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Rapid-response protocol promises to reveal supernovae only hours after they explode

Supernovae appear to our eyes—and to astronomical instruments—as brilliant flashes that flare up in the sky without warning, in places where nothing was visible just moments before. The flash is caused by the colossal explosion of a star. Because supernovae are sudden and unpredictable, they have long been difficult to study, but today, thanks to […]

Parker Solar Probe confirms decades-old theoretical models about magnetic reconnection

New research led by Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) has confirmed decades-old theoretical models of magnetic reconnection, the process that releases stored magnetic energy to drive solar flares, coronal mass ejections and other space weather phenomena. The data was captured by NASA’s Parker Solar Probe (PSP), which is the only spacecraft to have flown through the […]

New study shows potential for improved fuel-free spacecraft sails

A new study from the University of Nottingham has explored the use of fuel-free spacecraft propulsion systems and how they could be used in future space missions.

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NASA wants to put a nuclear reactor on the Moon by 2030. Choosing where is tricky

In a bold, strategic move for the U.S., acting NASA Administrator Sean Duffy announced plans on Aug. 5, 2025, to build a nuclear fission reactor for deployment on the lunar surface in 2030. Doing so would allow the United States to gain a foothold on the moon by the time China plans to land the […]

Why did Cosmic Noon galaxies emit so many cosmic rays?

Answers to some of cosmology’s most pressing questions are obscured by simple dust. It concerns the Cosmic Noon, a period of time that began around 2 billion years after the Big Bang, when nearly all galaxies experienced a burst of growth and rapid star formation.

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Hubble examines low brightness, high interest galaxy

This NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope image zooms in on the feathery spiral arms of the galaxy NGC 45, which lies just 22 million light-years away in the constellation Cetus (the Whale).

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Spectral analysis suggests asteroids Bennu and Ryugu are part of Polana family

A Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) review of data collected from near-Earth asteroids Bennu and Ryugu supports the hypothesis that they were originally part of the Polana collisional family in the main asteroid belt between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter.

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Using magnetism for more efficient oxygen production in space

Since sending the first human into space in the 1960s, the solution to one key challenge has remained elusive: the efficient and reliable production of oxygen in space. On the International Space Station, this problem is addressed by heavy and energy-intensive systems that are not ideal for long-duration space missions.

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Orbital debris detection system developed for spacecraft

Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) has developed and tested a micrometeoroid and orbital debris (MMOD) detection and characterization system designed for satellites and spacecraft to monitor impacts from space debris. The system provides critical post-impact data, ensuring awareness of an impact even when damage is not immediately apparent.

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How did Jupiter’s Galilean moons form? Scientists explore moon formation theories

We already know a decent amount about how planets form, but moon formation is another process entirely, and one we’re not as familiar with. Scientists think they understand how the most important moon in our solar system (our own) formed, but its violent birth is not the norm, and can’t explain larger moon systems like […]

Excavating Eridu: Observations explore nature of massive ancient galaxy

By analyzing the data from the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) and the Hubble Space Telescope (HST), astronomers from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and elsewhere have probed the properties of a massive and old galaxy designated SMILES-GS-191748. Results of the study, published August 7 on the pre-print server arXiv, shed more light on the nature […]

After repeated explosions, new test for Musk’s megarocket

Elon Musk’s SpaceX announced Friday that its Starship megarocket is scheduled to blast off on a new test flight next weekend after recent attempts have ended in fiery explosions.

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Dark star clusters or extreme dwarf galaxies? Astrophysicists revisit Ursa Major III’s true nature

Ursa Major III, the faintest object in our galaxy, orbits the Milky Way at a distance of more than 30,000 light years. Until now, it was considered a dwarf galaxy, thought to consist mainly of dark matter due to its large mass. However, an international team of astrophysicists from the University of Bonn and the […]

Space mice babies: Stem cells cryopreserved in space produce healthy offspring

Features of spaceflight such as gravitational changes and circadian rhythm disruption—not to mention radiation—take a toll on the body, including muscle wasting and decreased bone density. These may even affect the ability to produce healthy offspring.

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Intergalactic experiment: Researchers hunt for mysterious dark matter particle with clever new trick

Physicists from the University of Copenhagen have begun using the gigantic magnetic fields of galaxy clusters to observe distant black holes in their search for an elusive particle that has stumped scientists for decades.

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