There are 8 billion of us now. The UN says when the population peaks around the year 2100, there’ll be 11 billion human souls. Our population growth is colliding with the natural world on a greater scale than ever, and we’re losing between 200 and 2,000 species each year, according to the World Wildlife Federation.
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NASA Releases a Stunning New Supercut of the Artemis I Launch
NASA just released a new supercut of high-resolution video from the Artemis I launch on November 16, 2022. Much of the footage is from cameras attached to the rocket itself, allowing everyone to ride along from engine ignition to the separation of the Orion capsule as it begins its journey to the Moon.
10 strange things NASA's Artemis 1 Orion spacecraft took to the moon
NASA's uncrewed Artemis 1 moon mission is full of passengers, we take a look at some of the strangest items hitching a ride here.
Mars Mesmerizes at December 8th Opposition
It may not be the closest opposition, but this time around Mars arcs high across the sky where good seeing promises sharp views. That's not all. On December 7th, one night before opposition, the full Moon occults the Red Planet!
Super-distant black hole is eating half a sun a year and blasting its leftovers at Earth
Astronomers have made the most distant observation of a black hole ripping apart a star and feasting upon it, thanks to a jet of stellar "leftovers" blasted directly toward Earth.
Two Great Globular Clusters Seen by Hubble: Pismis 26 and Ruprecht 106
If you like shiny things, some of the most gorgeous objects in space are globular clusters, with their bright, densely packed collections of gleaming stars. And if you like globular clusters, you’re in luck: two different Hubble images of globular clusters were featured this week by NASA and ESA.
SpaceX delays launch of Japanese moon lander for last-minute rocket checks
SpaceX delayed the launch of Japan's Hakuto-R moon lander carrying a United Arab Emirates' rover until Thursday (Dec. 1) at 3:37 a.m. EST (0837 GMT) to allow for additional pre-flight checks.
Lab-grown black hole may prove Stephen Hawking's most challenging theory right
By using a chain of atoms to simulate a black hole's event horizon, researchers have shown that Hawking radiation may exist just as the late physicist described.
Rising sea levels could swamp the US coastline by 2050, NASA predicts
Sea levels are expected to rise around the contiguous U.S. faster than previously thought, a new NASA study finds.
See Mars at its best in the night sky on Wednesday (Nov. 30)
Wednesday (Nov. 30) offers an excellent opportunity for skywatchers to observe Mars when the Red Planet will be at its closest to Earth, appearing bigger and brighter in the sky.
The hunt is on in neighboring galaxy for 2nd closest monster black hole to Earth
Astronomers may finally have a way to hunt for a monstrous supermassive black hole they suspect lurks in the dwarf galaxy next door.
Search for possible sign of life in Venus' clouds comes up empty
The aircraft-borne SOFIA telescope could not find signs of a compound possibly linked to biological activity during observations of Venus' atmosphere.
See the half-lit first quarter moon on Wednesday (Nov. 30)
On the final day before December, the moon will be exactly halfway between the new moon and the full moon with its face half-illuminated.
What if we’re truly alone?
At least once, you’ve looked up at the night sky and asked the same longstanding question we’ve all asked at least once, “Are we alone?” With all those points of light out there, we can’t be the only intelligent beings in the universe, right? There must be at least one technological civilization aside from us in the great vastness that we call the cosmos.
Falcon 9 goes upright ahead of private moon mission
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Chinese astronauts meet in space for historic crew handover
On the left: Shenzhou 14 astronauts Cai Xuzhe, Chen Dong, and Liu Yang on the Tiangong space station. On the right: Shenzhou 15 astronauts Deng Qingming, Fei Junlong, and Zhang Lu. The launch of the Shenzhou 15 crew marked the first time six Chinese astronauts have been in orbit at the same time. Credit: China Manned Space Agency
Three Chinese astronauts were greeted by three of their colleagues Tuesday as they floated into the Tiangong space station following a launch on a Long March rocket earlier in the day, marking the first time China’s space program has had six astronauts in orbit at the same time.
Japanese commercial moon lander, UAE rover ready for launch on SpaceX rocket
The Hakuto-R lander developed by the Japanese company ispace is enclosed inside the nose cone of a SpaceX Falcon 9 launcher at Cape Canaveral. Credit: SpaceX
A commercial moon craft developed by the Japanese company ispace is awaiting launch from Cape Canaveral before dawn Wednesday on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket that will send it on a five-month trajectory culminating in a lunar landing attempt next year, an achievement that could make ispace the first private company to accomplish the feat.
Astronomers Detect the Faint Glow of Stars in Between Galaxies
Not all stars are members of galaxies. Some stars exist in the space between galaxies, though they didn’t form there. They’re called intra-group stars, and astronomers study them by observing their light, called intra-group light (IGL.)
Rising sea levels could swamp the US coastline by 2050, NASA predicts
Sea levels are expected to rise around the contiguous U.S. faster than previously thought, a new NASA study finds.
Astronomers Directly Image a Jupiter-Sized Planet Orbiting a Sunlike Star
According to the most widely-accepted theory, planetary systems form from large clouds of dust and gas that form disks around young stars. Over time, these disks accrete to create planets of varying size, composition, and distance from their parent star. In the past few decades, observations in the mid- and far-infrared wavelengths have led to the discovery of debris disks around young stars (less than 100 million years old). This has allowed astronomers to study planetary systems in their early history, providing new insight into how systems form and evolve.
