Three spaceflight anniversaries have a nexus of sorts, in a comic strip that ran in newspapers over 20 years ago. It all comes down to the imagination and knowledge (or lack thereof) of Johnny Hart.
Space News & Blog Articles
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Inflatable moon telescope could peer into universe's Dark Ages
European scientists are developing an inflatable radio telescope concept that could do groundbreaking science on the moon.
This Week's Sky at a Glance, June 16 – 25
Venus and Mars are getting closer together in the western dusk. And why does Mars always turn so puny when it approaches Venus? The "Betelgeuse of Summer" is up, and the Little Dipper stands on end.
Earth from Space: Eastern Mediterranean
Image: Copernicus Sentinel-3’s wide view captures the eastern edge of the Mediterranean and surrounding countries.
Virgin Galactic will launch its 1st commercial spaceflight on June 27
Virgin Galactic plans to launch its first commercial spaceflight on June 27, with the second following shortly thereafter in early August.
Pulsars Could Help Map the Black Hole at the Center of the Milky Way
The Theory of General Relativity (GR), proposed by Einstein over a century ago, remains one of the most well-known scientific postulates of all time. This theory, which explains how spacetime curvature is altered in the presence of massive objects, remains the cornerstone of our most widely-accepted cosmological models. This should come as no surprise since GR has been verified nine ways from Sunday and under the most extreme conditions imaginable. In particular, scientists have mounted several observation campaigns to test GR using Sagittarius A* (Sgr A*), the supermassive black hole at the center of the Milky Way.
A Planet So Hot Its Atmosphere Contains the Raw Material for Rocks
In the annals of “strange new worlds”, the ultra-hot Jupiter planet WASP-76b ranks right up there as a very unusual place. There’s no surface, but it does have a massive, hot atmosphere. Temperatures average a raging 2000 C and rise up to 2400 C in one hemisphere. That’s hot enough for mineral and rock-forming elements like calcium, nickel, and magnesium to get vaporized and float around in that thick blanket of air. Not only that, but iron probably rains down through the clouds.
'Weird' game of cosmic tug-of-war in the Tarantula Nebula weaves up new stars
Astronomers have observed the Tarantula Nebula at the heart of the Large Magellanic Cloud, finding that powerful magnetic fields ensure its survival and regulate star birth.
Black Holes
Black holes are fascinating and enigmatic objects in space that have captured the imagination of scientists and the public alike. Here are some key points about black holes:
The moon and Mercury meet in the bright red 'eye of the bull' early Friday morning
The moon and Mercury will come close to the red supergiant star Aldebaran, the brightest star of Taurus the bull, in the early morning sky on Friday (June 16).
Astronauts unfurl final roll-out solar array (for now) at space station in record-tying spacewalk
NASA astronauts Woody Hoburg and Stephen Bowen deployed the sixth and last (for now) upgraded solar array outside of the International Space Station while Bowen tied an American spacewalk record.
How Science Fiction Sparked Our Flights to the Final Frontier
The commercial spaceflight revolution didn’t begin with Elon Musk. Or with Jeff Bezos, or Richard Branson, or any of the other billionaires who’ve spent a fortune on the final frontier over the past 20 years.
Light pollution poses serious threat to astronomy, skywatching and more, study says
Astronomers are once again ringing alarm bells about rising light pollution destroying pristine night skies. This time, though, their worries extend beyond their core discipline.
Did Life Need Plate Tectonics to Emerge?
It’s widely accepted that Earth’s plate tectonics are a key factor in life’s emergence. Plate tectonics allows heat to move from the mantle to the crust and plays a critical role in cycling nutrients. They’re also a key part of the carbon cycle that moderates Earth’s temperature.
Final launch of Europe's powerful Ariane 5 rocket delayed indefinitely
The final liftoff of Europe's Ariane 5 rocket, targeted for Friday (June 15), has been delayed due to "a risk to the redundancy of a critical function" on the vehicle.
Astronaut Chris Hadfield wants to protect the moon with an 'Astra Carta'
Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield plans to release a new space sustainability plan formulated with King Charles III. The plan borrows its name from the famous Magna Carta.
Startup PLD Space to Launch Europe’s First Reusable Rocket
PLD Space could launch its suborbital Miura-1 rocket this month.
Out of this world accommodation: What sci-fi gets right (and wrong) about life beyond Earth
Science fiction cinema has offered up countless attempts to foretell human existence beyond the stars. But just how rooted in science are these Hollywood attempts to depict humans settling other planets?
'Star Trek: Strange New Worlds' season 2 premiere is a solid but subdued affair
What will Season 2 of "Star Trek: Strange New Worlds" bring? The possibility of hijinks, hijacks, medical emergencies, marital emergencies, action, aliens and maybe more Sybok.
