Image courtesy of Cheongho Han and colleagues at the Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute. Galaxies for Peace Windowpane Observatory & the Arizona Department of Peace Campaign launch the Adopt a Galaxy project in support of "Peace on Earth & Peace in Space"      > click here for details Astrotales Click on a title to read the tale: Why is the Hubble Space Telescope named after a lawyer who competitively boxed? How did a patent clerk develop the theory of relativity? How did the discoverer of galaxies become the toast of Hollywood, upstaging even Einstein?      > read more Astrotales Ask the Astronomer Click on a question to see the answer: Did the Big Bang occur in complete nothingness or did something trigger the Big Bang's explosion? What do worm holes and curved space have in common and how are they different?      > more questions Astronomers find piece of universe missing Scientists have located a sizeable chunk of the universe that seemed to be missing since back when the stars first formed.      > read the full story more astronomy news...      > visit Deep Space Bulletin

A distant solar system like our own

This artist's rendering (left) of a distant solar system shows two newly discovered planets -- one resembling Jupiter (middle) and one resembling Saturn (middle right). Both planets orbit a star that is about half the size of our sun. The light from a more distant star (upper right) made the discovery possible, as it brightened and dimmed through a phenomenon called gravitational microlensing. Ohio State University astronomers led an international collaboration that published the discovery in the Feb. 15 issue of the journal Science.

     > read press release from NSF



Google brings the universe to a computer near you
Google Earth just expanded to include detailed imagery and information of the known universe. Now anyone can explore space from their own computer.

     > read the full story



Mysterious cosmic rays linked to galactic powerhouses
Astronomers at the Auger Cosmic Ray Observatory have linked mysterious cosmic rays to a galactic powerhouse.

     > read the full story



Astronomers find a fifth planet in a solar system similar to ours
The fifth planet of the star 55 Canceri, pictured below, has sparked a new method of finding planets, some believed to be inhabitable.

     > read the full story



Above: Artist's rendering of the latest planet discovered orbiting the star 55 Canceri, which has a solar system similar to Earth's.