Latest articles by Andrea Thompson
New View of Comet Formation Forged in Study of Tiny Particle
Particle from comet suggests when and where some comet material formed.
Methane Glows in Alien Planet’s Atmosphere
Methane fluorescence detected in hot Jupiter exoplanet atmosphere with ground-based telescope.
Stuck Rover on Mars Can Still Do Science
NASA's Mars rover Spirit may rove no more, but still plenty of science for it to do.
How Earth Survived Its Birth
New model of planet formation and migration explains why proto-Earth didn't fall into the sun.
Smacks in the Face Explain Unique Looks of Two Moons
Jupiter moons sport different looks because of comet impacts early in solar system's history.
Odds Slim for Resurrecting Defunct Mars Lander
NASA gives slim odds of hearing from frozen Mars Phoenix Lander, but scientists still hope to hear something.
Strange Lava World Is Shriveled Remains of Former Self
Exoplanet CoRoT-7b is weird world, with rock rains, super-volcanoes, evaporating surface.
NASA to Try to Revive Frozen Mars Lander
NASA's Odyssey orbiter will listen for signals from Phoenix Mars lander to see if craft survived Martian winter.
Alien Dust Kicked Up By Baby Planet Collisions
Strange dust from planetary collisions and disks around massive stars point to very alien extrasolar systems.
Thank Your Dusty Stars For Our Existence
Analysis of oxygen isotopes in galaxy suggest solar system formed in neighborhood of supernovas.
Alien World a Volcanic Nightmare
A rocky exoplanet likely actively volcanic, even more unfriendly to life.
Black Hole's Mysterious Eating Disorder Solved
New Chandra X-ray Observatory images and computer models show why the Milky Way black hole is starving.
Plenty of Solar Systems Like Ours Expected
Calculations suggest only 15 percent of Milky Way stars may have solar system like ours.
Hubble Spies Most Distant, Early Galaxies Yet
Infrared images from Hubble reveal most distant galaxies yet spotted.
Whole Life Cycle of Stars Revealed in New Image
New Spitzer telescope image shows star life cycle in the Small Magellanic Cloud.
Explosive Nearby Star Could Threaten Earth
A nearby white dwarf star could explode as supernova closer to our solar system than thought.
Kepler Planet-Hunting Mission Finds 5 New Lightweight Worlds
NASA Kepler mission finds five exoplanets with very low densities, observes starquakes.
Astronomers Flock to 'Largest Astronomy Meeting in the Universe'
The 2010 meeting of the American Astronomical Society billed as biggest astronomy meeting in the universe.
Long-Lived Mars Rovers Begin Year 7 on Red Planet
Spirit and Opportunity complete six years on Mars, with plenty of ups and downs.
Accidental Astronomy: Expect the Unexpected
Many important astronomical discoveries unexpected; future findings likely to be serendipitous as well.
Powerful Mars Orbiter Makes a Comeback
Mars orbiter is back after a series of resets and ready to resume observing the red planet.
White Christmas: The Coldest Places in the Solar System
From snowfalls on Mars, to the polar craters of the moon, take a tour of the solar system’s chilliest spots.
Spirit Surprise: Long-Defunct Mars Rover Wheel Spins
Spirit rover's right-front wheel, immobile since 2006, surprisingly spins during test.
