In the quest to understand how and where life might arise in the galaxy, astronomers search for its building blocks. Complex Organic Molecules (COMs) are some of those blocks, and they include things like formaldehyde and acetic acid, among many others. The JWST has found some of these COMs around young protostars. What does this tell astronomers?
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Mars' atmosphere swelled like a balloon when solar wind stopped blowing. Scientists are thrilled
NASA's MAVEN orbiter has collected data of the unexpected dynamics on Mars, showing how extreme solar events influence the planet's atmosphere, an insight valuable to understanding its evolution.
Eirsat-1, Ireland's 1st satellite, makes space history
Ireland has joined the space club with the launch of Eirsat-1, a tiny brick-sized satellite with a big future.
Underwater volcano riding a sinking tectonic plate may have unleashed major earthquakes in Japan
A seamount sitting on a subducting tectonic plate off the coast of Japan and plowing its way into Earth's mantle may be at the root of several magnitude 7 earthquakes in the past 40 years.
Hubble Returns to Science Operations
After a brief interruption, NASA announced that the Hubble Space Telescope is back in business. Problems with one of its gyros put the Hubble into safe mode back on November 19th. Now, the issue has been dealt with, and the world’s most productive space telescope is back online.
SpaceX to launch 3rd private astronaut mission to the ISS for Axiom Space on Jan. 9
One month before SpaceX launches the Ax-3 astronaut mission toward the ISS, Axiom Space's president said he hopes similar missions will become less expensive in the future.
Cool New Mission Trailer for Rosalind Franklin Rover
ESA’s Rosalind Franklin Mars rover has been delayed twice due to problems with its parachute deployment and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. After ESA formally terminated the mission’s cooperation with Roscosmos in July 2022, Europe found a new partner with NASA and the mission appears to be on track for a 2028 launch.
James Webb Space Telescope spies record-breaking 'failed star' that shouldn't exist (video)
The James Webb Space Telescope has observed record-breaking free-floating "failed star" and two other brown dwarfs. The discovery could help scientists better determine where the line between a planet and a star is drawn.
JWST Delivers A Fantastic New Image Of Supernova Remnant Cassiopeia A
Astronomy is all about light. Sensing the tiniest amounts of it, filtering it, splitting it into its component wavelengths, and making sense of it, especially from objects a great distance away. The James Webb Space Telescope is especially adept at this, as this new image of supernova remnant (SNR) Cassiopeia A exemplifies so well.
JWST Finds the Smallest Free-Floating Brown Dwarf
Star formation is happening all around us in the Universe. However, there is still plenty we don’t know about it, including, as a recent press release points out, something that every astronomy textbook points out – we don’t know the size of the smallest star. Most current answers in those textbooks refer to an object known as a brown dwarf, a cross between a star and a giant planet. Recently, the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) found what is believed to be the smallest brown dwarf ever discovered – and it weighs in at only 3-4 times the weight of Jupiter.
Earth may have had all the elements needed for life all along − contrary to meteorite origin theories
New research suggests elements crucial for life may have existed on Earth while the planet formed, not brought from a crashing asteroid, like some scientists hypothesize.
New 'Dune: Part 2' trailer sees Paul Atreides embracing his destiny
Warner Bros. and Legendary Entertainment released a new trailer for director Denis Villeneuve's upcoming sci-fi epic "Dune: Part 2."
Watch SpaceX Dragon undock from the ISS on Dec. 15 after delay
SpaceX's Dragon cargo ship is scheduled to leave the International Space Station Dec. 15 after a weather delay. You can watch live here at Space.com.
The Geminid meteor shower of 2023 peaks tonight. Here's how to watch live online.
The Geminid meteor shower 2023 peaks overnight tonight (Dec. 13), and you can watch the action live with these free livestreams.
The best places in Canada to see the 2024 total solar eclipse
On April 8, 2024, all of Canada will see at least a partial solar eclipse, but parts of Ontario, Quebec and Atlantic Canada will experience totality.
Webb identifies tiniest free-floating brown dwarf
Discovery helps answer the question: How small can you go when forming stars?
Brown dwarfs are sometimes called failed stars, since they form like stars through gravitational collapse, but never gain enough mass to ignite nuclear fusion. The smallest brown dwarfs can overlap in mass with giant planets. In a quest to find the smallest brown dwarf, astronomers using the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope have found the new record-holder: an object weighing just three to four times the mass of Jupiter.
Design the patch for Hera’s Milani CubeSat
Milani needs you! This is your chance to design a mission patch for the Milani CubeSat which will fly with ESA's Hera planetary defence spacecraft to the Didymos binary asteroid system.
A mission for the Rosalind Franklin rover
Video: 00:01:25
Trailer of the ExoMars Rosalind Franklin mission.
Planets Orbiting Pulsars Should Have Strange and Beautiful Auroras. And We Could Detect Them
We have been treated to some amazing aurora displays over recent months. The enigmatic lights are caused by charged particles from the Sun rushing across space and on arrival, causing the gas in the atmosphere to glow. Now researchers believe that even on exoplanets around pulsars we may just find aurora, and they may even be detectable.
How Do Superflares Get So Powerful?
We live with a star that sends out flares powerful enough to disrupt things here on Earth. Telecommunications, power grids, even life itself, are affected by strong solar activity. But, the Sun’s testy outbursts are almost nothing compared to the superflares emitted by other stars. Why do flares happen? And what’s going on at distant stars to ramp up the power of their flares?
