Astronomy instruments usually investigate huge cosmic objects like stars, planets and entire galaxies. Now, a team of scientists used such a tool to investigate the universe on a vastly smaller scale.
Space News & Blog Articles
After a successful moon voyage, NASA's Artemis 1 Orion spacecraft helps prepare for the next (video)
Artemis 1's Orion spacecraft circled the moon in 2022, but its mission is not over. Ahead of the Artemis 2 astronaut mission in 2025, the vehicle is back in testing to ensure it's safe for humans.
Is Betelgeuse Fading Again?
Betelgeuse has dipped nearly half a magnitude since late January. Could it be headed for another Great Dimming Event? We also take a look at this spring's "other" eclipse.
Ultrablack Coating Could Be Ideal for Telescopes
If you, like me, have dabbled with telescope making you will know what a fickle friend light can be. On one hand you want to capture as much as you can (but only from the object, not from nearby lights) and want to reflect or refract it to the point of observation or study. What you most certainly don’t want is stray light to be bounced around inside the telescope so components (except the mirror!) are sprayed as black as possible. Unfortunately black paints tend to be quite susceptible to damage and struggle to cope with the harsh conditions and cold temperatures telescopes are subjected to. A team has recently developed a new atomic-layer deposition method which absorbs 99.3% of light and is durable too.
Are Andromeda and the Milky Way Already Exchanging Stars?
I often drag out the amazing fact that the Andromeda Galaxy, that faint fuzzy blob just off the corner of the Square of Pegasus, is heading straight for us! Of course I continue to tell people it won’t happen for a few billion years yet but a recent study suggests that we are already seeing hypervelocity stars that have been ejected from Andromeda already. It is just possible that the two galaxies have already started to exchange stars long before they are expected to merge.
Colliding Neutron Stars are the Ultimate Particle Accelerators
Gamma-ray telescopes observing neutron star collisions might be the key to identifying the composition of dark matter. One leading theory explaining dark matter it that is mostly made from hypothetical particles called axions. If an axion is created within the intensely energetic environment of two neutron stars merging, it should then decay into gamma-ray photons which we could see using space telescopes like Fermi-LAT.
What time is SpaceX's 3rd Starship launch test on March 14?
SpaceX is hoping to launch its first Starship test of 2024 as early as Thursday (March 14) in what it hopes will be a historic orbital flight of the world's biggest rocket. Here's when it may fly.
Splashdown practice for Artemis 2 moon mission 'an incredible experience,' new NASA astronaut says (exclusive)
Former U.S. cyclist Christina Birch's first major astronaut assignment will be helping to develop moon spacecraft. She practiced splashdowns in the open water in February 2024.
This is Europa Clipper’s Version of the Golden Record
The Voyager spacecraft carried on board a plethora of scientific instruments but attached to the side was a golden record. The sounds of Earth were recorded upon it. Now, another mission is going to be carrying a message out into space. The Europa Clipper mission will launch in October and it will carry a plaque with images, illustrations and messages. There will be more than 2.6 million names and the word for ‘water’ converted into waveform from 103 languages.
Black Holes are Tearing Stars Apart All Around Us
Galaxy NGC3799 lies around 16 million light years from Earth. Any event observed today within that galaxy took place 16 million years ago. One such event was observed in February 2023 when a surge in brightness in the core was followed by a rapid dimming. The observations that followed revealed that the event was a star being torn apart by a supermassive black hole at the heart of the galaxy. This is not the first time such an event has been observed but it is the first to be within our galactic backyard suggesting it may be more common that first thought.
Astronomers Propose a 50-Meter Submillimeter Telescope
Some parts of the Universe only reveal important details when observed in radio waves. That explains why we have ALMA, the Atacama Large Millimetre-submillimetre Array, a collection of 7-meter and 12-meter radio telescopes that work together as an interferometer. But, ALMA-type arrays have their limitations, and astronomers know what they need to overcome those limitations.
Water-themed plaque to fly on Europa Clipper to Jupiter's icy ocean moon
NASA's Europa Clipper spacecraft, which is dedicated to studying Jupiter's icy ocean moon, will carry with it a metal plaque etched with the ripples created by the many ways humans say "water."
SpaceX stacks Starship ahead of 3rd test flight (photos)
SpaceX has stacked Starship ahead of the megarocket's highly anticipated third test flight, which could take place as soon as Thursday (March 14).
A rare nova ignites a 'new star' in the sky this year. Here's how to see it
A nova named T Coronae Borealis is expected to decorate the night sky between February and September 2024 for the first time in 80 years. Here's how you can see the event.
Russia and China announce plan to build shared nuclear reactor on the moon by 2035, 'without humans'
The proposed nuclear reactor, which could be transported and assembled without human assistance, would provide energy to a lunar base that Russia and China have agreed to build together.
Icy Impactor Might Explain the Formation of Mars’s Moons
In a new study, scientists suggest an impact with a giant icy object could explain the formation of Mars's moons, Phobos and Deimos.
Mars attracts: How the Red Planet influences Earth's climate and seas
Scientists have discovered a surprising 2.4-million-year-cycle in deep-sea sediments that indicates Mars has an influence on Earth's oceans and climate.
You could win a chance to watch 2024's total solar eclipse from a jet. Here's how
Public charter jet service JSX has opened up a sweepstakes for its total solar eclipse flight in Dallas, Texas. There will be 6 winners, and each winner can bring a guest.
Watch 'horned' comet 12P/Pons-Brooks zoom past the Andromeda Galaxy live today (video)
Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks is currently sailing past the Andromeda Galaxy in the night sky as it races toward Earth, and you can watch it live today.
CNN explores NASA's Columbia shuttle tragedy in riveting docuseries (video)
A first trailer for CNN Originals' new docuseries, "Space Shuttle Columbia: The Final Flight."
These ISO-certified solar eclipse glasses are currently 40% off
Save 40% on ISO-certified solar glasses and get them in time for next month's total solar eclipse (April 8).