Astronomy
Next Generation Ion Engines Will Be Extremely Powerful
During the Space Race, scientists in both the United States and the Soviet Union investigated the concept of ion propulsion.…
TESS Finds its First Rogue Planet
Well over 5,000 planets have been found orbiting other star systems. One of the satellites hunting for them is TESS,…
See the Southern Ring Nebula in 3D
Planetary nebula are some of nature's most stunning visual displays. The name is confusing since they're the remains of stars,…
Hubble Has Accidentally Discovered Over a Thousand Asteroids
The venerable Hubble Space Telescope is like a gift that keeps on giving. Not only is it still making astronomical…
Will We Know if TRAPPIST-1e has Life?
The search for extrasolar planets is currently undergoing a seismic shift. With the deployment of the Kepler Space Telescope and…
There Was a Doomed Comet Near the Sun During the Eclipse
A surprise cometary appearance made the April 8th total solar eclipse all the more memorable.
Ice Deposits on Ceres Might Only Be a Few Thousand Years Old
The dwarf planet Ceres has some permanently dark craters that hold ice. Astronomers thought the ice was ancient when they…
The Mystery of Cosmic Rays Deepens
Cosmic rays are high-energy particles accelerated to extreme velocities approaching the speed of light. It takes an extremely powerful event…
Are Titan's Dunes Made of Comet Dust?
A new theory suggests that Titan's majestic dune fields may have come from outer space. Researchers had always assumed that…
The Solar Wind is Stripping Oxygen and Carbon Away From Venus
The BepiColombo mission, a joint effort between JAXA and the ESA, was only the second (and most advanced) mission to…