Items tagged with space
Out of the more than 5,000 exoplanets detected, only a handful have a density that is comparable to cotton candy. Exoplanets like these may bring to mind the iconic movie Killer Klowns From Outer Space, and the cotton candy cocoon guns the Klowns used.
The latest of these exoplanets to be discovered, WASP-193b, is...
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First discovered in 2004, Asteroid Apophis, also known as “God of Chaos,” has been watched closely by astronomers and scientists. The large space rock has become the center of focus because of its expected close flyby of Earth on what is projected to be none other than Friday 13, 2029.
Asteroid 99942 Apophis is...
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After recent solar storms lit up the night sky across the Northern Hemisphere the last two nights, some may be wondering how to best capture the dazzling Aurora Borealis (Aurora Astralis in the Southern Hemisphere) lights with a smartphone. Well, NASA has a few tips and tricks up its sleeve for capturing not only the...
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If you were paying any attention at all yesterday, you probably noticed that the internet was ablaze with news of the incoming solar flares and the comensurate geomagnetic storms. It has since arrived, creating supercharged Northern and Southern Lights, or Aurora Borealis, which delivered dazzling light shows, most...
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NASA wants to build the first lunar railway system providing payload transport on the Moon. The autonomous railway system could be a vital part of building a sustainable lunar base in the 2030s.
It is no secret that NASA wants to create a lunar base as part of its Moon to Mars plan. The space agency also knows that...
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NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC) is currently monitoring the sun after a series of solar flares and coronal mass ejections (CMEs) erupted on May 8, 2024. Space weather forecasters have issued a Severe (G4) Geomagnetic Storm Watch for the evening of Friday, May 10.
According to NASA, the Sun emitted two...
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An image captured by the Department of Energy-built Dark Energy Camera (DECam) showcases cometary globule CG 4, better known as “God’s Hand,” reaching through the cosmos in magnificent detail. CG 4 lies about 1,300 light-years away, in the constellation Puppis, and is only one of many cometary globules within the vast...
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In honor of Black Hole Week, NASA has released a couple of videos produced on a NASA supercomputer, giving viewers a bird's-eye view of what it might look like if they ever plunged into the event horizon. While one video explains the black hole plunge, another renders a 360-degree view of what it would be like.
The...
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NASA hit the abort button on its launch of Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft just two hours before it was scheduled for liftoff. NASA, Boeing, and United Launch Alliance are targeting a next possible launch date no earlier than Friday, May 10, 2024.
NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams were already aboard...
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After over a decade of delays, Boeing is finally ready for the first manned test flight of the Starliner spacecraft. The two-person crew will dock with the International Space Station as part of an agreement with NASA.
For all who have been patiently waiting Boeing’s first manned flight, the wait is nearly over...
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China launched its Chang’e-6 mission, which is headed to the far side of the Moon. The probe onboard the rocket is expected to return up to two kilograms of lunar soil samples to Earth.
Until now, China has focused on bringing soil samples from the Moon back to Earth with previous missions. Chang’e-6, however, will...
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An international team of researchers used NASA’s Webb space telescope to map the weather on a hot gas-giant exoplanet. WASP-43 b, as it's called, is similar in size to Jupiter and made primarily of hydrogen and helium, making it much hotter than any planet in Earth’s solar system.
While the exoplanet’s star is...
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While last month may have brought April showers, May brings what could be the strongest meteor shower this century. The shooting stars will originate from the famous Halley’s Comet, which is in retrograde orbit with the sun.
Halley’s Comet orbits the sun in the opposite direction of the Earth, completing an orbit...
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NASA’s Webb space telescope continues to show off its ability to capture objects in deep space in sharp detail with new images of Horsehead Nebula. The new images show the top of the “horse’s mane,” or edge of the nebula, capturing the region’s complexity in unprecedented spatial resolution.
The iconic Horsehead...
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NASA received a deep space laser message from its Psyche spacecraft from over 140 million miles (226 million kilometers) away. The laser message was transmitted by the space agency’s Deep Space Optical Communications (DSOC) experiment onboard the Psyche spacecraft.
Psyche is on its way to a unique metal-rich...
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NASA’s Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) made its first ever startling discovery of a free-floating rogue planet, and NASA says it is hunting for more. While TESS will continue to be on the lookout for more rogue planets, the space agency is hopeful that its upcoming Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope will...
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Astronomers celebrated Hubble Space Telescope’s 34th anniversary of its launch this week by capturing an incredible image of the Little Dumbbell Nebula, also known as Messier 76. The distant nebula is located 3,400 light-years away in the northern circumpolar constellation Perseus.
NASA’s Hubble telescope was...
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The European Space Agency’s (ESA) Mars Express snapped an image of Mars that will send a chill up the spine of those with arachnophobia. But don’t get too freaked out. The swarm of creepy crawlers is not what one might expect at first glance.
While the image may give the illusion of thousands of spiders scurrying...
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After centuries of debate, scientists say they have finally proven Earth’s Moon is in fact not made of cheese (Editor's note: Aw, nuts!). A group of scientists recently published a research paper that argues the Moon is actually a solid ball with a density similar to that of iron.
Scientists believe they have...
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NASA has solved a mystery with its Voyager 1 probe that had engineers baffled for a time. Now, for the first time in five months, NASA can check the health and status of the most distant human-made object in existence.
The issue arose last November, when three of Voyager 1’s onboard computers, called the flight...
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As the search for life outside of the confines of Earth continues, a group of astrobiologists has suggested checking meteors as an Uber for aliens. The new research explores a model of life spreading between planetary systems via panspermia and terraformation.
There are currently over 5,000 confirmed exoplanets...
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April’s full Moon, perhaps best known as the Pink Moon, is about to grace the night sky. As with other full Moons, this month’s is known by many names, such as the Sprouting Grass Moon, and the Pesach or Passover Moon.
According to NASA, the Maine Farmer’s Almanac began publishing “Indian” names for full moons in...
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