What do two guys from Ohio, the GAIA mission, a worldwide network of ground-based telescopes, machine learning, and citizen scientists all have to do with each other? Thanks to this interesting combo of people and computers, astronomers now have more than 116,000 new variable stars to study. Until now, they knew of about 46,000 of these stars in the Milky Way Galaxy. They had observed maybe 10,000 or so in other galaxies. The discovery gives astronomers even more chances to study variables and understand why they behave the way they do.
Space News & Blog Articles
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Objects That Share the Same Orbit are Common in the Solar System. But we’ve Never Seen co-Orbital Exoplanets. Why?
“Where are all the Trojans” is a question valid in both the study of ancient history and the study of exoplanets. Trojan bodies, which share orbital paths with other, larger planets, are prevalent in our solar system – most obviously in the Trojan asteroids that follow Jupiter around on its orbital path. However, they seem absent from any star system found with exoplanets. Now, a team of researchers from the SETI Institute and NASA’s Ames Research Center thinks they have found a reason why.
Russian Soyuz rocket poised for launch with space station cargo freighter
NASA TV (English)
Roscosmos Webcast (Russian)
Russia’s Progress MS-20 cargo freighter is set for launch Friday on a fast-track, three-and-a-half hour rendezvous with the International Space Station to deliver around three tons of fuel, food, and supplies for the lab’s seven-person crew.
A Pulsar has Been Found Turning so Slowly Astronomers Didn't Even Think it was Possible: Once Every 76 Seconds
Astronomy is progressing rapidly these days, thanks in part to how advances in one area can contribute to progress in another. For instance, improved optics, instruments, and data processing methods have allowed astronomers to push the boundaries of optical and infrared to gravitational wave (GW) astronomy. Radio astronomy is also advancing considerably thanks to arrays like the MeerKAT radio telescope in South Africa, which will join with observatories in Australia in the near future to create the Square Kilometer Array (SKA).
The Stars in Other Galaxies are Generally Heavier Than the Milky Way’s Stars
How many of what kinds of stars live in other galaxies? It seems like a simple question, but it’s notoriously hard to pin down, because astronomers have such a difficult time estimating stellar populations in remote galaxies. Now a team of astronomers has completed a census of over 140,000 galaxies and found that distant galaxies tend to have heavier stars.
NASA to buy 5 more astronaut missions from SpaceX
NASA plans to buy five more SpaceX crewed flights to the International Space Station.
Elon Musk tells SpaceX, Tesla workers they must be in office at least 40 hours a week: report
'Remote work is no longer acceptable,' the SpaceX and Tesla CEO reportedly said in memos to both companies.
Russia will launch a cargo mission to the space station early Friday morning. Watch it live
Russia will launch a robotic cargo mission to the International Space Station early Friday morning (June 3), and you can watch the action live.
Pew pew! Perseverance rover on Mars picks its own prize rocks to shoot with laser
NASA is hailing the Perseverance rover's improved ability to pick its own targets as a way of speeding up science on Mars.
Blue-whale-size asteroid to screech past Earth in close encounter on June 6
An asteroid up to three times the size of a blue whale will sail past Earth on June 6, 2022.
Our Mars rover mission was suspended because of the Ukraine war — here's what we're hoping for next
Just a few months ago, we were confidently expecting to launch our rover, Rosalind Franklin, to Mars in September as part of the ExoMars mission, a collaboration between Europe and Russia.
The Life and Times of Immortal Stars
Under the right conditions, stars could become immortal. How is this possible, and what does it mean for these stars’ surroundings?
4 hostile alien civilizations may lurk in the Milky Way, a new study suggests
New research calculates the odds that humans will contact a 'malicious' alien civilization that wants to invade our planet. Don't worry, the chances are incredibly small.
Frame for Artemis IV
Image:
The fourth European Service Module structure to power astronauts on NASA's Orion spacecraft to the Moon is now complete. The structure is seen here at a Thales Alenia Space site in Turin, Italy.
Hubble telescope spots peculiar dwarf galaxy with really bright neighbor
The Hubble Space Telescope has captured a dazzling new view of a busy star birth factory.
Nikon Z7 II review
The Nikon Z7 II is a powerhouse of all-round full-frame mirrorless performance, but it’s especially adept at astrophotography and low light shooting.
Chinese automaker launches nine satellites to aid self-driving cars
A Long March 2C rocket lifts off with nine small satellites to support Geely’s self-driving cars. Credit: CASC
China’s Zhejiang Geely Holding Group launched the first nine satellites of a planned constellation of 240 spacecraft Thursday, starting the deployment phase of a project intended to provide navigation and inter-vehicle communications for autonomous cars.
China proposes alien planet mission to hunt habitable worlds by scanning wobbling stars
A proposed Chinese mission would look for nearby habitable alien worlds by launching a spacecraft to make ultraprecise measurements of how orbiting planets make a star wobble.
Faint radio glow thousands of light-years wide discovered around closest quasar
By employing a new technique to make it easier to see faint gas next to the brilliant glare of a quasar, astronomers have discovered that the quasar is ionizing vast amounts of gas.
See 5 planets align in the night sky this month, a rare treat!
A "planet parade" will see all five naked-eye worlds line up in their proper orbital order from the sun in Earth's sky this month.
Even if you can’t see Auroras, You Can Sometimes Hear Them. Here’s What They Sound Like
Auroras are some of Earth’s most spectacular natural phenomena. Travelers come from far and wide to see the incredible Northern Lights and wonder at their beauty. Once thought to be magical in nature, most science fans understand that the lights are formed by the solar wind interacting with our magnetosphere. But did you know they also make sounds?
