Amador Astronomical Society

Space & Astronomy News

Best Space Photos of the Week - Feb. 4, 2012 From a stunning image of our marbled earth to city lights from space, it's been a remarkable week for space photography. read more...
Vote Now! Top Space Stories of the Week - Feb. 5, 2012 Colonies on the moon, fast-spinning stars and an astronaut playing an astronaut are just a few of several big stories in space for the week. read more...
Jupiter-Bound NASA Probe Adjusts Course Toward Giant Planet NASA's Juno probe is the first solar-powered spacecraft to the outer solar system. read more...
Space Rock of Love: Asteroid Eros Attracts Skywatchers in Earth Flyby The close pass of the asteroid Eros this week allows astronomy buffs to measure the size of the solar system. read more...
Wanted: Mock Astronauts for Mission to Mars ... in Hawaii Scientists will study diet & nutrition for "astronauts" who spend four months in a mock space capsule. read more...
NASA Awash In Astronaut Applications, But Still Lacks Spaceships Not since 1978 have so many people wanted to be a NASA astronaut. read more...
Photos of Space Love: The Asteroid Eros Up Close See photos of the asteroid Eros taken by NASA's NEAR space probe in 2000, and other observers. read more...
Oh Eros: Valentine's Day Asteroid Makes NEAR Fly-by The 21-mile long 'God of Love' space rock made its closest approach to Earth (15 million miles away) since 1975 on January 31st, 2012. NASA's Near Earth Asteroid Rendezvous - Shoemaker (NEAR) mission landed on the asteroid on February 12, 2001. read more...
Earth From Space: The Secret of NASA's Amazing 'Blue Marble' Photos NASA's Suomi NPP satellite is snapping amazing views of Earth from space, but there's a secret to the photos. read more...
Iran Launches Small Earth-Watching Satellite Into Orbit: Report Iran launched the satellite "Promise of Science and Industry" satellite using its own Safir 1-B rocket. read more...
Virgin Galactic's Private Spaceship Ramping Up Toward Passenger Flights Powered test flights should occur this summer. read more...
Stunning Photo Shows Growing Antarctic Ice Rift This ice plain is breaking up and a new iceberg will be born. read more...
Star Maps From Mobile App Maker Brings Astronomy to the Masses The makers of Starmap are offering users free customizable star maps and other educational tools. read more...
Hubble Telescope Spies Milky Way Galaxy's Twin A galaxy similar to our own Milky Way is the subject of Hubble's latest portrait. read more...
Record-Setting Female Astronaut Shannon Lucid Leaving NASA Shannon Lucid is a veteran of five spaceflights, logging more than 223 days in space. read more...
Hubble Hit: Spiral Galaxy and the Quasars The space telescope captured an amazing view of spiral galaxy NGC 1073 and three quasars that are right outside its galactic neighborhood. Located in the constellation of Cetus, the galaxy has a bar structure in the center similar to the Milky Way. read more...
Earth's Cities at Night: Photos From Space The view of our planet from orbit can't be beat. read more...
1st Private Spaceship Flight to Space Station May Slip to April: NASA The first test launch of SpaceX's Dragon space capsule to the International Space Station will be no earlier than March 20. read more...
Soyuz Rocket's Bumpy Ride - The History What was once a bicycle manufacturer in in the late-19th century evolved into a plane and rocket producer by the mid-20th century. Still a mainstay today, the Soyuz rocket has launched hundreds of humans and satellites since its first flight. read more...
Russia's Manned Soyuz Space Capsule Explained (Infographic) The workhorse Soyuz spacecraft have been flying for nearly 45 years. read more...
Damaged Russian Spaceship Forces Big Launch Delay for Next Station Crew The next space station crew will now launch 45 days later than planned due to Russian space capsule damage. read more...
Fireball Over Texas Caught By Police Dash Cam A squad car from the Little River-Academy Police Department in Texas captured a fireball lighting up the night sky on its dashboard camera on February 1, 2012. read more...
Experiment Investigates How to Fight Fire in Space Research on the International Space Station can offer fire-fighting tips for space and Earth. read more...
Photos: Jupiter, the Solar System's Largest Planet Jupiter is a giant among the solar system planets. See photos of Jupiter from telescopes and visiting spacecraft. read more...
Dizzyingly Fast-Spinning Stars Slow Down by Flying Apart Twirling stars called pulsars may blast material out into space to break their spins. read more...
