Categories

China says it’s on track to land astronauts on the moon by 2030 ahead of space station mission

China said Thursday it’s on track to land astronauts on the moon by 2030 as it introduced the next crew of astronauts who will head to its space station as part of the country’s ambitious plans to be a leader in space exploration.

Go to Source

What made the moon?

Our moon—or la Luna—has inspired humankind for millennia.

Go to Source

New images reveal the Milky Way’s stunning galactic plane in more detail than ever before

The Milky Way is a rich and complex environment. We see it as a luminous line stretching across the night sky, composed of innumerable stars.

Go to Source

A second instrument on HWO could track down nearby Earth-size planets

The Habitable Worlds Observatory (HWO) is slated to be the next Great Observatory for the world. Its main focus has been searching for biosignatures in the atmospheres of at least 25 Earth-like exoplanets. However, to do that, it will require a significant amount of effort with only a coronagraph, the currently planned primary instrument, no […]

Spaceflight study reveals men experience greater eye changes, while brain differences between sexes are subtle

A new study into how spaceflight impacts the human brain and eyes revealed notable sex differences in brain fluid shifts, with female astronauts showing a greater reduction in fluid around the uppermost part of the brain than their male counterparts.

Go to Source

Postcards from ancient Mars: Isotopes illuminate early Martian climate

A new analysis of chemical signatures measured by NASA’s Curiosity Rover gives a peek at Mars’s past to a time some 3.7 billion years ago, when it was warmer and wetter.

Go to Source

Preparation guide developed as Mars samples await transport to Earth

Mars is an inhospitable desert planet. Billions of years ago, things were different. In Jezero Crater, for example, fed by a vast river delta, there was probably a considerable body of water roughly the size of Lake Constance. Conditions conducive to life may have prevailed there.

Go to Source

Simulations reveal how black hole collisions trigger flashes in distant galaxy

For the first time, scientists have the calculations and simulations to explain mysterious flashes from the galaxy OJ 287. Roughly twice every 12 years, from 3.5 billion light years away, the light equivalent of 1 trillion suns flashes in the night sky and then fades away over the next few months. It’s a phenomenon that […]

ESA’s first stand-alone deep-space CubeSat Henon takes shape

The European Space Agency’s upcoming Henon mission will be the first ever CubeSat to independently venture into deep space, communicate with Earth and maneuver to its final destination without relying on a bigger spacecraft. Once in its orbit around the sun, the carry-on luggage-sized CubeSat will observe the sun’s emissions to demonstrate technologies capable of […]

Solar gamma rays could unlock mystery of sun’s hidden magnetic fields

New research conducted by an international team of physicians has found that high-energy gamma rays might offer the key to unlocking the mysteries of the sun’s magnetic fields.

Go to Source

A new, expansive view of the Milky Way reveals our galaxy in unprecedented radio color

Astronomers from the International Centre of Radio Astronomy Research (ICRAR) have created the largest low-frequency radio color image of the Milky Way ever assembled. This spectacular new image captures the Southern Hemisphere view of our Milky Way galaxy, revealing it across a wide range of radio wavelengths, the colors of radio light.

Go to Source

[…]

The Red Spider Nebula, caught by Webb

This new NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope Picture of the Month features a cosmic creepy-crawly called NGC 6537—the Red Spider Nebula. Using its Near-InfraRed Camera (NIRCam), Webb has revealed never-before-seen details in this picturesque planetary nebula with a rich backdrop of thousands of stars.

Go to Source

Solar storms have influenced our history. An environmental historian explains how they could also threaten our future

In May 2024, part of the sun exploded.

Go to Source

Young sun-like star’s dual-temperature plasma ejections offer clues to early planetary environments

Astronomers have used simultaneous ground-based and space-based observations to measure the temperature and velocity of gas ejected from a young sun-like star. The result showed a two-component ejection consisting of a hot fast component followed by a slower, cooler component. This result is important for understanding how young stars affect their surrounding environment where planets […]

Gravitational wave events hint at ‘second-generation’ black holes

In a paper published in The Astrophysical Journal Letters, the international LIGO-Virgo-KAGRA Collaboration reports on the detection of two gravitational wave events in October and November of 2024 with unusual black hole spins. This observation adds an important new piece to our understanding of the most elusive phenomena in the universe.

Go to Source

[…]