A simulation of magnetic fields at the time of solar maximum. (University of Montreal Solar Physics Research Group w) A magnetic "solar heartbeat" beats deep in the sun's interior, generating energy that leads to solar flares and sunspots, according to new research. A new supercomputer simulation, described in the April 4 edition of the journal Science, probes the sun's periodic magnetic field reversals. Every 40 years, according to the model, the sun's zonal magnetic field bands switch their orientation, or...

These global views of Jupiter's icy moon Europa were captured by NASA's Galileo spacecraft in June 1997. The image on the left shows Europa in natural color, while the right-side image has enhanced colors to bring out subtle color differences to show differences between pure water ice (white and bluish white) and non-ice components (red, brown and yellow spots). (NASA/JPL/University of Arizona ) A potential energy source for life appears to be common on Jupiter's icy moon Europa, a new...

Data from NASA's Kepler mission finds evidence for at least 100 billion planets in our galaxy. Image released January 3, 2013. (NASA/JPL-Caltech) NASA has picked two new low-cost missions for launch in 2017: a planet-hunting satellite and an International Space Station experiment designed to probe the nature of exotic, super-dense neutron stars. The Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) and Neutron Star Interior Composition Explorer (NICER) are the latest missions chosen under NASA's Astrophysics Explorer Program, which caps costs at $200...

Artist's concept: Disappearance of the ancient magnetic field may have triggered the loss of the Martian atmosphere. (NASA ) The planet Mars lost most of its original atmosphere long ago when huge amounts of gas escaped into space, leaving only a wispy remnant behind, scientists say. NASA's Mars rover Curiosity has revealed that a light variant of the gas argon is relatively depleted in Martian air, bolstering a longstanding belief that the Red Planet's current atmosphere — which is just...

A look at a powerful M6.5 class flare, the strongest of 2013 at the time, at 3:16 EDT on April 11, 2013. This image shows a combination of light in wavelengths of 131 and 171 Angstroms. (NASA/SDO) The most powerful solar flare of the year erupted from the sun Thursday, sparking a temporary radio blackout on Earth, NASA officials say. The solar flare occurred at 3:16 a.m. EDT and registered as a M6.5-class sun storm, a relatively mid-level flare on...

(NASA/JPL/University of Arizona) Have you ever seen Jupiter in daylight? This weekend, you just might get your chance. Very few people have, but you could get an opportunity to join those elite ranks on Sunday. On that date, the to Jupiter, and can be used to locate the planet in the daytime sky. (MORE: ) Although the daytime sky looks like an unbroken blue blanket on a clear, sunny day, it is actually just as transparent in daylight as it...

(NASA) As political tension continue between North and South Korea, here's a view of these two nations from space. NASA's Earth Observatory nighttime image of the Korean Peninsula was captured on Sept. 24, 2012, by the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) on the Suomi NPP satellite. NASA writes: City lights at night are a fairly reliable indicator of where people live. But this isn’t always the case, and the Korean Peninsula shows why. As of July 2012, South Korea’s...

In this artist rendition provided by TMT, the Thirty Meter Telescope is seen. China and India have signed on to be partners for a project to build the Thirty Meter Telescope, which will be the world's largest when it's finished in 2018, at the summit of Mauna Kea volcano in Hawaii. (Thirty Meter Telescope project) HONOLULU – A plan by California and Canadian universities to build the world's largest telescope at the summit of Hawaii's Mauna Kea volcano has won...

Mars Twin Craters A color view of two craters, both roughly 50 kilometers in diameter, in the Thaumasia Planum region just south of Vallis Marineris at approximately 17°S / 296°E and have a ground resolution of approximately 25 meters per pixel. The northern (right) crater is named Arima, while the southern (left) crater is unnamed. (Courtesy European Space Agency) Dramatic explosions deep under the Mars surface, possibly involving ice, are believed to have created a pair of massive craters spotted...

New York City A minute and a half after the launch, the rocket should be visible from Manhattan. (Photo courtesy of Orbital) WALLOPS ISLAND, Va. — A private company contracted by NASA to make supply runs to the International Space Station scrubbed a Wednesday test launch of an unmanned rocket, saying cables linked to the rocket's second stage apparently detached too early in blustery winds. (PHOTOS: ) The towering Antares rocket had been scheduled to blast off Wednesday afternoon from...

WASHINGTON -- NASA's planet-hunting telescope has discovered two planets that seem like ideal places for some sort of life to flourish. They are just the right size and in just the right place near their star. The distant duo are the best candidates for habitable planets that astronomers have found so far, said William Borucki, the chief scientist for NASA's Kepler telescope. The discoveries, published online Thursday in the journal Science, mark a milestone in the search for planets where...

In this image made from video provided by NASA, Russian cosmonauts Pavel Vinogradov, left, and Roman Romanenko perform a spacewalk outside the International Space Station to gather old science experiments and install new ones, and replace a navigation device. (AP Photo/NASA) CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — A 59-year-old Russian cosmonaut became the world's oldest spacewalker Friday, joining a much younger cosmonaut's son for maintenance work outside the International Space Station. Pavel Vinogradov, a cosmonaut for two decades, claimed the honor as...