On Groundhog Day, the Sun Has Last Word on Winter The Earth's position around the sun can tell us how much of winter is left. read more...
Europe's Space Program Spurring Job Growth With the new addition, Vega, to the family of rockets coming out of Europe's Spaceport in French Guiana, the need for tech-centric personnel is on the rise. Effectively doubling their yearly launch capability and increasing their value tremendously. read more...
Early Universe May Have Abounded With Dark Matter-Powered Stars Stars driven by dark matter may not be able to hide much longer. read more...
NASA Report: Greenhouse Gases, Not Sun, Driving Warming A quiet sun didn't stop the Earth from absorbing more energy than it released back into space. read more...
Newfound Alien Planet is Best Candidate Yet to Support Life, Scientists Say The planet is located in the "sweet spot" of its parent star's habitable zone. read more...
Vote Now! The Best Spaceships of All Time Have a favorite spaceship? Cheer it on in SPACE.com's vote for the best human-carrying spacecraft. read more...
50 Great Russian Rocket Launch Photos See some amazing views of Russian Proton and Soyuz rockets launching satellites and spaceships. read more...
On the Edge: Skywatchers Snap Photo of Slender 'Little Sombrero' Galaxy NGC 7814 is affectionately known as "The Little Sombrero" because it looks like a smaller version of the Sombrero galaxy. read more...
Habitable Zones Around Alien Suns May Depend on Chemistry Trace elements in such stars may influence their habitable zones, where planets with life could dwell. read more...
Grail Mission Snaps Far Side of the Moon - First Look NASA's Grail Mission has delivered its first video footage of the far side of the moon. The MoonKam on the 'Ebb' spacecraft snapped the imagery on January 19th, 2012. read more...
NASA Probe Captures 1st Video of Moon's Far Side NASA's Grail probes have returned their first view of the far side of the moon. read more...
Petitioners Push for Pluto Probe Postage Stamp The petition hopes to collect 100,000 signatures by March 13. read more...
Earth's Cloudy Past Could Reveal Exoplanet Details Two astronomers modeled the clouds of Earth's past in an effort to determine how landforms on an alien planet might appear. read more...
Strange Supernova - Cold Gas Cloud Molding Space Oddity? About 15,000 light years from Earth, star remnant G350.1+0.3 has taken shape unlike many circular shaped supernovae. Researchers believe it is expanding into a cold cloud of gas creating the phenomena. read more...
How to See 'Future' Celestial Sights in Pre-Dawn Sky If you rise extra early, you can catch celestial teasers of the spring and summer night sky. read more...
Astronaut Launches into TV Frontier on 'Big Bang Theory' Today Astronaut Mike Massimino will test his acting chops on Thursday's airing of the CBS sitcom. read more...
Emergency Launch Escape - The Private Space Way SpaceX has recently test fired the next generation of astronaut safeguards, the SuperDraco Engine, with the ability to catapult its Dragon capsule off the rocket and land safely on a landing pad. read more...
Second 'Sunken UFO' Claim Doesn't Hold Water Analysis of two large, mysterious objects spotted on the sea floor. read more...
'TinKode' Hacker Suspect Arrested for NASA, Government Attacks Romanian authorities have arrested a 20-year-old believed to be TinKode, a hacker who previously compromised the networks of NASA, the European Space Agency and various U.S. government websites. read more...
New Report Pinpoints NASA's 16 Biggest Space Tech Needs Space radiation shields for astronauts and solar electric propulsion are on NASA's to-get list. read more...
Remembering Columbia - 'In Their Own Words' The last crew of the Space Shuttle Columbia talk about their dreams of being astronauts and the spectacle of flying above the Earth in this retrospective. read more...
Photos: NASA's Last Mission to the Hubble Space Telescope See photos of NASA's final shuttle mission to service the Hubble Space Telescope. read more...
Photos: The Columbia Space Shuttle Tragedy On Feb. 1, 2003, NASA's space shuttle Columbia and its crew of seven astronauts were lost during re-entry. read more...
Skywatching Events for February 2012 In February 2012, skywatchers can enjoy views of the zodiacal light, and see Venus and Uranus together in a small telescope. read more...
Glowing Nebula Looks Like Giant Human Face in New Photo The spectacular new image was captured by one of the telescopes at the La Silla Observatory in Chile. read more...

