Earth

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5 New Earth-Like Planets Spotted

Hello, is anyone out there?

(Newser) - Scientists have spotted five new planets orbiting stars in our galaxy that are close to the size of Earth and are located in a "habitable zone," according to researchers. They're the right distance from their stars that make the existence of life-essential liquid water possible. The planets are...

Observatory to Unveil Search for Other Earths, Life

Kepler observatory to release early findings this week

(Newser) - There's a roving eye watching deep space for signs that the truth—or at least other Earth-like planets or even life—is out there, and we're going to get a glimpse this week. The $600 million Kepler observatory is tracking a small piece of sky filled with some 4.5...

Hawking: Ditch Earth, Head to Space to Survive

But watch out for the aliens

(Newser) - If mankind is to survive we must leave earth for colonies on other planets within the next 100 years, warns renowned physicist Stephen Hawking. "I see big dangers for mankind. Our only chance of long-term survival is not to remain inward looking on planet Earth but to spread out...

Northern Lights Head South—for 1 Night

Aurora borealis may be visible in northern US tonight

(Newser) - Thanks to a plasma eruption that roiled the surface of the sun, residents of the northern US and Canada may be able to enjoy a spectacular show tonight—the Northern Lights. "This eruption is directed right at us, and is expected to get here early in the day on...

Earth Not So Old

 Earth Not 
 So Old 

in case you missed it

Earth Not So Old

Planet was 100 million years in the making

(Newser) - Earth may have taken much longer to form after the birth of the solar system than was previously believed—making it a mere 4.467 billion years old, compared to its previously estimated age of 4.567 billion years. Geologists made the new calculations by comparing chemicals from the earth's...

Gravity's Rainbow Captured in HD

Satellite provides picture of planet pull

(Newser) - A mesmerizingly multi-hued map of the Earth's gravity has been created with the help of detailed measurements taken by Europe's Goce satellite. The data has been transformed into a "geoid," or map, highlighting the differences in the planet's pull, from its mountain ranges to ocean trenches, to create...

Beware of E.T.: Stephen Hawking

Famed physicist believes in aliens, but not that they come in peace

(Newser) - Life almost certainly exists elsewhere in the universe, and humans on Earth should be doing everything in their power to keep away from the alien beings, Stephen Hawking says. "We only have to look at ourselves to see how intelligent life might develop into something we wouldn’t want...

Chile Quake Shifted Earth's Axis, Shortened Day

Moving masses of rock by several meters affects rotation

(Newser) - The magnitude 8.8 earthquake that hit Chile may have actually shifted the Earth's axis, shortening the length of a day, a NASA scientist says. Moving hundreds of kilometers of rock changes the earth's distribution of mass, and, in turn, changes the planet's rate of rotation. In this case, the...

Astronauts 'Moved to Tears' by New Views
 Astronauts 
 'Moved to Tears' 
 by New Views  
SPACE STATION WINDOW

Astronauts 'Moved to Tears' by New Views

In addition to a pretty sight, 'Cupola' will aid in shuttle docking

(Newser) - The shutters are open on the International Space Station’s new observation deck, which one astronaut describes as a “bay window to the world,” and the views are stunning. The centerpiece of the “Cupola,” as it’s called, is a 31-inch diameter circular aperture that is...

Russia: We'll Save Earth From Asteroid

Space agency confirms secret talks are in works

(Newser) - A 1,150-foot asteroid on a collision course with Earth could create a France-sized desert in 2036—unless Russian scientists can avert the catastrophe. No, it’s not the plot of a science-fiction movie; the head of Russia’s space agency confirms secret talks are in the works to prevent...

Relax, World Isn't Ending in 2012

Scientists are busy debunking growing urban legend

(Newser) - The statement issued by a Los Angeles observatory and Sky & Telescope magazine this week says it all: "The world will not come to an end on Dec. 21, 2012." It seems a confluence of events—the coming end of the Mayan calendar, for one, and the...

Discovery Leaves Space Station, Heads for Home

(Newser) - The shuttle Discovery detached from the International Space Station today and began its journey home to Earth, Space.com reports. The 13-day mission help resupply and repair the station; the seven crewmembers are scheduled to return to Florida’s Kennedy Space Center at 7:05pm Thursday.

Sony Armageddon Hoax in Crashing Bad Taste

World will end in 2012: Sony site

(Newser) - The latest Armageddon hoax has a marketing spin that LiveScience's Robert Roy Britt describes as a "sick twist." Sony Pictures went to elaborate lengths to disguise its movie plug on the "Institute for Human Continuity" website, which warns of "cataclysmic events that will devastate our planet"...

Box Office Obsessed With Beyonc&eacute;
 Box Office 
 Obsessed 

 With Beyoncé 
BOX OFFICE ROUNDUP

Box Office Obsessed With Beyoncé

(Newser) - Beyoncé Knowles’ Obsessed clobbered rivals in this weekend’s box office prizefight, banking $28.5 million, Entertainment Weekly reports. 17 Again stayed pretty with $11.7 million, while Fighting ($11.4 million) demolished The Soloist ($9.7 million) in the battle for third. Disney’s Earth orbited into fifth with...

Dim Sun Is Cold Comfort to Scientists

(Newser) - The sun may be heading for one of its dimmest periods in history, but that doesn't mean the big star is joining the battle against global warming, according to scientists. The sun hit a 100-year low in sunspot activity last year, reports the Telegraph.

Search for 'Earth's Twin' Finds Similar-Sized Planet

(Newser) - Astronomers in Chile looking for an Earth-like planet have discovered the closest one in size yet, the BBC reports. Don’t get your hopes up: Though Gliese 581 e, which lies outside our solar system, is just twice as large as Earth, it travels far too close to its sun...

Scientists Spot End of World
 Scientists Spot End of World 

Scientists Spot End of World

Remains of solar systems discovered around dead stars

(Newser) - Astronomers looking at dead stars trillions of miles away believe they have glimpsed Earth's eventual fate, the Times of London reports. The scientists found that many white dwarfs—stars that swelled, burned out, and collapsed—are surrounded by a dust they think is the remnants of planets like ours destroyed...

Calif. Utility Aims to Buy Power From Space

Orbiting solar farm planned for 2016

(Newser) - California’s Pacific Gas and Electric is seeking approval for its commitment to buy electricity from an innovative source, the San Francisco Chronicle reports: an orbiting solar power array that would beam electricity back to Earth. Solaren Corp. plans to deploy the satellite sometime before 2016; PG&E has signaled...

Kepler Begins Search for Other 'Earths'

Spacecraft will spend next 3 years searching for planet in 'Goldilocks zone'

(Newser) - NASA's planet-hunting spacecraft Kepler was successfully launched from Cape Canaveral last night, Space.com reports. Kepler, the widest-field telescope ever sent into space, will spend the next three years scanning the sky for a planet in the "Goldilocks zone" where conditions are just right for liquid water to exist...

NASA Begins Hunt for Earth-Like Planets

(Newser) - NASA will launch its Kepler space telescope tomorrow on a 3-year mission to look for planets as habitable to life as Earth, the Christian Science Monitor reports. Kepler will use a sophisticated digital camera, 10 times more sensitive than consumer models, to survey distant stars for orbiting planets with just...

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