NASA’s planet-hunting satellite TESS locates its first exoplanet
NASA's planet-hunting satellite, TESS, was launched last year to search for exoplanets. The satellite will observe 400,000 stars and select a target from the new TESS Habitable Zone Star Catalog. The search is already paying off, as astronomers announce they have discovered a Saturn-sized planet.
Scientists to resume Nobel-winning hunt for gravitational waves
The hunt for gravitational waves is back on. After a series of upgrades, the National Science Foundation’s Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory will resume its search for ripples in space and time on April 1. LIGO is famous for the first direct detection of gravitational waves in 2015.
Unfriendly exoplanet is stormy, blistering hot, and full of carbon monoxide
The GRAVITY instrument on the Very Large Telescope Interferometer has observed its first exoplanet, HR8799e. GRAVITY analyzes the composition of planets using optical interferometry, where signals from different telescopes are combined to see objects in higher resolution that is possible with just one.
See baby stars being born in the beautiful Butterfly Nebula
NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope was launched in 2003 and was supposed to only be on its mission for two and a half years. But remarkably enough, 16 years later it is still going. Now astronomers have used its data to create this infrared image of a beautiful nebula that acts as a nursery for baby stars.
Curiosity data shows how asteroid impact could have made Mars habitable
A new study using data from the Curiosity rover has revealed clues that the planet may have been habitable thousands of years ago. The study used data from Curiosity's SAM instrument (Sample Analysis at Mars) which analyzed samples which were either drilled from bedrock or scooped up from the surface.
Step into the center of the galaxy with NASA’s 360-degree visualization
Have you ever wanted to take a supermassive black hole's view of the galaxy? Then you're in luck. Researchers at NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory have released a stunning, immersive video that let you view the Milky Way as if you were sitting right in the center of the galaxy.
SpaceX’s hexagon heat shield tiles take on an industrial flamethrower
SpaceX CEO Elon Musk revealed details about the heat shield plans for the Starship spacecraft project. The company developed hexagonal heat shielding tiles to protect the Starship from the extreme temperatures that are generated by re-entering the Earth's atmosphere.
Everything you need to know about the Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft
Two recent plane crashes have raised fears about whether Boeing planes are safe to fly. Both crashes involved the same model of plane, the Boeing 737 MAX 8. Here's everything you need to know about the technology onboard the planes and what went wrong to cause these two tragedies.
First all-female spacewalk scrapped due to spacesuit sizing issue
Sad news for those who were looking forward to the first all-female spacewalk this week — the event has been scrapped due to a lack of correctly sized spacesuits. The plan was for NASA astronauts Anne McClain and Christina Koch to take a spacewalk together outside the International Space Station.
A milestone in the history of particle physics: Why does matter exist?
For every particle that exists in our universe, there is an antiparticle. But if matter and antimatter were both produced in equal amounts by the Big Bang, why is there so much matter around us and so little antimatter? A new experiment from CERN may hold the answer to this decades-long puzzle.
Astronomers discover giant chimneys spewing energy from the center of the galaxy
At the center of our galaxy, a supermassive black hole hoovers up matter and blasts out energy. Now astronomers have discovered two exhaust channels which are funneling matter and energy away from the supermassive black hole and out towards the edges of the galaxy, dubbed galactic center chimneys.
Chilean telescope uncovers one of the oldest star clusters in the galaxy
An ultra-high definition image captured by the Gemini South telescope in Chile has uncovered one of the oldest star clusters in the Milky Way. The cluster, called HP 1, could give clues to how our galaxy was formed billions of years ago. The HP 1 cluster is estimated to be 12.8 billion years old.
Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No, it’s a super-speedy pulsar
A super-speedy pulsar has been spotted dashing across the sky, discovered using NASA’s Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope and the National Science Foundation's Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array. The pulsar is traveling at a breathtaking 2.5 million miles an hour.
Asteroid Ryugu is porous, shaped like a spinning top, and is formed of rubble
The Japanese Space Agency has been exploring a distant asteroid named Ryugu with its probe, Hayabusa 2. After arriving at its destination 200 million miles from Earth, the probe managed to land on the asteroid. Now the first results from study of the asteroid are in, with three new papers published.
Spacewalk a success as astronauts upgrade batteries on the ISS
The International Space Station was treated to new batteries on Friday, thanks to the NASA astronauts who took a spacewalk for nearly seven hours in order to complete the upgrades. The batteries were replaced with newer lithium-ion batteries, which have improved power capacity and lighter mass.
A hive of activity: Using honeybees to measure urban pollution
According to a new study from Vancouver, bees could help us understand urban pollution. A team from the Pacific Centre for Isotopic and Geochemical Research at University of British Columbia has found an innovative way to measure the level of source of pollution in urban environments: by analyzing honey.
NASA’s Mars 2020 rover passes its tests with flying colors
Preparations are well underway for NASA's next mission to Mars. The Mars 2020 team has been undertaking a series of tests to see if the craft will be able to launch, navigate, and land on the Red Planet. Called Systems Test 1, or ST1, these tests represent the first test drive of the new rover.
