http://discovermagazine.com Science, Technology, and The Future http://discovermagazine.com/2009/jun/27-staring-at-the-sun-just-like-galileo-did http://discovermagazine.com/2009/jun/27-staring-at-the-sun-just-like-galileo-did Astronomers at the Mount Wilson Observatory sketch sunspots every day, continuing a tradition started by Galileo. Dava Sobel http://discovermagazine.com/2009/jun/27-staring-at-the-sun-just-like-galileo-did/key_image Wed, 27 May 2009 08:25:00 -0500 Wed, 27 May 2009 08:25:00 -0500 Print Article http://discovermagazine.com/2009/jun/24-building-very-wimpy-space-thrusters http://discovermagazine.com/2009/jun/24-building-very-wimpy-space-thrusters The ESA's new system is designed to counter the force of sunlight on a spacecraft—about the same as the force of gravity on a single human hair. Andrew Moseman http://discovermagazine.com/2009/jun/24-building-very-wimpy-space-thrusters/key_image Sun, 24 May 2009 20:35:00 -0500 Sun, 24 May 2009 20:35:00 -0500 Print Article http://discovermagazine.com/2009/jun/21-russias-dark-horse-plan-to-get-to-mars http://discovermagazine.com/2009/jun/21-russias-dark-horse-plan-to-get-to-mars The Fobos-Grunt mission might pave the way for humanity's first permanent space base—on Phobos, Mars' bizarre moon. Jamie Oberg http://discovermagazine.com/2009/jun/21-russias-dark-horse-plan-to-get-to-mars/key_image Thu, 21 May 2009 12:50:00 -0500 Thu, 21 May 2009 12:50:00 -0500 Print Article http://discovermagazine.com/2009/may/11-a-scientists-guide-to-finding-alien-life http://discovermagazine.com/2009/may/11-a-scientists-guide-to-finding-alien-life A variety of new findings point to the "habitable zones" where we're likely to find extraterrestrials. Adam Frank http://discovermagazine.com/2009/may/11-a-scientists-guide-to-finding-alien-life/key_image Mon, 11 May 2009 07:35:00 -0500 Mon, 11 May 2009 07:35:00 -0500 Print Article http://discovermagazine.com/2009/may/10-frontiers-of-astronomy http://discovermagazine.com/2009/may/10-frontiers-of-astronomy DISCOVER's panel of top astronomers and astrophysicists discuss some of the biggest questions in the universe. http://discovermagazine.com/2009/may/10-frontiers-of-astronomy/key_image Sun, 10 May 2009 23:55:00 -0500 Sun, 10 May 2009 23:55:00 -0500 Print Article http://discovermagazine.com/2009/may/07-inspiring-boom-in-super-earths http://discovermagazine.com/2009/may/07-inspiring-boom-in-super-earths At last we are finding rocky planets like our own. But some are pretty weird: The smallest may have a mineral-vapor atmosphere that condenses as lava rain or rock snow. Stephen Battersby http://discovermagazine.com/2009/may/07-inspiring-boom-in-super-earths/key_image Thu, 07 May 2009 23:55:00 -0500 Thu, 07 May 2009 23:55:00 -0500 Print Article http://discovermagazine.com/2009/apr/07-satellite-aims-succeed-where-icarus-failed http://discovermagazine.com/2009/apr/07-satellite-aims-succeed-where-icarus-failed NASA's Solar Probe Plus study the sun from close up, braving temperatures that would melt stainless steel. To survive, the probe will hide behind a nearly 3-yard-wide thermal shield. The shield is designed to keep the probe’s scientific instruments at a comfortable average of 86°F and to constantly adjust its orientation while the spacecraft races along at up to 450,000 miles per hour. http://discovermagazine.com/2009/apr/07-satellite-aims-succeed-where-icarus-failed/key_image Tue, 07 Apr 2009 11:10:00 -0500 Tue, 07 Apr 2009 11:10:00 -0500 Print Article http://discovermagazine.com/2009/apr/31-he-charted-moon-before-galileo-but-you.ve-probably-never-heard-him http://discovermagazine.com/2009/apr/31-he-charted-moon-before-galileo-but-you.ve-probably-never-heard-him Thomas Harriot produced remarkable drawings showing the locations of the moon’s craters, and his cartography was not bettered for decades. So why does Galileo enjoy lasting fame while Harriot has been forgotten? Oxford professor Allan Chapman says “Harriot had no one to protect him, because his patrons were worried about having their heads chopped