Heavens

Forecasters on June 25 had given System 93L in the western Caribbean an 80 percent chance of developing into Tropical Depression Alex, and weekends seem to always birth tropical depressions. The GOES-13 satellite captured a visible image of both System 93L and a second low east of the Leeward Islands that has a much lesser chance of development this weekend.

Celia has exploded into a monster hurricane in the Eastern Pacific, and is now a Category 5 storm over open waters. NASA's Aqua satellite captured an infrared image (that shows temperature) of Celia's clouds and clearly shows an eye in the storm. Celia's eye appears well-defined and is between 15-20 nautical miles wide.

COLLEGE PARK, Md. -- On Sunday, NASA's historic Deep Impact spacecraft will fly past Earth for the fifth and last time on its current University of Maryland-led EPOXI mission. At time of closest approach to Earth, the spacecraft will be about 30,400 kilometers (18,900 miles) above the South Atlantic.

Conditions favourable to life may once have existed all over Mars. Detailed studies of minerals found inside craters show that liquid water was widespread, not only in the southern highlands, but also beneath the northern plains.

An international team of scientists including University of British Columbia astronomer Ingrid Stairs has discovered a promising way to fine-tune pulsars into the best precision time-pieces in the Universe.

The discovery could give astronomers a new tool to study the powerful gravitational forces that shaped the universe.

ESA's Venus Express is helping planetary scientists investigate whether Venus once had oceans. If it did, it may even have begun its existence as a habitable planet similar to Earth.

These days, Earth and Venus seem completely different. Earth is a lush, clement world teeming with life, whilst Venus is hellish, its surface roasting at temperatures higher than those of a kitchen oven.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. [Brown University] — Planetary scientists have uncovered telltale signs of water on Mars — frozen and liquid — in the earliest period of the Red Planet's history. A new claim, made public this month, is that a deep ocean covered some of the northern latitudes.

Scientists can detect the movements of single molecules by using fluorescent tags or by pulling them in delicate force measurements, but only for a few minutes. A new technique by Rice University researchers will allow them to track single molecules without modifying them -- and it works over longer timescales.

Hurricane Celia dropped to a Category One hurricane during the late afternoon hours on June 22, and today, June 23 by 11 a.m. EDT, it had powered back up to a Category Two hurricane in the Eastern Pacific Ocean. Satellite imagery confirmed the strengthening visibly with the emergence of an eye in the hurricane.

LIVERMORE, Calif. - Hydrogen is the most abundant element in the universe and is a major component of giant planets such as Jupiter and Saturn.

But not much is known about what happens to this abundant element under high-pressure conditions when it transforms from one state to another.

A new research project at the University of Leicester will review the accuracy of medical diagnoses.

Evaluating diagnostic strategy is crucial to clinical practice as it helps maximise the efficacy of the treatments which are offered to patients. Many lives are affected every day by the diagnoses made by hospitals and medical doctors, and it is vital that diagnoses are accurate.