The search for extrasolar planets is currently undergoing a seismic shift. With the deployment of the Kepler Space Telescope and the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS), scientists discovered thousands of exoplanets, most of which were detected and confirmed using indirect methods. But in more recent years, and with the launch of the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), the field has been transitioning toward one of characterization. In this process, scientists rely on emission spectra from exoplanet atmospheres to search for the chemical signatures we associate with life (biosignatures).
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Earth Day 2024: Witness our changing planet in 12 incredible satellite images
To commemorate Earth Day, enjoy these 12 NOAA satellite images that showcase the different ways this critical technology helps scientists keep an eye on our planet.
Watch a Hotspot Orbit Our Galaxy's Black Hole
Astronomers have reconstructed a 3D video of hot gas orbiting a stone’s throw away from our galaxy’s central black hole.
NASA's Voyager 1 spacecraft finally phones home after 5 months of no contact
On Saturday, April 5, Voyager 1 finally "phoned home" and updated its NASA operating team about its health. The interstellar explorer is back in touch after five months of sending back nonsense data.
Satellites watch as 4th global coral bleaching event unfolds (image)
Satellites are tracking in real time as multiple major coral reefs around the world get paler due to warming sea temperatures in the fourth-ever global bleaching event.
New trailer for 'Star Wars Outlaws' video game proclaims a golden age for the underworld (video)
A new story trailer has dropped for Ubisoft's new "Star Wars Outlaws" video game.
News from the Press Site: NASA explores new path for Mars Sample Return, Dragonfly mission to Titan gets green light
As NASA faced a mission price tag and timeline for the Mars Sample Return mission that the administrator called “unacceptable,” the agency is turning to both its various centers around the country and to the private sector to find workable solutions. Administrator Bill Nelson said MSR remains one of NASA’s highest priorities and he said he was optimistic about what may come their way.
Six mind-blowing facts about Galileo
Did you know Galileo was born in the Netherlands in the 1990s? Europe’s own global navigation satellite system was developed in ESA’s technological heart, ESTEC, in Noordwijk, almost three decades ago. Since then, it has grown to become one of the most complex and critical infrastructures ever built in Europe, as well as the largest European satellite constellation and ground segment.
The Earth Day 2024 Google doodle is a climate change reminder
For Earth Day this year, the Google doodle is highlighting areas of our planet it sees itself in.
China's new reusable rocket aces key engine tests
China has made progress on a powerful rocket engine to power its new reusable rockets that are expected to launch the nation's planned crewed moon missions.
James Webb Space Telescope documentary returns to IMAX theaters this week for Earth Day. Watch exclusive clips here (video)
New James Webb Space Telescope documentary, "Deep Sky," returns to IMAX screens for Earth Day. Watch two exclusive clips here at Space.com.
Happy Earth Day 2024! NASA picks 6 new airborne missions to study our changing planet
Six newly selected NASA airborne campaigns will focus on a range of studies focusing on Earth and its changing climate.
ESA astronaut class of 2022 graduation ceremony replay
Video: 00:57:15
Watch a replay of the ESA astronaut class of 2022 graduation ceremony.
Astronaut Food Will Lose Nutrients on Long-Duration Missions. NASA is Working on a Fix
Astronauts on board the International Space Station are often visited by supply ships from Earth with food among other things. Take a trip to Mars or other and the distances are much greater making it impractical to send fresh supplies. The prepackaged food used by NASA loses nutritional value over time so NASA is looking at ways astronauts can produce nutrients. They are exploring genetic engineering techniques that can create microbes with minimal resource usage.
Highlights from ESA basic astronaut training
Video: 00:02:37
ESA's newly graduated astronauts reach the end of one year of rigorous basic astronaut training. Watch the key moments during the journey of Sophie Adenot, Rosemary Coogan, Pablo Álvarez Fernández, Raphaël Liégeois, Marco Sieber, and Australian Space Agency astronaut candidate Katherine Bennell-Pegg. Selected in November 2022, the group began their training in April 2023.
There Was a Doomed Comet Near the Sun During the Eclipse
A surprise appearance of a new comet made the April 8th total solar eclipse all the more memorable.
10 ways Earth is interconnected
On this Earth Day, we reflect on the importance of protecting our planet for future generations. Understanding the Earth system and the complex interactions that shape our planet is paramount for addressing environmental challenges, mitigating climate change, preparing for natural disasters, managing resources sustainably and conserving biodiversity.
The Ingenuity Team Downloads the Final Data from the Mars Helicopter. The Mission is Over
I really can’t believe that the Ingenuity helicopter on Mars took its maiden voyage in April 2021. On the 16th April 2024, engineers at NASA have received the final batch of data from the craft which marks the final task of the team. Ingenuity’s work is not over though as it will remain on the surface collecting data. For the engineers at NASA, they have their sights set on Dragonfly, a new helicopter destined for Titan.
Saturn's ocean moon Enceladus is able to support life − my research team is working out how to detect extraterrestrial cells there
As a planetary scientist and astrobiologist who studies ice grains from Enceladus, '’m interested in whether there is life on this or other icy moons. I also want to understand how scientists like me could detect it.
Why is it so hard to send humans back to the moon?
The Apollo program put humans on the moon in 1969. So why haven't we sent any more since?
Eclipse expert Jamie Carter wins media award for extensive solar eclipse coverage
We spoke to Jamie Carter about winning the award and his plans for future solar eclipses.
