Vote Now! Best Space Stories of the Week - April 7, 2012

Alien Earths, Dwarf Galaxies and Hailing Cabs to Space

Alain R. | Wikimedia Commons

From cabs in space to alien earths, it's been a busy week in space. Vote now for the week's best space story.

FIRST STOP: Doomed Comets Die Faster in Sun by Diving Deep Into Star

Doomed Comets Die Faster in Sun by Diving Deep Into Star

NASA/SOHO

Comets skimming past the sun may seem like ill-fated cosmic snowballs, and a team of scientists is trying to figure out what makes some fizzle and others explode as they make their solar death dives. [Full Story]

NEXT: Rare Venus Transit of Sun Occurs in June: Skywatching Travel Tips

Rare Venus Transit of Sun Occurs in June: Skywatching Travel Tips

Imelda B. Joson and Edwin L. Aguirre

Mark your calendars! On June 5-6, a rare celestial event called a transit of Venus will take place, and it won't be repeated in your lifetime. Start planning your skywatching travel trips now for the June 2012 Venus transit, the last Venus transit until 2117! [Full Story]

NEXT: New Map of Distant Galaxies May Reveal Dark Energy History

New Map of Distant Galaxies May Reveal Dark Energy History

E. M. Huff, the SDSS-III team, and the South Pole Telescope team/Graphic: Zosia Rostomian

Astronomers have observed thousands of galaxies from the era when dark energy ignited the universe's accelerated expansion, and determined the most precise distances to them yet, in an effort to get to the bottom of this cosmic quandary. [Full Story]

NEXT: Two NASA Space Shuttles Head to New Homes This Month

Two NASA Space Shuttles Head to New Homes This Month

NASA

April is moving month for NASA's space shuttles, which are being transported to their museum retirement homes. [Full Story]

NEXT: Dwarf Galaxies Help to Unlock Secrets of Dark Matter

Dwarf Galaxies Help to Unlock Secrets of Dark Matter

ESO/Digital Sky Survey 2

While scientists still don't know what makes up the mysterious dark matter thought to dominate the universe, a new study of dwarf galaxies around the Milky Way has chipped away at the possibilities, offering intriguing hints about the nature of dark matter. [Full Story]

NEXT: First 'Alien Earth' May Be Found by 2014

First 'Alien Earth' May Be Found by 2014

NASA/Ames/JPL-Caltech

The first true "alien Earth" will likely be discovered within two years, according to one NASA researcher. [Full Story]

NEXT: Earth Usually Has More than One Moon, Study Suggests

Earth Usually Has More than One Moon, Study Suggests

NASA

Earth usually has more than one moon, a new study reports. [Full Story]

NEXT: Scientists Closing in on Black Hole at Center of Our Galaxy

Scientists Closing in on Black Hole at Center of Our Galaxy

Alain R. | Wikimedia Commons

Scientists are getting closer and closer to being able to image the very center of our galaxy, and thus to answer the longstanding question of whether a giant black hole lurks there. For now, though a black hole is most likely, there are a number of alternative ideas about what's causing the strange behavior in the core of the Milky Way. [Full Story]

NEXT: Existing Rocket Could Launch Private Space Taxis by 2015

Existing Rocket Could Launch Private Space Taxis by 2015

Pat Corkery, United Launch Alliance

The rocket ride for a trio of private spaceships vying to carry astronauts to the space station could be ready by 2015 if need be. [Full Story]

NEXT: Breaking Barriers: Q&A with Space-Bound Tuskegee Airman Le Roy Gillead

Breaking Barriers: Q&A with Space-Bound Tuskegee Airman Le Roy Gillead

XCOR Aerospace

A Q&A with former Tuskegee Airman LeRoy Gillead, who in 2009 was awarded a free suborbtial trip on XCOR Aerospace's Lynx vehicle. [Full Story]

NEXT: Boeing's New Crew-Carrying Spaceship Taking Shape

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