Universe Today (Page 178)

ESA's ExoMars has Completed its Aerobraking Maneuvers to Bring it Into a Circular 400 km Orbit Around Mars

By Matthew Williams - February 05, 2018 04:06 PM UTC | Planetary Science

In the past few months, the ExoMars orbiter has been conducting aerobraking maneuvers that have brought it steadily closer to assuming its final orbit around the Red Planet.

Astronomy Cast Ep. 477: State of Exploration: Once and Future Moon

By susie - February 05, 2018 03:07 PM UTC | Space Exploration

Astronomers use a Galaxy Cluster as an Extremely Powerful "Natural Telescope" to Peer Even Farther into the Universe

By Matthew Williams - February 04, 2018 04:17 PM UTC | Extragalactic

An international team of astronomers recently discovered a fainter, older galaxy using the most extreme case of the gravitational microlensing technique to date

For the First Time, Planets Have Been Discovered in ANOTHER Galaxy!

By Matthew Williams - February 03, 2018 06:45 PM UTC | Exoplanets

Thanks to a new study performed by a pair of astrophysicists from the University of Oklahoma, the first extra-galactic planets have now been discovered!

12,800 Years Ago, Earth Was Struck by a Disintegrating Comet, Setting Off Global Firestorms

By Matthew Williams - February 03, 2018 02:59 PM UTC | Planetary Science

According to a massive research study, Earth was struck by a comet 12,800 years ago that caused massive wildfires to rage over 10% of its surface.

SpaceX Performs an Experimental High Retrothrust and Survives a Water Landing

By Evan Gough - February 02, 2018 05:42 PM UTC | Space Exploration

Bonus Rocket! This rocket was conducting a very high retro-thrust landing over water, and it wasn't expected to survive that test. But it did, and SpaceX might be able to salvage it.

The First Results From The IllustrisTNG Simulation Of The Universe Has Been Completed, Showing How Our Cosmos Evolved From The Big Bang

By Evan Gough - February 02, 2018 04:01 PM UTC | Cosmology

The IllustrusTNG Project has created a large and detailed simulation of the Universe. It's helping us answer some important questions about the formation and evolution of...everything.

Outflows From Black Holes are Creating New Molecules Where There Should Only be Destruction

By Matthew Williams - February 02, 2018 01:52 PM UTC | Black Holes

A new study from a team of astronomers from Northwestern University indicates that molecules could be born within the outflows created by supermassive black holes.

Astronomers Find One of the Oldest Stars in the Milky Way

By Matthew Williams - February 01, 2018 03:08 PM UTC | Milky Way

Thanks to a new study by a team of Spanish researchers, the oldest star in the Milky Way may have finally been discovered

Curiosity has Lasted More than 2,000 Days on Mars, Triple its Original Mission Plan

By Matthew Williams - February 01, 2018 01:18 PM UTC | Missions

The Curiosity rover recently reached another milestone, having spent over 2000 days on Mars. In this time, it has revealed some amazing things about the history of the Red Planet.

Why Finding Alien Life Would Be Bad. The Great Filter

By Fraser Cain - February 01, 2018 11:45 AM UTC | Astrobiology

Kurzgesagt just released a new video all about the Great Filter. It's great, and it's unsettling.

Here Are Some Amazing Pictures of the January 2018 Lunar Eclipse

By Matthew Williams - January 31, 2018 05:56 PM UTC | Observing

Here are some lovely photographs that were taken of the "Super Blue Moon", which appeared in the early-morning sky today!

Now That NASA's Missing IMAGE Satellite Has Been Found, Talking To It Is Going To Be Difficult

By Evan Gough - January 31, 2018 04:41 PM UTC | Missions

NASA has confirmed that their missing IMAGE satellite was indeed located by an amateur astronomer in Canada. But re-establishing contact with the long-lost satellite will be a demanding technical challenge.

Weekly Space Hangout - Jan 31, 2018: Andrzej Stewart of the Hi-SEAS IV Mars Simulation Mission

By Fraser Cain - January 31, 2018 01:56 PM UTC | Planetary Science

Microbes May Help Astronauts Turn Human Waste Into Food

By Evan Gough - January 30, 2018 07:26 PM UTC | Astrobiology

Researchers at Penn State are developing methods of turning human waste into food. And microbes, not plants, would provide the food.

Watch this Chilling Animation of Capetown's Water Disappearing

By Matthew Williams - January 30, 2018 04:26 PM UTC | Planetary Science

A new animation released by NASA's Earth Observatory illustrates how ongoing drought is diminishing Cape Town's water supply.

