Universe Today
Carnival of Space #544
Asteroid Mining is Getting Closer to Reality. Planetary Resources Arkyd-6 Satellite Just Launched
With the deployment of the Arkyd-6 spacecraft, Planetary Resources just took a major step towards making asteroid mining a reality
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China Has a Plan to Clean Up Space Junk with Lasers
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
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Lava Tube Openings Found Near the Moon's North Pole
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.
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Astronomy Cast Ep. 474: Predictions for 2018
Huge Sheets of Ice Found Hidden Just Beneath the Surface of Mars
A recent study based on data from multiple orbiters indicates that Mars has multiple sheets of subsurface ice, and they run deep!
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Astronomers Figure Out How Black Holes Can Blast Out Relativistic Jets of Material Across Light Years of Space
Thanks to a recent study by an international team of researchers, scientists now know why rapidly-spinning black holes blast out jets of charged particles.
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China Says it Still has Control Over Tiangong-1 and Can Decide Where It'll Crash
According to a recent statement by a top engineer from the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation, China is still in control of the Tiangong-1 space station.
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Carnival of Space #543
I Didn't Realize the Scale of Their Rocket Program. China is Planning More than 40 Space Launches in 2018
The Chinese National Space Administration is going to have a busy year, with more than 40 launches to space scheduled for 2018
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Weekly Space Hangout - Jan 10, 2018: Tim Dodd, Everyday Astronaut
The Ozone Hole is Definitely Recovering
According to recent study by a team of NASA scientists, ozone depletion around the south pole has decreased by 20 percent in the past 12 years.
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The Night Sky Magic of the Atacama
Messier 65 - the NGC 3623 Intermediate Spiral Galaxy
Located in the Leo constellation, roughly 35 million light-years from Earth, is the intermediate spiral galaxy known as Messier 65 - one of three small galaxies that make up the Leo Triplet.
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This is the Year Internet From Space Gets Really Serious
This year, a number of companies will begin deploying constellations of internet satellites to space with the intent of providing global internet
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Astronomy Cast Ep. 472: Best Modern Sci Fi for the Science Lover - Part 4: Bioscience
Astronomy Cast Ep. 473: Remembering the Best Space Science of 2017
The Gaia Mission Could Moonlight as a Gravitational Wave Detector
A team of astronomers from the University of Cambridge recently showed how the Gaia mission could also help in the search for gravitational waves.
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Upcoming Chinese Lander Will Carry Insects and Plants to the Surface of the Moon
This year, China's Chang'e 4 mission will head to the far side of the Moon to study the local geology and the effects of lunar gravity on insects and plants.
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Here's the Earth and Moon Seen from OSIRIS-REx
As it makes its way towards the asteroid Bennu, the OSIRIS-REx mission continues to provide us with breathtaking images of our planet.
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You Knew This Day Was Coming. Alien Megastructures Ruled Out for Tabby's Star. Dust is the Culprit
A new study from Tabetha Boyajian and a team of over 100 astronomers has ruled out the possibility of an alien megastructure around "Tabby's Star".
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In mid-March, the Chinese Tiangong-1 Space Station is Going to Come Crashing Back Down to Earth... Somewhere
According to the latest predictions, China's Tiangong-1 space station is going to come crashing to Earth in March - but residents of Earth need not worry!
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Weekly Space Hangout - Jan 3, 2018: Dr. Jeyhan Kartaltepe of the Cosmic Evolution Early Release Science (CEERS) Survey
Supermassive Black Holes can Turn Star Formation On and Off in a Large Galaxy
A new study by a team of international astronomers has provided the first direct evidence that supermassive black holes affect star formation in their galaxies.
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What is the Gravitational Microlensing Method?
The Gravitational Microlensing method relies on rare events (one star passing in front of another) to focus light and search for exoplanets.
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Carnival of Space #542
Astronomy Cast Ep. 471: Best Modern Sci Fi for the Science Lover - Part 3: Human Computer Relations
Messier 64 - The Black Eye Galaxy
Located in the Coma Berenices constellation, roughly 24 million light years from Earth, is the spiral galaxy known as Messier 64 (aka. The Black Eye Galaxy).
