Universe Today (Page 201)

November Opens with a Splendid Gathering of Moon and Planets

By bob-king - November 01, 2016 10:30 AM UTC | Observing

At dusk on November 2, skywatchers will see a beautiful crescent Moon pair up with the planets Venus and Saturn.

Here's What Happens When NASA Engineers Carve Their Pumpkins

By Nancy Atkinson - October 31, 2016 09:44 PM UTC | Site News

Messier 25 - The IC 4725 Open Cluster

By tammy-plotner - October 31, 2016 04:30 PM UTC | Stars

SpaceX Makes Progress Replicating Failure that Caused Falcon 9 Pad Explosion

By ken-kremer - October 30, 2016 11:43 PM UTC | Space Exploration

SpaceX is making significant progress in replicating the failure in the helium pressurization system that led to the catastrophic launch pad explosion of the firms Falcon 9 rocket during a routine fueling test at their Florida Space Coast launch complex on September 1.

The Search Is On For Alien Signals Around Tabby's Star

By bob-king - October 28, 2016 06:03 PM UTC | Exoplanets

What's the Most Stable Shape for an Interstellar Lightsail?

By Matthew Williams - October 28, 2016 05:46 PM UTC | Space Exploration

A recent study by an international team of scientists looked at Project Starshot and assessed the likelihood of its success, based on several design features

Best Photos Yet of the Mars Lander's Demise

By bob-king - October 28, 2016 04:41 PM UTC | Planetary Science

New photos from NASA's Mars orbiter reveal the Schiaparelli lander crash in finer detail.

If it Wasn't Already Strange Enough, now Saturn's Hexagon Storm is Changing Color

By Matthew Williams - October 28, 2016 02:39 PM UTC | Planetary Science

Recent images from the Cassini space probe show that Saturn's hexagonal polar storm is changing, which may be due to seasonal variation

Weekly Space Hangout - October 28, 2016: Dr. Derrick Pitts of the Fels Planetarium

By Fraser Cain - October 28, 2016 02:20 PM UTC | Site News

It Took 15 Months, but all of New Horizons' Data Has Finally Been Downloaded

By Nancy Atkinson - October 27, 2016 07:22 PM UTC | Planetary Science

Planets Around Stars like Proxima Centauri are Probably Earth-Sized Water Worlds

By Matthew Williams - October 27, 2016 03:10 PM UTC | Exoplanets

A new study from the University of Bern indicates that most planets that orbit red dwarf stars might be water worlds, which could have a serious effect on the hunt for extra-terrestrial life

What is the Mars Curse?

By Fraser Cain - October 27, 2016 02:33 PM UTC | Planetary Science

If you're going to send a spacecraft to Mars, you've got to know that place has an insatiable hunger for our plucky robot companions. Why is this place cursed?

Astronomy Cast Ep. 426: Confirmation Bias

By Fraser Cain - October 27, 2016 01:32 PM UTC | Site News

How Will We Get to Mars? New Book and TV Series Provide the Details

By Nancy Atkinson - October 27, 2016 10:21 AM UTC | Planetary Science

What is a Waxing Moon?

By Matthew Williams - October 26, 2016 04:15 PM UTC | Planetary Science

Between a New Moon and a Full Moon, the Moon goes through its "waxing" phases, where its surface increases in luminosity

Evidence Continues To Mount For Ninth Planet

By Matthew Williams - October 26, 2016 02:58 PM UTC | Planetary Science

A new study produced by researchers at Caltech links the existence of Planet 9 to the axial tilt of our Sun, something that was previously unexplained

New 'Selfie' MicroSatellite Captures Images of Chinese Space Station

By Nancy Atkinson - October 25, 2016 05:38 PM UTC | Space Exploration

Carnival of Space #480

By susie - October 25, 2016 04:28 PM UTC | Site News

Book Review: A History of the Solar System

By Mark Mortimer - October 25, 2016 02:01 PM UTC | Solar Astronomy

Can We Get Space Madness?

By Fraser Cain - October 25, 2016 11:01 AM UTC | Space Exploration

If science fiction has taught us anything, it's that nothing makes a person go crazier than the harsh isolation of deep space. Will we all go crazy out there, among the stars?

Boo! A Black Moon Halloween Weekend

By David Dickinson - October 25, 2016 06:45 AM UTC | Site News

This Halloween weekend's top astronomical event features something that you won't see in the sky: a Black Moon.

How Many Planets are There in the Galaxy?

By Matthew Williams - October 24, 2016 06:15 PM UTC | Exoplanets

Humans have wondered how many planets could exist within our Galaxy, and some of our best estimates say there could be ten of billions!

Seasonal Change On Titan Is Dynamic Business

By Matthew Williams - October 24, 2016 02:36 PM UTC | Planetary Science

At a joint meeting in Pasadena, California last week, European and American scientists were treated to some of the latest findings about Saturn's moon Titan.

What are Molecules?

By Matthew Williams - October 23, 2016 05:05 PM UTC | Astrobiology

Molecules are the basic buildings blocks of life and matter, and our understanding of them has evolved considerably over time.

First Cygnus Cargo Ship from Virginia in Two Years Docks at Space Station

By ken-kremer - October 23, 2016 04:27 PM UTC | Space Exploration

What is a Magnetic Field?

By Matthew Williams - October 22, 2016 09:00 AM UTC | Physics

Magnetic fields are fascinating things. They are intrinsic to Iron magnets, but can also be generated by electrical circuits and even planets!

MIT Claims they are Programming Humanoid Robots to help Explore Mars. But we all Know It's Cylons!

By Matthew Williams - October 21, 2016 09:56 PM UTC | Space Exploration

MIT and other institutions are programming NASA's R5 robot to help astronauts explore Mars and other worlds beyond!

