News
A strange star system may be feeding the Milky Way's black hole one cloud at a time
13+ hour, 50+ min ago (545+ words) In 2012, astronomers spotted a strange blob of glowing gas spiraling toward the black hole at the center of our galaxy. They named it G2, watched it for years, and argued about where it came from " a disrupted star, an evaporating disk,…...
Astronomers find an unusual exoplanet with cloudy mornings and clear evenings
20+ hour, 10+ min ago (408+ words) Astronomers discovered an exoplanet, WASP-94 A b, with split weather patterns that changed its apparent chemistry and cloud structure....
Mars may need to steal metal from asteroids before humans can build a real city there
1+ day, 21+ hour ago (357+ words) Scientists believe that future human settlements on Mars may rely on metals extracted from asteroids for construction....
NASA's Roman telescope may reveal millions of dead stars in the Milky Way
1+ day, 22+ hour ago (813+ words) The Milky Way is thought to contain tens of millions of dead stellar remnants, perhaps hundreds of millions. Yet, fewer than 4, 000 have ever been confirmed. The majority of them are the spinning kind, whose radio beams sweep past Earth. The…...
Webb detects methane on a giant planet with surprisingly mild temperatures
3+ day, 19+ hour ago (882+ words) Most exoplanet atmospheres NASA's James Webb Space Telescope has analyzed belong to worlds where iron evaporates. Hot Jupiters " giant planets orbiting within days of their stars " have become well-mapped over time, their broad chemistry understood. Giant planets farther out, circling…...
Scientists put a number on the true value of the Psyche asteroid, and the figures are astronomical
4+ day, 11+ hour ago (1312+ words) An asteroid named "16 Psyche" has a keen way of keeping scientists on their toes. For years, it sent mixed signals about what it"s really made of. Some measurements hinted at a lot of valuable metals. Others argued for something…...
Cosmic rays change behavior in a way that could reveal where they really come from
4+ day, 19+ hour ago (890+ words) Cosmic ray particles come in very different sizes. Protons are light, but iron nuclei are heavy. Scientists have long assumed that heavier particles would behave differently from lighter ones as their energies climb: different masses, different ceilings. A satellite has…...
A red sky frightened medieval Japan, and buried trees now reveal the solar storm behind it
4+ day, 18+ hour ago (886+ words) Tree rings have become one of science's best tools for tracking ancient solar storms. When the Sun hurls charged particles at Earth, the evidence ends up locked inside wood " detectable centuries later. Researchers have spent years chasing those signals. The…...
Blue Origin's MK1 passed key NASA testing ahead of its first lunar mission
5+ day, 15+ hour ago (868+ words) Five weeks ago, the Artemis 2 astronauts splashed down in the Pacific after looping around the Moon " the first humans to travel there since 1972. That mission proved the systems needed for deep-space travel still work. The next step is less visible…...
Satellite launch pollution is becoming a major climate threat, on top of the huge space debris problem that already exists
1+ week, 1+ day ago (966+ words) Pollution is not just a problem on Earth anymore. Today, satellites help people watch movies, use GPS, check the weather, and get internet service. Thousands of satellites now orbit the planet, and more are being launched every year. But a…...