Despite Its Faults (and Costs), Hubble Remains Crucial

Extra-full moon put on a pretty good show around the world

(NEWSER) - For those stuck under cloud cover, or those of us who grumpily didn't think it looked that different, last night's "supermoon" yielded some pretty spectacular images from around the world—including moonrise over Libya. Click through the gallery, and for even more images, go to Space.com's gallery . More»

But contrary to rumor, it had nothing to do with Japan's earthquake

(NEWSER) - Hope for clear skies: A "supermoon" is due tomorrow. NASA scientist Jim Garvin explains that a supermoon is "when the moon is slightly closer to Earth in its orbit than on average"—a situation that’s "most noticeable" when it coincides with a full moon, as it will tomorrow. "The moon may seem bigger, although the difference in its distance from Earth is only a few percent at such times," continues Garvin. Tomorrow, the moon will be some 221,567 miles from Earth; usually it’s more like 238,000 miles, the Christian Science Monitor reports. More»

Amount of dark energy suggests it will expand forever

(NEWSER) - Scientists say they've learned "exactly what the fate of the universe will be," and it doesn't sound pleasant. A team led by a NASA astronomer predicts the universe will continue to expand forever and eventually will become a cold, dead wasteland, the BBC reports. How did they arrive at this cheery conclusion? By using a "galactic lens" to calculate the amount of dark energy in the cosmos. More»

(USER SUBMITTED) - A new instrument on the Hubble Space Telescope has captured evidence of a Sun-like star "eating" a nearby planet. The planet, called Wasp-12b, may only have another 10 million years left before it is devoured, the BBC reports . So close to its star that it completes an orbit in 1.1 Earth days, it is superheated to more than 1,500C—the highest temperature of any known planet in the Milky Way—and distended to a football shape by powerful tidal forces, NASA adds . Because of this proximity, the planet's atmosphere has ballooned to nearly three times the radius of Jupiter and is spilling material on to the star. More»

Historic images reveal high-def surface, flares

(NEWSER) - NASA has released astounding new photos and videos of the sun for the first time revealing high definition, close-up views of the solar surface and exploding flares. The images were captured by the space telescope of the Solar Dynamics Observatory, and are providing historic new insight into sun mechanics, notes the Melbourne Herald Sun . More»