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Astronomy & Space news
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Data from space probes show that Alfvén waves drive the acceleration and heating of the solar wind
By studying data from NASA's Parker Solar Probe and the ESA Solar Orbiter, an international team of astrophysicists has found that Alfvén waves drive the acceleration and heating of the solar wind.
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85% of the matter in the universe is missing: But scientists are getting closer to finding it
Most of the matter in the universe is missing. Scientists believe around 85% of the matter in the cosmos is made of invisible dark matter, which has only been detected indirectly by its gravitational effects on its surroundings.
Astronomy
9 hours ago
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SpaceX cleared to fly Falcon 9 rocket after landing mishap
US regulators on Friday cleared SpaceX to restart launching its stalwart Falcon 9 rocket, as a probe continues into a rare mishap this week during a first-stage booster landing.
Space Exploration
17 hours ago
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Solar Orbiter shows how solar wind gets a magnetic push
ESA's Solar Orbiter spacecraft has provided crucial data to answer the decades-long question of where the energy comes from to heat and accelerate the solar wind. Working in tandem with NASA's Parker Solar Probe, Solar Orbiter ...
Astronomy
Aug 30, 2024
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91
![](https://scx1.b-cdn.net/csz/news/175u/2024/dancing-galaxies-make.jpg)
Astronomers spot merging galaxies from 12.8 billion years ago
Astronomers have spotted a pair of galaxies in the act of merging 12.8 billion years ago. The characteristics of these galaxies indicate that the merger will form a monster galaxy, one of the brightest types of objects in ...
Astronomy
Aug 30, 2024
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![](https://scx1.b-cdn.net/csz/news/175u/2024/hubble-zooms-into-the.jpg)
Hubble zooms into the rosy tendrils of Andromeda
Clusters of stars set the interstellar medium ablaze in the Andromeda galaxy about 2.5 million light-years away. Also known as M31, Andromeda is the Milky Way's closest major galaxy. It measures approximately 152,000 light-years ...
Astronomy
Aug 30, 2024
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![](https://scx1.b-cdn.net/csz/news/175u/2024/nasa-cuts-2-from-next.jpg)
NASA cuts 2 from next SpaceX flight to make room for astronauts stuck at space station
NASA on Friday cut two astronauts from the next crew to make room on the return trip for the two stuck at the International Space Station.
Space Exploration
Aug 30, 2024
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Naval Research Laboratory's LARADO instrument to detect lethal orbital debris, integrated on STP satellite
U.S. Naval Research Laboratory's (NRL) Lightsheet Anomaly Resolution and Debris Observation (LARADO) instrument was successfully integrated and tested on the Space Test Program Satellite 7 (STPSat-7) spacecraft at National ...
Space Exploration
Aug 30, 2024
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Image: Saharan dust in the wind
The Suomi NPP satellite acquired this image of a plume of Saharan dust as winds lofted it over the Atlantic Ocean on Aug. 24, 2024.
Planetary Sciences
Aug 30, 2024
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![](https://scx1.b-cdn.net/csz/news/175u/2024/what-type-of-excavator.jpg)
What type of excavator is most suitable for asteroids?
Digging in the ground is so commonplace on Earth that we hardly ever think of it as hard. But doing so in space is an entirely different proposition. On some larger worlds, like the moon or Mars, it would be broadly similar ...
Space Exploration
Aug 30, 2024
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![](https://scx1.b-cdn.net/csz/news/175u/2024/the-rubin-observatory.jpg)
The Rubin observatory will unleash a flood of NEO detections, say researchers
After about 10 years of construction, the Vera Rubin Observatory (VRO) is scheduled to see its first light in January 2025. Once it's up and running, it will begin its Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST), a decade-long ...
Astronomy
Aug 30, 2024
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![](https://scx1.b-cdn.net/csz/news/175u/2024/nasa-g-iv-plane-will-c.jpg)
NASA G-IV plane will carry next-generation science instrument
In June 2024, a new tail number swept the sky above NASA's Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California. Pilots conducted flights of a Gulfstream IV (G-IV) to evaluate its handling characteristics and to familiarize ...
Space Exploration
Aug 30, 2024
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![](https://scx1.b-cdn.net/csz/news/175u/2024/nasa-record-holder-can.jpg)
NASA record holder can relate to astronauts stuck in space. He was, too
NASA's record-holding astronaut is urging his two stuck-in-space colleagues to stay positive and "keep up the good work."
Space Exploration
Aug 30, 2024
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NASA's new solar sail extends its booms and sets sail
Solar sails are an exciting way to travel through the solar system because they get their propulsion from the sun. NASA has developed several solar sails, and their newest, the Advanced Composite Solar Sail System (or ACS3), ...
Space Exploration
Aug 30, 2024
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![](https://scx1.b-cdn.net/csz/news/175u/2024/mini-lab-supported-by.jpg)
Mini lab secures NASA ride to the moon
A miniaturized laboratory developed by The Open University (OU) with support from RAL Space will fly to the lunar South Polar region in the European Space Agency's (ESA) Prospect package in search of volatiles, including ...