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Top 2018 Astronomy Events
Happy New Year 2018.
One of the toughest choices we made last year was to not write a full astronomical guide for 2018. We've done this in one iteration or another now for about a decade, but an ongoing project (also astronomical in nature) has consumed most of our writing hours... but we recently realized that we can still take stock in what's in the sky for the year ahead... and give you a sneak peek at part of our project for the end of 2018.
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In Preparation for its Inaugural Launch, the Falcon Heavy Receives its Special Cargo - Musk's Tesla Roadster!
In preparation for the inaugural launch of the Falcon Heavy rocket, SpaceX recently released pictures of Musk's Tesla Roadster being loaded aboard the rocket's payload fairing.
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Carnival of Space #541
Mysterious Filament is Stretching Down Towards the Milky Way's Supermassive Black Hole
Looking to the center of our galaxy, astronomers noted the presence of a mysterious filament extending from the supermassive black hole located there.
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Just a Billion Years After the Earth Formed, Life had Already Figured out Plenty of Tricks
According to a recent study, multi-celled lifeforms lived on Earth as early as 3.5 billion years ago - a good indication that life exists elsewhere in the Universe.
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What is the Radial Velocity Method?
The Radial Velocity (aka. Doppler Spectroscopy) Method relies on measurements of a planet's "wobble" to determine the presence of one or more planets around it.
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Yes Please! NASA is Considering a Helicopter Mission to Titan
NASA has chosen the Dragonfly mission concept as a finalist in its New Frontiers program. The double-quadcopter drone is designed to explore Titan and study habitability.
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Astronomers Figure Out a New Way to Search for Planets at Alpha Centauri
A mew study by a team of exoplanet scientists has revealed what kinds of planets are likely to lurk around Alpha Centauri, the nearest star system to our own.
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Maybe Mars and Earth Didn't Form Close to Each Other
A new study by an international team of researchers has suggested that Mars formed farther from the Sun than previously thought.
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Red Dwarf Star, Planet Orbiting at Right Angles. Mayhem.
A new study of a well-known exoplanet has revealed something very strange. Apparently, the planet orbits its star from pole to pole.
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Weekly Space Hangout - Dec 20, 2017: The Year in Review
Updates on 'Oumuamua. Maybe it's a Comet, Actually. Oh, and no Word From Aliens.
Kilonova Neutron Star Collision Probably Left Behind a Black Hole
According to a new study, the recent merger of two neutron stars (which was detected thanks to the gravitational waves it created) most likely led to the creation of a black hole.
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Astronomers Find Another Solar System with 8 Planets. Uh, Pluto, About that Deplaneting...
A research team recently applied a Google "neural net" to Kepler data, which conformed the existence of a star system with eight planets.
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Carnival of Space #540
Astronomy Cast Ep. 470: Best Modern Sci Fi for the Science Lover - Part 2: 3D Printing
How Long Can a Rocky World Withstand the Blasts From a Red Dwarf Star?
In a presentation at the Fall Meeting of the American Geological Union, a team of researchers showed how MAVEN data could help determine the habitability of rocky planets around red dwarf stars.
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Gaia Looks Beyond our Galaxy to Other Islands of Stars
The latest scientific finds made from the first release of Gaia data include illuminating images of the Milky Way galaxy's neighbors.
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Are Little Blue Dots in the Hubble Frontier Fields Precursors to Globular Clusters?
Using data from the Hubble Frontier Fields program, a team of astronomers has produced a study that indicates how globular clusters could be the remnants of dwarf galaxies from the early Universe.
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NASA's Opportunity Rover Withstands Another Harsh Winter on Mars
Having survived its eight winter in a row, the Opportunity rover continues to operate long past its original, anticipated lifespan.
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Meteors Explode from the Inside When They Reach the Atmosphere
A new study from Purdue University indicates that Earth's atmosphere will break up small meteoroids, which is good news for planetary protection
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86 Stars Just got Official Names from the IAU
The IAU just approved the names of 86 new stars, the majority of which are derived from Chinese, Hindu, Aboriginal, South African, Coptic, Mayan, and Polynesian traditions.
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