Turns out, Betelgeuse isn't the only giant star to undergo a "Great Dimming."
Space News & Blog Articles
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Einstein Probe lifts off on a mission to monitor the X-ray sky
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The Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) spacecraft Einstein Probe lifted off on a Chang Zheng (Long March) 2C rocket from the Xichang Satellite Launch Centre in China at 15:03 CST / 07:03 GMT / 08:03 CET on 9 January 2024. With the successful launch, Einstein Probe began its mission to survey the sky and hunt for bursts of X-ray light from mysterious objects such as neutron stars and black holes.
NASA Selects Bold Proposal to “Swarm” Proxima Centauri with Tiny Probes
Humans have dreamed about traveling to other star systems and setting foot on alien worlds for generations. To put it mildly, interstellar exploration is a very daunting task. As we explored in a previous post, it would take between 1000 and 81,000 years for a spacecraft to reach Alpha Centauri using conventional propulsion (or those that are feasible using current technology). On top of that, there are numerous risks when traveling through the interstellar medium (ISM), not all of which are well-understood.
The Debate Continues. Do Wide Binaries Prove or Disprove MOND?
The term dark matter was coined back in 1933 and since then, the hunt for it has been well and truly on. However, the concept of dark matter was to describe anomalies from observation for example the rotation of spiral galaxies and the data from gravitational lensing. An alternative soljution is that our model of gravity is simply wrong, enter MOND, Modified Newtonian Dynamics. A new paper just published explores wide binary stars and looks to see if it supports the MOND model.
Can Alien Civilizations Detect Humanity?
One of the fascinating things about being a human in this age is that we can do more than wonder about other life and other civilizations. We can actually look for them, although there are obvious limitations to our search. But what’s equally fascinating is that we can wonder if others can see us.
1st photo from crippled private Peregrine moon lander holds clue to anomaly
The photo shows a disturbance in some of Peregrine's insulation, which is consistent with a problem in the moon lander's propulsion system.
Satellites reveal 75% of world's industrial fishing vessels are 'hidden'
New satellite imagery has helped detect previously unmapped global fishing vessels, revealing nearly 75% of the world's industrial activity at sea was "hidden" from public view.
JWST and Chandra Team Up for a Stunning View of Supernova Remnant Cassiopeia A
NASA’s long-lived Chandra X-ray Observatory teamed up with JWST for the first time, producing this incredibly detailed image of the famous supernova remnant Cassiopeia A. JWST first looked at the remnant in April 2023, and noticed an unusual debris structure from the destroyed star, dubbed the “Green Monster.” The combined view has helped astronomers better understand what this unusual structure is, plus it uncovered new details about the explosion that created Cas A.
The First Launch of ULA’s Vulcan Goes Smoothly, but there’s a Problem with its Lander Payload
Space missions regularly test multiple new technologies in one go. It’s very common to have a single mission test out three or more new technologies, making them “flight-proven.” Unfortunately, that sometimes means that though one particular new technology, or even many of them, might succeed, one technology could work. At the same time, another one could fail, and that single failure might mean that several other technologies might never even get a chance for their day in the Sun. That seems to have happened with NASA’s first Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) mission. While the Vulcan rocket, developed by the United Launch Alliance (ULA), lifted off successfully, the Peregrine lander, developed by Astrobotic, seems to have run into an error that jeopardizes the rest of the mission.
Private Peregrine moon lander suffers 'critical' fuel loss after launch, mission at risk
Astrobotic's Peregrine lander suffered a problem with its propulsion system today (Jan. 8) that will apparently prevent it from journeying to the moon.
Peregrine lander suffers propulsion ‘anomaly,’ Moon landing seemingly unlikely
Astrobotic’s Peregrine lunar lander in the clean room at Astrotech in Titusville, Florida. The spacecraft was the main payload onboard the first launch of ULA’s Vulcan rocket. Image: ULA
In situation seemly pulled from a science fiction movie, a robotic mission to the Moon swung from the brink of failure to having renewed hope before the pendulum swung back again with a successful lunar landing for Astrobotic’s Peregrine spacecraft now unlikely.
What does space smell like?
From carbon molecules and ozone on spacesuits to the nauseating odor of comets and the sweet tang of gas clouds, the universe is a natural laboratory for aromatic chemistry.
Private Peregrine lander launches to the moon: What science could it do?
Astrobotic's Peregrine moon lander launched today (Jan. 8) with five NASA science payloads aboard. Here's what the experiments are designed to do.
Private Peregrine moon lander suffers anomaly after historic Vulcan rocket launch, Astrobotic says
Astrobotic's private Peregrine moon lander has suffered an anomaly in space after separating from its Vulcan Centaur rocket early Monday, Jan. 8. The fate of the mission is unclear.
Odd Radio Circles: The Remnants of Furious Galactic Winds
New evidence suggests extreme starbursts and furious galactic winds are at the heart of odd radio circles (ORCs).
Peregrine Mission Launches for (But Not To) the Moon
The first launch of the United Launch Alliance Vulcan-Centaur rocket attempted to send Peregrine Mission One moonward, but a propulsion problem has likely stymied that goal.
Turbulent 1st moments of a black hole's life captured in new simulations
Scientists modeled how black holes and neutron stars form after dying stars collapse, and explained why some get a hard 'kick' into interstellar space.
ESA wows visitors with state-of-the-art exhibition in Paris HQ
Visitors to ESA’s cutting-edge visitor centre are being captivated by virtual reality trips to the International Space Station, interactions with a globe showing Earth from space, and displays of astronaut suits, launchers and ESA memorabilia – before getting the chance to buy a souvenir from the ESA space shop.
See the moon meet up with Mercury, Venus and Mars in the early morning sky on Jan. 9
In the pre-dawn hours of Tuesday, Jan. 9, Mercury, Venus and Mars will appear alongside a thin crescent moon in the morning sky.
DHL delivering Everest rock, 'meme' coin to the moon on Astrobotic lander
A rock from Mount Everest, a time capsule from Belgium, a physical 'meme' coin and a letter from a private astronaut are now being delivered to the moon's surface by DHL.
Floating 'magic islands' on Saturn's moon Titan may be honeycomb-shaped snow
On Saturn's largest moon, Titan, snows of organic compounds may form glacier-like honeycomb chunks in methane lakes, appearing as floating "magic islands."
