Mars: ‘impossible’ discovery of frost near the equator

This image shows Olympus Mons, the tallest volcano not only on Mars but in the entire solar system. … [+] The volcano has a diameter of about 600 kilometers. The image was captured in the early morning (07:20 local solar time, LST) by the high-resolution stereo camera on board ESA’s Mars Express, and included as … Read more

Mysterious ‘Phoenix’ world challenges theories of planetary evolution

Phoenix planet

Astronomers have discovered an unusual exoplanet that has managed to maintain its atmosphere despite intense nearby radiation from a giant red star. Researchers at Johns Hopkins University found that the rare planet, which should have been stripped to rock by radiation from its nearby host star, instead developed a puffy, less dense atmosphere. The planet, … Read more

A cosmic bomb could change everything we know about the Milky Way Galaxy

The ‘Benjamin Button’ effect allows astronomers to better calculate ‘last big crash’ TROY, N.Y. — A stunning new study could turn everything we know about our cosmic home – the Milky Way Galaxy – upside down. According to researchers at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, our galaxy may have collided with another galaxy billions of years later … Read more

The Hubble Space Telescope is facing setbacks, but should continue to work for years to come, NASA says

Problems with one of the Hubble Space Telescope’s three remaining gyroscopes, crucial for pointing and locking onto targets, have prompted mission managers to switch to a backup control mode that will limit some observations but keep the iconic observatory well into the years will keep it operational by 2030, officials said. Tuesday. “We still believe … Read more

The Northern Lights may be visible in the US today

The beautiful green, purple and red colors of the Northern Lights may be visible tonight from northern parts of the upper Midwest thanks to a solar ejection crashing into Earth. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Space Weather Prediction Center (SPWC) has issued a G1 geomagnetic storm watch for June 4 in anticipation of … Read more

Martian meteorites found on Earth provide unprecedented insight into the Red Planet

Chassigny meteorite in cross-polarized light – Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego When a meteorite hit Mars eleven million years ago, pieces of the Red Planet flew into space – and some of them landed on Earth in the form of meteorites, providing unprecedented evidence about the planet’s composition. Now scientists at UC … Read more

Last-minute computer problems cause Boeing’s rocket launch to fail again just before takeoff

American news By Associated Press Published June 2, 2024, 10:55 am ET CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Last-minute computer problems thwarted Saturday’s launch attempt for Boeing’s first astronaut flight, the latest in a series of delays over the years. Two NASA astronauts were strapped into the company’s Starliner capsule when the countdown was automatically stopped at … Read more

The hunt for ultralight dark matter

If or when SLAC’s planned project, the Light Dark Matter Experiment (LDMX), receives funding — a decision from the Department of Energy is expected within about a year — it will scan for light, dark matter. The experiment is designed to accelerate electrons toward a target made of tungsten in terminal A. In the vast … Read more

Chinese spacecraft lands on the far side of the moon

Just hours after NASA was forced to do so cancel the Florida launch from the Boeing Starliner for the second time, a Chinese spacecraft landed on the far side of the moon on Sunday to collect soil and rock samples that could provide insight into the differences between the less explored region and the better-known … Read more

US radio disruptions as historic sunspot fires a ‘remarkable’ X-flare

solar flare nasa

A powerful solar flare has spewed from the same sunspot that produced the spectacular Northern Lights displays on May 10. The May 29 solar flare was measured as a class X1.4 eruption, one of the most powerful types of solar flares, and caused radio blackouts in the US and Western Europe. The sunspot that caused … Read more