Universe Today (Page 147)

How Will Clouds Obscure the View of Exoplanet Surfaces?

By Matthew Williams - March 27, 2020 04:52 PM UTC | Exoplanets

A new study shows how the presence of a cloud layer could make it harder for the James Webb Space Telescope to detect water on exoplanets.

The heliosphere looks a lot weirder than we originally thought

By Paul Sutter - March 27, 2020 01:50 PM UTC | Solar Astronomy

Highest Resolution Mosaic Image of the Surface of Bennu

By Nancy Atkinson - March 26, 2020 12:40 PM UTC | Planetary Science

Even More Repeating Fast Radio Bursts Discovered

By Matthew Williams - March 25, 2020 04:03 PM UTC | Extragalactic

The CHIME radio telescope array has detected nine new fast radio bursts on repeat, which are revealing things about this strange phenomenon

This Powerful Ion Engine Will Be Flying on NASA's DART Mission to Try and Redirect an Asteroid

By Evan Gough - March 25, 2020 03:06 PM UTC | Missions

Following Comet Y1 ATLAS: the 'Lost Comet' of Spring

By David Dickinson - March 25, 2020 11:10 AM UTC | Planetary Science

Got clear skies? If you're like us, you've been putting the recent pandemic-induced exile to productive use, and got out under the nighttime sky. And though 2020 has yet to offer up a good bright 'Comet of the Century' to keep us entertained, there have been a steady stream of good binocular comets for northern hemisphere viewers, including C/2017 T2 PanSTARRS and C/2019 Y4 ATLAS. This week, I'd like to turn your attention to another good binocular comet that is currently at its peak: the 'other' comet ATLAS, C/2019 Y1 ATLAS.

Weekly Space Hangout: March 25, 2020 - Amy Shira Teitel's Fighting for Space

By susie - March 24, 2020 11:03 PM UTC | Space Policy

Apollo 15 Astronaut Al Worden has Passed Away

By Matthew Williams - March 24, 2020 10:56 PM UTC | Space Exploration

The world recently lost another luminary, NASA astronaut Al Worden, who was part of the Apollo program and piloted the Endeavor around the Moon

How Researchers Produce Sharp Images of a Black Hole

By Matthew Williams - March 24, 2020 04:47 PM UTC | Black Holes

A new study by members of the Harvard Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics (CfA) has shown how new images of black holes can be used to identify the substructure of these mysterious objects

The three-body problem shows us why we can't accurately calculate the past

By Brian Koberlein - March 24, 2020 04:07 PM UTC | Physics

NASA Chooses 4 New Astronomy Space Missions for Additional Study

By Matthew Williams - March 23, 2020 08:18 PM UTC | Missions

NASA recently selected four new missions for development that will study gravitational waves, supernovae, relativistic jets, and exoplanet habitability.

Another Incredible Picture of Mars, This Time From a Region Just Outside Valles Marineris

By Matthew Williams - March 23, 2020 03:32 PM UTC | Planetary Science

An image taken by the MROs HiRISE camera showcases the types of terrain around part of Mars' Valles Marineris canyon system.

This is Foam, Made in Space

By Evan Gough - March 23, 2020 03:25 PM UTC | Space Exploration

Elon Musk says that SpaceX Has no Plans to Spin Off Starlink

By Matthew Williams - March 20, 2020 05:52 PM UTC | Space Policy

At the recent Satellite 2020 Conference & Exhibition, Elon Musk declared that Starlink will not become its own company in the foreseeable future.

Blazar Found Blazing When the Universe was Only a Billion Years Old

By Matthew Williams - March 19, 2020 07:56 PM UTC | Extragalactic

A team of European scientists have observed the most distant "blazar" to date, an active galaxy that was around when the Universe was less than 1 billion years old.

The Lunar Gateway is No Longer a Required Part of the Artemis Mission to Return to the Moon by 2024

By Matthew Williams - March 18, 2020 08:49 PM UTC | Space Exploration

As anticipated, NASA has announced that the Lunar Gateway will no longer be part of their "return to the Moon" with Project Artemis.

Weekly Space Hangout: March 18, 2020 - Dr. Meng Jin and Modeling Coronal Mass Ejections

By susie - March 17, 2020 06:54 PM UTC | Solar Astronomy

Dawn Patrol: Following this Month's 'March of the Planets'

By David Dickinson - March 17, 2020 12:10 PM UTC | Planetary Science

Are you hanging out at home this week, and looking to observe some naked eye planets? As we mentioned last week, while Venus is shining bright in the dusk sky, all of the other four naked eye planets of Mars, Saturn, Jupiter and Mercury are skulking in the early dawn sky.