Carnival of Space #546

By susie - January 30, 2018 03:11 PM UTC | Site News

What'll It Take to Find Life? Searching the Universe for Biosignatures

By Fraser Cain - January 30, 2018 03:09 PM UTC | Astrobiology

When astronomers scan the atmospheres of other worlds, they'll be looking for gases to confirm that yes, indeed, there's life there. It turns out, this is actually pretty tough.

The Brightest Star in the Sky, Sirius, was Hiding a Cluster of Stars. Found by Gaia

By Matthew Williams - January 30, 2018 02:29 PM UTC | Stars

Thanks to the efforts of an amateur astronomer, the star cluster that was recently revealed by Gaia mission is now visible for all to see!

The Most Detailed Map Ever Made of the Milky Way in Radio Waves

By Evan Gough - January 29, 2018 07:10 PM UTC | Milky Way

A new radio wave map of the Milky Way Galaxy is our most detailed yet and will be the basis for further study of the Milky Way for years to come.

Icy Worlds Like Europa and Enceladus Might Actually be too Soft to Land On

By Matthew Williams - January 29, 2018 05:22 PM UTC | Planetary Science

According to a new study led by the Planetary Science Institute, Europa and Enceladus may have surfaces that are too soft for future missions to land on.

Astronomy Cast Ep. 476: The Overview Effect

By susie - January 29, 2018 03:32 PM UTC | Space Policy

NASA's Insight Lander Spreads Its Solar Wings. It'll Fly To Mars In May, 2018

By Evan Gough - January 26, 2018 03:00 PM UTC | Missions

NASA's InSight lander will launch in May 2018, NASA has announced. InSight will study the interior structure of Mars to learn how it, and other rocky planets, formed and evolved.

Get Set For a "Super Blue Blood Moon Total Lunar Eclipse"

By David Dickinson - January 26, 2018 10:01 AM UTC | Observing

Can you feel the tremor in the Force? Early next Wednesday morning internet astro-memes collide, in one of the big ticket sky events of the year, with a total lunar eclipse dubbed as – get ready -- a Super Blue Blood Moon eclipse.

The New Earth-Sized Planet Hunting Telescope ExTrA is Now Online

By Matthew Williams - January 25, 2018 05:19 PM UTC | Telescopes

The Exoplanets in Transits and their Atmospheres (ExTrA), just went online and is now searching for exoplanets around red dwarf stars!

Where's the Line Between Massive Planet and Brown Dwarf Star?

By Evan Gough - January 25, 2018 03:08 PM UTC | Exoplanets

Astronomers have debated which objects are gas giants like Jupiter, and which are more correctly called brown dwarfs. A new study aims to end that debate.

Perhaps the Best Part of Electron's Successful Launch was its Payload: the Humanity Star

By Matthew Williams - January 25, 2018 01:55 PM UTC | Space Exploration

Rocket Lab's second successful launch of the Electron rocket carried with it a special piece of cargo - the Humanity Sphere!

This is the Surface of a Giant Star, 350 Times Larger Than the Sun

By Matthew Williams - January 24, 2018 07:17 PM UTC | Stars

Using the ESO's Very Large Telescope Interferometer, an international team of astronomers has created the first detailed images of another star's surface.

Finally! SpaceX's Falcon Heavy Does its Static Fire Test. Actual Flight Should Be "In A Week Or So"

By Evan Gough - January 24, 2018 04:56 PM UTC | Space Exploration

We've been anticipating this for a long time: SpaceX's Falcon Heavy has completed its first Static Fire Test. Should launch "in a week or so" says Musk.

This was the Snowstorm Rosetta Saw When it Got 79 km Away From Comet 67P

By Matthew Williams - January 24, 2018 02:55 PM UTC | Planetary Science

The ESA recently released images taken by the Rosetta spacecraft when it witnessed a "snowstorm" while making a flyby of Comet 67P

NASA's Aqua Satellite Watches Ships Crossing the Atlantic Ocean

By Matthew Williams - January 23, 2018 07:50 PM UTC | Planetary Science

A new image released by NASA's Aqua satellite shows a beautiful pattern of clouds created by ships criss-crossing the Atlantic Ocean

Weekly Space Hangout - Jan 24, 2018: Paul Hildebrandt's "First to the Moon"

By Fraser Cain - January 23, 2018 06:04 PM UTC | Space Exploration

The Solar Eclipse Caused a Bow Wave in Earth's Atmosphere

By Evan Gough - January 23, 2018 04:49 PM UTC | Solar Astronomy

Scientists have long predicted that an eclipse can create a bow wave in the ionosphere. The August 2017 eclipse, called the Great American Eclipse, gave researchers an opportunity to look for it.

