Copyright (c) 2008 Yahoo! Inc. All rights reserved. http://news.yahoo.com/i/2117 Space & Astronomy News en-us Thu, 21 Aug 2008 18:31:39 GMT 5 142 18 http://news.yahoo.com/i/2117 http://us.i1.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/i/us/nws/th/main_142b.gif http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/space/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/space/20080821/sc_space/howstarsformamidblackholechaos space/20080821/howstarsformamidblackholechaos SPACE.com Thu, 21 Aug 2008 18:31:39 GMT SPACE.com - Deep in the center of our galaxy, circling suspiciously close to the giant black hole lurking there, is a group of massive stars. http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/space/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080821/wl_nm/mexico_crime_chips_dc nm/20080821/mexico_crime_chips_dc Reuters Thu, 21 Aug 2008 16:16:00 GMT <p><a href="http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/space/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080821/wl_nm/mexico_crime_chips_dc"><img src="http://d.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/nm/20080821/2008_08_21t124320_343x450_us_mexico_crime_chips.jpg?x=99&y=130&q=85&sig=WoOiHXLtz78UpjajMkGZtg--" align="left" height="130" width="99" alt="A global positioning satellite is seen in a handout artist's rendering. (Handout/Reuters)" border="0" /></a>Reuters - Wealthy Mexicans, terrified of soaring kidnapping rates, are spending thousands of dollars to implant tiny transmitters under their skin so satellites can help find them tied up in a safe house or stuffed in the trunk of a car.</p><br clear="all"/> <p><a href="http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/space/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080821/wl_nm/mexico_crime_chips_dc"><img src="http://d.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/nm/20080821/2008_08_21t124320_343x450_us_mexico_crime_chips.jpg?x=99&y=130&q=85&sig=WoOiHXLtz78UpjajMkGZtg--" align="left" height="130" width="99" alt="photo" title="A global positioning satellite is seen in a handout artist's rendering. (Handout/Reuters)" border="0"/></a></p><br clear="all"/> (Reuters) http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/space/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080821/wl_nm/iran_space_dc nm/20080821/iran_space_dc Reuters Thu, 21 Aug 2008 09:46:00 GMT <p><a href="http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/space/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080821/wl_nm/iran_space_dc"><img src="http://d.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/nm/20080821/2008_08_21t054442_450x337_us_iran_space.jpg?x=130&y=97&q=85&sig=T5nK.O1X.iXrzdiT6AySag--" align="left" height="97" width="130" alt="An artist's concept depicts the distant dwarf planet known as Eris on June 14, 2007. (NASA-JPL/Caltech/Handout/Reuters)" border="0" /></a>Reuters - Iran plans to send a manned rocket into space in the next 10 years, state television reported on Thursday, just days after the Islamic Republic announced it had put a dummy satellite into orbit.</p><br clear="all"/> <p><a href="http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/space/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080821/wl_nm/iran_space_dc"><img src="http://d.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/nm/20080821/2008_08_21t054442_450x337_us_iran_space.jpg?x=130&y=97&q=85&sig=T5nK.O1X.iXrzdiT6AySag--" align="left" height="97" width="130" alt="photo" title="An artist's concept depicts the distant dwarf planet known as Eris on June 14, 2007. (NASA-JPL/Caltech/Handout/Reuters)" border="0"/></a></p><br clear="all"/> (Reuters) http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/space/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080820/sc_nm/space_magnet_dc nm/20080820/space_magnet_dc Reuters Wed, 20 Aug 2008 23:40:24 GMT <p><a href="http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/space/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080820/sc_nm/space_magnet_dc"><img src="http://d.