NASA’s Cassini Spacecraft Influences Future Exploration
NASA’s Cassini Spacecraft is nearing the end of a long journey rich with scientific and technical accomplishments, and it is having a powerful influence on…
astronomy
Astronomers Model Extreme Jet Ejections from Black Hole X-Ray Binary V404 Cygni
In a new study, astronomers modeled observations of the black hole X-ray binary V404 Cygni during the most active phase of its June 2015 outburst….
Astronomers Give Pluto’s Planetary Features First Official Names
The International Astronomical Union (IAU) has officially named 14 Pluto surface features and many more will soon be proposed to the IAU, both on Pluto…
New X-Ray Study Provides Critical Clues About Star System Habitability
New research indicates older Sun-like stars settle down relatively quickly, boosting prospects for life to develop on planets around them. A new X-ray study has…
Jupiter’s Powerful Auroras Present a Challenging Mystery
NASA’s Juno Mission reveals massive amounts of energy swirling over Jupiter’s polar regions that contribute to the giant planet’s powerful auroras – only not in…
Boron Discovery Provides Clues to Whether Life Could Have Existed on Mars
The ChemCam instrument on NASA’s Curiosity Mars Rover reveals Boron in calcium-sulfate veins on Mars, helping us better understand the timescale of habitability on Mars….
‘Primordial Black Holes’ Might Explain How Gold, Platinum and Uranium Are Created
New research on black holes believed to have formed shortly after the Big Bang, might explain how gold, platinum and uranium are created. A long-standing…
New Research Will Test Our Understanding of How the Universe Works
In a new study, researchers led by the University of Leicester will “test our understanding of how the Universe works, particularly outside the relatively narrow…
Cassini Spacecraft Monitors the Movement of Enceladus
This short sequence of images was captured by NASA’s Cassini Spacecraft as both Enceladus and Cassini moved over a 15-minute period. The heavens often seem…
Hubble Image of the Week – Spiral Galaxy NGC 5559
This newly released Hubble image of the weeks shows spiral galaxy NGC 5559, which is located roughly 220 million light-years away. Like firecrackers lighting up…
ESA’s Gaia Satellite Reveals the Rate of Stellar Encounters with the Sun
The movements of more than 300,000 stars surveyed by ESA’s Gaia satellite reveal that rare close encounters with our Sun might disturb the cloud of…
Astronomers Map Atmospheric Motion in Red Supergiant Star Antares
Astronomers have mapped the gas distribution and velocities in the atmosphere of the red supergiant star Antares, delivering insights into the fate of a star….
NASA’s Van Allen Probes Celebrate Fifth Year in Space
Launched in 2012, NASA’s Van Allen Probes are now celebrating their fifth year in space studying the Van Allen Radiation belts. Most satellites, not designed…
TRAPPIST-1 Exoplanets May Have Liquid Water on Their Surfaces
New research reveals that several of the planets in the TRAPPIST-1 system are at the right distance from their star for liquid water to exist…
Astronomers Prepare for Juno’s Seventh Science Pass of Jupiter
Astronomers are preparing for the Juno Spacecraft’s seventh science flyby over Jupiter, which is set to occur tomorrow. NASA’s Juno Spacecraft will make its seventh…
Ultraviolet Light Could Be a Key for Life Elsewhere in the Universe
A newly published study from the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics reveals that UV light may have played a critical role in the emergence of life…
ALMA Discovers Hidden Reservoirs of Turbulent Gas in Distant Galaxies
Astronomers have detected CH+ for the first time in the distant Universe, opening up a new window of exploration into a critical epoch of star…
Scientists Provide a Theory on How the Universe Became Filled with Light
After observing a nearby galaxy from which ultraviolet light is escaping, astronomers hypothesize that black holes may have punctured darkened galaxies and allowed light to…