Enceladus’ status as a target in the search for life keeps rising. We’ve known for years that plumes erupting from the ocean under the moon’s icy shell contain important organic compounds related to life. Now, researchers have found another chemical in the plumes which is not only highly toxic but also critical in the appearance of life.
Space News & Blog Articles
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Astronomers Scan Hundreds of Stars for “Anomalous Transits”
Telescopes have been collecting copious amounts of data on exoplanets in recent years. One of the most common datasets tracks what are known as “transits,” where an exoplanet crosses in front of its host star and dims the star’s light slightly as it does so. The majority of exoplanets have been found this way, but other interesting details might be hidden in the data. For example, what would it mean if the transits happened in a way that disagreed with typical Newtonian physics? One answer to that question is that there might be an intelligent force behind the discrepancy – and that’s what a group of researchers at Breakthrough Listen began looking for in a paper recently published on arXiv.
SpaceX gearing up for 3rd Starship flight (photos)
A month after its latest liftoff, SpaceX's giant Starship rocket is getting ready to fly again.
China's space plane apparently deployed 6 'mysterious wingmen' in orbit
Just four days after being launched on its third mission, China's mysterious reusable space plane seems to have placed six unknown objects in orbit around it.
As an Asteroid-Hunting Mission Approaches Its End, What's Next?
The pioneering NEOWISE observatory celebrates a milestone, even as the end of the mission draws near.
Western Europe's 1st vertical spaceport cleared for launch, hopes to see rockets fly in 2024
Western Europe's first vertical spaceport receives a launch license, paving the way for the continent's debut rocket flight next year.
Everything we know about Star Wars Eclipse
With many new Star Wars games in the works, Star Wars Eclipse promises to be a different type of action-adventure experience.
Best external hard drives 2023: Top HDD and SSD models
We've selected the best hard drives and SSDs on the market — here are our top picks for backing up your photos, videos and other data.
Blue Origin calls off 1st New Shepard rocket launch since 2022 failure due to 'ground system issue'
Blue Origin scrubbed its first mission since Sept. 2022 this morning (Dec. 18), with no new launch date announced. It could attempt flying again as early as this week, however.
Hubble Space Telescope zooms in on member of galactic quartet (image)
The Hubble Space Telescope photographed NGC 2814, an irregular galaxy that belongs to a group of four "late-type galaxies" collectively called Holmberg 124.
2023: ESA's year in space
Video: 00:08:22
2023’s highlight was the highly anticipated launch of Juice, Europe’s Jupiter Icy Moon Explorer. The Juice spacecraft was placed on course to Jupiter on the second-to-last Ariane 5 launch vehicle in April. After an eight-year journey, Juice will begin observing the giant gas planet and its three large ocean-bearing moons – Ganymede, Calisto and Europa.
Webb rings in the holidays with the ringed planet Uranus
The NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope recently trained its sights on weird and enigmatic Uranus, an ice giant that orbits on its side. What Webb found is a dynamic world with rings, moons, storms and other atmospheric features – including a seasonal polar cap. The image expands upon a two-colour version released earlier this year, adding additional wavelength coverage for a more detailed look.
'Apollo 13' moon disaster movie hits a new high for film fans
"Apollo 13" showcased a real-life moon mission's troubles in space in 1970. Now, the 1995 film has a new honor: getting preserved in the Library of Congress for future generations.
Competition: developing Europe's space cargo return service
ESA is launching a competition which initiates a first phase of activities for European companies to eventually demonstrate a complete cargo delivery service to and from space stations in low-Earth orbit by 2028.
News from the Press Site: A roundup of the week’s space news
Join us for a roundup of the week’s space news with reporters covering the big stories. Spaceflight Now’s Will Robinson-Smith is joined by Sandra Erwin of Space News and Stephen Clark on Ars Technica. Among the stories this week: Falcon Heavy and X-37B spaceplane launch delayed, the inaugural Spacepower Conference held in Orlando, Florida, highlights the challenge posed by China, Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket gets closer to launch and United Launch Alliance says it has completed a countdown dress rehearsal and is targeting Jan. 8 for the first flight of its Vulcan launcher.
Watch Blue Origin launch 1st mission in 15 months today
Blue Origin plans to launch its first mission since September 2022 this morning (Dec. 18), and you can watch the action live.
How many times has Earth orbited the sun?
We worked out how many trips each of the solar system's eight planets has taken around the sun over the past 4.6 billion years.
A star exploded 10,000 years ago and left us with the gorgeous Veil Nebula (photo)
Gaze into the colorful remnants of a long-dead star in this image of the Veil Nebula captured by astrophotographer Miguel Claro.
See the 5-day-old crescent moon have a holiday meet-up with Saturn tonight
The moon and Saturn will have a pre-Christmas meet-up on Sunday (Dec. 17) as the two bodies make a close approach to each other in the night sky.
Scientists are Recommending IceCube Should be Eight Times Bigger
The IceCube Neutrino Observatory, operated by the University of Wisconsin-Madison (UW-M), located at the Amundsen–Scott South Pole Station in Antarctica, is one of the most ambitious neutrino observatories in the world. Behind this observatory is the IceCube Collaboration, an international group of 300 physicists from 59 institutions in 14 countries. Relying on a cubic kilometer of ice to shield from external interference, this observatory is dedicated to the search for neutrinos. These nearly massless subatomic particles are among the most abundant in the Universe and constantly pass through normal matter.
