NSF Science Now 10

NSF Science Now series spotlights NSF science and engineering research and discoveries

Storms In Space

We depend on the Sun for heat and light, but there’s a lot more going on than meets the eye,” says NCAR solar physicist Scott McIntosh. On a whirlwind tour of the Sun’s magnetic forces, MacIntosh describes the impact solar storms can have on Earth’s environment and explains how scientists study this powerhouse of mass and energy.

Astronauts On Board The International Space Station Send Greetings For The Inauguration Of ALMA

U.S. astronaut Tom Marshburn and Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield, both on board the International Space Station as part of Expedition 34, sent greetings and congratulations for the inauguration of ALMA, March 13, 2013.

Science Behind The News: Impacts On Jupiter

The impact of comets on the surface of Jupiter are a fairly common experience. At the University of Central Florida, astronomers Joseph Harrington and Csaba Palotai are leading a project that studies precisely how these impacts happen, and also provides valuable information about what might happen if such a comet struck Earth.

Discoveries Suggest Icy Cosmic Start For Amino Acids And DNA Ingredients

Using new technology at the telescope and in laboratories, researchers have discovered an important pair of prebiotic molecules in interstellar space.

We Are All Stardust

When a meteor hits the earth, there is the possibility that it brings something very rare along with it: cosmic stardust older than our Solar System.

Mapping The Infant Universe

Dr. Charles Bennnett and his 26-member team were awarded the Gruber Foundation's 2012 Cosmology Prize for their transformative study of an ancient light dating back to the infant universe.

ALMA – Seeing The Universe In A Whole New Light

Telescope can detect hidden gases that might hold the key to star and planetary formation

Most Distant Quasar Found

This ESOcast is about the discovery of the most distant quasar found to date. This brilliant beacon is powered by a black hole with a mass two billion times that of the Sun. It is by far the brightest object yet discovered in the early Universe.

Birth Of A Planet

Far Away Eris Is Pluto's Twin

Astronomers accurately measure the diameter of the dwarf planet Eris

A Black Hole’s Dinner Is Fast Approaching

Astronomers using ESO's Very Large Telescope have discovered a gas cloud with several times the mass of the Earth accelerating towards the black hole at the centre of the Milky Way.

Saturn's Weirdest Ring

Images from NASA's Cassini spacecraft have revealed half-mile-sized (kilometer-sized) objects punching through parts of Saturn's F ring, leaving glittering trails behind them.

Science Behind The News: Extrasolar Planets

Extrasolar planets, or exoplanets, are planets that orbit stars other than our sun.  Astronomers like Dr. William Welsh at San Diego State University primarily use two methods to detect these distant planets:  Doppler and Transit methods.

Hunting Black Holes With X-ray Eyes

NASA's NuSTAR will use its X-ray eyes to scout for hidden black holes in the universe.

GigaGalaxy Zoom

GigaGalaxy Zoom reveals three amazing, ultra-high-resolution images of the night sky that online stargazers can zoom in on and explore in an incredible level of detail.

Voyager: Humanity's Farthest Journey

At the edge of the solar system

Celestial Tango Makes For A Gorgeous Nebula

A complex nebula is created by two companion stars that orbit each other

The ARRA Report 18

This report reviews the research and discoveries made possible in part by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act

NASA's Portable Lunar Habitat

The University of Maine is working with NASA develope a portable lunar habitat to help astronauts live on other planets