Universe Today
Journey's End: Comet Crash for Rosetta Mission Finale
Rosetta Wows With Amazing Closeups of Comet 67P Before Final 'Crunchdown'
After 10 years pursuing 67P/C-G and more than two years studying it from orbit, Rosetta made the comet's icy nucleus its final resting place this morning.
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What Does Earth Look like from Mars?
Earth has been photographed multiple times from Mars, both from orbit (by orbital missions) and from the surface (rover missions).
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NASA's Outbound OSIRIS-Rex Asteroid Sampler Snaps 'First-Light' Images
NASA's newest planetary probe, the OSIRIS-REx asteroid sampling spacecraft, is merrily snapping its 'First-Light' images following the successful power up and health check of all of the probes science instruments, barely three weeks after a stunning sunset launch from the Florida Space Coast - as it is outbound to asteroid Bennu.
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The 2016 Nobel Prize In Physics: It's Complicated
This year's Nobel Prize in physics is expected to be be conferred on the three scientists who invented the process that led to the discovery of gravitational waves, but not the scientist who made it possible.
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Where Can I Take Off My Space Helmet?
When it comes to space helmets, there's one rule: you keep your helmet on. But there might be a couple of places in the Solar System where you can take your helmet off, just for a few moments, and not die instantly.
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What is Carbon Dating?
Radiocarbon dating (aka. carbon dating) measures the half-life of carbon-14, which occurs naturally in our atmosphere, to determine the age of organic matter.
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The Questions After Musk's Mars Speech Were Bizarre & Cringeworthy
Some of the questions Elon Musk fielded at his recent presentation were truly embarrassing. But he handled it well.
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Apollo 11 Moonwalker Buzz Aldrin Talks to Universe Today about 'Destination Mars'
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER VISITOR COMPLEX, FL - Sending humans on a 'Journey to Mars' and developing strategies and hardware to accomplish the daunting task of getting 'Humans to Mars' is NASA's agency wide goal and the goal of many space enthusiasts - including Apollo 11 moonwalker Buzz Aldrin.
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Watch Scott Manley Build and Fly the Interplanetary Transport Ship in Kerbal
Elon Musk announced the new Interplanetary Transport Ship on Monday. That night, Scott Manley recreated the spacecraft and booster in Kerbal Space Program.
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Ready Or Not, Musk Is Dragging Us Into Interplanetary Species Status
Mercury Is Tectonically Active & Shrinking
Images taken by the MESSENGER spacecraft have shown features on Mercury's surface that indicate that the planet is still tectonically active
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What is Absolute Zero?
Absolute Zero is the coldest possible temperature, the point at which you can no longer extract any energy from a system. How close have we gotten to this lowest of lows?
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What is a Total Eclipse?
A total eclipses is an amazing sight, occurring whenever the Moon passes between the Sun and the Earth (or the Earth between the Sun and Moon) and totally obscures the incoming light.
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Europa's Venting Global Ocean May Be Easier To Reach Than We Thought
Today, NASA announced that images taken by the Hubble Space Telescope have shown more evidence of water plumes on Europa's surface, bolstering evidence of a warm water ocean in its interior and providing opportunities for future study.
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Astronomy Cast Ep. 421: Space Games!
Tears of the Hunter: Our Guide to the 2016 Orionid Meteor Shower
The month of October is upon us this weekend, and with it, one of the better meteor showers is active: the Orionids.
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How Can You see the Northern Lights?
The northern lights are an amazing thing to behold, and can be seen regularly from locations spanning from Siberia and Alaska to Northern Canada and Scandinavia.
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Bright Binocular Nova Discovered in Lupus
A powerful explosion on an otherwise obscure star in the constellation Lupus is now bright enough to see in binoculars.
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Drilling at Unfathomable Alien Landscapes - All in a Sols (Day's) Work for Curiosity
Our beyond magnificent Curiosity rover has just finished her latest Red Planet drilling campaign - at the rock target called "Quela" - into the simply unfathomable alien landscapes she is currently exploring at the "Murray Buttes" region of lower Mount Sharp. And it's all in a Sols (or Martian Day's) work for our intrepid Curiosity!
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Why Are Stars Different Colors?
Like everything else in the Universe, stars come in a variety of shapes and sizes, and colors, and three of which are interconnected.
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Bye, Bye Rosetta — We'll Miss You!
The Rosetta comet probe will leave its flyover orbit today to prepare for its dramatic free-fall descent to the surface of Comet 67P/C-G on Friday morning Sept. 30.
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What is a Debris Flow?
Debris flows are fast-moving landslides made up of liquefied, unconsolidated, and saturated mass. They are one of the most dangerous natural hazards in the world today.
