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Latest by G. Torbet

Rendering of a planet transiting a white dwarf star.

How the James Webb Space Telescope will look for life around dead stars

When the James Webb telescope launches, it may be able to find indications of life beyond our planet -- even on planets orbiting dead stars called white dwarfs.
In this illustration, WD 1856 b, a potential Jupiter-size planet, orbits its much smaller host star, a dim white dwarf.

This planet survived the death of its star — and we don’t know how

This week, researchers have uncovered a new astronomical oddity: A planet several times the size of the dead star it orbits.
tiktok logo next to trump

TikTok and WeChat to be banned from U.S. app stores on Sunday

The popular apps TikTok and WeChat will be banned from app stores in the U.S. from Sunday, September 20, due to President Trump's Executive Order.
Hubble’s Crisp New Image of Jupiter and Europa

Crispy image of Jupiter shows its epic storms and icy moon Europa

A new image from the Hubble Space Telescope captures both the epic storms raging on Jupiter and its icy moon Europa, which could potentially host life.
Artistic impression of Venus

There could be life on Venus, groundbreaking study finds

A new study by an international group of astronomers suggests that there could be potential indicators for like in the atmosphere of Venus.
The twisting patterns created by the multiple spiral arms of NGC 2835 create the illusion of an eye.

Hubble investigates where stars are born in this beautiful spiral galaxy

A new image captured by the Hubble Space Telescope shows the spiral galaxy NGC 2835, filled with regions of cold gas where new stars are being born.
The Oculus Quest 2 headset, as seen in the leaked promo video

Oculus Quest 2 headset details have leaked

Details about Facebook's upcoming Oculus Quest 2 virtual reality headset have leaked, including details of headset features and accessories.
The complete focal plane of the future LSST Camera is more than 2 feet wide and contains 189 individual sensors that will produce 3,200-megapixel images. Crews at SLAC have now taken the first images with it.

Largest-ever digital photographs taken by Vera Rubin Observatory camera

The largest digital photographs ever taken in a single shot have been captured using the imaging sensors which will be used in the Vera Rubin Observatory.
llustration of a carbon-rich planet with diamond and silica as main minerals.

Exoplanets could be made of diamonds, unlike anything in our solar system

In a concept straight out of a dream, new research shows that our universe could host carbon-rich planets made of diamonds.
elon musk tells spacex team to focus on starship development

New SpaceX Starship prototype will fly to a height of 60,000 feet

Elon Musk has announced plans for the next phase of testing of the SpaceX Starship, which may be ready in as little as a week.
Astra's Rocket 3.1 leaving the pad at the Kodiak launch site

Rocket startup Astra makes its first launch but fails to reach orbit

The Astra rocket, code named Rocket 3.1, launched successfully but failed to reach orbit due to a problem during the first stage burn.
An artist's impression of an asteroid approaching Earth

Amateur astronomer discovers huge asteroid that will cruise past Earth

An amateur astronomer has discovered a huge asteroid headed near Earth. But there's no need to panic, as it will miss our planet by 25 million miles.
This image was taken by Left Navigation Camera onboard NASA's Mars rover Curiosity on Sol 2865.

Curiosity rover performs special experiment to look for evidence of life on Mars

This week NASA's Curiosity rover will perform a highly anticipated experiment that could reveal clues about the possibility of life once existing on Mars.
Hubble Sheds Light on Small-Scale Concentrations of Dark Matter

Dark matter might be even stranger than we thought, according to Hubble

A new study using the Hubble Space Telescope suggests that we understand dark matter even less than we previously thought.
NASA's Spitzer and Hubble Space Telescopes have teamed up to expose the chaos that baby stars are creating 1,500 light-years away in a cosmic cloud called the Orion Nebula.

How NASA’s top illustrators use data to draw invisible interstellar objects

Even with super powerful telescopes, many interstellar objects are difficult to get a clear picture of. That's where NASA illustrators come in.
Many colorful stars are packed close together in this image of the globular cluster NGC 1805, taken by the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope.

Hubble captures a globular cluster of densely packed stars

The Hubble Space Telescope team has released another stunning space image captured by the instrument -- this one of a globular cluster called NGC 1805.
VSS Unity during a test flight to the edge of space.

Virgin Galactic will conduct crewed test flight of SpaceShipTwo next month

Virgin Galactic will be conducting a crewed test of it SpaceShipTwo next month, inching closer to its plan of taking tourists to the very edge of space.
The Roman Space Telescope’s primary mirror reflects an American flag. Its surface is figured to a level hundreds of times finer than a typical household mirror.

