In Brief:

Phony moon rock peddler sent to jail

(CNN) -- A man in Arizona was sentenced to 21 months in federal prison for selling bogus lunar rocks to buyers around the world.

Richard Keith Mountain, 53, had told them that Apollo astronauts collected the sand-like granules during a July 1969 trip to the moon, according to NASA.

The federal court also ordered Mountain to three years probation and to pay almost $100,000 in restitution.

Mountain, also known as Nicolas Parker Cole, pleaded guilty in October to six counts of mail and wire fraud in connection with the scheme.

Twin telescopes scan universe with powerful eye

(CNN) -- Astronomers have linked two of the world's largest telescopes to create the most powerful optical observatory ever, NASA said this week.

The combined Keck I and Keck II telescopes, situated on the peak of the highest mountain in Hawaii, Mauna Kea, will eventually scan the heavens in search of planets around nearby stars.

By combining the light measurements of the twin 10-meter telescopes, scientists have produced the equivalent of one 85-meter telescope, according to NASA.

The project could help engineers as they design space-based missions in the future to search for habitable planets.

"This is a major step in the creation of a whole new class of astronomical telescopes that will have an enormous impact on future knowledge," Keck astronomer Paul Swanson said.

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