Schiaparelli is Gone. Smashed on the surface of Mars

By bob-king - October 21, 2016 05:29 PM UTC | Planetary Science

It appears that Europe's Schiaparelli Mars lander crashed-landed on the planet's surface and may have exploded.

Astronomers Think They Know Where Rosetta's Comet Came From

By bob-king - October 21, 2016 11:51 AM UTC | Planetary Science

A new study reveals that Rosetta's Comet likely spent billions of years chilling in the Kuiper Belt before chance interactions with Neptune and Jupiter wrangled it into the inner Solar System.

Weekly Space Hangout - October 21, 2016: Dr. Voula Saridakis of @histastro & Morgan is a Tilted Sun

By Fraser Cain - October 21, 2016 02:05 AM UTC | Site News

Mars' Moon Deimos

By Matthew Williams - October 20, 2016 08:30 PM UTC | Planetary Science

The smaller of Mars' two moons - Deimos - is a strange mysterious satellite. And while its origins are still not clear, future missions might remedy that!

No, There Won't Be 15 Days of Darkness in November. It's Another Stupid Hoax.

By Evan Gough - October 20, 2016 04:31 PM UTC | Site News

Don't bother stocking up on candles. There won't be 15 days of darkness in November.

Carnival of Space #479

By susie - October 20, 2016 02:50 PM UTC | Site News

What is a Nova?

By Fraser Cain - October 20, 2016 01:49 PM UTC | Stars

We've talked about supernovae plenty of times, but what about just regular, plain old novae? What are they, and how are they different from the star destroying explosions we know and love?

Here Are the Last Images We'll Ever See From Rosetta

By Nancy Atkinson - October 20, 2016 12:45 PM UTC | Missions

Forget Mars, Now You Can Kickstart an Antimatter Propulsion System to Another Star!

By Matthew Williams - October 19, 2016 04:22 PM UTC | Space Exploration

Dr, Gerald Jackson and Hbar Technologies LLC are looking to crowdsource the creation of the world's first antimatter engine!

Either Stars are Strange, or There Are 234 Aliens Trying to Contact Us

By Evan Gough - October 19, 2016 03:55 PM UTC | Stars

Astronomers have found 234 stars that are acting suspiciously like signals sent by extra-terrestrials.

Europe's Orbiter is Safely at Mars, but No Word from the Lander

By bob-king - October 19, 2016 02:57 PM UTC | Planetary Science

After a long journey, the ExoMars 2016 orbiter is safe and doing well, but the state of the lander is unknown.

Astronomy Cast Ep. 425: Naming Spacecraft

By Fraser Cain - October 19, 2016 01:27 PM UTC | Space Exploration

Watch Live: ExoMars Arrival and Landing

By Nancy Atkinson - October 19, 2016 09:10 AM UTC | Space Exploration

Latest Results from New Horizons: Clouds on Pluto, Landslides on Charon

By Nancy Atkinson - October 18, 2016 06:07 PM UTC | Planetary Science

What Is an Earthquake?

By Matthew Williams - October 18, 2016 05:00 PM UTC | Planetary Science

Earthquakes are a regular part of our planet's geological activity, with over 3 million happening a year. But to human societies, they are a powerful force of nature!

What Are Cosmic Voids?

By Fraser Cain - October 18, 2016 03:21 PM UTC | Cosmology

We talked about the biggest structures in the Universe, but what about the opposite? The biggest empty spaces in the Universe, the cosmic voids that separate the clusters of galaxies.

Photobomb: The Moon Occults Aldebaran Wednesday

By David Dickinson - October 18, 2016 04:37 AM UTC | Observing

How about that Hunter's Supermoon this past weekend, huh? Follow that Moon, as it's meeting up with the Hyades again this week, and occults (passes in front of) Aldebaran Tuesday night into Wednesday morning.

Antares 'Return to Flight' Blastoff Soars to Stellar Success

By ken-kremer - October 18, 2016 03:30 AM UTC | Space Exploration

NASA WALLOPS FLIGHT FACILITY, VA - The 'Return to Flight' blastoff of Orbital ATK's upgraded Antares rocket soared to a stellar success this evening, Oct. 17, on a space station bound mission to stock the orbiting outpost with two and a half tons of science and supplies.

What is Binding Energy?

By Matthew Williams - October 17, 2016 05:20 PM UTC | Physics

When it comes to everything from stellar objects to atoms and chemical compounds, binding energy is the measure of what holds it together - and what would be needed to split it apart.

Antares Return to Flight Set for Magnificent Monday Night Launch - Watch Live

By ken-kremer - October 16, 2016 10:17 PM UTC | Space Exploration

NASA WALLOPS FLIGHT FACILITY, VA - The 'Return to Flight' blastoff of Orbital ATK's upgraded Antares rocket will have to wait one more day to come to fruition with a magnificent Monday night launch - after a technical scrub was called this afternoon, Oct. 16, at NASA's Virginia launch base due to a faulty cable.

What are Volcanoes?

By Matthew Williams - October 16, 2016 06:30 PM UTC | Planetary Science

Volcanoes are a powerful force of nature, and can be found all over the Solar System. In addition to hot lava, they also spew forth cold water and ice.

What is the Wettest Place on Earth?

By Matthew Williams - October 16, 2016 02:40 PM UTC | Planetary Science

Several different locations around the world have been called the "wettest place on Earth" at one time or another. Here are some of the top contenders!

The Moon Is Getting Slammed Way More Than We Thought

By bob-king - October 15, 2016 02:34 PM UTC | Planetary Science

A new study of the current rate of meteoroid impacts on the Moon suggests that those iconic astronaut boot prints we thought would be around for 2 million years may instead disappear after something like 80,000!