Vote Now! Top Space Stories of the Week - Sept. 30, 2012

Supernova Blasts, Mars Wet Past and Movies in Space

X-ray: NASA/CXC/Rutgers/G.Cassam-Chenaï, J.Hughes et al.; Radio: NRAO/AUI/NSF/GBT/VLA/Dyer, Maddalena & Cornwell; Optical: Middlebury College/F.Winkler, NOAO/AURA/NSF/CTIO Schmidt & DSS

Last week scientists found what looks like an ancient streambed on Mars, witnessed the death of a white dwarf star and welcomed an astronaut home. See the top stories of the last week here.
FIRST STOP: Mercury's Surface Resembles Rare Meteorites

Mercury's Surface Resembles Rare Meteorites

NASA/Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory/Carnegie Institution of Washington

Mercury has a surface unlike any other in the solar system, resembling a rare type of meteorite, researchers say. [Full Story]
NEXT: Earth-Sun Distance Measurement Redefined

Earth-Sun Distance Measurement Redefined

The SOHO-EIT Consortium

– The International Astronomical Society changed a long-standing unit of solar system measurement to a single number that no longer depends on the mass of the sun. [Full Story]
NEXT: Giant Gas Cloud Surrounds Our Milky Way Galaxy

Giant Gas Cloud Surrounds Our Milky Way Galaxy

NASA/CXC/M.Weiss; NASA/CXC/Ohio State/A Gupta et al

A cloud of gas engulfing our Milky Way that weighs as much as all the galaxy’s stars combined could solve a longstanding astronomical mystery. [Full Story]
NEXT: Ocean on Jupiter's Moon Europa Likely Deep Underground

Ocean on Jupiter's Moon Europa Likely Deep Underground

NASA/JPL/Ted Stryk

Jupiter’s icy moon Europa has long been thought to hide a vast ocean of water beneath its frozen surface. A new study finds that liquid water near the surface are short-lived. [Full Story]
NEXT: Hubble Telescope Reveals Farthest View Into Universe Ever

Hubble Telescope Reveals Farthest View Into Universe Ever

NASA, ESA, and Z. Levay (STScI)

The Hubble Space Telescope has captured the farthest-ever view of the universe, a photo that reveals thousands of galaxies billions of light-years away. [Full Story]
NEXT: Mars Sample-Return Goal Drives NASA's Exploration of Red Planet

Mars Sample-Return Goal Drives NASA's Exploration of Red Planet

NASA/JPL

The next steps in NASA's Mars exploration strategy should build toward returning Martian rocks and dirt to Earth to search for signs of past life, a new report by the space agency's Red Planet planning group finds. [Full Story]
NEXT: Knowing Neil Armstrong: One Giant Leap for an Apollo Fanatic

Knowing Neil Armstrong: One Giant Leap for an Apollo Fanatic

Victoria Kohl

The memorials to the late Neil Armstrong this month resonated with space fans and the public around the world. Apollo historian Andrew Chaikin recalls Armstrong's legacy. [Full Story]
NEXT: Jupiter's Big Moon Ganymede Mapped by Amateur Astronomer

Jupiter's Big Moon Ganymede Mapped by Amateur Astronomer

Manos Kardasis

An amateur astronomer has mapped the surface of Jupiter’s moon Ganymede in a first for amateur stargazers. [Full Story]
NEXT: Brightest Star Explosion in History Reveals Lonely Supernova

Brightest Star Explosion in History Reveals Lonely Supernova

X-ray: NASA/CXC/Rutgers/G.Cassam-Chenaï, J.Hughes et al.; Radio: NRAO/AUI/NSF/GBT/VLA/Dyer, Maddalena & Cornwell; Optical: Middlebury College/F.Winkler, NOAO/AURA/NSF/CTIO Schmidt & DSS

The quick, violent death of a white dwarf is now revealing these kinds of stars can give off powerful explosions by themselves, researchers say. [Full Story]
NEXT: Astronauts Can Keep (or Sell) Their Space Artifacts, New Law Says

Astronauts Can Keep (or Sell) Their Space Artifacts, New Law Says

THOMAS/LOC/collectSPACE.com

America's early space pioneers and moon voyagers have now been confirmed as the legal owners of the equipment and spacecraft parts they saved as souvenirs from their missions. [Full Story]
NEXT: Mars Rover Finds Ancient Streambed Where Water Once Flowed

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Space.com Staff
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Space.com is the premier source of space exploration, innovation and astronomy news, chronicling (and celebrating) humanity's ongoing expansion across the final frontier. Originally founded in 1999, Space.com is, and always has been, the passion of writers and editors who are space fans and also trained journalists. Our current news team consists of Editor-in-Chief Tariq Malik; Editor Hanneke Weitering, Senior Space Writer Mike Wall; Senior Writer Meghan Bartels; Senior Writer Chelsea Gohd, Senior Writer Tereza Pultarova and Staff Writer Alexander Cox, focusing on e-commerce. Senior Producer Steve Spaleta oversees our space videos, with Diana Whitcroft as our Social Media Editor.