off.” Eliza Strickland http://discovermagazine.com/2009/apr/31-he-charted-moon-before-galileo-but-you.ve-probably-never-heard-him/key_image Tue, 31 Mar 2009 10:50:00 -0500 Tue, 31 Mar 2009 10:50:00 -0500 Print Article http://discovermagazine.com/2009/feb/26-violent-mysterious-dynamics-of-star-formation http://discovermagazine.com/2009/feb/26-violent-mysterious-dynamics-of-star-formation Lighting up the universe is a rough-and-tumble business. Adam Frank http://discovermagazine.com/2009/feb/26-violent-mysterious-dynamics-of-star-formation/key_image Thu, 26 Mar 2009 18:05:00 -0500 Thu, 26 Mar 2009 18:05:00 -0500 Print Article http://discovermagazine.com/2009/mar/06-world.s-hardest-working-telescope http://discovermagazine.com/2009/mar/06-world.s-hardest-working-telescope How much of the universe have we actually seen? How much more is out there? Thanks to the newest map from the Sloan telescope, the world's hardest-working telescope, we finally have some answers. Michael Lemonick http://discovermagazine.com/2009/mar/06-world.s-hardest-working-telescope/key_image Fri, 06 Mar 2009 12:20:00 -0600 Fri, 06 Mar 2009 12:20:00 -0600 Print Article http://discovermagazine.com/2009/mar/22-like-milky-way-candy-bar-milky-way-contains-sugar http://discovermagazine.com/2009/mar/22-like-milky-way-candy-bar-milky-way-contains-sugar Ever wonder if your love of sugar comes from the cosmos? Astronomers have found glycol­aldehyde, a type of sugar, in the Milky Way—and it may help explain the origins of life on Earth. Andrew Grant http://discovermagazine.com/2009/mar/22-like-milky-way-candy-bar-milky-way-contains-sugar/key_image Sun, 22 Feb 2009 14:20:00 -0600 Sun, 22 Feb 2009 14:20:00 -0600 Print Article http://discovermagazine.com/2009/feb/best-new-science-books http://discovermagazine.com/2009/feb/best-new-science-books Neil deGrasse Tyson, Area 51, modern life vs human nature, and more http://discovermagazine.com/2009/feb/best-new-science-books/key_image Fri, 20 Feb 2009 12:05:00 -0600 Fri, 20 Feb 2009 12:05:00 -0600 Print Article http://discovermagazine.com/2009/mar/15-rocket-could-save-astronaut-lives http://discovermagazine.com/2009/mar/15-rocket-could-save-astronaut-lives NASA's Orion space capsule features a new escape clause. Jennifer Barone http://discovermagazine.com/2009/mar/15-rocket-could-save-astronaut-lives/key_image Sun, 15 Feb 2009 11:00:00 -0600 Sun, 15 Feb 2009 11:00:00 -0600 Print Article http://discovermagazine.com/2009/feb/12-hi-tech-communications-beacons-infamous-toolbag http://discovermagazine.com/2009/feb/12-hi-tech-communications-beacons-infamous-toolbag After yesterday's first-ever satellite collision, here's a closer look at these free-falling objects. Jeremy Jacquot http://discovermagazine.com/2009/feb/12-hi-tech-communications-beacons-infamous-toolbag/key_image Thu, 12 Feb 2009 12:30:00 -0600 Thu, 12 Feb 2009 12:30:00 -0600 Print Article http://discovermagazine.com/2009/mar/11-we-all-live-in-darwins-world http://discovermagazine.com/2009/mar/11-we-all-live-in-darwins-world “Survival of the fittest” is helping us understand not only the origin of species but also love, politics, and even the cosmos. Karen Wright http://discovermagazine.com/2009/mar/11-we-all-live-in-darwins-world/key_image Wed, 11 Feb 2009 08:15:00 -0600 Wed, 11 Feb 2009 08:15:00 -0600 Print Article http://discovermagazine.com/2009/mar/05-what-is-this-a-windshields-worst-nightmare http://discovermagazine.com/2009/mar/05-what-is-this-a-windshields-worst-nightmare It may look like a worthless rock, but it can be encrusted with diamonds or used to find black gold. Andrew Grant http://discovermagazine.com/2009/mar/05-what-is-this-a-windshields-worst-nightmare/key_image Thu, 05 Feb 2009 08:30:00 -0600 Thu, 05 Feb 2009 08:30:00 -0600 Print Article http://discovermagazine.com/2009/mar/03-are-you-there-et-its-me-maggie http://discovermagazine.com/2009/mar/03-are-you-there-et-its-me-maggie Ever wonder who the scientists are who spend their days searching for Earth-like planets that contain extraterrestrial life? Well, here's