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GJ 1132 b doesn’t have an atmosphere, according to new JWST data

Astronomers sometimes find conflicting data when trying to answer a question. This is a normal part of the scientific process, and it simply means that more data is needed to prove or disprove the theory they are trying to test. One prominent example of conflicting data in recent exoplanet research was that of planet GJ […]

Warped protoplanetary disks reshape existing ideas about how planets form

The textbook picture of how planets form—serene, flat disks of cosmic dust—has just received a significant cosmic twist.

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Chemists create new high-energy compound to fuel space flight

University at Albany chemists have created a new high-energy compound that could revolutionize rocket fuel and make space flights more efficient. Upon ignition, the compound releases more energy relative to its weight and volume compared to current fuels. In a rocket, this would mean less fuel required to power the same flight duration or payload […]

A blaze of glory: SpaceX’s starship goes the distance in tenth flight test

SpaceX executed the most successful flight test of its super-powerful Starship launch system to date, featuring Starship’s first-ever payload deployment and a thrilling Indian Ocean splashdown. Today’s 10th test flight followed three earlier missions that fell short of full success.

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The exposed core of this supernova is a head-scratcher

Stars have layers like onions, according to theory. The layers are made of different elements, progressing from light to heavy the deeper the layers are. While the theory is strong, observing the inner layers of a star has been basically impossible.

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New study counters idea that Jupiter’s mysterious core was formed by a giant impact

A new Durham University study has found that a giant impact may not be responsible for the formation of Jupiter’s remarkable “dilute” core, challenging a theory about the planet’s history.

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Secretive mini space shuttle set for Space Coast launch; late-night sonic boom possible

It won’t have any crew, but the U.S. Space Force is set to send the Boeing-built X-37B spacecraft—which looks like a miniature space shuttle—back for a long-duration mission to orbit during a late-night launch Thursday.

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The stunning astrogeology of the Apollo missions

Neil Armstrong almost made a mistake. He had found an interesting rock sticking out of a formation. Curious to see what the rock was made of, he needed to examine its interior more closely. So he reached for his hammer and took a swing. The rock was far more brittle than he anticipated, and instead […]

Dark matter in gas giants could collapse into detectable black holes, model suggests

More than 5,000 planets have been discovered beyond our solar system, allowing scientists to explore planetary evolution and consider the possibility of extraterrestrial life. Now, a UC Riverside study published in Physical Review D suggests that exoplanets, which are planets orbiting stars outside our solar system, could also serve as tools to investigate dark matter. […]

How NASA’s Artemis II lunar science operations will inform future missions

NASA’s Artemis II mission, set to send four astronauts on a nearly 10-day mission around the moon and back, will advance the agency’s goal to land astronauts at the moon’s south polar region and will help set the stage for future crewed Mars missions.

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Brightest-ever fast radio burst allows researchers to identify its origin

An international team of astronomers has observed one of the brightest fast radio bursts (FRBs) ever detected—and pinpointed its location in a nearby galaxy (NGC 4141). FRB 20250316A has been nicknamed RBFLOAT, which stands for Radio Brightest FLash Of All Time. The finding and the discovery of the location surprised the team and revealed new […]

Black holes may be the engines driving the universe’s dark energy

Researchers at Durham and collaborators in the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) mission have proposed a bold new theory that black holes could be converting matter into dark energy.

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SpaceX to launch secret X-37B space plane Thursday

The U.S. Department of Defense’s mini-shuttle heads to orbit once again Thursday night.

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Close-up images reveal asteroid debris plume after DART impact

On Sept. 11, 2022, engineers at a flight control center in Turin, Italy, sent a radio signal into deep space. Its destination was NASA’s DART (Double Asteroid Redirection Test) spacecraft flying toward an asteroid more than 5 million miles away.

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What happened before the Big Bang? Computational method may provide answers

We’re often told it is “unscientific” or “meaningless” to ask what happened before the Big Bang. But a new paper by FQxI cosmologist Eugene Lim, of King’s College London, UK, and astrophysicists Katy Clough, of Queen Mary University of London, UK, and Josu Aurrekoetxea, at Oxford University, UK, published in Living Reviews in Relativity, proposes […]