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/ap/20080821/capt.8fcff950ddce4d81ba3e2496512ecd94.aptopix_space_hubble_perseus_galaxy_ny114.jpg?x=130&y=101&q=85&sig=p6gINEuZV75VF4MopPNavA--" align="left" height="101" width="130" alt="This composite image provided by NASA Wednesday Aug. 20, 2008 shows the active galaxy NGC 1275 (Perseus A). X-ray data from the Chandra's Advanced CCD Imaging Spectrometer and radio data from NRAO's Very Large Array were combined with optical wavelengths in the red, green and blue from Hubble's Advanced Camera for Surveys. In the composite image, the X-ray data contribute to the soft violet shells around the outside of the center. The pinkish lobes toward the center of the galaxy are from radio frequencies. The radio emission, tracing jets from the black hole, fills the X-ray cavities. Dust lanes, star-forming regions, hydrogen filaments, foreground stars, and background galaxies are contributions from the Hubble optical data. The Hubble Space Telescope has found the answer to a long-standing puzzle by seeing the details of giant but delicate filaments shaped by a strong magnetic field around the active galaxy NGC 1275. (AP Photo/NASA)" border="0" /></a>Reuters - Giant magnetic tentacles are the force that keeps a lacy pattern of glowing gas filaments in the giant elliptical galaxy NGC 1275 from evaporating in the surrounding hot gas or collapsing under the weight of their own gravity, British astronomers said on Wednesday.</p><br clear="all"/> <p><a href="http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/space/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080820/sc_nm/space_magnet_dc"><img src="http://d.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/ap/20080821/capt.8fcff950ddce4d81ba3e2496512ecd94.aptopix_space_hubble_perseus_galaxy_ny114.jpg?x=130&y=101&q=85&sig=p6gINEuZV75VF4MopPNavA--" align="left" height="101" width="130" alt="photo" title="This composite image provided by NASA Wednesday Aug. 20, 2008 shows the active galaxy NGC 1275 (Perseus A). X-ray data from the Chandra's Advanced CCD Imaging Spectrometer and radio data from NRAO's Very Large Array were combined with optical wavelengths in the red, green and blue from Hubble's Advanced Camera for Surveys. In the composite image, the X-ray data contribute to the soft violet shells around the outside of the center. The pinkish lobes toward the center of the galaxy are from radio frequencies. The radio emission, tracing jets from the black hole, fills the X-ray cavities. Dust lanes, star-forming regions, hydrogen filaments, foreground stars, and background galaxies are contributions from the Hubble optical data. The Hubble Space Telescope has found the answer to a long-standing puzzle by seeing the details of giant but delicate filaments shaped by a strong magnetic field around the active galaxy NGC 1275. (AP Photo/NASA)" border="0"/></a></p><br clear="all"/> (Reuters) http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/space/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080820/sc_nm/storm_fay_dc nm/20080820/storm_fay_dc Reuters Wed, 20 Aug 2008 22:26:10 GMT <p><a href="http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/space/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080820/sc_nm/storm_fay_dc"><img src="http://d.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/nm/20080821/2008_08_19t153816_450x294_us_storm_fay.jpg?x=130&y=84&q=85&sig=TcrdpWHSCeq27jN2n4l7LA--" align="left" height="84" width="130" alt="Workers clear debris from a damaged roof at the Palm Beach Equine Clinic after Tropical Storm Fay passed through Wellington, Florida August 19, 2008. (Joe Skipper/Reuters)" border="0" /></a>Reuters - Tropical Storm Fay dumped torrential rain on central Florida on Wednesday, flooding streets in knee-high water as it stalled over the U.S. space shuttle fleet's home port at Cape Canaveral.</p><br clear="all"/> <p><a href="http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/space/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080820/sc_nm/storm_fay_dc"><img src="http://d.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/nm/20080821/2008_08_19t153816_450x294_us_storm_fay.jpg?x=130&y=84&q=85&sig=TcrdpWHSCeq27jN2n4l7LA--" align="left" height="84" width="130" alt="photo" title="Workers clear debris from a damaged roof at the Palm Beach Equine Clinic after Tropical Storm Fay passed through Wellington, Florida August 19, 2008. (Joe Skipper/Reuters)" border="0"/></a></p><br clear="all"/> (Reuters) http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/space/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20080820/sc_afp/usspacearesrocketorion afp/20080820/usspacearesrocketorion AFP Wed, 20 Aug 2008 20:17:11 GMT <p><a href="http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/space/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20080820/sc_afp/usspacearesrocketorion"><img src="http://d.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/afp/20080820/capt.cps.nit92.200808221626.photo00.photo.default-512x327.jpg?x=130&y=82&q=85&sig=_53EBCMFrCOAqxPUrnUPrA--" align="left" height="82" width="130" alt="NASA and Boeing officials pose for a photo before of a model of an Ares I rocket in Wasington, DC, in 2007. NASA say they will use shock-absorbers similar to those used in cars to fix a problem with heavy vibrations in the new Ares rocket, to give astronauts inside the Orion crew capsule a smoother ride.