File photo of a Long March 2F/T rocket launch. Credit: Xinhua
A reusable Chinese spacecraft that may resemble the U.S. military’s X-37B spaceplane has logged 10 days in orbit since its Aug. 4 launch, but what it’s doing remains a mystery.
Space News & Blog Articles
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Saturn is at opposition. See it shine at its best for 2022 in a free webcast tonight.
The ringed planet Saturn is often hailed as the jewel of the solar system and you have a chance to see why in a free webcast tonight.
JWST’s Science, Surgeon Robot for ISS, Booster 7 Test Fire
James Webb delivers scientific results, SLS and Starship go closer to their maiden flights, remote surgery robot is going to the ISS, Perseverance continues to find weird stuff on Mars, and Hubble is still going strong. All this and more in this week’s episode of Space Bites. All this and more in this week’s episode of Space Bites.
A mystery of sulfur clouds of Venus may be solved by new computer model
Scientists using new computational methods have come up with a new insight into the potential workings of the complex atmosphere of Venus.
A new Australian supercomputer has already delivered a stunning supernova remnant pic
Within 24 hours of accessing the first stage of Australia’s newest supercomputing system, researchers have processed a series of radio telescope observations, including a highly detailed image of a supernova remnant.
Massive expanse of towering hydrothermal vents discovered deep in the Pacific
Scientists found a huge field of hydrothermal vents on the East Pacific Rise.
Flying saucer-shaped cloud floats above Hawaiian telescopes (photo)
A mountaintop observatory experienced a 'close encounter' in the shape of a cloud that some people associate with UFOs. The real-life explanation is far less alien.
Curious Kids: How does cosmic microwave background radiation work?
The Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB for short), is light: the oldest and most distant light that we can see in the entire universe. It comes from soon after the Big Bang – which is considered to be the beginning of the universe.
Starburst galaxy shines in new 'whirlpool of gold' photo
A mesmerizing new photo captures bright, golden swirling clouds of gas that generate an exceptionally high rate of star formation.
MIT Researchers Propose Space Bubbles to Stop Climate Change
Climate change is a real problem. Human caused outputs of greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide and methane are the main driver of an unprecedented rise in global average temperatures at a speed never before seen in the Earth’s geologic record. The problem is so bad that any attempts to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions may be too little and too late. And so a team based at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have proposed a radical new solution: bubbles…in space.
In Wildly Different Environments, Stars End Up Roughly the Same
When you look at a region of the sky where stars are born, you see a cloud of gas and dust and a bunch of stars. It’s really a beautiful sight. In most places, the stars all end up being about the same mass. That mass is probably the most important factor you want to know about it. It directs how long the star will live and what its future will be like. But, what determines its mass and the mass of its siblings in a stellar nursery? Is there some governing force that tells them how massive they’ll be? It turns out that the stars do it for themselves.
Primordial Black Holes Could Have Triggered the Formation of Supermassive Black Holes
The early moments of the universe were turbulent and filled with hot and dense matter. Fluctuations in the early universe could have been great enough that stellar-mass pockets of matter collapsed under their own weight to create primordial black holes. Although we’ve never detected these small black holes, they could have played a vital role in cosmic evolution, perhaps growing into the supermassive black holes we see today. A new study shows how this could work, but also finds the process is complicated.
Perseid meteor shower of 2022 thrills stargazers despite bright moon (photos)
Stargazers around the world captured some dazzling views of the Perseid meteor shower as it peaked overnight Friday and Saturday (Aug. 12-13)
'For All Mankind' showrunners discuss the explosive season 3 finale
What could more pivotal to NASA history than landing the first humans on Mars? As revealed in the season 3 finale of "For All Mankind," the answer could be much more terrestrial. Warning: spoilers.
See the huge solar wings of China's space station in motion above Earth (video)
China’s space station recently gained a new module and with it a pair of huge, solar energy-capturing “wings” that can rotate as the outpost orbits the Earth.
Best time to buy a camera: shop smart and save
Are you thinking of buying a camera? Here are some tips and tricks to help you save money on your next purchase.
Mars enters the evening sky tonight, here's how to find the Red Planet
Look for Mars low on the eastern horizon Saturday (Aug. 13) as the Red Planet comes into the evening sky, shining with Jupiter, Saturn and Uranus.
Moon and Jupiter get together late Sunday night
Check out the king of the planets meeting up with the moon on Aug. 14, throughout most of the night.
SpaceX launches more Starlink satellites in afternoon launch from California
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket soars downrange from Vandenberg Space Force Base on the Starlink 3-3 mission. Credit: William G. Hartenstein
SpaceX launched 46 more Starlink internet satellites on a Falcon 9 rocket Friday from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, adding more broadband relay platforms to the polar-orbiting segment of the network.
Supernova 'wreckage' blasts out cosmic rays in deep space
New evidence suggests the culprit for the cosmic assault presented by cosmic rays may be the shock waves from exploding stars.
Why Betelgeuse Dimmed
Betelgeuse, the big reddish star that is the second brightest point in the constellation Orion (after Rigel), has been puzzling astronomers for years. Starting in October 2019, Belegeuse began to dim considerably, eventually reaching 1/3rd of its normal brightness a few months later. And then, just as mysteriously, it began to brighten again and (as of February 2022) has remained in a normal brightness range. The most likely reason appeared to be a circumstellar dust cloud rather than any changes in the star’s intrinsic brightness.
