When the James Webb Space Telescope started collecting data, it gave us an unprecedented view of the distant cosmos. Faint, redshifted galaxies seen by Hubble as mere smudges of light were revealed as objects of structure and form. And astronomers were faced with a bit of a problem. Those earliest galaxies seemed too developed and too large to have formed within the accepted timeline of the universe. This triggered a flurry of articles claiming boldly that JWST had disproven the big bang. Now a new article in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society argues that the problem isn’t that galaxies are too developed, but rather that the universe is twice as old as we’ve thought. A whopping 26.7 billion years old to be exact. It’s a bold claim, but does the data really support it?
Space News & Blog Articles
Truly to open 1st zero-gravity hard seltzer bar aboard astronaut training aircraft
A popular hard seltzer brand is giving new meaning to the term 'pop-up bar' with a zero-g twist that could have its fans popping up and down and in every which way this summer.
The summer meteor showers of 2023 could be awesome. Here's how to see them
One of the best meteor displays of the year will be visible soon: The Perseid Shower. But there also are a number of minor meteor displays that will be peaking in the next couple of weeks.
These 3 Orion spacecraft will carry Artemis astronauts to the moon (photo)
Three NASA Orion spacecraft for the agency's Artemis moon program are coming together at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
Where did the interstellar object 'Oumuamua come from? Its speed could tell us
The velocity of interstellar objects passing through our solar system, like 'Oumuamua, can be correlated to their chemistry and the type of star they came from.
SpaceX to test fire Falcon 9 booster following last-minute launch scrub
File photo close up of a Falcon 9 static fire. Image: SpaceX.
SpaceX will test fire a Falcon 9 on pad 40 at Cape Canaveral tonight to clear the booster for its 16th flight. A launch attempt early Friday was aborted in the final minute of the countdown. SpaceX did not disclose the reason for the scrub.
Afghanistan Students for the International Olympiad in Astronomy & Astrophysics Need Your Help
The 16th International Olympiad on Astronomy and Astrophysics (IOAA) will be held this year in Silesia, Poland on August 10-20, 2023. 265 students from 53 countries will take part in this annual competition that challenges select high school students from around the world in astronomical science.
China Has Begun Launching its Own Satellite Internet Network
Since 2019, Elon Musk and SpaceX have led the charge to create high broadband satellite internet services. As of May 2023, the Starlink constellation consisted of over 4,000 satellites operating in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) and roughly 1.5 million subscribers worldwide. Several competitors began launching constellations years before Starlink began, and several companies have emerged since. This includes HughesNet, OneWeb, and Amazon’s Kuiper Systems. But Starlink’s latest challenger could be its most fearsome yet: a company in China backed by the Beijing government!
Do fabled 'dark stars' actually exist? James Webb Space Telescope spots 3 candidates
The James Webb Space Telescope spotted three objects that may be 'dark stars,' or stars that are powered by dark matter. But follow-up work is needed to learn their nature.
Forest Fires in British Columbia are Bad This Year. THIRTY Times Worse Than Average
This summer has seen a violent outbreak of forest fires across Canada and North America. According to the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Center (CIFFC), there were 911 active fires across the country on July 13th, nearly 600 of which were characterized as “out-of-control.” More than half of these active fires are taking place in the provinces of British Columbia, driven by a combination of unusual heat, dry lightning, and drought. The situation is becoming increasingly common thanks to rising global temperatures, diminished rainfall, changing weather patterns, and other related effects of Climate Change.
NASA and Metallica team up for epic Artemis 1 moon rocket video
NASA is using an epic guitar score from Metallica to highlight its Artemis program, which aims to land humans on the moon a few years from now.
UV Light
Ultraviolet (UV) light is a type of electromagnetic radiation with a wavelength shorter than that of visible light. It is classified into three categories based on wavelength: UV-A, UV-B, and UV-C. Here are some key points about UV light:
See the wild Las Vegas Sphere transform into Earth, Mars and the moon (photos)
The Sphere in Las Vegas, the world's largest spherical structure, used its 580,000-square-foot LED 'exosphere' display to bring us Mars, the moon and Earth on July 4.
India's Chandrayaan 3 Mission Launches for the Moon
India is headed back to the Moon with its ambitious new Chandrayaan 3 mission.
'Failed star' is the coldest radio wave source ever discovered
Astronomers have discovered an ultracold brown dwarf, a "failed star" smaller than Jupiter and colder than a campfire that is emitting radio waves.
What's next for India's Chandrayaan-3 moon mission?
India's third lunar exploration mission, Chandrayaan-3, launched on July 14. The mission's lander and rover are scheduled to touch down on the moon in late August.
Famous 'man in the moon' could be 200 million years older than we thought
Moon craters used to measure lunar time have been reassessed, indicating some features are much older than we thought, possibly by up to 200 million years.
"Foundation" season 2 review: Stick with it and you will be rewarded
Apple T.V.'s epic adaptation of Isaac Asimov's novels has been playing the very long game.
We've Got to Go Back to Enceladus. Here's a Mission That Could Get the Science
In our search for life on other worlds, the one we’ve most explored is Mars. But while Mars has the makings for possible life, it isn’t the best candidate in our solar system. Much better are the icy moons of Jupiter and Saturn, which we know have liquid water. And of those, perhaps the best candidate is Saturn’s moon Enceladus.
A tale of two space rocks: The year 'Deep Impact' and 'Armageddon' smashed onto the silver screen
Twenty-five years ago, two movies about deadly asteroids collided at the global box office – with very different results.
Good news for life: Mars rivers flowed for long stretches long ago
Some rivers on ancient Mars flowed for long enough stretches to create bona fide habitable environments on the Red Planet, a new study suggests.
