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Fresh puzzle over dark energy supernovae (280 diggs) IT'S an embarrassing gap in astronomers' knowledge. Despite relying on type Ia supernovae as tools to measure the dark energy speeding up the universe's expansion, they still don't know exactly what causes the blasts. Now the picture has got even fuzzier.

Surface of Mercury Dominated By Volcanism & Iron-Deficiency (254 diggs) Volcanism has played a more extensive role in shaping the surface of Mercury than scientists had thought. This result comes from multispectral imaging data gathered in January 2008 by MESSENGER, the latest spacecraft to visit the sun's innermost planet.

Mysteries of time, and the multiverse (1,052 diggs) In his studies of entropy and the irreversibility of time, Caltech physicist Sean Carroll is exploring the idea that our universe is part of a larger structure.

Spacecraft Woken for Asteroid Encounter (405 diggs) A comet-chasing spacecraft has been awoken during its years-long journey so it can study an asteroid it will fly past this September. Launched in March 2004, Rosetta will reach its final destination only in 2014, after traveling a total of about 4 billion miles (6.5 billion kilometers). The spacecraft will also fly by asteroid Lutetia in June 2010.

How the Hubble Telecope Assembles Raw Image Data (690 diggs) From the telescope's raw data to the final, fully processed photograph, this feature shows the various steps and how much effort went into assembling the famous image of the Eagle Nebula.

APOD: Comet Between Fireworks and Lightning (515 diggs) Sometimes the sky itself is the best show in town. Last January, people from Perth, Australia gathered on a local beach to watch a sky light up with delights near and far. Nearby, fireworks exploded as part of Australia Day celebrations. On the far right, lightning from a thunderstorm flashed in the distance. Near the image center, though, seen thr

Giant Jupiter Shines Bright (442 diggs) Over in the west-northwest sky at dusk, Mars and Saturn remain a lovely sight in close proximity to the bright bluish star, Regulus in Leo. Meanwhile, emerging into view low in the southeast you'll note a very bright silvery "star." That star however, is the planet identified with the supreme sky-god: Jupiter.

Does the Sun look smaller to you? Earth was at aphelion. (604 diggs) Criminy, I almost forgot: today, July 4th, at roughly 08:00 UT, the Earth was at aphelion. Uh, what? I hear you ask. OK, brief astrolesson for ya, then back to the grill!

APOD: SN 1006 Supernova Remnant (430 diggs) A new star, likely the brightest supernova in recorded human history, lit up planet Earth's sky in the year 1006 AD. The expanding debris cloud from the stellar explosion, found in the southerly constellation of Lupus, still puts on a cosmic light show across the electromagnetic spectrum.

Moon mistaken for a UFO (1,721 diggs) Police in Wales were called to investigate a mysterious flying saucer, only to discover it was the moon.

Up Close View of the Space Shuttle's Main Engine (1,134 diggs) Visitors to the National Mall get an up close and personal view of the space shuttle's main engine thanks to the display provided by the Stennis Space Center.

Giant telescopes could be built from Moon dust (404 diggs) Dust – often thought of as an impediment to lunar exploration – could be put to good use to build giant telescopes on the Moon – perhaps some large enough to fill entire craters, says a team of US researchers.

Mercury is shrinking, Nasa space probe reveals (752 diggs) The smallest planet in the solar system is shrinking, a space mission to Mercury has revealed.The Messenger space probe, which began its 5 billion mile journey to Mercury four years ago, has provided new evidence that the closest planet to the sun is contracting in on itself.

Stars and a Stripe in Celestial Fireworks (468 diggs) A delicate ribbon of gas floats eerily in our galaxy. A contrail from an alien spaceship? A jet from a black-hole? Actually this image, taken by NASA's Hubble Space Telescope, is a very thin section of a supernova remnant caused by a stellar explosion that occurred more than 1,000 years ago.

Can you figure out what's going on in this wild NASA photo? (2,613 diggs) I'm still having difficulty picturing the scenario based on the explanation provided, but its definitely a serendipitously- timed photograph worth sharing with everyone.

'Brain breathalysers' may scan astronauts for stress (311 diggs) With jam-packed schedules and a video feed to Earth, astronauts enjoy precious little privacy as it is. Soon, doctors might peek into an astronaut's last bastion of solitude, thanks to a portable brain scanner that could one day go into orbit.Mission control could use the device to remotely monitor astronauts for signs of brain injury, [...]

Rain on the Martian Plain? (487 diggs) A new soil analysis suggests a drizzly past for the Red Planet.

30 Abosultely Incredible Abstract Satellite Images of Earth (696 diggs) “It is impossible to give a clear account of the world, but art can teach us to reproduce it - just as the world reproduces itself in the course of its eternal gyrations. ” Albert Camus

Apod: Voodoo Sky (441 diggs) http:// apod.nasa.gov/apod/ ap080703.html

Solar system a bit squashed, not nicely round (464 diggs) By Will Dunham WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The solar system may not be a nice round shape, but rather a bit squashed and oblong, according to data from the Voyager 2 spacecraft exploring the solar system's outer limits, scientists said on Wednesday.

Can You Hear Black Holes Collide? (572 diggs) The renewed search for gravitational waves.

China's Secret Lunar Agenda: Will the US lose the moon race? (596 diggs) The U.S. was once the leader in space exploration. Now, China plans to map the moon for energy alternatives. Russia plans to deploy a lunar base in 2015. What does the future hold?

Pictures Reveal Solar System is Not Round But Egg-shaped (666 diggs) The Solar System is not round, but an egg shape with its bottom edge squashed inward, according to data beamed back from a three decade old space probe. The outer limits of the system of planets around our own Sun, where the influence of our local star ends, are being probed by the Voyager spacecraft, which were launched in 1977.

Life In The Milky Way: Do Galactic Cycles Influence Earth (621 diggs) Do Galactic Cycles Influence Earth's Biological History? Research revealed that the rise and fall of species on Earth seems to be driven by the undulating motions of our solar system as it travels through the Milky Way. Scientists believe that this cosmic force may offer the answer to some of the biggest questions in our Earth biological history.

Man on the Moon: Images of the Future and Past [PICS] (1,407 diggs) With two currently functioning orbiters, and five more missions planned in the next year, Earth's Moon may soon have seven active probes operated by five nations, with even more coming soon. Here are 7 photos of our possible future on the Moon, and a look back, with ten images from our last visits with the Apollo missions, more than 36 years ago.