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.
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President Biden congratulates Intuitive Machines on historic moon landing
U.S. President Joe Biden congratulated Intuitive Machines on making the nation's first moon landing since 1972, calling it "a thrilling step forward in a new era of space exploration."
Electrodes in Spacesuits Could Protect Astronauts from Harmful Dust on Mars
To quote NASA associate administrator Jim Reuter, sending crewed missions to Mars by 2040 is an “audacious goal.” The challenges include the distance involved, which can take up to six months to traverse using conventional propulsion methods. Then there’s the hazard posed by radiation, which includes increased exposure to solar particles, flares, and galactic cosmic rays (GCRs). And then there’s the time the crews will spend in microgravity during transits, which can take a serious toll on human health, physiology, and psychology.
Ingenuity Mars helicopter snapped rotor blade during hard landing last month (video, photo)
New observations by NASA's Perseverance rover show just how much damage Ingenuity sustained on its final Mars flight.
Odysseus Moon Lander Sends More Pictures — and We Know Where It Is
Four days after Intuitive Machines’ Odysseus lander made an off-kilter touchdown on the moon, the mission team is releasing snapshots that were taken during its descent.
It's alive! JAXA's SLIM moon lander sends home new photos after surviving frigid lunar night
Japan's SLIM moon lander started working again on the lunar surface despite extreme heat conditions, the team announced Monday (Feb. 26). It even sent home new imagery.
Zombie star earns metal scar while chewing its own planets: 'Nothing like this has been seen before'
A zombie star feasting on its surrounding planets and asteroids hasn't escaped the cannibalistic process unscathed. Resulting debris has given this white dwarf a metal scar.
Gravitational anomalies reveal seamount 3 times the height of world's tallest building
Researchers found and mapped four seamounts in the deep sea off the coast of Peru and Chile. The tallest of these new peaks rises around 1.5 miles above the seafloor.
Intuitive Machines' Odysseus moon lander beams home 1st photos from lunar surface
Intuitive Machines' Odysseus moon lander was the first private spacecraft to reach the lunar surface. We now have some images of what it sees as well as an update on its fate.
NASA's asteroid-impacting DART mission completely changed the shape of its target
When NASA's asteroid-diverting DART mission slammed into the tiny moonlet Dimorphos, it didn't just shift its orbit — it also almost completely changed its shape, new research suggests.
Brash new 'Borderlands' trailer takes fans to the abandoned planet of Pandora
A new trailer has landed for director Eli Roth's live-action "Borderlands" feature film starring Kate Blanchett, Jack Black and Kevin Hart in this bold video game adaptation landing Aug. 9.
DART impact might have reshaped Hera's target asteroid
ESA’s Hera spacecraft for planetary defence is being prepared for a journey to the distant asteroid moon Dimorphos orbiting around its parent body Didymos. One of the first features Hera will look for is the crater left on Dimorphos by its predecessor mission DART, which impacted the asteroid to deflect its orbit. Yet a new impact simulation study reported in Nature Astronomy today suggests no crater will be found. The DART impact is likely to have remodelled the entire body instead – a significant finding for both asteroid science and planetary defence.
See February's Full Snow Moon light up the night sky around the world (photos)
February's Full Snow Moon may have been the smallest full moon of 2024, but it had a big impact on moon lovers, skywatchers, and astrophotographers across the globe who braved the cold to catch it.
The mathematically perfect exoplanet system — a great place to search for alien tech
A newfound exoplanet system with six sub-Neptunes has piqued the interest of scientists who seek extraterrestrial life.
Japan's Lunar Lander Wakes Up, Phones Home
The Japanese space agency has reestablished contact with its SLIM lunar lander prior to sunset, enabling mission science to continue.
Webb Telescope Spies Hints That Solar System's Outskirts Are a Hotbed of Activity
The James Webb Space Telescope has found that distant dwarf planets might be methane factories.
Astronomers Discover a New Meteor Shower. The Source is Comet 46P/Wirtanen
Like many of you, I love a good meteor shower. I have fond memories of the Leonid meteor storm back in 1999 when several hundred per hour were seen at peak. Sadly meteor storms are not that common unlike meteor showers of which, there are about 20 major showers per year. Wait, there’s another one and this time it comes from the debris left behind from Comet 46P/Wirtanen with an expected peak on December 12. Last year, 23 meteors were seen on that night that matched the location of the comets trail.
ERS-2 buckles and bends during final farewell
Image: ERS-2 buckles and bends during final farewell
Surprise! Japan’s SLIM Moon Lander Wakes Up After a Freezing Night
Japan’s space agency didn’t expect its wrong-side-up SLIM moon lander to revive itself after powering down for a circuit-chilling lunar night on Feb. 1. But that’s exactly what happened.
Titan Probably Doesn’t Have the Amino Acids Needed for Life to Emerge
Does Saturn’s largest moon, Titan, possess the necessary ingredients for life to exist? This is what a recent study published in Astrobiology hopes to address as a team of international researchers led by Western University investigated if Titan, with its lakes of liquid methane and ethane, could possess the necessary organic materials, such as amino acids, that could be used to produce life on the small moon. This study holds the potential to help researchers and the public better understand the geochemical and biological processes necessary for life to emerge throughout the cosmos.
SpaceX, NASA 'go' to launch Crew-8 astronaut mission to ISS on March 1
SpaceX and NASA are officially go to launch their next astronaut mission to International Space Station on March 1.
