In this 2D image of nebulae in the Orion Molecular Complex, the submillimetre-wavelength glow of dust clouds is overlaid on a visible-light view of the region. The large orange bar extended down to the lower left is the Orion A portion of the Complex. The large bright cloud in the upper right is the well-known Orion Nebula, also called Messier 42. (Credit: ESO/Digitized Sky Survey 2.) Now astronomers have a new tool to understand nebulae like this one: 3D mapping using Gaia data.
Space News & Blog Articles
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United Nations celebrates Mars missions on new postage stamps
The United Nations Postal Administration is celebrating human achievement at the Red Planet with "Planet Mars," its latest release of postage stamps.
China launches 3 communications test satellites to low Earth orbit
China launched three new test communication satellites to low Earth orbit as the country looks to build its own version of SpaceX's Starlink broadband constellation.
NASA's asteroid explorer Lucy spotted disappearing moon during the lunar eclipse
NASA's Lucy spacecraft, which is currently on its way to asteroids orbiting the sun at the same distance as Jupiter, watched the moon disappear during the total lunar eclipse on May 15.
Teams in New Mexico gear up for Wednesday landing of Boeing Starliner capsule (photos)
Boeing's Starliner capsule is scheduled to return to Earth on Wednesday (May 25), and teams on the ground have been gearing to welcome the spacecraft home.
Large Hadron Collider finds new way to measure mass of a quark
The LHC's ALICE experiment detected a 'dead cone' in the aftermath of a proton-proton collision, paving the way for the direct measurement of the mass of a quark.
NASA to roll Artemis 1 moon rocket back out to pad for testing in early June
NASA will roll its Artemis 1 moon rocket back out to the launch pad early next month, if all goes according to plan.
China's Mars rover is hibernating through the harsh Red Planet winter
We may have heard the last from China's Zhurong for a while, after the solar-powered Mars rover entered a dormant state due to winter's cold and local sand and dust storms.
Comets vs asteroids: How do these rocky objects compare?
Comets vs asteroids. They can end life as we know it or light up the sky with an impressive display of fire and ice. Looking into them is like peering into the history of our very own solar system, while some may even contain the answer to the origins of life itself.
Could people breathe the air on Mars?
Mars has almost no oxygen; it's only one-tenth of 1% of the air, not nearly enough for humans to survive.
Hubble Space Telescope spots streams of star formation flowing between galaxies
Stars from colliding galaxies flow together in a newly upgraded image from NASA's venerable space telescope.
Forget About Mars, When Will Humans be Flying to Saturn?
It might be hard to fathom now, but the human exploration of the solar system isn’t going to stop at the Moon and Mars. Eventually, our descendants will spread throughout the solar system – for those interested in space exploration, the question is only of when rather than if. Answering that question is the focus of a new paper released on arXiv by a group of researchers from the US, China, and the Netherlands. Their approach is highly theoretical, but it is likely more accurate than previous estimates, and it gives a reasonable idea of when we could expect to see humans in the outer solar system. The latest they think we could reach the Saturnian system is 2153.
Swarm unveils magnetic waves deep down
While volcanic eruptions and earthquakes serve as immediate reminders that Earth’s insides are anything but tranquil, there are also other, more elusive, dynamic processes happening deep down below our feet. Using information from ESA’s Swarm satellite mission, scientists have discovered a completely new type of magnetic wave that sweeps across the outermost part of Earth’s outer core every seven years. This fascinating finding, presented today at ESA’s Living Planet Symposium, opens a new window into a world we can never see.
The Sun Is Waking Up — Right On Schedule
The Sun is ramping up activity, but contrary to some reports, this solar cycle is still consistent with scientists' predictions.
Living Planet Symposium kicks off
ESA’s Living Planet Symposium has opened with a flourish with over 4000 participants including scientists, academics, space industry representatives, institutional stakeholders, data users, students and citizens gathered to discuss the latest findings on our changing planet, as well as advances in satellite technologies, new opportunities in the commercial world, and ESA’s plans for the future.
Self-cleaning spacecraft surfaces to combat microbes
Astronauts live and work in orbit along with teaming populations of microorganisms, which could present a serious threat to health – and even the structural integrity of spacecraft. To help combat such invisible stowaways, an ESA-led project is developing microbe-killing coatings suitable for use within spacecraft cabins.
A meteor shower outburst from a shattered comet may spawn new tau Herculids display on May 30
The tau Herculids from comet 73P/Schwassman-Wachmann which began to fragment in 1995 may make an appearance on the night of May 30-31.
These SpaceX moon and sunrise Starlink satellite launch photos are just incredible
A stunning SpaceX Starlink satellite fleet launch on May 18 included amazing views of the moon and sunrise.
Netflix's 'Love, Death + Robots' season 3 stars alien bugs, giant crabs and an ancient evil
Netflix just launched season 3 the animated sci-fi anthology "Love, Death + Robots" and here's the trailer.
HBO's 'Westworld' is returning for season 4 and here's a trailer for your sci-fi needs
HBO has recently delivered a new trailer and release date for Season 4 of "Westworld."
Hubble telescope looks deep into the Needle's Eye in this dwarf spiral galaxy photo
A fresh image from the Hubble Space Telescope shows a deep view of the eye of a galactic needle.