one of them, up close and personal. Amy Barth; Photography by David Ellis http://discovermagazine.com/2009/mar/03-are-you-there-et-its-me-maggie/key_image Tue, 03 Feb 2009 08:25:00 -0600 Tue, 03 Feb 2009 08:25:00 -0600 Print Article http://discovermagazine.com/2009/feb/26-sneak-preview-mars-science-lab http://discovermagazine.com/2009/feb/26-sneak-preview-mars-science-lab The six-wheeled, plutonium-powered, car–sized vehicle aims to dig deeper and learn more. Matthew Hutson http://discovermagazine.com/2009/feb/26-sneak-preview-mars-science-lab/key_image Mon, 26 Jan 2009 05:05:00 -0600 Mon, 26 Jan 2009 05:05:00 -0600 Print Article http://discovermagazine.com/2009/feb/17-our-first-glimpse-of-an-alien-world http://discovermagazine.com/2009/feb/17-our-first-glimpse-of-an-alien-world In a feat that until recently was thought impossible, a team of scientists have captured the first ever visible-light image of a planet orbiting another star. Francesca Lyman http://discovermagazine.com/2009/feb/17-our-first-glimpse-of-an-alien-world/key_image Sat, 17 Jan 2009 20:05:00 -0600 Sat, 17 Jan 2009 20:05:00 -0600 Print Article http://discovermagazine.com/2008/whole-universe/12-man-who-made-stars-planets http://discovermagazine.com/2008/whole-universe/12-man-who-made-stars-planets Astrophysicist Alan Boss isn't a fortune-teller, but he has had an uncanny ability to guess how stars and planets are formed—and has spent thirty years doing so. Corey S. Powell; photography by Stephen Voss http://discovermagazine.com/2008/whole-universe/12-man-who-made-stars-planets/key_image Mon, 12 Jan 2009 06:10:00 -0600 Mon, 12 Jan 2009 06:10:00 -0600 Print Article http://discovermagazine.com/2009/feb/07-a-volcano-is-a-great-place-to-look-at-the-sky http://discovermagazine.com/2009/feb/07-a-volcano-is-a-great-place-to-look-at-the-sky Hawaii's Mauna Kea isn't just home to the world’s largest astronomical observatory—it's also a dormant volcano. Amy Barth http://discovermagazine.com/2009/feb/07-a-volcano-is-a-great-place-to-look-at-the-sky/key_image Fri, 09 Jan 2009 15:25:00 -0600 Fri, 09 Jan 2009 15:25:00 -0600 Print Article http://discovermagazine.com/2008/whole-universe/09-a-lenticular-galaxy-reveals-spinning-black-holes http://discovermagazine.com/2008/whole-universe/09-a-lenticular-galaxy-reveals-spinning-black-holes MCG-6-30-15, a galaxy 130 million light-years away, doesn't look like much at first. But this remarkable galaxy has created a window for physicists into the root of black holes. Robert Kunzig http://discovermagazine.com/2008/whole-universe/09-a-lenticular-galaxy-reveals-spinning-black-holes/key_image Fri, 09 Jan 2009 08:40:00 -0600 Fri, 09 Jan 2009 08:40:00 -0600 Print Article http://discovermagazine.com/2008/whole-universe/06-beyond-the-nine-planets http://discovermagazine.com/2008/whole-universe/06-beyond-the-nine-planets We are only beginning to discover how vast and strange our solar system truly is. Kathy A. Svitil; additional reporting by Andrew Grant http://discovermagazine.com/2008/whole-universe/06-beyond-the-nine-planets/key_image Tue, 06 Jan 2009 08:35:00 -0600 Tue, 06 Jan 2009 08:35:00 -0600 Print Article http://discovermagazine.com/2009/jan/04-year-in-space-news http://discovermagazine.com/2009/jan/04-year-in-space-news Conclusive proof of ice on Mars, the first (and second) binary black hole, organic molecules on Enceladus, and more... http://discovermagazine.com/2009/jan/04-year-in-space-news/key_image Sun, 04 Jan 2009 12:00:00 -0600 Sun, 04 Jan 2009 12:00:00 -0600 Print Article http://discovermagazine.com/2008/whole-universe/30-how-a-cloud-of-dust-could-wipe-out-life-on-earth http://discovermagazine.com/2008/whole-universe/30-how-a-cloud-of-dust-could-wipe-out-life-on-earth Seemingly innocuous specks could throw off the whole solar system—and we might not see them until it's too late. Jeffrey Winters http://discovermagazine.com/2008/whole-universe/30-how-a-cloud-of-dust-could-wipe-out-life-on-earth/key_image Tue, 30 Dec 2008 16:35:00 -0600 Tue, 30 Dec 2008 16:35:00 -0600 Print Article