yet to Support Life, Scientists Say
A potentially habitable alien planet has been found orbiting a nearby star
Gigantic Radio Telescope to Search for First Stars and Galaxies
The array could be the most complex and versatile radio telescope ever attempted, with the capacity to sweep the entire northern sky in 45 days for low-frequency radio waves
Failed Russian Mars Probe Crashes into Pacific Ocean
Although it can be tough for observers in the West to vet such claims from the Russians, fears that Phobos-Grunt's fall would cause dangerous chemicals to rain from the sky are probably unfounded, experts say...
Russian Mars Probe to Crash Soon, With World Watching
At most, 20 to 30 fragments of Phobos-Grunt, weighing a total of less than 200 kilograms, may reach Earth’s surface, most likely the ocean
Ancient Star Explosion Is Most Distant of Its Kind
The finding should help scientists better understand the ever-expanding universe and the nature of dark energy
Biggest Map Yet of Universe's Invisible Dark Matter Unveiled
Scientists hope that by plotting out the distribution of dark matter throughout space, they will come closer to understanding what it is
Twin Moon Probes Start New Year by Entering Lunar Orbit
The probes' measurements will be used to construct detailed maps of the moon's gravitational field, revealing a great deal about lunar composition
NASA Has Lost Hundreds of Its Moon Rocks, New Report Says
The report stresses the importance of stricter guidelines for the release of lunar materials to researchers, and more meticulous inventory procedures
Monster Black Holes Are Most Massive Ever Discovered
The discovery, of objects 9.7 billion solar masses large or more, suggests there is still much to learn about how monster black holes grow
NASA's Mars Rover Curiosity Had Planetary Protection Slipup
The incident has become a lessons-learned example of miscommunication in assuring that planetary protection procedures are strictly adhered to
Skywatcher Snaps Photos of Stranded Russian Mars Probe
A veteran satellite spotter tracked Russia's Phobos-Grunt spacecraft as it passed over the southern Netherlands on Tuesday
Next Stop, Mars! Huge NASA Rover Launches toward Red Planet
NASA has launched its next Mars rover, known as Curiosity
Solar Eclipse on Friday Could Wow Small Audience
This will be the fourth time that a new moon will orbit between the sun and Earth to cause a solar eclipse in 2011, just one eclipse shy of the annual max
Fifth Giant Planet May Have Dwelled in Our Solar System
The work raises questions about whether super Earth-size objects existed in the early history of the outer solar system
Moon May Outshine Leonid Meteor Shower Tonight
The best way to view the Leonids is to face the darkest part of the sky, away from the moon and the constellation Leo
