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Our sun now has a brother star, the first one ever found
These astronomers say there's a “small, but not zero” chance that brother stars to our sun could host planets that harbor life.
May 8, 2014
Star clusters form from outside in, not inside out, study says
Astronomers studied two clusters where sun-like stars are still forming. Both clusters had older stars on their outskirts than toward their centers.
May 8, 2014
Today science: Mount Everest without supplemental oxygen
Here's why climbers use supplemental oxygen to climb Mount Everest. Also, the curtailment of the 2014 Everest climbing season following a deadly avalanche.
May 8, 2014
A tornado cut this swath of destruction in Arkansas
Among the hardest hit areas during April's severe storms were the towns of Mayflower and Vilonia, Arkansas. A NASA satellite captured the tornado track from above.
May 8, 2014
Rapid growth spurts formed vast and beautiful Altiplano plateau
The vast Altiplano plateau in the South American Andes Mountains formed not gradually, but through rapid growth spurts, a new geological study suggests.
May 7, 2014
Nearest hypervelocity star found speeding through space at 1 million mph
Astronomers think hypervelocity stars happen when the galaxy's central back hole captures one of two stars in a binary system and slingshots the other out of the galaxy.
May 7, 2014
Rainbow rings of Saturn
Turquoise-hued rings of Saturn contain particles of nearly pure water ice, while reddish rings contain ice particles with more contaminants.
May 7, 2014
Eta Aquarid meteor from Mount Bromo, an active volcano
Part of the night sky is obscured by sulphur dioxide gas emitted by Mount Bromo, an active volcano, in this photo by Justin Ng of Singapore.
May 7, 2014
Are we ready for contact with extraterrestrial intelligence?
Do we need a greater or different kind of awareness of the cosmos in order to make contact with extraterrestrial civilizations?
May 6, 2014
Why so few Eta Aquarid meteors in 2014?
We expected 20-40 meteors per hour this morning, at the shower's peak. But Eta Aquarid meteor rates in 2014 seem to have been far lower. Why?
May 6, 2014