Near-perfect mirror ready to be mounted in NASA’s Roman Space Telescope

NASA has reached a milestone in the development of its newest telescope, Roman, set to launch in 2025, with the completion of its primary mirror.
Selection of images made using data from NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory

NASA Chandra images highlight the beauty of the universe in X-ray wavelength

NASA has released a collection of beautiful images which combine X-ray observations from the Chandra Observatory with other wavelengths.
ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter analyses the martian atmosphere

Got a bright idea for a space mission? European Space Agency wants to hear it

If there's an area of space you've always dreaming of exploring, now is your chance: The European Space Agency is inviting proposals for future space missions.
Engineers test drive the Earth-bound twin of NASA's Perseverance Mars rover for the first time in a warehouselike assembly room at the agency's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California.

NASA begins testing on Perseverance rover’s twin, OPTIMISM

NASA's Perseverance rover is on its way to Mars, and now testing has begun on a twin of the rover which stayed here on Earth, OPTIMISM.
Fortnite Chapter 2

Epic asks court to force Apple to restore Fortnite to the App Store

There's a new step in the battle between Fortnite developer Epic and Apple, with Epic asking a court to force Apple to restore its apps to the App Store.
Artist’s impression of binary black holes about to collide

Astronomers observe largest-ever merger between ‘impossible’ black holes

Researchers have observed the most massive black hole collision ever detected, using the gravitational wave observatories LIGO and VIRGO.
An image taken by the camera aboard the First Light Photon satellite

Rocket Lab’s recent launch contained a surprise 2-in-1 satellite

Rocket Lab's recent launch of an Electron rocket was carrying a secret surprise: A part of the rocket that detached to form a Photon satellite.
Teams have installed the flight support booster (FSB) for later versions of the solid rocket boosters on NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket into the test stand in Promontory, Utah.

How to watch NASA test its new Artemis rocket booster on Wednesday

NASA will soon be testing the booster section of its brand-new Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, which is designed to carry astronauts to the moon.
garmin instinct vivoactive 3 smartwatches best buy deals labor day sales 2020 front close face 768x479 c w 5 720x720

Garmin connect is down again for second time in two months

The platform of choice for many fitness enthusiasts, Garmin Connect, went down in the early hours of Sunday morning.
The Sun sends out a constant stream of particles and energy, which drives a complex space weather system near Earth

NASA selects five mission proposals to investigate space weather

NASA has announced five new concept proposals to investigate the phenomena of space weather and to better understand how the sun affects the space environment.
The CST-100 Starliner spacecraft to be flown on Boeing’s Orbital Flight Test (OFT) is viewed Nov. 2, 2019

Next test flight of Boeing Starliner could take place in December

NASA and Boeing have announced that the next test flight of the troubled Starliner capsule could take place as early as December this year.
A Falcon 9 rocket lifts off on May 30, for the first crewed test flight of the Crew Dragon capsule. flight

SpaceX plans two Falcon 9 missions in on one day in closest-ever launches

SpaceX has a packed weekend, with two rocket launches just hours apart -- the shortest amount of time between launches the company has ever attempted.
M31 Halo Illustration over Rocky Terrain

Enormous halo of gas around Andromeda Galaxy mapped for the first time

Researchers using the Hubble Space Telescope have mapped out the enormous halo of gas around the nearest major galaxy to us, the Andromeda Galaxy.
Now that the observatory has been completely assembled, Webb teams are running full observatory level tests to ensure it is prepared for the rigors of liftoff.

James Webb Space Telescope powers on its instruments in Ground Segment Test

NASA's upcoming James Webb Space Telescope has reached a milestone with the completion of the Ground Segment Test.
Illustration of of Masten's XL-1 lunar lander

SpaceX will carry Masten lunar lander to the moon in 2022

SpaceX has another mission to the moon, as it has been contracted to deliver a lunar lander as part of NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program.
spacexs starship prototype completes static fire test  july 2020

SpaceX performs Starship static fire test ahead of hop test

SpaceX has completed its latest test of its new Starship rocket, intended to carry astronauts to the moon and even eventually to Mars.
a small section of the Cygnus supernova blast wave

Hubble captures the delicate edge of the enormous Cygnus Loop nebula

The latest image captured by Hubble shows a portion of a huge round nebula which was formed when a star 20 times the mass of our sun exploded.