A 13-meter rocket hit the Moon: Tasmanian researchers helped track it there

by quasarn01 | Sep 2, 2026 | Astronomy

A 13-meter (43-foot) Falcon 9 rocket stage struck the moon last month, leaving a crater about 20 meters (66 feet) wide. In the days before impact, University of Tasmania researchers from the School of Natural Sciences were the first in the world to detect the object...

Physicists test the weak equivalence principle in an orbiting space station

by quasarn01 | Sep 2, 2026 | Latest in Physics

The weak equivalence principle (WEP) is central to Einstein’s general relativity. It posits that gravity must accelerate everything equally, regardless of what it is made from. For the first time, a team led by Ming-Sheng Zhan at the Wuhan Institute of Physics...

More than 120 molecular species found in giant cloud near Milky Way’s center

by quasarn01 | Sep 2, 2026 | Astronomy

Astronomers have discovered a second interstellar cloud near the center of the Milky Way that is extraordinarily rich in complex molecules, including several molecules associated with prebiotic chemistry. The newly studied cloud, G+0.633-0.0604, or G+0.633, contains...

Blue Origin’s New Glenn explosion shows infrasound can detect rocket accidents from up to 1,700 kilometers away

by quasarn01 | Sep 2, 2026 | Astronomy

When Blue Origin’s New Glenn launch vehicle accidentally exploded during a static test fire in May 2026, the explosion generated low frequency soundwaves below the range of human hearing. Go to Source

Temperature emerges as a control for topological properties of materials

by quasarn01 | Sep 2, 2026 | Latest in Physics

Spin-orbit coupling (SOC), an interaction between an electron’s spin and its motion, plays a key role in creating topological insulators—unusual materials that are insulating in their interior but can conduct electricity along their surfaces. Go to...