A monster gamma-ray burst - whose afterglow lasted months - may have come from the explosion of a giant star, say astronomers at the University of Copenhagen.

Observations of the powerful gamma-ray burst of April 2013 didn't match energy levels predicted by the standard models, say astronomers at Stanford University.

“Exceedingly rare triple system, seen when universe was 800 million years old, provides insights into the earliest stages of galaxy formation." - Richard Ellis

"We might witness a nice, long-tailed comet visible to the naked eye that will leave millions of people with fond memories for a lifetime, or maybe it will be a small comet for sky hunters using binoculars and a good map of its position. Or it might yet break up and vanish." - Alan MacRobert

The launch took place at approximately 8:15 p.m. (EST) on November 19, from the Wallops Flight Facility in eastern Virginia.

NASA's Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution (MAVEN) mission launched yesterday (November 18). The mission will investigate how Mars lost its atmosphere and liquid water.

The closer galaxy, called UGC 10288, is 100 million light-years away. The farther galaxy is nearly 7 billion light-years away.

The video is an artist's concept showing the transition from an ancient, habitable Mars capable of supporting liquid water on its surface to the cold desert world of today.

The MESSENGER spacecraft, now in orbit around Mercury, will take this opportunity to study the comets so close to the sun.

Comet ISON is a first-time visitor from the Oort Cloud surrounding our solar system. Will it survive its November 28 brush with the sun and emerge as a bright comet?