The ice giant planets of Neptune and Uranus might have just the right conditions to rain diamonds. Unfortunately we can’t go and check ourselves, so we have to rely on laboratory recreations of their atmospheres to find out. And so that’s exactly what a team of physicist did: they used a vaporized form of common plastics to find out how quickly and how easily diamonds could grow in those kinds of conditions.
Space News & Blog Articles
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Photographers "Capture the Dark" in Stunning Images
The International Dark-Sky Association celebrates photography's role in the fight against light pollution. Here are this year's contest winners!
Alex on the rocks
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ESA astronaut Alexander Gerst and NASA astronaut Stephanie Wilson are getting world-class geology training this week during the fifth edition of ESA’s Pangaea course.
Sony A7R IV mirrorless camera review
Two years after its release, is the Sony A7R IV still the best camera you can buy? We put this full-frame mirrorless to the test.
Save $90 on this 4K Holy Stone GPS drone, ideal for newcomers to drone photography
Get the powerful Holy Stone GPS Drone for just $170 at Amazon and explore the world of drone photography and video.
'We can find life outside the solar system in 25 years', researcher says
We haven't found life on Mars yet, but one researcher believes we might be able to detect evidence of it on planets outside of the solar system within the next quarter of a century.
Watch NASA chief commemorate 60th anniversary of JFK moon speech Monday
NASA Administrator Bill Nelson will discuss the legacy of JFK's Rice University moon speech Monday (Sept. 12) at noon EDT (1600 GMT), and you can watch it live.
NASA will slam a spacecraft into an asteroid. This tiny witness will show us what happens.
Italy's first deep-space mission, which will be the only eye-witness of DART's crash with asteroid Dimorphos, is beginning its journey.
Solar switchback mystery solved
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ESA’s Solar Orbiter has solved the mystery of a magnetic phenomenon in the solar wind. It has taken the first ever image of a ‘switchback’ in the solar corona, confirming its predicted ‘S’ shape. A switchback is defined by rapid flips in magnetic field direction. The observed switchback is linked to an active region associated with sunspots and magnetic activity where there is an interaction between open and closed magnetic field lines. The interaction releases energy and sends the S-shaped disturbance into space. The new data suggest that switchbacks could originate near the solar surface, and may be important in understanding the acceleration and heating of the solar wind.
Solar Orbiter solves magnetic switchback mystery
With data from its closest pass of the Sun yet, the ESA/NASA Solar Orbiter spacecraft has found compelling clues as to the origin of magnetic switchbacks, and points towards how their physical formation mechanism might help accelerate the solar wind.
Ariane 6: Launchpad testing
Video: 00:03:57
It has been an exciting and busy summer for the European Space Agency, with development and testing of its new Ariane 6 launcher. At Europe’s spaceport in, French Guiana, a test model of the launcher’s central core was assembled for the first time. Ariane 6 is the first Ariane rocket to be assembled horizontally, which is simpler and less costly than more traditional vertical assembly. Then, the rocket was moved to its launchpad and placed upright in the massive mobile gantry for combined tests, to validate the compatibility between all components of the complete launch system. Soon more testing will be done on Ariane 6’s upper stage at a purpose-built DLR facility in Lampoldshausen, Germany.
Live coverage: Firefly counting down to second test launch from California
Live coverage of the countdown and launch of Firefly’s Alpha rocket on the “To the Black” test flight with seven small nanosatellites and picosatellites. Text updates will appear automatically below; there is no need to reload the page. Follow us on Twitter.
If Jupiter's Orbit got Weirder, it Would Actually Make Earth More Habitable
Earth is not just habitable, it’s unusually habitable. It’s rather wet for a planet so close to its Sun, it’s geologically active, and it has a stable orbit, all of which are necessary for life as we know it. But there are also secondary advantages, such as not being constantly bombarded by large asteroids, and having a rotational axis that is fairly stable. This is due in part thanks to the planet Jupiter. The giant planet has helped clear the solar system of asteroid debris and may have helped stabilize the orbits of the inner planets. So life is good. But a new study shows that if Jupiter had a different orbit, life could be even better.
NASA replaces leaky seals on Artemis 1 moon rocket, fueling test next
NASA engineers replaced leaky seals on two fuel lines for its Artemis 1 moon rocket, setting the stage for a critical fueling test.
Harvest Moon 2022: September's full moon thrills stargazers around the world (photos)
The full Harvest Moon of September lit up the night sky this weekend in a dazzling lunar sight enjoyed by skywatchers around the world.
DNA of DeForest Kelley, Dr. 'Bones' McCoy from 'Star Trek,' will fly to space with original cast on memorial spaceflight
DeForest Kelley's DNA will be aboard this special Enterprise Flight with other 'Star Trek' royalty
'Doomsday Glacier' is teetering even closer to disaster than scientists thought, new seafloor map shows
A new study has revealed that the Thwaites glacier, also known as the "Doomsday Glacier," could melt away much faster than previously believed.
Watch Firefly Aerospace try to reach orbit for 1st time Sunday
Firefly plans to launch its Alpha rocket on a test mission from California's Vandenberg Space Force Base on Sunday (Sept. 11) at 6 p.m. EDT (2200 GMT).
See the conjunction of the moon and Jupiter on Sunday (Sept. 11)
Though the moon is much brighter than Jupiter from our position here on Earth, the gas giant dominates it in terms of size. The two will share a right ascension on Sunday night.
SpaceX rocket launches BlueWalker 3, the largest commercial communications array ever, and aces record 14th landing
SpaceX launched a novel communications satellite into orbit late Saturday and set a new launch record for its Falcon 9 rocket.
