ScienceDaily: Space & Time News

Galactic 'rain' explains why some galaxies are better at creating stars Posted: 04 Mar 2015 12:26 PM PST Some of the galaxies in our universe are veritable star nurseries. For example, our own Milky Way produces, on average, at least one new star every year. Others went barren years ago, now producing few if any new stars. Why that happens is a question that has dogged astronomers for years. But now, more than 20 years of research has culminated in what might be the answer to that elusive question.

Why isn't the universe as bright as it should be? Posted: 04 Mar 2015 11:15 AM PST A handful of new stars are born each year in the Milky Way, while many more blink on across the universe. But astronomers have observed that galaxies should be churning out millions more stars, based on the amount of interstellar gas available. This study explains why galaxies don't churn out as many stars as they should.

Planet 'reared' by four parent stars Posted: 04 Mar 2015 10:22 AM PST Growing up as a planet with more than one parent star has its challenges. Though the planets in our solar system circle just one star -- our sun -- other more distant planets, called exoplanets, can be reared in families with two or more stars. Researchers wanting to know more about the complex influences of multiple stars on planets have come up with two new case studies: a planet found to have three parents, and another with four.

Testing to diagnose power event in Mars rover Posted: 04 Mar 2015 06:29 AM PST NASA's Curiosity Mars rover is expected to remain stationary for several days of engineering analysis following an onboard fault-protection action on Feb. 27 that halted a process of transferring sample material between devices on the rover's robotic arm.