Exoplanet Looks Potentially Lively
Newly discovered exoplanet HD 85512 b could be hospitable to life. John Matson reports
Episodes
60-Second Space
Leading science journalists provide a daily minute commentary on some of the most interesting developments in the world of astronomy and space exploration
Episodes
Opportunity Knocks at Martian Crater
Seven years into its three-month mission, the Mars rover Opportunity reaches Endeavour Crater, a possible geologic treasure trove. John Matson reports
Kuiper Belt Gets New Notches
A telescopic sky survey finds 14 previously unknown objects in and around the Kuiper Belt. John Matson reports
Jupiter Mission Counts Down
The space shuttle era is over, but a mission to Jupiter is next up on the launch pad. John Matson reports
New Moon Rises over Pluto
A Hubble telescope search for dust rings around Pluto turned up a previously unknown moon. John Matson reports
Kepler Searches for Habitable Planets, Part 2
NASA's Kepler mission's principal investigator, Bill Borucki, talks about the search for exoplanets that might be habitable. Part 2 of 2. John Matson reports
Kepler Searches for Planets in Habitable Zones
NASA's Kepler mission's principal investigator, Bill Borucki, talks about the search for exoplanets that might be in habitable zones around their stars. John Matson reports
Space Station Gets Close Wake-up Call
Orbital debris within 250 meters of the International Space station is a warning to clean up the neighborhood before a tragic impact. John Matson reports
Planets with Stabilizing Moons May Be Common
Computer simulations show that about 10 percent of planets could have a massive moon that helps to stabilize the planetary tilt. John Matson reports
Voyager 1 May Have Reached the Heliopause
After 34 years in space, 17 billion miles from Earth, Voyager 1 has reached or is about to reach the heliopause. John Matson reports
Fragments of Single Meteorite Show Different Chemistry
The Tagish Lake meteorite fragments contain widely varying organic compounds, a sign that chemical reactions were taking place on board the body in space. John Matson reports
Step Right Up and Guess the Star's Age
A database of stars with known ages and spin rates could let astronomers gauge more stars' ages and find the ones old enough to support planets that could have complex life. John Matson reports
What's Flinging Comets Out of the Oort Cloud?
A planet-size object could be behind the odd departure of some comets from the Oort Cloud--and toward us. John Matson reports
WiggleZ Project Confirms Dark Energy's Effects
A survey of 150,000 galaxies confirms predictions about dark energy, thought to be what's driving galaxies apart. John Matson reports
Space Boat Could See Sea Near Saturn
Among projects under consideration by NASA is one that would send a boat to the hydrocarbon sea on Saturn's moon Titan to check out its composition and chemistry. John Matson reports.
Milky Way Should Have Much More Companionship
Our understanding of dark matter says the Milky Way should have many times more than its dozen or so small satellite galaxies. John Matson reports
Comet Bops Past Neptune Cleanly
Comet Hale-Bopp has been spotted beyond the orbit of Neptune, far enough from the sun to be without its dirty tail. John Matson reports
Giant Energetic Bubbles Adorn the Milky Way
Two 30,000 light-year-long blobs called Fermi bubbles have been discovered on either side of our galactic plane. John Matson reports