The crawler-transporter underneath Space Shuttle Atlantis and mobile launcher platform begins rolling away from Launch Pad 39B, taking the shuttle back to the Vehicle Assembly Building. The rollback is a safety precaution as the area waits for the arrival of Tropical Storm Ernesto. The storm is forecast to be bringing 58-mph to 70-mph winds in […]

Cassini looks into the 245-kilometer (150-mile) wide crater Melanthius in this view of the southern terrain on Tethys. The crater possesses a prominent cluster of peaks in its center which are relics of its formation.
Notable here is a distinct boundary in crater abundance — the cratering density is much higher in […]

We’re now beginning to see widespread reaction to the International Astronomical Union’s newly-adopted planetary guidelines, from scientists, astronomers, and the general public. Some argue that the end result makes sense both logically and scientifically, given that Pluto’s characteristics tend to distance it from our more prominent planetary neighbors. Others staunchly oppose the verdict, incensed by […]

The vote is in, and Pluto is out.

The IAU members gathered at the 2006 General Assembly agreed that a “planet” is defined as a celestial body that (a) is in orbit around the Sun, (b) has sufficient mass for its self-gravity to overcome rigid body forces so that it assumes a hydrostatic equilibrium (nearly round) […]

Here’s the skinny, verbatim:
The Final IAU Resolution on the definition of “planet” ready for voting
At the second session of the 2006 International Astronomical Union (IAU) General Assembly, which will be held 14:00 Thursday 24 August, members of the IAU will vote on the Resolutions presented below. There will be separate sequential votes on Resolution 5A […]

This artist’s impression displays a dozen candidate planets currently listed on the International Astronomical Union’s watchlist next to the Earth for scale. The number of planets in our solar system could increase significantly in coming years. Or not. First, the IAU must determine what a planet actually is. Credit: The IAU / Martin Kornmesser
Here’s […]

Big news came down the pike yesterday. For the first time ever, it was announced that scientists have directly detected the existence of dark matter - elusive particles thought to account for roughly a quarter of the universe’s mass under current cosmological models. There are still numerous, fundamental questions to tackle about a universe in […]