(AFP/NASA/File/Bill Ingalls)" border="0" /></a>AFP - NASA say they will use shock-absorbers similar to those used in cars to fix a problem with heavy vibrations in the new Ares rocket, to give astronauts inside the Orion crew capsule a smoother ride.</p><br clear="all"/> <p><a href="http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/space/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20080820/sc_afp/usspacearesrocketorion"><img src="http://d.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/afp/20080820/capt.cps.nit92.200808221626.photo00.photo.default-512x327.jpg?x=130&y=82&q=85&sig=_53EBCMFrCOAqxPUrnUPrA--" align="left" height="82" width="130" alt="photo" title="NASA and Boeing officials pose for a photo before of a model of an Ares I rocket in Wasington, DC, in 2007. NASA say they will use shock-absorbers similar to those used in cars to fix a problem with heavy vibrations in the new Ares rocket, to give astronauts inside the Orion crew capsule a smoother ride.(AFP/NASA/File/Bill Ingalls)" border="0"/></a></p><br clear="all"/> (AFP) http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/space/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080820/ap_on_re_eu/poland_us_missile_defense ap/20080820/poland_us_missile_defense AP Wed, 20 Aug 2008 22:09:45 GMT <p><a href="http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/space/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080820/ap_on_re_eu/poland_us_missile_defense"><img src="http://d.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/afp/20080820/capt.cps.niq69.200808144635.photo02.photo.default-512x339.jpg?x=130&y=86&q=85&sig=FKkQQdlTzVi7vIDBHWaWNg--" align="left" height="86" width="130" alt="US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski (R) exchange documents after signing a deal on basing an American missile shield in Poland, in Warsaw. The United States has ruled out the use of US military force in Georgia, but the Pentagon will almost certainly be looking for other chess pieces to move to check a more aggressive Russia, analysts say.(AFP/Janek Skarzynski)" border="0" /></a>AP - The United States and Poland signed a deal Wednesday to place a U.S. missile defense base just 115 miles from Russia — a move followed swiftly by a new warning from Moscow of a possible military response.</p><br clear="all"/> <p><a href="http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/space/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080820/ap_on_re_eu/poland_us_missile_defense"><img src="http://d.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/afp/20080820/capt.cps.niq69.200808144635.photo02.photo.default-512x339.jpg?x=130&y=86&q=85&sig=FKkQQdlTzVi7vIDBHWaWNg--" align="left" height="86" width="130" alt="photo" title="US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski (R) exchange documents after signing a deal on basing an American missile shield in Poland, in Warsaw. The United States has ruled out the use of US military force in Georgia, but the Pentagon will almost certainly be looking for other chess pieces to move to check a more aggressive Russia, analysts say.(AFP/Janek Skarzynski)" border="0"/></a></p><br clear="all"/> (AP) http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/space/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080820/ap_on_sc/sci_nasa_moonship ap/20080820/sci_nasa_moonship AP Wed, 20 Aug 2008 00:01:22 GMT <p><a href="http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/space/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080820/ap_on_sc/sci_nasa_moonship"><img src="http://d.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/ap/20080730/capt.00825d2f2f854270a769e02f9fcab07f.lunar_stand_in_waet201.jpg?x=130&y=81&q=85&sig=fns6Eq7pCIBh.JhLqLd.eA--" align="left" height="81" width="130" alt="Legendary NASA space suit engineer Joe Kosmo, right, talks with technician Kevin Groenman, in a 300-pound space suit, June 10, 2008, in Moses Lake, Wash. NASA scientists and contractors spent two weeks in Moses Lake field testing some of the vehicles and robots that will be used when humans return to the moon later this century. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)" border="0" /></a>AP - A space-age version of the rusty springs under old pickup trucks will help NASA fix the most pressing technical problem with its high-tech new rocket to send astronauts back to the moon.