New Study Shows the Earth and Moon are not so Similar After All

By Matthew Williams - March 16, 2020 07:19 PM UTC | Planetary Science

A new study shows that Earth and the Moon are not as similar as we thought, which helps resolve a major issue with the predominant theory of how the Moon formed.

The Intense Heat from the Sun Helps Ice Form on Mercury. Wait... What?

By Nancy Atkinson - March 16, 2020 06:44 PM UTC | Planetary Science

Good News! The New Strategy of Using InSight's Arm to Push the Mole Seems to be Making Progress.

By Evan Gough - March 16, 2020 01:51 PM UTC | Planetary Science

As Temperatures Increase, Forests are Having More Trouble Soaking up Carbon

By Matthew Williams - March 14, 2020 11:06 PM UTC | Planetary Science

A new study by an international team from over 100 universities and organizations has shown that tropical rainforests will not slow global warming for much longer.

Greenland and Antarctica are Losing Their Ice 6 Times Faster than in the 1990s

By Evan Gough - March 14, 2020 04:41 PM UTC | Planetary Science

Five Space and Astronomy Activities to do at Home During the Coronavirus Outbreak

By Nancy Atkinson - March 14, 2020 04:28 PM UTC | Site News

A Star Has Been Found That Pulsates, But Only on One Side

By Matthew Williams - March 13, 2020 05:23 PM UTC | Stars

An international team of astronomers have found the first-ever example of a pulsating star that emits energy from only one side - the tear-dropped HD 74423

Your Umbrella is Insufficient on a Planet Where it Rains Iron

By Evan Gough - March 12, 2020 06:33 PM UTC | Exoplanets

Slime Mold Grows the Same as the Large Scale Structure of the Universe

By Evan Gough - March 12, 2020 04:34 PM UTC | Cosmology

Over a Hundred New Large Objects Found in the Kuiper Belt

By Nancy Atkinson - March 12, 2020 01:15 PM UTC | Planetary Science

Astronomers Spot Rare Brown Dwarf Pair

By David Dickinson - March 12, 2020 09:51 AM UTC | Stars

Sometimes, the strangest stellar finds are right in our own cosmic neighborhood. Astronomers recently made an interesting discovery while putting a new set of telescopes through their paces: an eclipsing pair of sub-stellar brown dwarfs.

Gas and Dust Stop Planets From Eating Their Moons

By Matthew Williams - March 11, 2020 11:03 PM UTC | Exoplanets

A team of Japanese researchers have created a new model for moon formation that explains how planets like Saturn end up with one moon particularly large moon

India's Chandrayaan 2 is Creating the Highest Resolution Map We Have of the Moon

By jmehta - March 11, 2020 06:04 PM UTC | Planetary Science

ISRO's Chandrayaan 2 orbiter is quantifying just how much water ice exists on the Moon's poles.

70 Million Years Ago, Days Were 30 Minutes Shorter, According to this Ancient Clam

By Evan Gough - March 11, 2020 05:02 PM UTC | Planetary Science

Is the "D-star Hexaquark" the Dark Matter Particle?

By Matthew Williams - March 11, 2020 04:35 PM UTC | Physics

A new paper by researchers from the University of York proposed a new candidate for Dark Matter, known as the d-star hexaquark.

Neutron Star Measures Just 22 Kilometers Across

By Nancy Atkinson - March 11, 2020 03:19 PM UTC | Stars

Following the Inner Worlds: Mercury and Venus in 2020

By David Dickinson - March 11, 2020 11:38 AM UTC | Planetary Science

Where have all the planets gone in early 2020? While all of the naked eye planets are hiding in the early dawn sky, one world dominates the evening: brilliant Venus.

It Looks Like Betelgeuse was Dimming Because it was Dusty After All

By Nancy Atkinson - March 10, 2020 06:16 PM UTC | Stars

Seti@home is on Pause. Unfortunately, it's not Because They've Discovered Aliens

By Matthew Williams - March 10, 2020 05:46 PM UTC | Astrobiology

After 20 years in operation, SETI@home program recently announced that it is taking a hiatus to sort through the mountain of data they've accumulated.