This is Ice in Antarctica, Flowing in Slow Motion Like Water Going Through River Rapids

By Matthew Williams - January 22, 2018 07:37 PM UTC | Planetary Science

As part of their ninth year monitoring the Antarctic peninsula, Operation IceBridge recently flew above the ice sheet and took some stunning pictures

A New Kind of Propulsion System That Doesn't Need Propellant. It Converts Electricity into Thrust and Vice Versa.

By Evan Gough - January 22, 2018 06:52 PM UTC | Physics

Long aluminum tethers attached to satellites could revolutionize satellite propulsion systems, and help eliminate space junk.

Upcoming Telescopes Should be Able to Detect Mountains and Other Landscapes on Extrasolar Planets

By Matthew Williams - January 22, 2018 03:35 PM UTC | Telescopes

According to a new study by a team from Columbia University, the upcoming super telescopes might be able to detect mountains and other features on exoplanets

Astronomy Cast Ep. 475: Fast Radio Bursts

By susie - January 22, 2018 03:32 PM UTC | Cosmology

Here's Something Strange, the Afterglow From Last Year's Kilonova is Continuing to Brighten

By Matthew Williams - January 22, 2018 01:29 PM UTC | Extragalactic

Contrary to what was expected, a team of astronomers has discovered that kilonova event has been brightening ever since it first appeared

Carnival of Space #545

By susie - January 22, 2018 01:01 PM UTC | Site News

A Black Hole is Pushing the Stars Around in this Globular Cluster

By Matthew Williams - January 19, 2018 07:16 PM UTC | Black Holes

An international team of astronomers recently made the first-ever observation of a black hole in a nearby globular cluster

Researchers Develop a New Low Cost/Low Weight Method of Searching for Life on Mars

By Evan Gough - January 19, 2018 07:03 PM UTC | Astrobiology

Researchers at McGill University are developing what they call the Life Detection Platform, a compact, robotic, energy-efficient system for detecting life on other worlds.

Just Like Earth, Titan Has a "Sea Level" for its Lakes and Seas

By Matthew Williams - January 19, 2018 03:18 PM UTC | Planetary Science

Based on Cassini data, two new studies have been produced that reveal some new and interesting things about Saturn's largest moon, Titan

Astronomers Set the Limit for Just How Massive Neutron Stars Can Be

By Matthew Williams - January 18, 2018 02:49 PM UTC | Stars

Based on recent gravitational wave research, a team of scientists from the University of Frankfurt have placed an upper limit on the mass of neutron stars

Physicists Have Created an Artificial Gamma Ray Burst in the Lab

By Matthew Williams - January 18, 2018 01:23 PM UTC | Physics

For the first time, a team of researchers have managed to recreate gamma ray bursts (GRBs) in the lab, opening new venues for research into cosmic phenomena

Weekly Space Hangout - Jan 17, 2018: Dr. Bram Venemans and Distant Quasars

By Fraser Cain - January 17, 2018 04:19 PM UTC | Extragalactic

James Webb Wraps up 3 Months in the Freezer. It's Ready for Space

By Matthew Williams - January 17, 2018 03:43 PM UTC | Telescopes

The James Webb Space Telescope just emerged from 3 months of vacuum-chamber testing, another milestone on the road towards its deployment next year

Carnival of Space #544

By susie - January 17, 2018 02:28 PM UTC | Site News

Asteroid Mining is Getting Closer to Reality. Planetary Resources Arkyd-6 Satellite Just Launched

By Matthew Williams - January 17, 2018 01:52 PM UTC | Space Exploration

With the deployment of the Arkyd-6 spacecraft, Planetary Resources just took a major step towards making asteroid mining a reality

China Has a Plan to Clean Up Space Junk with Lasers

By Matthew Williams - January 16, 2018 04:28 PM UTC | Space Policy

A new study by a team of Chinese researchers considers whether a space-based laser station would be a good way to remove space junk

Lava Tube Openings Found Near the Moon's North Pole

By Matthew Williams - January 16, 2018 03:03 PM UTC | Planetary Science

A series of possibly "skylights" have been spotted in the Moon's norther polar region, offering possibilities for future exploration and maybe even a lunar base someday.