Last update:
Astronomy & Space news
Hubble reveals unusual globular clusters in ultra-diffuse galaxy FCC 224
Using the Hubble Space Telescope (HST), astronomers from the University of California Santa Cruz (UCSC) and elsewhere have observed an ultra-diffuse galaxy known as FCC 224. Results of the observational campaign, published ...
Dust from asteroid Bennu suggests solar system's potential for life was widespread
It took two years for NASA's OSIRIS-REx space probe to return from asteroid Bennu before dropping off a small capsule as it flew past Earth, which was then recovered in the desert of the U.S. state of Utah on September 24, ...
Astrobiology
10 hours ago
0
63
Asteroid Bennu samples found to contain five nitrogenous bases crucial to supporting life
Asteroids, small airless bodies within the inner solar system, are theorized to have contributed water and chemical building blocks of life to Earth billions of years ago. Although meteorites on Earth come from asteroids, ...
Astrobiology
12 hours ago
0
6
The hidden power of the smallest microquasars: Study finds evidence of particle acceleration
Our home planet is bombarded with particles from outer space all the time. And while we are mostly familiar with the rocky meteorites originating from within our solar system that create fascinating shooting stars in the ...
Astronomy
13 hours ago
0
41
How well could Earth life survive on exoplanets?
Astronomers have found some pretty wild exoplanets. Some are balls of lava the temperature of hell, one is partially made of diamond, and another may rain molten iron. However, not all exoplanets are this extreme. Some are ...
Astrobiology
7 hours ago
0
13
How to fly NASA's Orion spacecraft
On NASA's Artemis II test flight, the first crewed mission under the agency's Artemis campaign, astronauts will take the controls of the Orion spacecraft and periodically fly it manually during the flight around the moon ...
Space Exploration
8 hours ago
0
0
Will the US get to Mars quicker if it drops or delays plans to visit the moon?
The Artemis program has been NASA's best chance to get "boots on the moon" again. But with the new US administration taking guidance from tech entrepreneur Elon Musk, who is focused on Mars colonization, will they end up ...
Space Exploration
9 hours ago
0
16
Is it time to start classifying exoplanetary systems?
When an exoplanet is discovered, scientists are quick to describe it and explain its properties. Now, we know of thousands of them, many of which are members of a planetary system, like the well-known TRAPPIST-1 family of ...
Planetary Sciences
12 hours ago
0
5
SpaceX mission to return US astronauts to happen 'soon': Trump
US President Donald Trump said Tuesday that Elon Musk's company SpaceX will "soon" begin a mission to repatriate two American astronauts who have been stranded for months on the International Space Station.
Space Exploration
19 hours ago
0
18
Super-Earth discovery reveals an exoplanet potentially capable of sustaining life
Thirty years after the discovery of the first exoplanet, astronomers have detected more than 7,000 of them in our galaxy. But there are still billions more to be discovered. At the same time, exoplanetologists have begun ...
Astrobiology
Jan 28, 2025
2
147
Moon is not as 'geologically dead' as previously thought, new study reveals
Scientists have studied the moon's surface for decades to help piece together its complex geological and evolutionary history. Evidence from the lunar maria (dark, flat areas on the moon filled with solidified lava) suggested ...
Planetary Sciences
Jan 28, 2025
0
101
Cataclysmic variable V1425 Aql has an arc-shaped nova shell, observations find
Using the Very Large Telescope (VLT), Chilean astronomers have observed a cataclysmic variable known as V1425 Aql. As a result, they have found that this system hosts an arc-shaped nova shell. The finding is presented in ...
Peculiar icy objects in outer reaches of the Milky Way perplex astronomers
A trio of astronomers from the University of Tokyo and Niigata University have found what they describe as "peculiar embedded icy objects" thousands of light years from Earth. Takashi Shimonishi, Itsuki Sakon and Takashi ...
Juno mission spots most powerful volcanic activity on Io to date
Even by the standards of Io, the most volcanic celestial body in the solar system, recent events observed on the Jovian moon are extreme.
Planetary Sciences
Jan 28, 2025
0
105
The red planet's hot again, cold again history: Explaining persistent hydrogen in Mars' atmosphere
The fact that the cold, dry Mars of today had flowing rivers and lakes several billion years ago has puzzled scientists for decades. Now, Harvard researchers think they have a good explanation for a warmer, wetter ancient ...
Planetary Sciences
Jan 28, 2025
0
69
Outbursts from black holes help them sustain themselves, Chandra study shows
Astronomers have taken a crucial step in showing that the most massive black holes in the universe can create their own meals. Data from NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory and the Very Large Telescope (VLT) provide new evidence ...
Astronomy
Jan 28, 2025
0
66
Planet formation favors the metal-rich inner Milky Way, suggest scientists
Exoplanets have captured the imagination of the public and scientists alike and as the search continues for more, researchers have turned their attention to the evolution of metallicity in the Milky Way. With this answer ...
Planetary Sciences
Jan 28, 2025
0
1
Why the first stars couldn't grow forever
Star formation in the early universe was a vigorous process that created gigantic stars. Called Population III stars, these giants were massive, extremely luminous stars that lived short lives, many of which ended when they ...
Astronomy
Jan 28, 2025
0
56
Dynamically stable large space structures via architected metamaterials
Exoplanet exploration has taken off in recent years, with over 5,500 being discovered so far. Some have even been in the habitable zones of their stars. Imaging one such potentially habitable exoplanet is the dream of many ...
Space Exploration
Jan 28, 2025
0
1
SpaceX checks off launch No. 9 from Florida's Space Coast
After a week of nasty weather across Florida, the business of launching rockets got back on track Monday afternoon.
Space Exploration
Jan 28, 2025
0
1