</p><br clear="all"/> <p><a href="http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/space/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080820/ap_on_sc/sci_nasa_moonship"><img src="http://d.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/ap/20080730/capt.00825d2f2f854270a769e02f9fcab07f.lunar_stand_in_waet201.jpg?x=130&y=81&q=85&sig=fns6Eq7pCIBh.JhLqLd.eA--" align="left" height="81" width="130" alt="photo" title="Legendary NASA space suit engineer Joe Kosmo, right, talks with technician Kevin Groenman, in a 300-pound space suit, June 10, 2008, in Moses Lake, Wash. NASA scientists and contractors spent two weeks in Moses Lake field testing some of the vehicles and robots that will be used when humans return to the moon later this century. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)" border="0"/></a></p><br clear="all"/> (AP) http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/space/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080819/wl_nm/iran_satellite_usa_dc nm/20080819/iran_satellite_usa_dc Reuters Tue, 19 Aug 2008 22:18:37 GMT <p><a href="http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/space/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080819/wl_nm/iran_satellite_usa_dc"><img src="http://d.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/nm/20080820/2008_08_20t005729_450x344_us_iran_satellite_usa.jpg?x=130&y=99&q=85&sig=NKWJEcERS.MrNv4zaF2jlw--" align="left" height="99" width="130" alt="The Safir (ambassador) satellite-carrier rocket is seen before launch at Iran's space centre in Tehran August 17, 2008. (FARS NEWS/Reuters)" border="0" /></a>Reuters - Iran's attempted satellite launch was a failure that fell far short of claimed successes, U.S. security officials said on Tuesday, but an analyst said the test still marked progress toward a potential weapon.</p><br clear="all"/> <p><a href="http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/space/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080819/wl_nm/iran_satellite_usa_dc"><img src="http://d.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/nm/20080820/2008_08_20t005729_450x344_us_iran_satellite_usa.jpg?x=130&y=99&q=85&sig=NKWJEcERS.MrNv4zaF2jlw--" align="left" height="99" width="130" alt="photo" title="The Safir (ambassador) satellite-carrier rocket is seen before launch at Iran's space centre in Tehran August 17, 2008. (FARS NEWS/Reuters)" border="0"/></a></p><br clear="all"/> (Reuters) http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/space/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/space/20080819/sc_space/shockabsorberplansetfornasasnewrocket space/20080819/shockabsorberplansetfornasasnewrocket SPACE.com Tue, 19 Aug 2008 22:01:35 GMT SPACE.com - NASA engineers have come up with a dual shock absorber solution to the problem of excessive vibrations with the new Ares I rocket that will launch the agency's Orion space shuttle replacement. http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/space/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20080819/ts_afp/usiranmilitarymissile afp/20080819/usiranmilitarymissile AFP Tue, 19 Aug 2008 20:28:31 GMT <p><a href="http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/space/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20080819/ts_afp/usiranmilitarymissile"><img src="http://d.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/afp/20080819/capt.cps.nim39.190808221804.photo00.photo.default-512x352.jpg?x=130&y=89&q=85&sig=Bkv6lxZWx9RsLSEWh89Fhw--" align="left" height="89" width="130" alt="An image grab from the Arabic-language Iranian TV station Al-Alam shows the launching into space of Iran's Safir Omid rocket, which is capable of carrying a satellite into orbit, an undisclosed location in the Islamic republic. An Iranian missile test aimed at putting a dummy satellite into orbit failed, a US defense official said Tuesday.(AFP/AL-ALAM TV/File)" border="0" /></a>AFP - An Iranian missile test aimed at putting a dummy satellite into orbit failed, a US defense official said Tuesday.</p><br clear="all"/> <p><a href="http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/space/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20080819/ts_afp/usiranmilitarymissile"><img src="http://d.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/afp/20080819/capt.cps.nim39.190808221804.photo00.photo.default-512x352.jpg?x=130&y=89&q=85&sig=Bkv6lxZWx9RsLSEWh89Fhw--" align="left" height="89" width="130" alt="photo" title="An image grab from the Arabic-language Iranian TV station Al-Alam shows the launching into space of Iran's Safir Omid rocket, which is capable of carrying a satellite into orbit, an undisclosed location in the Islamic republic. An Iranian missile test aimed at putting a dummy satellite into orbit failed, a US defense official said Tuesday.