SpaceX satellites could threaten vital telescope data, experts warn
SpaceX launched its first set of 60 satellites last month. Now the International Astronomical Union has weighed in on the issue and underlined the potential problems to science that satellite launches could cause due to light pollution and interference with telescope and radio signals.
Mars 2020 will capture high-definition color images from the Jezero Crater
The Mars 2020 rover will be launching next year and heading to an area of Mars called the Jezero Crater, the site of an ancient lake. But to navigate and document the crater, the rover will need to collect visual information. For this purpose, it is being equipped with two high definition color cameras.
Melting pesky lunar dust with a laser enables 3D printing of tools on the moon
Dust is a major problem for lunar expeditions. Not only is it harmful to astronaut's health, it also gums up devices and causes technological problems. But now scientists from Germany have come up with an idea to make use of dust: by melting it with a laser and using it to 3D-print tools and equipment.
Eruption of ice volcano threw liquid water over the frozen surface of Pluto
Liquid water could once have existed on the frozen surface of Pluto, put there by the violent eruption of a cryovolcano, according to a new study. By analyzing the wavelengths of light in images of Pluto's surface, researchers can see what chemical compounds are likely located on the planet's surface.
Improved fluidic robot paves the way for untethered soft robotics
Soft robots may be the future of robotics, but there are still many limitations in their design. One big problem is that soft robots generally need to be tethered, meaning that they have to be connected to an external device by wires. Now scientists have taken a first step towards untethering soft robots.
Bouncing robot reaches new heights, artfully dodges moving obstacles
Meet Salto, a tiny adorable bouncing robot developed at UC Berkeley. The bot weighs just 100 grams and is about a foot long, and moves through its environment by bouncing and jumping. It can do hundreds of jumps in a 10-minute period, can jump 4 feet high, and can travel at eight to ten miles per hour.
Spitzer captures childhood, middle age, and maturity of stars in one image
NASA's Spitzer telescope has captured a stunning images of a pair of nebulas containing the star clusters Cepheus B and Cepheus C. The image includes a dense region of dust and gas which acts as a stellar nursery, a nebula which is shaped by winds of maturing stars, and fully mature star clusters.
Curiosity rover finds evidence that water once existed on the surface of Mars
NASA's Curiosity rover has found the highest amounts of clay in any sample taken so far during its mission to Mars. The rover snapped a selfie as it explored the clay-bearing unit where the newest samples were taken from. These new findings provide evidence there was once water in the region.
FCC filing reveals mysterious new Google device, but no one knows what it’s for
There's a new Google media device that has appeared in information on the FCC's website, but so far no one is quite sure what the device is or what it will do. The device is listed as A4RH2B and is presumed to be a Google Home device because of its similarity to previous model numbers.
Older versions of Windows have critical vulnerability, should be updated ASAP
If you're running an older version of Windows, it's vital to update it as soon as possible. Microsoft has warned about a critical security issue called BlueKeep. This vulnerability is a particular concern because the vulnerability is wormable, similar to the WannaCry malware from 2017.
Lawsuit alleges Apple disclosed information about iTunes purchases
Apple may promote itself as a privacy-focused company, but a new lawsuit alleges that it sells off personal data regarding iTunes purchases.The lawsuit is brought by three iTunes customers from Rhode Island and Michigan, and was brought to federal court in San Fransisco on Friday, according to Bloomberg.
Personal information from Grindr was accessible by Chinese engineers
When the Chinese Kunlun Group bought gay dating app Grindr last year, there were concerns raised about users' privacy which were serious enough to prompt U.S. officials to get involved. Now an investigation reveals how the issue of the private data on Grindr became a national security concern.
NASA pushes ahead with Moon 2024 mission despite funding uncertainties
The ambitious, even perhaps overly ambitious, plan for NASA to send astronauts back to the moon by 2024 is underway, with new developments coming this week. But the project remains troubled due to uncertainty about how much funding will actually be available
Samsung’s new A.I. software makes generating fake videos even easier
A.I. is getting better and better at producing fake videos. Now Samsung has developed software which makes creating fake videos even easier. The new software can create somewhat convincing fakes from just a few images of a person. Potentially, it could even work with a single image of a face.
Water on Earth could have an interstellar origin, according to comet data
Scientists have uncovered indications of the source of Earth's bountiful surface water. New research shows that water carried aboard comets may originate from the same source as water in the Earth's oceans, suggesting that water could have been carried to our planet on comets.
