radio telescope news stories on Newser

As Asteroid Zooms Past, NASA Nabs Images

Kevin Spak — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 08:39:42 CST

An asteroid passed closer to the Earth than any before it last night—it was just 201,000 miles away, making it closer than the moon —but to your average telescope it was nothing but a brief glimmer in the sky. NASA, however, has some pretty above-average telescopes, like its...

West Virginia Town Full of Those Sickened by WiFi

Kevin Spak — Wed, 14 Sep 2011 12:02:38 CDT

Most Americans hate being out of range of a cell phone tower, but not the residents of Green Bank, West Virginia. A growing number of Americans are moving to this mountain town, population 143, specifically because cell phones and WiFi signals are banned there, lest they interfere with the gigantic...

SETI Telescopes Back On, Thanks to 2,286 Alien Fans

Mark Russell — Wed, 10 Aug 2011 07:45:59 CDT

Thanks to 2,286 people who believe aliens may be out there, SETI's search for radio waves that would prove there is intelligent life in the universe is once again a go, reports the LA Times . Budget cuts shut down SETI's Allen Telescope Array in April , but a call for...

Scheme to Plant Telescope on Moon Gathers Steam

Katherine Thompson — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 05:16:08 CST

The moon may have to start earning its keep if NASA gets its way. With the far side of our lunar satellite a perfect environment for delicate, deep-space measurements, two research teams are furiously plotting ways to deploy astronomy equipment there. If astronauts return to the moon after 2019, they...

Sky's the Limit in Powerful New Searches for Alien Life

Rob Quinn — Thu, 21 Feb 2008 04:27:40 CST

Powerful new instruments will help scientists in their search for extra-terrestrial life, the Christian Science Monitor writes. New telescopes will make it possible for the SETI Institute to scan millions of star systems for alien radio signals. Only a thousand have been analyzed in detail so far, but the institute...

Scientists Stumped by Blast From Outer Space

Kevin Spak — Sat, 29 Sep 2007 17:15:44 CDT

A bizarre burst from outer space has scientists talking black holes and colliding stars, Physorg reports — and may even help us "determine the amount of material in intergalactic space," one researcher says. The radio waves, which were measured in milliseconds, might be a blast from 2 superdense neutron stars or...