Topic: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center

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Humongous solar flare erupts from sun

A spectacular solar flare erupted on the sun Monday, kicking up a massive amount of plasma.
Giant stars may not be necessary for supernovae

New research using X-ray and ultraviolet data helps scientists to better understand the origins of supernovae. These exploding stars are important in measuring distance in the universe.
How did the moon get there? NASA videos explain.

Images captured by NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter have been used to create an animated 4-billion-year history of the moon.
Solar storm could become severe 'bell ringer' in next 24 hours (+video)

Solar storm forecasters say the particles disgorged in a massive solar flare could strike Earth in a particular way, which would make a currently moderate solar storm more severe.
Ice, ice baby: Old arctic ice disappearing faster than younger thin ice

Typically the thicker, older ice survives through the summer melt season (hence, it's called multi-year ice), while the younger ice that forms over the winter melts as quickly as it formed.
Blue Marble: The science behind NASA's spectacular Earth images

NASA has released two striking hi-res images of our planet, which the agency has dubbed the 'Blue Marble.' Here is how the photos were captured.
'Alien' matter from beyond solar system discovered by NASA

This so-called interstellar material was spotted by NASA's Interstellar Boundary Explorer, a spacecraft that is studying the edge of the solar system from its orbit about 200,000 miles above Earth.
Huge asteroid may be packed with water ice

The surface of Vesta — the second-largest object in the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter — appears to be quite dry. But water ice may lurk underground over roughly half of the huge space rock's area, particularly near the poles, researchers said.
Comet's fiery plunge may tell us how planets form

For the first time, scientists have caught a glimpse of a comet's final minutes before it was vaporized by the sun. The comet was flying at about 1.4 million miles an hour.
Mars explorer 'Curiosity' set for Saturday launch

NASA's Mars explorer Curiosity, the most capable robotic rover ever built for taking the measure of a planet, is to launch Saturday morning. Curiosity will analyze the layered terrain in Gale Crater to read in its rocks the history of the environment there.
Mars science lab 'Curiosity' to launch 'extraterrestrial real-estate appraisal'

After a decade of "following the water," planetary scientists want to see if water co-existed with other critical environmental conditions that could have allowed simple forms of life to emerge.
How are planets born? LkCa 15 could give scientists first-ever peek.

A newly discovered planet-candidate circling star LkCa 15 could provide astronomers with a first-ever look at a gas-giant planet as it grows. It could help prove or debunk current theories.
Lunar eclipse Wednesday to last 100 minutes – longest in 11 years

Skywatchers in North America will miss this lunar eclipse, but a second one this year will be visible in December, especially in western portions of the continent.
Lunar eclipse, first of 2011, occurs Weds.

Lunar eclipse: The event is the first lunar eclipse of 2011 and one of two total lunar eclipses this year.
Solar flare? Yes, but tonight's northern lights have a more spectacular cause.

A solar flare erupted from the sun's surface Tuesday, but the star of the solar storm was something much larger – a coronal mass ejection. It is distorting Earth's magnetic field and will produce the northern lights (and southern lights) tonight.
Supermoon to make closest pass by Earth on Saturday

Supermoon: The moon will makes its closest approach to Earth on Saturday, appearing closer and larger to the naked eye. The last supermoon was eighteen years ago.
Geomagnetic storm activity increasing, catastrophe looming?

Geomagnetic storm: A true monster storm has the potential to wreak havoc on a global scale, knocking out communications systems, endangering satellites and astronauts and causing perhaps trillions of dollars in damages.
'Milestone' in bid to sniff atmosphere of a 'super Earth' light-years away

Scientists seeking an astronomical first – discerning the atmospheric composition of a 'super Earth' exoplanet – have now learned enough to rule out one leading theory.
Youngest black hole evidence found in cosmic explosion aftermath

Evidence of perhaps the youngest black hole in the galaxy has been found, following a cosmic explosion over 30 years ago.
NASA's next big space telescope in financial trouble

NASA's James Webb Space Telescope will need $1.5 billion added to its $5 billion budget to live up to its scientific promise, a review panel estimates. But the prospects for Congress granting the money are dim.
Meltwater from glaciers could be accelerating ice melt

Water that flows through crevasses in the Greenland ice sheet has a greater warming effect than scientists previously thought, causing warming on the order of decades instead of centuries.
Cool Astronomy
NASA considering rail gun launch system

Rail guns, which use a magnetic field to accelerate a mass to high speeds, are being looked at by NASA as a potential space launch system.
Devastating collisions make planets less habitable, say scientists

Researchers examining data from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope speculate that planets that have been pulverized by repeated collisions with massive celestial objects are less able to sustain life than those that haven't.
Top Chef contestants compete to make astronaut meals

Sept. 1 episode of Bravo's reality show, 'Top Chef', featured a space-food challenge from NASA. The winner, Angelo Sosa, will have his short rib dish flown into orbit.
At height of hurricane season, research teams take on storms

The research projects are aimed at giving forecasters more tools for improving storm forecasts. The peak of the hurricane season is between now and the end of October.