(AFP/AL-ALAM TV/File)" border="0"/></a></p><br clear="all"/> (AFP) http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/space/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/space/20080819/sc_space/russianrocketlaunchesnewcommunicationssatellite space/20080819/russianrocketlaunchesnewcommunicationssatellite SPACE.com Tue, 19 Aug 2008 18:32:31 GMT SPACE.com - PONTE VEDRA, Fla. - The third and last Inmarsat 4 mobile-broadband satellite was successfully placed into orbit Tuesday by an International Launch Services (ILS) Proton Breeze M rocket, ILS and Inmarsat announced. http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/space/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/space/20080819/sc_space/nasaclosesfloridaspaceportfortropicalstormfay space/20080819/nasaclosesfloridaspaceportfortropicalstormfay SPACE.com Tue, 19 Aug 2008 14:32:44 GMT SPACE.com - NASA closed its Florida spaceport early Monday to protect its space shuttle fleet and other vital hardware from severe weather associated with Tropical Storm Fay. http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/space/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/space/20080819/sc_space/newthinskintoprotecttinyspacecraft space/20080819/newthinskintoprotecttinyspacecraft SPACE.com Tue, 19 Aug 2008 14:32:43 GMT SPACE.com - Fleets of miniature spacecraft may now be closer to liftoff. http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/space/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/space/20080818/sc_space/tropicalstormdelaysspaceshuttlesmove space/20080818/tropicalstormdelaysspaceshuttlesmove SPACE.com Mon, 18 Aug 2008 19:46:25 GMT <p><a href="http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/space/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/space/20080818/sc_space/tropicalstormdelaysspaceshuttlesmove"><img src="http://d.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/afp/20080821/capt.cps.njb50.210808204312.photo02.photo.default-245x147.jpg?x=130&y=78&q=85&sig=ojOlmSNkvkOUmfe71kgceg--" align="left" height="78" width="130" alt="Interactive graphic on the Tropical Storm Fay which made landfall in Florida after claiming dozens of lives in the Caribbean.(AFP iactiv)" border="0" /></a>SPACE.com - NASA's space shuttle Atlantis will have to wait a few more days before leaving its Florida spaceport hangar in order to avoid severe weather expected from Tropical Storm Fay.</p><br clear="all"/> <p><a href="http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/space/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/space/20080818/sc_space/tropicalstormdelaysspaceshuttlesmove"><img src="http://d.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/afp/20080821/capt.cps.njb50.210808204312.photo02.photo.default-245x147.jpg?x=130&y=78&q=85&sig=ojOlmSNkvkOUmfe71kgceg--" align="left" height="78" width="130" alt="photo" title="Interactive graphic on the Tropical Storm Fay which made landfall in Florida after claiming dozens of lives in the Caribbean.(AFP iactiv)" border="0"/></a></p><br clear="all"/> (SPACE.com) http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/space/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20080818/wl_afp/iranspace afp/20080818/iranspace AFP Mon, 18 Aug 2008 15:46:36 GMT <p><a href="http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/space/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20080818/wl_afp/iranspace"><img src="http://d.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/afp/20080818/capt.cps.nid44.180808174401.photo00.photo.default-341x512.jpg?x=86&y=130&q=85&sig=VYB0KpKQEBK6mq6jqkCkgA--" align="left" height="130" width="86" alt="A picture taken on August 16 shows Iran's Safir Omid rocket before its launch at a space station at an undisclosed location in the Islamic republic. Iran has said that a home-built rocket sent into space in a move that triggered US concern will be able to take a satellite into low orbit around the earth.(AFP/File/Vahidreza Alai)" border="0" /></a>AFP - Iran said on Monday that a home-built rocket sent into space in a move that triggered US concern over possible military use will be able to take a satellite into low orbit around the earth.</p><br clear="all"/> <p><a href="http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/space/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20080818/wl_afp/iranspace"><img src="http://d.