Best Space Photos of the Week - Feb. 4, 2012

From a stunning image of our marbled earth to city lights from space, it's been a remarkable week for space photography.

Vote Now! Top Space Stories of the Week - Feb. 5, 2012

Colonies on the moon, fast-spinning stars and an astronaut playing an astronaut are just a few of several big stories in space for the week.

Jupiter-Bound NASA Probe Adjusts Course Toward Giant Planet

NASA's Juno probe is the first solar-powered spacecraft to the outer solar system.

Space Rock of Love: Asteroid Eros Attracts Skywatchers in Earth Flyby

The close pass of the asteroid Eros this week allows astronomy buffs to measure the size of the solar system.

Wanted: Mock Astronauts for Mission to Mars ... in Hawaii

Scientists will study diet & nutrition for "astronauts" who spend four months in a mock space capsule.

NASA Awash In Astronaut Applications, But Still Lacks Spaceships

Not since 1978 have so many people wanted to be a NASA astronaut.

Photos of Space Love: The Asteroid Eros Up Close

See photos of the asteroid Eros taken by NASA's NEAR space probe in 2000, and other observers.

Oh Eros: Valentine's Day Asteroid Makes NEAR Fly-by

The 21-mile long 'God of Love' space rock made its closest approach to Earth (15 million miles away) since 1975 on January 31st, 2012. NASA's Near Earth Asteroid Rendezvous - Shoemaker (NEAR) mission landed on the asteroid on February 12, 2001.

Earth From Space: The Secret of NASA's Amazing 'Blue Marble' Photos

NASA's Suomi NPP satellite is snapping amazing views of Earth from space, but there's a secret to the photos.

Iran Launches Small Earth-Watching Satellite Into Orbit: Report

Iran launched the satellite "Promise of Science and Industry" satellite using its own Safir 1-B rocket.

Virgin Galactic's Private Spaceship Ramping Up Toward Passenger Flights

Powered test flights should occur this summer.

Stunning Photo Shows Growing Antarctic Ice Rift

This ice plain is breaking up and a new iceberg will be born.

Star Maps From Mobile App Maker Brings Astronomy to the Masses

The makers of Starmap are offering users free customizable star maps and other educational tools.

Hubble Telescope Spies Milky Way Galaxy's Twin

A galaxy similar to our own Milky Way is the subject of Hubble's latest portrait.

Record-Setting Female Astronaut Shannon Lucid Leaving NASA

Shannon Lucid is a veteran of five spaceflights, logging more than 223 days in space.

Hubble Hit: Spiral Galaxy and the Quasars

The space telescope captured an amazing view of spiral galaxy NGC 1073 and three quasars that are right outside its galactic neighborhood. Located in the constellation of Cetus, the galaxy has a bar structure in the center similar to the Milky Way.

Earth's Cities at Night: Photos From Space

The view of our planet from orbit can't be beat.

1st Private Spaceship Flight to Space Station May Slip to April: NASA

The first test launch of SpaceX's Dragon space capsule to the International Space Station will be no earlier than March 20.

Soyuz Rocket's Bumpy Ride - The History

What was once a bicycle manufacturer in in the late-19th century evolved into a plane and rocket producer by the mid-20th century. Still a mainstay today, the Soyuz rocket has launched hundreds of humans and satellites since its first flight.

Russia's Manned Soyuz Space Capsule Explained (Infographic)

The workhorse Soyuz spacecraft have been flying for nearly 45 years.

Damaged Russian Spaceship Forces Big Launch Delay for Next Station Crew

The next space station crew will now launch 45 days later than planned due to Russian space capsule damage.

Fireball Over Texas Caught By Police Dash Cam

A squad car from the Little River-Academy Police Department in Texas captured a fireball lighting up the night sky on its dashboard camera on February 1, 2012.

Experiment Investigates How to Fight Fire in Space

Research on the International Space Station can offer fire-fighting tips for space and Earth.

Photos: Jupiter, the Solar System's Largest Planet

Jupiter is a giant among the solar system planets. See photos of Jupiter from telescopes and visiting spacecraft.

