The Star Wars world Tatooine is one of the most recognizable planets in the realm of science fiction. It’s a harsh place, and its conditions shaped the hero Luke Skywalker in many ways. In the reality-based Universe, there may not be many worlds like it. That’s because, according to a new study out from Yale researchers, the Universe likes to be more orderly, and that affects planets and their environments.
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New Moons Found at Uranus and Neptune
Astronomers have found three new moons orbiting our Solar System’s ice giants. One is orbiting Uranus, and two are orbiting Neptune. It took hard work to find them, including dozens of time exposures by some of our most powerful telescopes over several years. All three are captured objects, and there are likely more moons around both planets waiting to be discovered.
Put on your eclipse glasses and look up to see the biggest sunspot in years before it disappears from view
The AR3590 solar region has grown to become the is the largest sunspot of the solar cycle and can be seen with eclispe glasses. The region was already a record breaker, responsible for the most powerful solar flare seen since 2017.
NASA's Dana Weigel will be the 1st female ISS program manager
NASA's Dana Weigel will helm the International Space Station program for NASA. She will succeed Joel Montalbano, who will take on an associate administrator position in April.
Intuitive Machines' Odysseus probe beams home more photos from historic moon landing
Intuitive Machines' Odysseus moon lander has beamed home a few selfies snapped during its pioneering descent to the lunar surface last week.
James Webb Space Telescope finds 'extremely red' supermassive black hole growing in the early universe
Using the James Webb Space Telescope, astronomers discovered an "extremely red," growing supermassive black hole powering a quasar that existed 700 million years after the Big Bang.
Some Intelligent Civilizations Will Be Trapped on their Worlds
Evolution has produced a wondrously diverse variety of lifeforms here on Earth. It just so happens that talking primates with opposable thumbs rose to the top and are building a spacefaring civilization. And we’re land-dwellers. But what about other planets? If the dominant species on an ocean world builds a technological civilization of some sort, would they be able to escape their ocean home and explore space?
India completes critical test for Gaganyaan flight crewed by humanoid robot later this year
Early last week, ISRO successfully completed the final test to qualify its Gaganyaan rocket engine, approving it to be capable of safely ferrying astronauts to space.
Computer-simulated moon dust may help lunar robots pass a major hurdle
Scientists have developed a new computer model that simulates how moon dust behaves in lunar gravity. They hope it will keep future moon exploration robots safe.
Black hole's powerful eruption creates a string of stellar jewelry
A powerful jet erupting from a distant supermassive black hole released 100,000 trillion times more energy than the sun will over its entire life, forging a chain of star clusters.
Ariane 6: Arrives
Video: 00:02:10
The largest components for the first flight model of Europe’s new rocket Ariane 6 arrived at the port of Pariacabo in Kourou, French Guiana on 21 February 2024 via the novel ship, Canopée (canopy in French).
Radar images reveal damage on Europe's doomed ERS-2 satellite during final orbits
As Europe's ERS-2 satellite tumbled through the sky, radar images picked up some of the damage it experienced during its final moments.
Radar could help scientists find potentially threatening asteroids. Here's how
Ground-based radar systems could play a major role in planetary defense, spotting asteroids on a cataclysmic collision course with Earth by bouncing radio waves off them to get position and velocity measurements.
NASA's DART Impact Reshaped the Asteroid Dimorphos
Models of the NASA's DART impact reshaping the asteroid moon Dimorphos show that this object is "rubble all the way down."
China Names its Capsule and Lander for its Upcoming Human Lunar Missions
In a recent announcement, the Chinese Space Agency (CSA) unveiled the names for its forthcoming lunar mission components. The CSA have been working towards sending humans to the Moon through a series of robotic missions. The 22-tonne capsule that is taking the astronauts to the Moon is called Mengzhuo (translates to ‘dream vessel’) and the lander has been named Lanyue (meaning ‘embracing the Moon’). Assuming all goes to plan, they will send two humans and a rover to the surface of the Moon by 2030.
SpaceX tests new emergency escape system to certify pad 40 at Cape Canaveral for astronaut missions
SpaceX performed a deployment test of its new emergency egress system from the crew access tower at Space Launch Complex 40 on Monday, Feb. 26, 2024. Image: Adam Bernstein/Spaceflight Now
SpaceX is closing in on certifying its launch pad at Space Launch Complex 40 to support astronaut and cargo missions with its second-generation Dragon spacecraft. On Monday, the company performed a test of its new emergency egress system featuring a type of deployable slide.
FAA closes investigation into explosive 2nd flight of SpaceX's Starship megarocket
The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration has closed the investigation into the second test flight of SpaceX's huge Starship vehicle, which ended with a bang on Nov. 18.
Intuitive Machines' historic moon landing builds momentum for Artemis, astronaut Tracy C. Dyson says (exclusive)
Intuitive Machines just made the first U.S. landing on the moon in 52 years. NASA astronaut Tracy C. Dyson says the daring mission will help Artemis lunar crews later in the 2020s.
Cómos y Porqués De Los Eclipses Solares
Conviértase en un experto en eclipses para familiares y amigos en un par de minutos
¿Qué es la Eclíptica?
La eclíptica, dicho de manera simple, es el plano de la órbita de la Tierra alrededor del Sol.
If Exoplanets Have Lightning, it’ll Complicate the Search for Life
Discovering exoplanets is almost routine now. We’ve found over 5,500 exoplanets, and the next step is to study their atmospheres and look for biosignatures. The James Webb Space Telescope is leading the way in that effort. But in some exoplanet atmospheres, lightning could make the JWST’s job more difficult by obscuring some potential biosignatures while amplifying others.
