Dying Stars Munch on Planets, Supermoon Stares Down and Black Hole Bursts
From the bright supermoon to earth-like alien planets munching on stars, it's been a busy week in space. Vote for the week's best space story.
FIRST STOP: Giant Alien Planet May Have Split into 2 Earth-Size Worlds
Giant Alien Planet May Have Split into 2 Earth-Size Worlds
A massive alien planet that may have been ripped into Earth-size chunks by its dying parent star is offering a unique glimpse into the evolution of other worlds and their stars, scientists say. [Full Story]
NEXT: SETI Telescope to Help US Air Force Track Space Junk
SETI Telescope to Help US Air Force Track Space Junk
A privately funded search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI) has pulled in its antenna horns a tad to help the U.S. Air Force gauge human-made space junk circling Earth. [Full Story]
NEXT: Mars Volcanic Glass May Be Hotspot for Life
Black Hole Unleashes Extraordinarily Bright X-Ray Burst
NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory has discovered an extraordinary outburst by a black hole in the spiral galaxy M83, located about 15 million light years from Earth. [Full Story]
NEXT: Reusable Space Plane Idea Intrigues Europeans
Mars Volcanic Glass May Be Hotspot for Life
Water may have played a role in forming plains of volcanic glass that spread across nearly a third of Mars. The interactions that shaped the glass also could create environments ripe for life. [Full Story]
NEXT: Black Hole Unleashes Extraordinarily Bright X-Ray Burst
Reusable Space Plane Idea Intrigues Europeans
A spaceplane called Vinci could be the vision vehicle for European Space Agency technology development aimed at realizing commercial suborbital transport for microgravity science, which NASA is already embarking on. [Full Story]
NEXT: Dark Matter Theories Challenged By Satellite Galaxy Discovery
Dark Matter Theories Challenged By Satellite Galaxy Discovery
Astronomers have discovered a vast structure of satellite galaxies and clusters of stars surrounding our galaxy, stretching out across a million light years. The work challenges the existence of dark matter, part of the standard model for the evolution of the universe. [Full Story]
NEXT: Death Valley Doubles as Martian Crater for Mars Rover Team
Death Valley Doubles as Martian Crater for Mars Rover Team
Death Valley isn't a perfect stand-in for Mars — it's too hot here, for starters — but it's a great place to learn what NASA's new Curiosity rover will be doing once it arrives on the Red Planet in a few months. [Full Story]
NEXT: Monster Black Hole Caught Swallowing Unlucky Star
Monster Black Hole Caught Swallowing Unlucky Star
Astronomers have grabbed a front-row seat to the death of an unlucky star as it is gobbled up by a giant black hole. Intense radiation flares signal the star's death by black hole. [Full Story]
NEXT: Europe to Explore Jupiter's Icy Moons with JUICE Spacecraft
Europe to Explore Jupiter's Icy Moons with JUICE Spacecraft
The European Space Agency will launch a deep-space mission to explore the icy moons of Jupiter in 2022, agency officials announced Tuesday (May 2). [Full Story]
NEXT: Spectacular 'Supermoon' Wows Skywatchers Around the World
Spectacular 'Supermoon' Wows Skywatchers Around the World
The biggest full moon of the year, a so-called "supermoon," rose into the night sky Saturday to the delight of skywatchers around the world, who captured the lunar sight in dazzling amateur astronomy photos. [Full Story]
NEXT: NASA, SETI Use Airship to Hunt Meteorites From Big Fireball
Join our Space Forums to keep talking space on the latest missions, night sky and more! And if you have a news tip, correction or comment, let us know at: community@space.com.
