Washington, Oct 24 : An international team of scientists from the US, Germany, Spain and Sweden have successfully launched a solar telescope to an altitude of 120,000 feet on board a balloon.

The test clears the way for long duration polar balloon flights beginning 2009 that aims to capture unprecedented details of the Sun’s surface.

“This unique research project will enable us to view features of the Sun that we've never seen before. We hope to unlock important mysteries about the Sun's magnetic field structures, which at times can cause electromagnetic storms in our upper atmosphere and may have an impact on Earth's climate,” said Michael Knölker, director of NCAR's High Altitude Observatory and a principal investigator on the project.

London, Oct 24 : The five periods in the history of Earth with the
highest levels of mass extinction were all linked to climate change, or

London, Oct 24 : Astronomers are putting to test the theory whether life on Earth rode piggyback on some

Washington, Oct 24 : Artefacts dating back to t

London, Oct 23 : Bats developed fight skills before echolocation, a new study presented at the 67th annual meeting of the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology (SVP) in Austin, Texas, has said.