Mars 2020 spacecraft survives 8 days in a freezing cold vacuum chamber
Curiosity's little brother, the Mars 2020 rover, has been put through its paces in a further round of testing this week. The NASA Mars 2020 craft underwent acoustic and thermal vacuum tests which simulate the conditions of launch and of space to check the craft can withstand the extreme environments.
This galaxy, Messier 90, appears blue because it’s traveling toward us
A new Hubble image has been released showing Messier 90, 60 million light-years away in the Virgo Cluster. It is located in the constellation of Virgo, part of the Virgo Supercluster which includes our galaxy. An unusual feature of Messier 90 is it is traveling towards the Milky Way, not away from it.
Scientists find organic matter from outer space in 3.3-billion-year-old rocks
Scientists believe they have located organic matter that is extraterrestrial in origin, in 3.3 billion year old rocks in the Makhonjwa Mountains in South Africa. This offers support to the theory that organic chemicals arrived on our planet aboard a meteorite and created the building blocks for life.
Three rare exocomets spotted in orbit around a nearby star
Scientists have spotted three exocomets, or comets outside of our Solar System, in orbit around a bright young star called Beta Pictoris in the constellation of Pictor. They used NASA’s Transiting Exoplanets Survey Satellite (TESS) to capture detailed data about the amount of light being generated.
Jupiter’s vast magnetic field stretches over time, driven by atmospheric wind
Jupiter has the most powerful magnetic field in our Solar System, 18,000 times as strong as Earth's. It is large as well, extending seven million kilometers out from the planet towards the Sun. Now scientists have discovered that the field changes over time, in an effect called secular variation.
Tesla to cap charging at busy Supercharging stations at 80%
Tesla will be updating some of its supercharger stations to impose limits on how much a car can be charged in a single period. The new limits will allow Tesla users to only charge up to 80% at busy supercharger stations in order to reduce queues and wait times. The changes apply to 17% of stations.
Scientists discover unexpected underwater volcano off the coast of Africa
Geologists first noticed something unusual in the Indian Ocean in November last year, when they detected a massive seismic event originating from a spot near to the French island of Mayotte. Now further research has revealed that the source of the seismic activity is an enormous underwater volcano.
Millions of real estate records were publicly accessible due to lax security
A major financial services company, First American Corporation, has left millions of records publicly accessible on its servers. The data included bank account details, bank statements, mortgage records, driver's license images, and Social Security numbers, and was accessible without authorization.
Japanese spacecraft Hayabusa 2 aborts marker drop mission
Japan's Hayabusa 2 spacecraft's latest mission to drop a reflective marker on the surface of asteroid Ryugu has been aborted. A second touchdown on the asteroid is being considered as a way to collect more materials, as a bonus to those materials already collected from the first go-round.
Friendly cube robot Bumble passes its first hardware test aboard the ISS
There are some unexpected guests aboard the International Space Station (ISS): cute cube robots called Astrobees which help the crew with day to day tasks. Now the first Astrobee robot has undergone hardware tests to check whether its subsystems are working correctly.
The moon is shrinking as it loses heat, new images reveal
New research suggests that the Moon is shrinking. NASA scientists have used data from their Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera (LROC) to look at "wrinkles" in the surface of the Moon which are as long as 200 miles and as high as 1000 feet and are formed as it loses heat and shrinks in size.
Two galaxies play tug of war in this spectacular Hubble image
Hubble has captured evidence of a nearby galactic neighbor affecting the the shape and star production of a galaxy. The irregular galaxy NGC 4485 has been pulled into the unusual shape due to the gravitational forces exerted by the nearby and much larger galaxy NGC 4490.
Creators of WhatsApp attack software face lawsuit from Amnesty International
This week an attack was launched on WhatsApp that could install spyware with just a missed call. Now the Israeli firm linked to that attack is facing a lawsuit from human rights NGO Amnesty International, alleging their software has been used to surveil Amnesty staff and other human rights defenders.
See a fly-over of Mars and track the path Curiosity will take up Mount Sharp
Take a trip to Mars with a new video from NASA. This animation shows a fly-over of Mount Sharp, the location the Curiosity rover is currently exploring. It also shows the path Curiosity will take as it travels up the mountain to learn more about the geology and history of the planet.
See the impact site where the Beresheet spacecraft crashed into the moon
SpaceIL's Beresheet spacecraft might not have made the final hurdle to land on the moon, but it could still make a contribution to scientific knowledge. An image of the site of the crash has been captured by NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter and is being analyzed for information about the lunar soil.