Space News & Blog Articles
This Week's Sky at a Glance, July 26 – August 3
Very low in the west in bright twilight, have you picked up Venus yet? Binoculars help. Much tougher will be Mercury and Regulus. Their arrangement changes all week.
Earth from Space: Paris in focus
Image: This striking high-resolution image offers an in-depth view of central Paris, allowing you to explore and zoom into the city’s most captivating areas in exceptional detail.
Is This How You Get Hot Jupiters?
When we think of Jupiter-type planets, we usually picture massive cloud-covered worlds orbiting far from their stars. That distance keeps their volatile gases from vaporizing from stellar heat, similar to what we’re familiar with in our Solar System. So, why are so many exoplanets known as “hot Jupiters” orbiting very close to their stars? That’s the question astronomers ask as they study more of these extreme worlds.
Make-or-break tests on tap for Boeing’s Starliner capsule
Boeing’s Starliner, docked at the International Space Station, pictured in a long-duration exposure as the craft soared 258 miles above western China. Image: NASA.
Critical tests are on tap this weekend to confirm Boeing’s Starliner capsule can safety carry its two-person crew back to Earth despite unexpected helium leaks and degraded maneuvering thrusters, officials said Thursday.
SpaceX finds cause of Falcon 9 failure, eyes return to flight as soon as July 27
SpaceX has fixed the problem that caused its Falcon 9 rocket to fail during a July 11 launch, according to the company, which is eyeing a July 27 return to flight.
Now Uranus’ Moon Ariel Might Have an Ocean too
Venus is known for being really quite inhospitable with high surface temperatures and Mars is known for its rusty red horizons. Even the moons of some of the outer planets have fascinating environments with Europa and Enceladus boasting underground oceans. Recent observations from the James Webb Space Telescope show that Ariel, a moon of Uranus, is also a strong candidate for a sub surface ocean. How has this conclusion been reached? Well JWST has detected carbon dioxide ice on the surface on the trailing edge of features trailing away from the orbital direction. The possible cause, an underground ocean!
NASA's Perseverance Mars rover finds possible signs of ancient Red Planet life
NASA's Perseverance rover stumbled upon a Mars rock. It seems to suggest evidence of ancient life on the Red Planet.
Why is JWST Having So Much Trouble with the TRAPPIST-1 System?
When the James Webb Space Telescope was launched it came with a fanfare expecting amazing things, much like the Hubble Space Telescope. One of JWST’s most anticipated target was TRAPPIST-1. This inconspicuous star is host to seven Earth-sized planets, with at least three in the habitable zone. The two inner planets are airless worlds but so far there has been no word of the third planet, the first in the habitable zone. The question is why and what makes it so tricky to observe?
Planetary Habitability Depends on its Star’s Magnetic Field
The extrasolar planet census recently passed a major milestone, with 5500 confirmed candidates in 4,243 solar systems. With so many exoplanets available for study, astronomers have learned a great deal about the types of planets that exist in our galaxy and have been rethinking several preconceived notions. These include the notion of “habitability” and whether Earth is the standard by which this should be measured – i.e., could there be “super habitable” exoplanets out there? – and the very concept of the circumsolar habitable zone (CHZ).
A Solution to the “Final Parsec Problem?”
Supermassive Black Holes are Nature’s confounding behemoths. It’s difficult for Earth-bound minds to comprehend their magnitude and power. Astrophysicists have spent decades studying them, and they’ve made progress. But one problem still baffles even them: the Final Parsec Problem.
Powerful wildfires devastating Canada captured in satellite imagery
A rapidly spreading wildfire burns through part of the largest national park in the Canadian Rockies as satellites track its growth and movement.
Discovery of 'dark oxygen' from deep-sea metal lumps could trigger rethink of origins of life
In a global first, scientists working in the Clarion-Clipperton Zone in the North Pacific Ocean have found that metallic nodules on the seafloor produce their own oxygen, dubbed "dark oxygen."
X-rays reveal secret gas in huge and distant galaxy cluster
The Euclid and XMM-Newton missions have combined to show the hidden, hot gas that fills an immense galaxy cluster 2.7 billion light-years away.
Astronomers Find 21 “Dark” Neutron Stars Orbiting Sun-like Stars
New analysis has revealed 21 Sun-like stars in mutual orbit around dark objects of neutron star–like masses — rare systems that have escaped destruction by supernova.
Runaway 'failed star' races through the cosmos at 1.2 million mph
Citizen scientists have discovered what may be a brown dwarf racing through the cosmos at around 1.2 million miles per hour. Now astronomers want to know what launched it.
50 days after launch to ISS, Boeing Starliner astronauts still have no landing date
Boeing's Starliner does not have a landing date yet, but the troubleshooting is making progress. Engineers plan a "hot fire" test this weekend to see how the spacecraft does in orbit.
Marvel's main 'Star Wars' comic book line to progress into the New Republic era this fall
Starting this October, Marvel's core Star Wars line will move past Return of the Jedi and into a new era of storytelling set before The Mandalorian.
Next Blue Origin space tourism flight will launch youngest woman above the Kármán line
Blue Origin has announced the six crewmembers for its next space tourism flight. One of them will become the youngest woman to cross the Kármán line.
Our Carbon Dioxide Emissions Have a Mesmerizing Side
Our CO2 emissions are warming the planet and making life uncomfortable and even unbearable in some regions. In July, the planet set consecutive records for the hottest day.
Watch China test-fire engine for new crewed moon rocket (video)
China has test-fired a new engine for its planned Long March 10 rocket, which is designed to take astronauts to the moon.
