Astronomy
The Word From Mercury: MESSENGER Has Been Delivered
History has been made yet again: NASA's MESSENGER spacecraft is now in orbit around the solar system's innermost planet!
Post on Apr 08, 2011 by Ben Burress
SuperMoon—or Paul Bunyan Moon?
On March 19, the Full Moon coincided with the Moon's closest approach to Earth. Was this "Super Moon" really super, or did it grow largest in the telling?
Post on Mar 25, 2011 by Ben Burress
Mark your Calendar for the Golden State Star Party
The Golden State Star Party is the only major stargazing "star party" that occurs in Northern California.
Post on Mar 22, 2011 by Laura Khalil
Goodnight, Supermoon
Did you see the supermoon through this weekend’s cloudy skies? The supermoon is a full moon that appears to loom super large and super bright in the sky, because the earth and moon are as close together as they get.
Post on Mar 21, 2011 by Jennifer Skene
DIY Telescope Workshop at The Randall Museum
Learn to make your own telescope and take a whole new look at the night sky.
Post on Mar 15, 2011 by Laura Khalil
Mastodons, Mummies, and Meteorites: Evidence of Life Out There?
A recent publishing of the investigation of a rare class of meteorite (the CI1 Carbonaceous Chondrite) by Dr. Richard Hoover of NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center has caused another stir among scientists and the news media regarding possible origins of life on Earth and life in the Universe in general.
Post on Mar 11, 2011 by Ben Burress
NASA's Cosmic Two-For-One Deal: A Return to Comet Tempel 1
On February 14, 2011, NASA encountered the comet Tempel 1 using the recycled Stardust spacecraft. For the first time in history, they visited the same comet twice – affording them the opportunity to observe changes in the icy body.
Post on Feb 25, 2011 by Ben Burress
Behind-The-Scenes at NASA Ames Research Center
NASA invites social media fans on Twitter to get an inside look at its research centers and speak with scientists and astronauts.
Post on Feb 15, 2011 by Laura Khalil
Kepler's Smokin' Performance: Zero to 68 in 4 Months!
NASA's Kepler mission announces the results from its first four months of observations: 1235 possible planets around other stars!
Post on Feb 11, 2011 by Ben Burress
Famous African-American Astronauts
This April is the 50th Anniversary of Yuri Gagiran going into space, the 30th Anniversary of the first US Space Shuttle Columbia launching into space and the 10th Anniversary of Yuri’s Night.
Post on Feb 03, 2011 by Cat
Volcano Slushies and Floating Robots: Titanic Possibilities
Saturn’s little moon, Titan, just keeps getting more and more interesting.
Post on Jan 28, 2011 by Ben Burress from QUEST Northern California
It's a Long, Long Way to Alderaan, but Kepler 10B is a Sight Closer
Among the thousands of vivid and unique Earth-sized planets we have come to know through Science Fiction, NASA's Kepler mission has now given us our first real one: meet Kepler 10b.
Post on Jan 14, 2011 by Ben Burress
Goodbye to the Bevatron
With the demolition of the Bevatron, a chapter of the Bay Area's high-level physics research comes to a close.
Post on Jan 13, 2011 by Amy Standen
To Boldly Go…Alone
The idea of a one-way, one-astronaut mission to Mars isn't brand new, even in the non-sci-fi world of real space exploration chatter, but it has recently resurfaced in the news.
Post on Dec 31, 2010 by Ben Burress
Midnight Delight: Total Lunar Eclipse
The Moon and the Earth have a very special relationship in the Cosmos, and one of the most striking and beautiful examples of the this takes place Monday evening: a total lunar eclipse.
Post on Dec 17, 2010 by Ben Burress
Science on the SPOT: Watching the Tides
Ocean tides rise and fall twice a day, influenced by the gravitational forces of the sun and moon. QUEST explores how tides work and visits the oldest continually operating tidal gauge in the Western Hemisphere.
Video on Dec 10, 2010 by Chris Bauer from QUEST Northern California
Producer's Notes: Science on the SPOT: Watching the Tides
A little white shack with the red roof along Crissy Field holds a lot of history and houses vitally important scientific instruments.
Post on Dec 10, 2010 by Chris Bauer
Arsenic and Old Lakes: NASA Finds Life NOT As We Know It
NASA announces finding "life NOT as we know it" in the arsenic-laced waters of Mono Lake.
Post on Dec 03, 2010 by Ben Burress
Arsenic-Eating Bacteria Expands Definition of Life
A Bay Area biochemist has found a new strain of bacteria living in the briny shores of Mono Lake that can not only eat arsenic, a substance highly toxic to most organisms, but thrive on it.
Post on Dec 02, 2010 by Sheraz Sadiq
Tiny Satellites Give NASA Big Returns
On Friday, a NASA satellite hitched a ride aboard a U.S. Air Force rocket that launched into space from Kodiak Island, Alaska. But this isn’t your typical satellite.
Post on Nov 19, 2010 by Sheraz Sadiq