Dizzyingly Fast-Spinning Stars Slow Down by Flying Apart

Twirling stars called pulsars may blast material out into space to break their spins.

On Groundhog Day, the Sun Has Last Word on Winter

The Earth's position around the sun can tell us how much of winter is left.

Europe's Space Program Spurring Job Growth

With the new addition, Vega, to the family of rockets coming out of Europe's Spaceport in French Guiana, the need for tech-centric personnel is on the rise. Effectively doubling their yearly launch capability and increasing their value tremendously.

Early Universe May Have Abounded With Dark Matter-Powered Stars

Stars driven by dark matter may not be able to hide much longer.

NASA Report: Greenhouse Gases, Not Sun, Driving Warming

A quiet sun didn't stop the Earth from absorbing more energy than it released back into space.

Newfound Alien Planet is Best Candidate Yet to Support Life, Scientists Say

The planet is located in the "sweet spot" of its parent star's habitable zone.

Vote Now! The Best Spaceships of All Time

Have a favorite spaceship? Cheer it on in SPACE.com's vote for the best human-carrying spacecraft.

50 Great Russian Rocket Launch Photos

See some amazing views of Russian Proton and Soyuz rockets launching satellites and spaceships.

On the Edge: Skywatchers Snap Photo of Slender 'Little Sombrero' Galaxy

NGC 7814 is affectionately known as "The Little Sombrero" because it looks like a smaller version of the Sombrero galaxy.

Habitable Zones Around Alien Suns May Depend on Chemistry

Trace elements in such stars may influence their habitable zones, where planets with life could dwell.

Grail Mission Snaps Far Side of the Moon - First Look

NASA's Grail Mission has delivered its first video footage of the far side of the moon. The MoonKam on the 'Ebb' spacecraft snapped the imagery on January 19th, 2012.

NASA Probe Captures 1st Video of Moon's Far Side

NASA's Grail probes have returned their first view of the far side of the moon.

Petitioners Push for Pluto Probe Postage Stamp

The petition hopes to collect 100,000 signatures by March 13.

Earth's Cloudy Past Could Reveal Exoplanet Details

Two astronomers modeled the clouds of Earth's past in an effort to determine how landforms on an alien planet might appear.

Strange Supernova - Cold Gas Cloud Molding Space Oddity?

About 15,000 light years from Earth, star remnant G350.1+0.3 has taken shape unlike many circular shaped supernovae. Researchers believe it is expanding into a cold cloud of gas creating the phenomena.

How to See 'Future' Celestial Sights in Pre-Dawn Sky

If you rise extra early, you can catch celestial teasers of the spring and summer night sky.

Astronaut Launches into TV Frontier on 'Big Bang Theory' Today

Astronaut Mike Massimino will test his acting chops on Thursday's airing of the CBS sitcom.

Emergency Launch Escape - The Private Space Way

SpaceX has recently test fired the next generation of astronaut safeguards, the SuperDraco Engine, with the ability to catapult its Dragon capsule off the rocket and land safely on a landing pad.

Second 'Sunken UFO' Claim Doesn't Hold Water

Analysis of two large, mysterious objects spotted on the sea floor.

'TinKode' Hacker Suspect Arrested for NASA, Government Attacks

Romanian authorities have arrested a 20-year-old believed to be TinKode, a hacker who previously compromised the networks of NASA, the European Space Agency and various U.S. government websites.

New Report Pinpoints NASA's 16 Biggest Space Tech Needs

Space radiation shields for astronauts and solar electric propulsion are on NASA's to-get list.

Remembering Columbia - 'In Their Own Words'

The last crew of the Space Shuttle Columbia talk about their dreams of being astronauts and the spectacle of flying above the Earth in this retrospective.

Photos: NASA's Last Mission to the Hubble Space Telescope

See photos of NASA's final shuttle mission to service the Hubble Space Telescope.

Photos: The Columbia Space Shuttle Tragedy

On Feb. 1, 2003, NASA's space shuttle Columbia and its crew of seven astronauts were lost during re-entry.

Skywatching Events for February 2012

In February 2012, skywatchers can enjoy views of the zodiacal light, and see Venus and Uranus together in a small telescope.

Glowing Nebula Looks Like Giant Human Face in New Photo

The spectacular new image was captured by one of the telescopes at the La Silla Observatory in Chile.