Astronomy
KQED News
Near-Earth Object To Come 25,000 Miles Close
Copyright 2014 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/. ...Read More
KQED Science
NASA’s MAVEN Spacecraft Will Explore Mars’ Upper Atmosphere
On September 21, NASA's MAVEN (Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution) spacecraft will go boldly where no one has gone before: to the very top of the Martian atmosphere!
KQED Science
ESA’s Rosetta Spacecraft Makes a First-Ever Comet Rendezvous
The European Space Agency’s (ESA) Rosetta has reached its target -- the Comet 67p/Churyumov-Gerasimenko -- becoming the first spacecraft in history to rendezvous with a comet.
KQED Science
NASA’s Opportunity Rolls a Record Distance on Mars
One of NASA's most senior and still-operational spacecraft reached a milestone: the rover Opportunity completed its first 25 miles traveling across the surface of Mars!
KQED Science
Europe’s Rosetta Spacecraft Will Soon Ride a Comet
Europe's Rosetta mission is poised to add another extraterrestrial landfall to a very short list, and top a new list as it becomes the first mission to land a probe on a comet.
KQED Science
NASA’s Cassini Spacecraft: A Decade of Discovery at Saturn
A decade ago, NASA's Cassini spacecraft, the largest and most complex robotic probe yet built, arrived in the Saturn system to begin a marathon exploration of the gas giant, its famous and awe-inspiring rings and what has turned out to be a collection of some of the most eye-opening moons in the solar system.
KQED Science
Carbon-Tracking Satellite Will Monitor Earth’s ‘Breathing’
The data could yield a much more precise picture of how accumulating greenhouse gases will affect the planet.
KQED Science
Newly Discovered Object in Space May Signal the Presence of Two Distant Worlds
Will the generation that is coming into the world today know more than eight, more than nine, solar planets? Some recent observations make this prospect sound like a strong possibility.
KQED Science
Studying Exoplanets: What A Thousand Points of Light Might Reveal About Earth
As a flood of new exoplanets swim into our ken, we have ways of turning these pixel-size steams of data into insights about our own planet.
KQED Science
Kepler 10c: An Unexpected Heavyweight Earth
How big can an Earth-like planet be? Astronomers thought they had a pretty good handle on this question but have just been given a fresh example of how nature never ceases to outpace our imaginations and show us something unexpected.
KQED Science
From 63 Light Years Away, An Exoplanet is Ready for Its Closeup
Recently, a major milestone in space exploration was reached: a planet was captured in a picture! The big deal is that the planet captured in this shot, a gas giant planet named Beta Pictoris b, is 63 light years away--over 100,000 times farther away than even Pluto.
News Fix
May Camelopardalids, We Hardly Saw You
No, we didn't see a meteor shower. But the late-night stars and pictures were pretty good. ...Read More
News Fix
Tonight’s Meteor Shower: Never Before Seen and Maybe Up to 200 an Hour
The May Camelopardalids, named after the 'camel leopard' constellation, might be phenomenal. ...Read More
KQED Science
Major Solar Storm Narrowly Misses Earth
Two years ago, a solar coronal mass ejection of possibly the greatest recorded strength in history blasted by Earth's orbit. Had it impacted Earth's protective magnetic field, we could have experienced major disruptions in communication, brilliant aurora displays at tropical latitudes, damage to orbital satellites and possibly even major power blackouts.
KQED Science
Citing Budget Concerns, NASA Defends Long-Term Plan To Reach Mars in 20 Years
Recently, NASA administrator Charles Bolden rephrased the "Moon, Mars and Beyond" mission plan to better align the steps toward Mars with budgetary realities and to balance human space programs with more cost-effective robotic missions.
KQED Science
SpaceX Launches its Dragon Spacecraft to the International Space Station
SpaceX, a private space company, is trying again on Friday to launch its Dragon spacecraft to the International Space Station. Its first attempt to launch this mission was scratched on Monday because of a helium leak.
KQED Science
NASA’s Cassini Divines Hidden Waters of Saturn’s Moon Enceladus
Modern explorers have found a previously unknown ocean -- but this one's on Saturn's moon Enceladus. Learn more from Chabot Space & Science Center's Ben Burress at KQED Science.
KQED Science
Scientists Find A Planet Like Earth
The planet, about 500 light-years from Earth, orbits in its star's habitable zone.
KQED Science
Monday’s SpaceX Launch Cancelled; Next Opportunity is April 18
SpaceX is launching a rocket to the International Space Station this afternoon. The live webcast begins at 12:45 PST and the launch itself is scheduled for 1:58.
KQED Science
Blood Moon: A Chance to Watch a Total Lunar Eclipse
It'll be a great view in the Bay Area late on the night of April 14, as long as clouds don't cover up the moon.