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Big Breach In 2nd Stage Helium System Likely Triggered Catastrophic Falcon 9 Explosion: SpaceX
Investigators have determined that a "large breach" in the second stage helium system likely triggered the catastrophic Falcon 9 launch pad explosion that suddenly destroyed the rocket and Israeli commercial payload during a routine fueling test three weeks ago, SpaceX announced today, Friday, Sept. 23.
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How Can We Save The Sun?
Bad news, our Sun is living on borrowed time. It's only got a few billion years left. But there might be a way we can extend its life, and make it last for trillions of years into the future.
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More than 100 km of Liquid Water Beneath Pluto's Surface
Approval For NASA Authorization Bill
With the recent passage of the NASA Transition Authorization Act of 2016, NASA can look forward to financial stability in the coming year
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Weekly Space Hangout - Sept 23, 2016: Dr. Frank Timmes and Online Astronomy Education
Five New Neptunian Trojans Discovered
Using data from the PS1 survey, an international team of researchers has made some interesting discoveries about Neptune's Trojan asteroids
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Hubble Detects A Planet Around Binary Star System
How To See the Doomed Tiangong-1 Chinese Space Station
NASA Targets 'Return to Flight' of Upgraded Antares for mid-October for Station Resupply
NASA is targeting mid-October for the 'Return to Flight' launch of the upgraded Orbital ATK Antares rocket on a cargo mission to resupply the International Space Station (ISS) for the first time in nearly two years. Antares will launch for the first time in the 230 configuration powered by new Russian-built first stage engines.
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Hubble's Surprising Find On Europa To Be Announced By NASA Monday
Occultation Palooza: The Moon Covers Aldebaran and More
The Moon occults Aldebaran tonight, crosses the Hyades star cluster and more.
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Musk Looks Confidently Past Mars With Interplanetary Transport System
Elon Musk is suggesting that SpaceX's Mars Colonial Transporter (MCT) can go a lot further than Mars. What does this mean for their plans?
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Stellar Ghosts: Understanding Our Origins
New Soyuz Mission A Go After Technical Delays
After days of delay caused by a technical glitch, the Russian space agency has announced that the Soyuz SM-02 mission will launch on Nov. 1st
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'Walk on Mars' with Moonwalker Buzz Aldrin at Limited Engagement 'Destination Mars' Holographic Exhibit at KSC Visitor Complex
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER VISITOR COMPLEX, FL- Think a Holodeck adventure on Star Trek guided by real life Apollo 11 moonwalker Buzz Aldrin and you'll get a really good idea of what's in store for you as you explore the surface of Mars like never before in the immersive new 'Destination Mars' interactive holographic exhibit opening to the public today, Monday, Sept.19 at the Kennedy Space Center visitor complex in Florida.
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Does Our Galaxy Have a Habitable Zone?
It's not just our Solar System that has a habitable zone, it turns out our entire galaxy has regions which would be hostile to the formation of life as we know it.
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Phenomenal New View of Ceres 'Lonely Mountain' Reveals Signs of Volcanic Activity
An amazing new view of Ceres' Ahuna Mons reveals it as a towering volcanic dome likely composed of salty mud. The Dawn spacecraft also found evidence for a scant atmosphere on the dwarf planet.
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What is Tornado Alley?
Reaching across the Great Plains - from Texas to the Canadian Prairies - is the infamous "Tornado Alley", where tornado activity is very common.
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What is the Temperature of the Earth's Crust?
As Earth's outermost layer, the temperature of its crust varies considerably, depending on where it is measured from and various other factors.
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What is the Difference Between Active and Dormant Volcanoes?
Whether a volcano is active or dormant is complicated, as these geological features can have very long lifespans that go far beyond human reckoning.
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Weekly Space Hangout - Sept 16, 2016: Universe Sandbox
Astronomy Cast Ep. 420: FIRE!
Incredible Images of Mars from Earth
Hubble Captures The Sharpest Image Of A Disintegrating Comet Ever
Comets crack up regularly, but rarely do we get a front row seat to watch one disintegrate before our eyes. Thanks to Hubble, we have the sharpest photos of this catastrophic event yet.
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Spectacular Panoramas from Curiosity Reveal Layered Martian Rock Formations Like America's Desert Southwest
The most stunning panoramic vistas likely ever snapped by NASA's Curiosity rover reveal spectacularly layered Martian rock formations in such exquisite detail that they look and feel just like America's desert Southwest landscapes. They were just captured a week ago and look like a scene straight out of the hugely popular science fiction movie 'The Martian' - only they are real !!
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Have We Really Just Seen The Birth Of A Black Hole?
According to a recent study by a team from Ohio State University, astronomers may have witnessed the formation of a black hole for the first time
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How High is Space?
Where our atmosphere ends and space begins has been the subject of debate for some time. But thanks to decades of exploration, we have a working definition.
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