A team of astronomers have proposed to hunt for signs of life by looking for the signature of nitrous oxide in alien atmospheres. It’s laughing gas, but it’s no joke.
Space News & Blog Articles
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Mars rover Perseverance gearing up to cache samples for future return to Earth
Perseverance has socked away 14 drilled-out Mars rock cores to date — two apiece from seven target rocks — and it will likely drop half of them in a "depot" in November or December.
National Science Foundation Will Not Rebuild Arecibo
While the NSF plans to establish an educational center at the Arecibo Observatory, the institution has stated
Brainstorm Toys Deep Space Home Planetarium star projector review
One of the most reasonably priced star projector STEM toys for budding astronomers who want a glimpse of the night sky at home.
NASA orders 3 more Orion crew capsules for Artemis moon missions
NASA has ordered three more Orion crew capsules from aerospace giant Lockheed Martin, in a deal worth $1.99 billion.
NASA's Mars rover Curiosity reaches intriguing salty site after treacherous journey
After a treacherous journey, NASA's Curiosity Mars rover has reached an area that is thought to have formed billions of years ago when the Red Planet's water disappeared.
Don't miss the Orionid meteor shower peak tonight (Oct. 21)
The Orionid meteor shower peaks overnight tonight (Oct. 21), so get outside and see some fireballs streak through the atmosphere.
This Week's Sky at a Glance, October 21 – 29
Jupiter remains near its maximum possible size, and Mars continues to grow. Below Jupiter shines the Frog Star. And this week, Arcturus becomes the Ghost of Summer Suns.
Earth from Space: Inhambane Bay, Mozambique
Inhambane Bay, in southeast Mozambique, is featured in this true-colour image captured by the Copernicus Sentinel-2 mission.
Why NASA Is Trying to Crash Land on Mars
You know, sometimes the old ways are the best. At least, when it comes to landing on Mars and other planets, it’s worth looking at past successes—and failures. That’s the case with an idea that engineers at NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory are testing: crashing spacecraft onto surfaces.
SpaceX replaces Russia on 2 European launches after Ukraine invasion
The European Space Agency has chosen SpaceX to replace Russia's space agency to launch two of its missions following the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Seeds launching to the moon in 2025 will test plant resilience
The moon is a lifeless rock, but despite no living thing ever having been found on its desolate surface, some forms of Earth life might be able to make it.
A Monster Black Hole has Been Found Right in our Backyard (Astronomically Speaking)
Black holes are among the most awesome and mysterious objects in the known Universe. These gravitational behemoths form when massive stars undergo gravitational collapse at the end of their lifespans and shed their outer layers in a massive explosion (a supernova). Meanwhile, the stellar remnant becomes so dense that the curvature of spacetime becomes infinite in its vicinity and its gravity so intense that nothing (not even light) can escape its surface. This makes them impossible to observe using conventional optical telescopes that study objects in visible light.
Europe's long-awaited Ariane 6 rocket won't launch before late 2023
Europe's new Ariane 6 heavy-lift rocket won't launch before late 2023, but Europe is already planning out a future reusable second stage and homegrown astronaut taxis.
First 100 Days of James Webb. Everything You Need to Know
Exactly 100 days ago NASA revealed the first images from James Webb Space Telescope. Carina nebula, SMACS 0723, WASP-96b, Southern Ring Nebula and Stephan’s Quintet. Since then we have had a lot of great images, science papers and other releases from JWST. So here’s an overview of everything you need to know about James Webb’s discoveries in its first 100 days.
Hubble Space Telescope sees unexpected twin 'tails' from impacted asteroid
A week or two after a NASA spacecraft slammed into an asteroid, scientists have spotted something unexpected: The space rock has grown two tails.
Astronomers Chart the Influence of Dark Matter and Dark Energy on the Universe by Measuring Over 1,500 Supernovae
In 2011, the Nobel Prize in physics was awarded to Perlmutter, Schmidt, and Reiss for their discovery that the universe is not just expanding, it is accelerating. The work supported the idea of a universe filled with dark energy and dark matter, and it was based on observations of distant supernovae. Particularly, Type Ia supernovae, which have consistent light curves we can use as standard candles to measure cosmic distances. Now a new study of more than 1,500 supernovae confirms dark energy and dark matter, but also raises questions about our cosmological models.
This space station astronaut's '2001' cosplay in orbit began with Velcro and thrift store duds
European Space Agency astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti did some last-minute shopping as part of her larger bid to promote fun and teamwork in orbit. Food also played a role.
Curiosity Arrives in a Salty Region of Mars. Was it Left Over From a Dying Sea?
The Curiosity rover has now reached its primary target on Mount Sharp on Mars, the mountain in the middle of Gale Crater the rover has been climbing since 2014. This target is not the summit, but a region over 600 meters (2,000 feet) up the mountain that planetary geologists have long anticipated reaching.
