Will fragments of a Chinese satellite threaten Hubble and other orbiting instruments? NASA/ESA On January 11, China launched a missile that destroyed one of its weather satellites. Although Beijing may tell the U.S. State Department and the world that the action isn't a threat, it actually is. Surely, this will spur greater militarization of space. Should China — or any other nation — continue experiments like this, there could be...

January 28 to February 3 has been a tough week for NASA and the United States public. On January 27, 1967, the Apollo I capsule caught fire during a pre-flight test, killing astronauts Edward White, Virgil (Gus) Grissom, and Roger Chaffee. On January 28, 1986, the space shuttle Challenger exploded 73 seconds into flight, killing all seven crew aboard. On February 1, 2003, the space shuttle Columbia burned up on reentry, claiming another seven NASA...

Here's the last installment of my tips for beginning star-party goers. Never move someone's telescope without permission. If the object you're observing seems to be drifting out of the field of view, briefly mention this to the telescope's owner. He or she will more than likely show you how to adjust for that, either manually with slow-motion controls or with an electronic hand paddle. Sometimes, especially if the scope's balance...

Mars Express captured this view of the northern branch of Kasei Valles, one of the biggest outflow channels on Mars. ESA/DLR/FU Berlin (G. Neukum) Three years ago this week, the Mars rover Opportunity landed in a tiny crater in a largely featureless plain known as Meridiani Planum. It had already been preceded 3 weeks earlier by its twin, Spirit, which bounced to a stop in Gusev Crater. NASA designed the rovers to survive 3 Earth months. So, surviving...

What are the best objects to observe in the sky, outside our solar system? For years, the front runners were always, invariably, the Orion Nebula and the Andromeda Galaxy. Telescopes, technology, and observers' information sources have changed so much over the past several years, however, that I wonder if the objects Astronomy readers favor have now shifted around. Among open clusters, do you see the Pleiades, Beehive, and Double Cluster as the...

A historic telescope is now very modern: the 200-inch (5.1 meters) Hale Telescope on Palomar Mountain in California has a web cam . The Hale was the world's largest telescope for 45 years (1948–1993), and it still performs science. This morning, around 9 PST, engineers will lift off the top of the telescope and bring it down to the observing floor in order to aluminize the secondary mirror. Check it out. If you miss it, don't worry —...

In a recent blog, I told you about the contest for a free ride into suborbital space sponsored by Microsoft Corp. and chipmaker Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) Inc. Ticket prices for such adventures run into the hundreds of thousands of dollars and even the millions. DreamSpace’s XF-1 is a one-person spaceship that will take off like a plane and soar into suborbital space using a liquid-fuel rocket engine. The prototype XF-1 could be ready for...

Following up on last week's start, here are a few more suggestions I hope you'll consider before you attend a star party. With regard to viewing through someone else's telescope — focus! I have suggested this to thousands of people, young and old, beginning and advanced, and I repeat it here. Our eyes are not all the same. Even a minute amount of focusing can reveal details within Saturn's rings that were invisible before. It's...

Astronomers and native Hawaiians both worship Mauna Kea, but for very different reasons. The 13,796 foot (4,205 meter) peak of the volcano is the Mecca of ground-based astronomy. It hosts 12 observatories, including the Keck, Gemini North, and Subaru telescopes. This aerial view shows sunrise on Mauna Kea. Part of the shadow of Mauna Kea can be seen in the background. The observatories seen here are (from right to left): Keck I and II (large twin...

"Water on Mars!" Headlines like this almost write themselves. The media jump at the opportunity to trumpet such reports — and what the implications may be for life on other worlds. It happens with Mars (frequently), Jupiter's moon Europa (often), and even Saturn's moon Enceladus (the latest entry in the water/life sweepstakes). Mars Global Surveyor imaged a fresh impact crater with a dark debris pattern (left image) March 13...