Planetary Sciences
Aug 30, 2024
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![](https://scx1.b-cdn.net/csz/news/175u/2022/rocket-launch-1.jpg)
NZ's Space Agency is both regulator and developer of the aerospace industry—that's a point of tension, say researchers
Like the global space industry, which aims to reach a value of US$1.8 trillion by 2035, New Zealand's aerospace sector is growing rapidly.
Space Exploration
Aug 30, 2024
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![](https://scx1.b-cdn.net/csz/news/175u/2018/1-earth.jpg)
University of Florida professor to fly Blue Origin New Shepard on mission for NASA
University of Florida horticulture science professor Rob Ferl is going where some men have gone before, including William Shatner and Jeff Bezos, but he's bringing along some experimental plant life for NASA.
Space Exploration
Aug 30, 2024
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![](https://scx1.b-cdn.net/csz/news/175u/2024/what-if-you-flew-your.jpg)
What if you flew your warp drive spaceship into a black hole?
Warp drives have a long history of not existing, despite their ubiquitous presence in science fiction. Writer John Campbell first introduced the idea in a science fiction novel called Islands of Space.
Astronomy
Aug 29, 2024
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![](https://scx1.b-cdn.net/csz/news/175u/2024/using-atomic-excitatio.jpg)
Using atomic excitations to measure the rotation of spacetime
How would atoms behave near a supermassive object? We know how atoms behave in extremely weak gravity like that at the Earth's surface: They can be excited from a lower energy level to a higher one when an electron absorbs ...
![](https://scx1.b-cdn.net/csz/news/175u/2024/astronomers-detect-ext.jpg)
Astronomers detect extended ionized gas around Messier 77
Using the Circumgalactic H-alpha Spectrograph (CHαS), astronomers have performed spectroscopic observations of a nearby active galaxy designated Messier 77. They detected a very extended structure of ionized gas around this ...
More news
![](https://scx1.b-cdn.net/csz/news/tmb/2024/the-capsule-reentered.jpg)
Blue Origin completes latest space tourism flight successfully
![](https://scx1.b-cdn.net/csz/news/tmb/2024/is-betelgeuse-actually.jpg)
Is Betelgeuse actually a binary star?
![](https://scx1.b-cdn.net/csz/news/tmb/2024/nasa-discovers-a-long-1.jpg)
Scientists discover a long-sought global electric field on Earth
![](https://scx1.b-cdn.net/csz/news/tmb/2024/new-algorithm-enhances.jpg)
New algorithms could enhance autonomous spacecraft safety
![](https://scx1.b-cdn.net/csz/news/tmb/2024/the-first-stage-booste.jpg)
SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket grounded pending mishap investigation
![](https://scx1.b-cdn.net/csz/news/tmb/2024/nasas-europa-clipper-g-2.jpg)
NASA's Europa Clipper gets set of super-size solar arrays
![](https://scx1.b-cdn.net/csz/news/tmb/2023/falcon-9-rocket.jpg)
SpaceX delays Polaris Dawn launch again with no new date set
![](https://scx1.b-cdn.net/csz/news/tmb/2024/nasas-perseverance-rov-9.jpg)
NASA's Perseverance rover on Mars begins steep climb to rim of a crater
![](https://scx1.b-cdn.net/csz/news/tmb/2024/how-can-biofilms-help.jpg)
How biofilms can help or hinder spaceflight
![](https://scx1.b-cdn.net/csz/news/tmb/2024/a-spacex-falcon-9-rock-1.jpg)
SpaceX postpones historic mission featuring first private spacewalk
Other news
![](https://scx1.b-cdn.net/csz/news/tmb/2024/irri-researchers-ident.jpg)
Researchers identify genes for low glycemic index and high protein in rice
![](https://scx1.b-cdn.net/csz/news/tmb/2024/chem-lab.jpg)
Novel chemical tool aims to streamline drug-making process
![](https://scx1.b-cdn.net/csz/news/tmb/2024/ice-caps-on-mars-offer.jpg)
Ice caps on Mars offer clues to ancient climates
![](https://scx1.b-cdn.net/csz/news/tmb/2024/geologists-discover-hi.jpg)
Geologists discover hidden magmatism at the Chang'e-6 lunar landing site
![](https://scx1.b-cdn.net/csz/news/tmb/2023/falcon-9-rocket.jpg)
How dangerous is Polaris Dawn space walk from SpaceX Crew Dragon?
![](https://scx1.b-cdn.net/csz/news/tmb/2024/the-spacex-polaris-daw-1.jpg)
SpaceX Polaris Dawn launch pushed back after helium leak
![](https://scx1.b-cdn.net/csz/news/tmb/2024/upcycling-excess-carbo.jpg)
Enhancing microbe memory to better upcycle excess CO₂
![](https://scx1.b-cdn.net/csz/news/tmb/2024/ai-tool-maps-out-cell.jpg)
AI tool maps out cell metabolism with precision
![](https://scx1.b-cdn.net/csz/news/tmb/2024/promising-antibiotic-c.jpg)
Promising antibiotic candidates discovered in microbes deep in the Arctic Sea
![](https://scx1.b-cdn.net/csz/news/tmb/2024/scientists-unlock-the-2.jpg)
Scientists unlock the secrets of how a key protein converts DNA into RNA
![](https://scx1.b-cdn.net/csz/news/tmb/2024/researchers-map-50000.jpg)