Space News & Blog Articles
SpaceX adds 53 more Starlink satellites to internet constellation
SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket fires its upper stage engine to propel 53 Starlink internet satellites into orbit. The rocket’s first stage booster and two halves of the payload fairing are visible returning to Earth for recovery and reuse. Credit: Gene Blevins / LA Daily News
SpaceX fired a Falcon 9 rocket off a launching stand in California at sunset Thursday, producing a twilight sky show visible as far away as Texas as the mission delivered 53 more Starlink internet satellites into orbit.
NASA is Mapping Giant Clouds of Methane Released by “Super-Emitters” Across the World
Everybody’s heard of methane. It’s a major part of the atmosphere in places like Uranus and Neptune. On Earth, it’s also part of our atmosphere, where it works to warm things up. Some of it gets there from natural causes. But, a lot of it comes from industrial super-emitters and other human-caused processes. That’s not good because too much methane works, along with other greenhouse gases (like carbon dioxide, or CO2) to “over warm” our atmosphere.
SpaceX fires up huge Falcon Heavy rocket ahead of Nov. 1 launch
SpaceX lit the engines of its powerful Falcon Heavy rocket on Thursday (Oct. 27), paving the way for a liftoff early next week.
Watch live: Russian cargo ship on course for docking at space station
Russia’s Progress MS-21 resupply spacecraft is on course for an automated docking with the International Space Station at 10:51 p.m. EDT (0251 GMT) to deliver more than 2.7 tons of cargo to the lab’s seven-person crew.
Here are Four Ways JWST Could Detect Alien Life
Less than a year after it went to space, the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has already demonstrated its worth many times over. The images it has acquired of distant galaxies, nebulae, exoplanet atmospheres, and deep fields are the most detailed and sensitive ever taken. And yet, one of the most exciting aspects of its mission is just getting started: the search for evidence of life beyond Earth. This will consist of Webb using its powerful infrared instruments to look for chemical signatures associated with life and biological processes (aka. biosignatures).
Earth’s Hardiest Bacteria Could Survive Hundreds of Millions of Years Just Under the Surface of Mars
A few years from now, a small capsule will enter Earth’s atmosphere and float to the surface under a parachute. The parachute will likely be radar-reflective so that it can be easily tracked. It may land in Australia’s outback, a popular spot for sample returns. Scientists will take it to a sterilized, secure lab and carefully open it. Inside, there’ll be rock samples from Mars collected by the Perseverance Rover.
NASA's ailing Mars lander feels shockwaves from ice-blasting meteoroid impact
Christmas came one day early for a robotic geologist stationed on the Red Planet.
The 1st ever Election Day Blood Moon lunar eclipse is coming on Nov. 8
Early on Election Day morning, early risers will have an opportunity to observe the November Beaver Moon undergo a total eclipse.
Dwarf Planet Haumea is one of the Stranger Objects in the Solar System. How did it get That way?
There’s still a raging debate in some circles as to whether Pluto should be a planet or not. Ask an astronomer, and their typical answer would be something like – if Pluto is a planet, then there are plenty of other bodies out there in the solar system that should be considered one too. One of those is Haumea, a little explored rock in the Kuiper belt that is one of the strangest large objects out there. Now, a team from NASA has a new idea as to how it got that way.
'Andor' continues to be bold and beautiful with episode 7, 'Announcement'
'Andor' episode 7, 'Announcement,' delves into the aftermath of last week's daring raid on the Aldhani Imperial base.
The sun's sinister 'smile' has Earth on solar storm watch this Halloween weekend
The 'smiling' sun could unleash a trio of fast solar wind streams toward Earth which could trigger a minor geomagnetic storm.
Live coverage: More Starlink satellites awaiting launch from California
Live coverage of the countdown and launch of a Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California with 53 Starlink internet satellites. Text updates will appear automatically below; there is no need to reload the page. Follow us on Twitter.
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The moon is enchanting in new photos from NASA's Lucy asteroid mission
NASA's Lucy mission took stunning closeup images of the moon after using Earth to gain a gravity-assisted boost for its journey to visit Jupiter's Trojan asteroids.
UK Lego deal: save up to £60 with promo code at John Lewis
Use promo code "LEGOOFFER" at checkout to receive up to £60 off and there's free standard delivery when you spend over £50.
These eerie sounds made from a NASA flyby of Jupiter's moon Europa are haunting
An eerie new video allows us to hear what NASA's Juno spacecraft experienced as it made a flyby of Jupiter's icy moon Europa last month.
How to See the Bigger Picture From NASA’s Webb Space Telescope
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Side-by-side pictures from NASA’s 32-year-old Hubble Space Telescope and the brand-new James Webb Space Telescope may draw oohs and ahhs, but they don’t give you a full sense of just how much more astronomers are getting from the new kid on the cosmic block.
Magma on Mars may be bubbling underground right now
Evidence continues to build that volcanic activity on Mars didn't die out long ago.
Why Rogue One is the most underrated Star Wars movie in the galaxy
Cassian Andor's tragic debut isn't just the best 'Disney era' Star Wars movie, it holds its own against George Lucas’ sacred Original Trilogy too.
Something spooky is happening at the edge of the solar system
The boundary between the heliosphere and the interstellar medium appears to be moving in an unexpected manner.
Best light pollution filters for astrophotography 2022
The best light pollution filters to help suppress the effect of urban skyglow for astrophotography and stargazing.