The reason we call dark matter dark isn’t because it’s some shadowy material. It’s because dark matter doesn’t interact with light. The difference is subtle, but important. Regular matter can be dark because it absorbs light. It’s why, for example, we can see the shadow of molecular clouds against the scattered stars of the Milky Way. This is possible because light and matter have a way to connect. Light is an electromagnetic wave, and atoms contain electrically charged electrons and protons, so matter can emit, absorb and scatter light. Dark matter isn’t electrically charged. It has no way to connect with light, and so when light and dark matter meet up they simply pass through each other.
Space News & Blog Articles
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Why I'm going to Easter Island for the 'ring of fire' annular solar eclipse
The world's most remote island, where moai stand and stare at the stars, will experience an annular solar eclipse on Oct. 2, 2024. For one eclipse-chaser, it's unmissable.
A New Rover Design Could Crawl Across the Moon for Decades Harvesting Water
We have known that water ice exists on the Moon since 1998. These large deposits are found in the permanently shadowed craters around the polar region. The challenge is how to get it since shadowed craters are not the best place for solar powered vehicles to operate. A team of engineers have identified a design for an ice-mining vehicle powered by americium-241. With a half-life of 432 years, this element is an ideal power source for a vehicle to operate in the dark for several decades.
Earth will capture 'second moon' this weekend
Earth will get a "new moon" this weekend when, on Sunday (Sept. 29), it captures the asteroid 2024 PT5, claiming it as a very temporary "mini-moon."
Radar images capture snowman-shaped object tumbling past Earth
Radar images have captured snowman-shaped 2024 ON asteroid tumbling through space.
Japan launches spy satellite on penultimate mission of H-2A rocket
Japan launched the IGS-Radar 8 spy satellite early Thursday morning (Sept. 26), on the second-to-last mission of the nation's venerable H-2A rocket.
Canon PowerShot Zoom digital monocular review
The Canon PowerShot Zoom digital monocular can take 12MP stills and can record HD video. But can it match the quality and convenience of a traditional monocular? Let's find out.
Weird striped rock 'unlike any seen on Mars' found by Perseverance rover. Here's why NASA's excited
While climbing a crater rim, NASA's Perseverance Mars rover spotted a curious striped rock that may have rolled from farther uphill, hinting at treasures the robotic explorer has yet to find.
Blue Origin fires up 2nd stage of huge New Glenn rocket ahead of debut launch (video)
Blue Origin carried out a hotfire test for its New Glenn rocket second stage on Monday (Sept. 23) as the company moves toward the huge vehicle's debut flight.
SpaceX's Elon Musk calls on FAA chief to resign
SpaceX continues to engage the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration in a heated and very public debate over launch licensing and alleged violations.
Space Travel Weakens the Heart, New Study Finds
It’s no secret that spending extended periods in space takes a toll on the human body. For years, NASA and other space agencies have been researching the effects of microgravity on humans, animals, and plants aboard the International Space Station (ISS). So far, the research has shown that being in space for long periods leads to muscle atrophy, bone density loss, changes in vision, gene expression, and psychological issues. Knowing these effects and how to mitigate them is essential given our future space exploration goals, which include long-duration missions to the Moon, Mars, and beyond.
Where did Mars' atmosphere go? Scientists say it may be 'hiding in plain sight'
New research suggests that the atmosphere of Mars could have literally "gone to ground" as carbon dioxide was greedily slurped out of the atmosphere and locked away by Red Planet clays.
Will Comet A3 Tsuchinshan-ATLAS Shine Brighter Than Expected?
Now is the time to catch Comet A3-Tsuchinshan-ATLAS at dawn.
Hurricane Helene could yield major flooding, tornadoes and 'devastating' winds, experts warn
Tropical Storm Helene reached hurricane status on Wednesday (Sept. 25), and scientists warn that its damage could be life-threatening.
Xenomorphs infest a luxury resort in Marvel Comics' new 'Alien: Paradiso #1'
A preview of Marvel Comics’ new Alien: Paradiso miniseries arriving in December
Biosignatures Can be Made in the Lab. No Life Needed.
The most likely way we will discover life on a distant exoplanet is by discovering a biosignature. This can be done by looking at the atmospheric spectra of a world to discover the spectral pattern of a molecule that can only be created through biological processes. While it sounds straightforward it isn’t. The presence of simple molecules such as water and oxygen don’t prove life exists on a planet. It’s true that Earth’s atmosphere is oxygen rich thanks to life, but geological activity can also produce large quantities of oxygen. And as a new study shows, some molecules we’ve long thought to be biological in origin may not be.
How black-hole-powered quasars killed off neighboring galaxies in the early universe
Using the Dark Energy Camera, astronomers discovered that black-hole-powered quasars in the early universe lived in dense neighborhoods, but were "bad neighbors."
See Mutual Events, Close Approaches of Saturn's Moons
As Saturn's rings narrow, now's the time for its moons to shine.
Webb finds potential missing link to first stars
Looking deep into the early Universe with the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope, astronomers have found something unprecedented: a galaxy with an odd light signature, which they attribute to its gas outshining its stars.
Citizen scientists bring intriguing 'hot Jupiter' exoplanet into sharp focus
Yet another faraway world has come to sharper focus thanks to the collective scientific muscle of citizen scientists.
James Webb Space Telescope finds 'puffball' exoplanet is uniquely lopsided
Using the James Webb Space Telescope astronomers have found that a strange inflated exoplanet is even weirder than they realized finding a strange asymmetry in its atmosphere.
