Nearly twenty years ago, astronomers observed a huge cloud of fine dust particles around a young star just 63 light-years away from Earth. From recent observations of the Webb Space TelescopeHowever, the dust cloud had mysteriously disappeared. Now a new paper suggests that the dust cloud may have been caused by a violent event that … Read more
The BepiColombo spacecraft, operated by the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), could feel the heat even before it reaches its destination: Mercury. Thanks to a malfunction, the spacecraft’s thrusters are no longer operating at full power. The team has yet to determine how this will affect upcoming maneuvers, such … Read more
An artist’s rendering of the BepiColombo mission, a joint ESA/JAXA project, which will take two spacecraft to the harsh environment of Mercury. ESA This week, the European Space Agency posted a somewhat ominous note about its BepiColombo spacecraft, which consists of two orbiters headed to Mercury. The online press release mentioned a “glitch” with the … Read more