Trip to Neptune’s moon, Triton, could inform search for extraterrestrial life
NASA has proposed sending a spacecraft to Neptune to study its largest moon, Triton, up close. Studying Triton could offer clues to how liquid water is maintained on planets and moons, which might indicate what to look for when searching for life beyond our own planet.
Unexpected particle plumes discovered jetting out of asteroid Bennu
The OSIRIS-REx craft entered orbit around asteroid Bennu last year and isn't scheduled to return until 2023. But the mission is already producing unexpected findings, like plumes of particles which are being energetically ejected from the surface of the asteroid.
Astronomers plan to beam Earth’s greatest hits into deep space, and you can help
If you could send a message to a potential alien civilization, what would it sound like? Think on that, as a new project from the SETI Institute (search for extraterrestrial intelligence) will give the public the chance to submit musical compositions to be beamed into space.
A silver bullet is being aimed at the drug-resistant superbugs on the ISS
Superbugs can pose a serious health risk for astronauts, as a bacteria which is benign here on Earth can mutate into a drug-resistant superbug once it enters space. Now this problem is being tackled by a team of microbiologists who have found a way to inhibit the spread of bacteria in the ISS.
Take a dip in the Lagoon Nebula in first image from SPECULOOS instrument
The European Southern Observatory has released the first image collected by their new SPECULOOS instrument, and it's a stunning portrait of the Lagoon Nebula. SPECULOOS isn't designed to study nebulae -- it is designed to search for habitable planets -- but it's hard to object to the gorgeous results.
Cosmic dust bunnies: Scientists find unexpected ring around Mercury
A pair of scientists searching for a dust-free region near the Sun have made an unexpected discovery: a vast dust ring around the tiny planet Mercury. Scientists had thought that the energy of solar winds would blow away any dust so close to the Sun, but the new findings show that's not the case.
New Hubble image displays dazzling Messier 28 globular cluster
Messier 28 is a group of stars in the constellation of Sagittarius, located 18,000 light-years from us. It is a collection of stars that is tightly bound together by gravity and which orbits around a galactic core. As the gravity is strong, the stars are at a high density.
Body surrogate robot helps people with motor impairments care for themselves
Assistive technologies can benefit people with disabilities by giving them greater independence and control over their lives. A team from Georgia Tech has been working on an assistant robot to help people who have severe motor impairments with tasks like shaving, brushing their hair, and drinking water.
Desk lamps take on a new task by converting their light to power
What if we could charge devices using light from indoor sources like desk lamps? A group of scientists working on a technology called organic photovoltaics aim to do just that. The team from Kyushu University has developed special light harvesters optimized to produce energy from ambient indoor lighting.
Mind-bending model shows Venus isn’t our nearest neighbor — it’s Mercury
Every textbook and table on the internet agrees -- the closest planet to Earth is Venus. But according to a new article in Physics Today, a new mathematical model shows that our assumptions about the distances between planets are wrong. In fact, the planet closest to us on average is Mercury.
Super telescope captures supermassive black holes forming billions of years ago
A camera mounted to the massive 8.2m Subaru Telescope in Hawaii has captured evidence of supermassive black holes forming in the ancient universe. Astronomers have discovered 83 quasars powered by supermassive black holes from billions of years ago, in the first 10 percent of the universe’s current age.
Gorgeous image of the Cosmic Bat nebula leaves us starry-eyed
The Cosmic Bat nebula has been captured in beautiful detail by the European Southern Observatory. Formally known as NGC 1788, the nebula is two thousand light-years away in a dark corner of the Orion constellation. It is a "reflection nebula" which does not give off any light of its own.
A lunar time capsule: 50-year-old moon rock samples to be opened for study
Nearly 50 years after the Apollo missions to the Moon, NASA is breaking open samples of Moon rock for the first time. Samples collected from Apollo missions 15, 16, and 17 have been preserved and never exposed to Earth's atmosphere, making them invaluable resources.
Opportunity’s final image is a haunting panorama of the Martian surface
The Opportunity mission to Mars may be no more, but the rover's legacy lives on. Now NASA has released the final image captured by Opportunity, and it's a stunning panorama of the Martian surface showing the rover's tracks, the floor of the Perseverance Valley, and the Endeavour crater.
Toyota shoots for the moon with its new lunar rover concept
Toyota announced it will be teaming up with the Japanese space agency to design and built a lunar rover. The two organizations aim to create a manned, pressurized rover suitable for mobility on the moon, using efficient fuel cells that would allow the rover to cruise more than 10,000 kilometers
NASA shares an update about its next generation launch system, SLS
NASA is working on a next-generation launch system called Space Launch System, or SLS, hoping to create a transport system to take astronauts of the future to the Moon and beyond. Now NASA has announced its progress towards the first mission for the new system, Exploration Mission-1 (EM-1) in 2020.