The famous Orion Nebula is closer than we believed.

The Orion Nebula is 300 light-years closer to Earth than previously thought. Radio telescopes have obtained the most precise measure ever of distance to this giant star-forming region. Because the distance to the Nebula is shorter than expected, the stars in the nebula must also be less bright than we believed, and thus older.

• Space.com report on the measurement.

Dying red giant stars may zoom out of position as they expire. The stars may eject their mass mainly in one direction, causing the star to move in the opposite direction. Comet Holmes continues to defy understanding, shielding its secrets with a cloud of bright dust. And we bring you a special report on dark energy from the Space Telescope Science Institute.

• How White Dwarfs Get Their Kicks
• Hubble Zooms in on Heart of Mystery Comet

Shells of stars formed in a galactic collision.

Sometimes those serene, rounded elliptical galaxies harbor much deeper and more interesting structures. In Hubble Space Telescope observations, one elliptical galaxy shows shells-shaped groups of stars that probably originated in a violent collision between galaxies. The material from the merger is feeding a supermassive black hole in the galaxy’s center, creating a quasar that emits enough energy to be seen across the universe.

• Hubble Spies Shells of Sparkling Stars Around Quasar

An artist's concept of an Earth-like planet circling a distant star.

We’ve found planets beyond our solar system, but nothing Earth sized. Still, astronomers are considering what such a world might look like.

Computer models provide ideas of 14 different theoretical planet types, to help planet hunters spot telltale indicators. Researchers hope that the models will provide information about planet composition and similar characteristics when astronomers begin finding Earth-sized planets.

• NASA news release about the project.

The Moon rises over Earth. Credit: NASA

Want to win a quick $30M? Just finance and successfully land a robotic mission on the moon! The X Prize Foundation and Google have combined to offer a prize for a lunar lander to rove around, take pictures and video and send data back to us on Earth.

The foundation and Google expect private companies from around the world to compete for the prize and the achievement. About 347 inquiries have already been made!

• The Planetary Society article on the competition.
• The X Prize Foundation Web site.

Credit: Nicolas Martin & Rodrigo Ibata, Observatoire de Strasbourg

A tiny galactic neighbor to the Milky Way, Canis Major Dwarf, was discovered in 2003. The galaxy, 25,000 light years away from our solar system, is being torn apart by the gravity of the Milky Way as it orbits our galaxy. It was detected because it has a large number of red giant stars, detectable by the Two Micron All Sky Survey, which views the sky in infrared.

• Two Micron All Sky Survey
• Students for the Exploration and Development of Space on Canis Major Dwarf

A star similar to the Sun is located in the constellation Draco. Credit: Tim Jones/McDonald Obs./UT-Austin

Astronomers search for stars similar to the Sun in order to understand how the Sun formed and if it is unique. So far, the stars we’ve found that are like the Sun have had notable differences. The closest candidate was analyzed recently and found to have a composition that strongly resembles our Sun. The research gives us ideas about the nuclear fusion processes that take place in the cores of Sun-like stars and clues about the formation of planetary systems.

• Space.com discuses the new research.
• McDonald Observatory release on the discovery of a Sun-like star.

Could cosmic rays cause extinctions on Earth? Credit: NASA

Every 62 million years or so, a mass extinction occurs on Earth. A new theory about the motion of the solar system around the Milky Way says cosmic rays may be involved. Charged particles caused by the motion could expose the Earth to high-energy radiation, damaging the biosphere and affecting the environment.

• University of Kansas Cosmology Group article on the theory.
• Physics Today on the theory.
• The Centauri Dreams forum discuses the theory.