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/afp/20080818/capt.cps.nid44.180808174401.photo00.photo.default-341x512.jpg?x=86&y=130&q=85&sig=VYB0KpKQEBK6mq6jqkCkgA--" align="left" height="130" width="86" alt="photo" title="A picture taken on August 16 shows Iran's Safir Omid rocket before its launch at a space station at an undisclosed location in the Islamic republic. Iran has said that a home-built rocket sent into space in a move that triggered US concern will be able to take a satellite into low orbit around the earth.(AFP/File/Vahidreza Alai)" border="0"/></a></p><br clear="all"/> (AFP) http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/space/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/space/20080818/sc_space/hugecometdiscovered space/20080818/hugecometdiscovered SPACE.com Mon, 18 Aug 2008 15:16:12 GMT <p><a href="http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/space/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/space/20080818/sc_space/hugecometdiscovered"><img src="http://d.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/rids/20080818/i/r1723138932.jpg?x=130&y=86&q=85&sig=QC_C14le9HxzIQnp85ZsEA--" align="left" height="86" width="130" alt="A "minor planet" with an elongated orbit around the Sun is seen in this undated handout photo. REUTERS/Ohio State University/Handout" border="0" /></a>SPACE.com - A huge comet-like object has been spotted inside the orbit of Neptune. The object, at least 30 miles wide, is on the return leg of a 22,500-year journey around the sun, astronomers announced today.</p><br clear="all"/> <p><a href="http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/space/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/space/20080818/sc_space/hugecometdiscovered"><img src="http://d.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/rids/20080818/i/r1723138932.jpg?x=130&y=86&q=85&sig=QC_C14le9HxzIQnp85ZsEA--" align="left" height="86" width="130" alt="photo" title="A "minor planet" with an elongated orbit around the Sun is seen in this undated handout photo. REUTERS/Ohio State University/Handout" border="0"/></a></p><br clear="all"/> (SPACE.com) http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/space/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080818/sc_nm/planet_minor_dc nm/20080818/planet_minor_dc Reuters Mon, 18 Aug 2008 15:11:23 GMT <p><a href="http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/space/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080818/sc_nm/planet_minor_dc"><img src="http://d.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/nm/20080818/2008_08_18t111707_450x300_us_planet_minor.jpg?x=130&y=86&q=85&sig=xuFPiosQdoePn2Kaxw9ENg--" align="left" height="86" width="130" alt="A 'minor planet' with an elongated orbit around the Sun is seen in this undated handout photo. (Ohio State University/Handout/Reuters)" border="0" /></a>Reuters - A newly discovered "minor planet" with an elongated orbit around the Sun may help explain the origin of comets, researchers said on Monday.</p><br clear="all"/> <p><a href="http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/space/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080818/sc_nm/planet_minor_dc"><img src="http://d.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/nm/20080818/2008_08_18t111707_450x300_us_planet_minor.jpg?x=130&y=86&q=85&sig=xuFPiosQdoePn2Kaxw9ENg--" align="left" height="86" width="130" alt="photo" title="A 'minor planet' with an elongated orbit around the Sun is seen in this undated handout photo. (Ohio State University/Handout/Reuters)" border="0"/></a></p><br clear="all"/> (Reuters) http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/space/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/space/20080818/sc_space/sloshinginsideearthchangesprotectivemagneticfield space/20080818/sloshinginsideearthchangesprotectivemagneticfield SPACE.com Mon, 18 Aug 2008 10:45:37 GMT SPACE.com - Something beneath the surface is changing Earth's protective magnetic field, which may leave satellites and other space assets vulnerable to high-energy radiation. http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/space/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/space/20080818/sc_space/firstjapanbuiltcommercialsatellitelaunchedbyariane5 space/20080818/firstjapanbuiltcommercialsatellitelaunchedbyariane5 SPACE.com Mon, 18 Aug 2008 10:45:36 GMT SPACE.com - PONTE VEDRA, Fla. — Europe's Ariane 5 ECA rocket successfully launched Japanese and U.S. telecommunications satellites Aug. 14 in the fifth of a planned seven launches in 2008, and was the vehicle's 27th consecutive success.