Vote Now! Best Space Stories of the Week – June 29, 2014

'Magic Island,' Cold Dead Star & More

B. Saxton (NRAO/AUI/NSF)

Last week scientists identified what is possibly the coldest white dwarf ever detected, waves might have been spotted for the first time on the seas of Saturn's largest moon, a distant galaxy with three super-massive black holes at its core was discovered and more. See the best stories from last week here.

FIRST STOP: 'Magic Island' Possibly Seen in Seas of Saturn's Huge Moon Titan

'Magic Island' Possibly Seen in Seas of Saturn's Huge Moon Titan

NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASI/Cornell

Waves might have been spotted for the first time on the seas of Saturn's largest moon Titan, researchers say.

[Full Story]

NEXT: Surprise! Big Jupiter Moons Shine Even When Eclipsed

Surprise! Big Jupiter Moons Shine Even When Eclipsed

NAOJ/JAXA/Tohoku University

After centuries of looking, astronomers now unexpectedly find that Jupiter's largest moons remain slightly bright, even when eclipsed.

[Full Story]

NEXT: Secrets of Sun's 'Coronal Rain' Revealed (Video)

Secrets of Sun's 'Coronal Rain' Revealed (Video)

E. Scullion/SST

Earth's nearest star has bad weather too. The sun's bad weather, however, is more than just a little rain and lightning. Huge droplets of hot plasma about the size of Maine fall from the sun's outer atmosphere (the corona) down toward its surface going about 124,274 mph (200,000 km/h).

[Full Story]

NEXT: Happy Anniversary! Curiosity Rover Marks 1 (Martian) Year

Happy Anniversary! Curiosity Rover Marks 1 (Martian) Year

NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS

Tuesday (June 24) marks the one Martian year on the Red Planet for NASA’s Curiosity rover.

[Full Story]

NEXT: Cold Dead Star May Be a Giant Diamond

Cold Dead Star May Be a Giant Diamond

B. Saxton (NRAO/AUI/NSF)

Scientists have identified what is possibly the coldest white dwarf ever detected. In fact, this dim stellar corpse is so cold that its carbon has crystallized, effectively forming a diamond the size of Earth, astronomers said.

[Full Story]

NEXT: World View Launches Test Balloon to Edge of Space, Breaks Record (Photos, Video)

World View Launches Test Balloon to Edge of Space, Breaks Record (Photos, Video)

World View

A company that aims to fly paying customers to the stratosphere in a balloon conducted an unmanned test flight last week.

[Full Story]

NEXT: X-Ray Signal May Illuminate Dark Matter Mystery

X-Ray Signal May Illuminate Dark Matter Mystery

X-ray: NASA, CXC, SAO, E.Bulbul, et al.

Two spacecraft have detected a possible signal of dark matter, the mysterious, invisible stuff that makes up most of the material universe.

[Full Story]

NEXT: Greetings from Earth! NASA Spacecraft to Carry Message for Aliens

Greetings from Earth! NASA Spacecraft to Carry Message for Aliens

NASA

After passing Pluto, NASA's New Horizons spacecraft will receive a digital download for any extraterrestrial civilization that encounters it once it leaves the solar system.

[Full Story]

NEXT: Found! Trio of Huge Black Holes in Distant Galaxy's Core

Found! Trio of Huge Black Holes in Distant Galaxy's Core

: © Roger Deane (large image); NASA Goddard (inset bottom left; modified from original)

A distant galaxy with three super-massive black holes at its core has now been discovered, researchers say.

[Full Story]

NEXT: Nearby Alien Planet May Be Capable of Supporting Life

Nearby Alien Planet May Be Capable of Supporting Life

PHL @ UPR Arecibo, NASA Hubble, Stellarium

A newfound alien world might be able to support life as we know it — and it's just a stone's throw from Earth in the cosmic scheme of things.

[Full Story]

NEXT: NASA's Next Manned Spaceship Passes 'Most Complex' Parachute Test

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Space.com Staff
News and editorial team

Space.com is the premier source of space exploration, innovation and astronomy news, chronicling (and celebrating) humanity's ongoing expansion across the final frontier. Originally founded in 1999, Space.com is, and always has been, the passion of writers and editors who are space fans and also trained journalists. Our current news team consists of Editor-in-Chief Tariq Malik; Editor Hanneke Weitering, Senior Space Writer Mike Wall; Senior Writer Meghan Bartels; Senior Writer Chelsea Gohd, Senior Writer Tereza Pultarova and Staff Writer Alexander Cox, focusing on e-commerce. Senior Producer Steve Spaleta oversees our space videos, with Diana Whitcroft as our Social Media Editor.