The Orion Nebula is a well-known feature in the night sky and is visible in small backyard telescopes. Orion is a busy place. The region is known for active star formation and other phenomena. It’s one of the most scrutinized features in the sky, and astronomers have observed all kinds of activity there: planets forming in protoplanetary disks, stars beginning their lives of fusion inside collapsing molecular clouds, and the photoevaporative power of massive hot stars as they carve out openings in clouds of interstellar gas.
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Europe's veteran Mars orbiter gets upgrade to key instrument for seeking water
The European Space Agency is upgrading software on its venerable Mars Express orbiter to enable it to see beneath the surface of Mars and its moon Phobos in greater detail than before.
Space weather: What is it and how is it predicted?
Space weather refers to conditions in the region of space that is affected by the sun. It is tricky to predict and can wreak havoc on the technological world.
This newfound fast radio burst challenges what astronomers know about the powerful astronomical phenomena
This fast radio burst comes from a faraway galaxy and shows some unique properties
Mercury shows off craters in amazing pictures from BepiColombo flyby
BepiColombo's second close flyby of Mercury Thursday (June 23) gave a stunning set of close-ups of the planet's craters and volcanic regions.
Mysterious 'hot Jupiter' planets can form quickly or slowly, Gaia spacecraft reveals
The Gaia spacecraft is helping to fill the gaps in our understanding of "hot Jupiters," mysterious, massive planets that orbit very close to their stars.
Save up to $110 on the Elegoo Mars 2 Pro 3D printer at Amazon
That's a huge discount on a 3D printer we've tested and rate very highly
Is a mirrorless camera worth the cost?
Mirrorless cameras are rapidly rising in popularity, but are they actually worth the hefty price tag?
Astronomers Find a Brand new Pulsar That's Probably Less Than 14 Years old
Neutron stars are dense remnants of large stars. They are the collapsed cores of stars formed during a supernova explosion. While we know generally how they form, we are still learning how they evolve, particularly when they are young. But that’s starting to change thanks to large sky surveys, which have allowed astronomers to observe a neutron star that could be little more than a decade old.
BepiColombo’s Second Mercury Flyby
BepiColombo’s stunning close pass by Mercury on Thursday provides a prelude of what’s to come.
If Bacteria Drink Kombucha, They Stand a Better Chance of Survival on Mars
Tea is useful for all kinds of things, including caffeinating plenty of writers worldwide. There are also many varieties of it, some of which advocates claim to have superpowers regarding the health benefits they grant. Kombucha is one of those – originally thought to have originated in China, it has become adopted worldwide in no small part because of innumerable, dubious “health benefits” of the drink. But now, scientists did find one potential health benefit, at least to bacteria – eating kombucha culture would help them survive on Mars.
Mars meteorite challenges leading theory of how the Red Planet formed
A new analysis of a Martian meteorite is challenging current thinking about how terrestrial planets acquired volatile elements early in their formation.
ILA 2022 in images
Photo highlights from the ‘Space for Earth’ space pavilion at ILA, the Berlin Air and Space Show, from 22 to 26 .June 2022.
Mars stares back with eerie eyeball-like crater (photo)
This new Mars image was snapped by Europe's Mars Express orbiter, which spied an unusually creepy crater.
Venus and the crescent moon get together in dazzling dance early Sunday morning
Get up early Sunday to see a celestial rendezvous between the two brightest objects in the night sky: Venus and the moon.
Funko to can NASA astronauts as limited-edition Soda vinyl figures
NASA astronauts are finally crossing into "Pop" culture. Funko, the collectibles company best known for its line of Pop! vinyl figures, has revealed its first product depicting a NASA astronaut.
NASA halts sale of cockroach-eaten Apollo 11 moon dust
As it turns out, attempting to sell moon dust that was extracted from the stomachs of cockroaches does indeed bug NASA. So much so, that the space agency requested RR Auction halt its sale.
Jupiter scientists need your help hunting for storms in stunning photos
Humongous storms on Jupiter are the focus of a new citizen science project hosted on Zooniverse.
This Week's Sky at a Glance, June 24 – July 2
The crescent Moon returns to the evening, crossing Leo. The five-planet lineup continues at dawn; catch it while you still can. And for skywatchers at northern latitudes, we're entering noctilucent cloud season.
Second helpings of Mercury
The ESA/JAXA BepiColombo mission has made its second gravity assist of planet Mercury, capturing new close-up images as it steers closer towards Mercury orbit in 2025.
