Since its launch in 2021, the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has made some amazing discoveries. Recent observations have found a number of key ingredients required for life in young proto-stars where planetary formation is imminent. Chemicals like methane, acetic acid and ethanol have been detected in interstellar ice. Previous telescopic observations have only hinted at their presence as a warm gas. Not only have they been detected but a team of scientists have synthesised some of them in a lab.
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Mercury is the Perfect Destination for a Solar Sail
Solar sails rely upon pressure exerted by sunlight on large surfaces. Get the sail closer to the Sun and not surprisingly efficiency increases. A proposed new mission called Mercury Scout aims to take advantage of this to explore Mercury. The mission will map the Mercurian surface down to a resolution of 1 meter and, using the highly reflective sail surface to illuminate shadowed craters, could hunt for water deposits.
Stardust particle locked in meteorite holds secrets of a star's explosive death
A tiny grain of dust sealed within an ancient meteorite weaves together the story of the solar system's creation and reveals a much older tale of a rare star's explosive supernova death.
Phew, De-Icing Euclid’s Instruments Worked. It’s Seeing Better Now
From its vantage point at the Sun-Earth L2 point, the ESA’s Euclid spacecraft is measuring the redshift of galaxies with its sensitive instruments. Its first science images showed us what we can expect from the spacecraft. But the ESA noticed a problem.
New View Reveals Magnetic Fields Around Our Galaxy’s Giant Black Hole
Fresh imagery from the Event Horizon Telescope traces the lines of powerful magnetic fields spiraling out from the edge of the supermassive black hole at the center of our Milky Way galaxy, and suggests that strong magnetism may be common to all supermassive black holes.
It's Showtime! April's Total Solar Eclipse Is Upon Us!
The much-anticipated April 8th total solar eclipse is finally here!
Overlooked Apollo data from the 1970s reveals huge record of 'hidden' moonquakes
A reanalysis of 50-year-old Apollo mission data long abandoned by NASA has revealed 22,000 previously unrecognized moonquakes, almost tripling the known number of seismic lunar events.
A Single Grain of Ice Could Hold Evidence of Life on Europa and Enceladus
The Solar System’s icy ocean moons are primary targets in our search for life. Missions to Europa and Enceladus will explore these moons from orbit, improving our understanding of them and their potential to support life. Both worlds emit plumes of water from their internal oceans, and the spacecraft sent to both worlds will examine those plumes and even sample them.
Supermassive black hole’s mysterious hiccups' likely caused by neighboring black hole's 'punches'
A black hole may be punching through the disk of gas and dust surrounding a supermassive black hole, causing its giant neighbor to "hiccup."
'Vampire' neutron star blasts are related to jets traveling at near-light speeds
Scientists have measured for the first time the speed of jets launched by neutron star "vampires" as they feast on victim stars. The breakthrough connects these jets to thermonuclear blasts.
Tragic Baltimore bridge collapse aftermath seen from space (satellite photos)
Satellites looked down upon the aftermath of a deadly bridge collapse in Baltimore, Maryland that occurred after a massive cargo ship struck one of the bridge's pillars.
NASA is super stoked for the 2024 total solar eclipse and hopes you are, too.
NASA is using the total solar eclipse on April 8 to increase public knowledge of science while encouraging safety during what could be a once-in-a-lifetime event.
Information session on the outcome of ESA's 323rd Council
Video: 00:38:30
ESA Member States met in Paris, France, for the 323rd session of the ESA Council on 26 and 27 March 2024.
NASA Reveals its Planetary Science Goals for Artemis III
If all goes well, NASA’s Artemis III mission will bring humans back to the Moon as early as 2026, the first time since the Apollo 17 crew departed in 1972. It won’t be a vacation, though, as astronauts have an enormous amount of science to do, especially in lunar geology. A team from NASA recently presented their planetary science goals and objectives for Artemis III surface activities, which will guide the fieldwork the astronauts will carry out on the lunar surface.
Climate change and polar ice melting could be impacting the length of Earth's day
Humanity's activities and climate change are impacting the polar ice sheets, causing excessive melting, and this is slowing Earth's rotation, challenging official timekeeping standards.
Integral spots giant explosions feeding neutron star jets
ESA’s gamma-ray space telescope Integral has played a decisive role in capturing jets of matter being expelled into space at one-third the speed of light. The material and energy were liberated when huge explosions occurred on the surface of a neutron star. This world-first observation proved to be 'a perfect experiment' for exploring astrophysical jets of all descriptions.
'Constellation' season 1 episode 8 review: This isn't the conclusion you're looking for
The final season 1 episode of "Constellation" lacks satisfying answers and instead doubles down on shock value without clear goals.
Cosmic gold rush! Astronomers find 49 new galaxies in just 3 hours
Using the MeerKat radio telescope, astronomers discovered a "gold rush" of galaxies in just three hours, including three joined by their gas content.
What Will We See in the Sky During Totality?
Most of our time will be focused on Sun during the minutes of totality on April 8th, but consider tearing yourself away for a few seconds to put it all in context.
I toured NASA's Mission Control ahead of Boeing's 1st Starliner astronaut flight. Here's what it was like (exclusive)
Reporters toured NASA's Johnson Space Center last week, getting a look at the rooms from which the first crewed flight of Boeing's Starliner will be controlled. And we got to watch a SpaceX launch, too.
SOHO reaches 5000 comets
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A citizen scientist digging through data from the ESA/NASA Solar and Heliospheric Observatory has found the mission’s 5000th comet.
