In 5 billion years, the sun will become a red giant and swallow Earth and nearby planets. New research suggests that some close-in planets can avoid being swallowed by stars during these death throes.
Space News & Blog Articles
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Two New Space Telescopes Will Bring Dark Energy Into Focus
Since the 1990s, thanks to observations by the venerable Hubble Space Telescope (HST), astronomers have contemplated the mystery of cosmic expansion. While scientists have known about this since the late-1920s and early-30s, images acquired by Hubble‘s Ultra Deep Fields campaign revealed that the expansion has been accelerating for the past six billion years! This led scientists to reconsider Einstein’s theory that there is an unknown force in the Universe that “holds back gravity,” which he named the Cosmological Constant. To astronomers and cosmologists today, this force is known as “Dark Energy.”
See SpaceX's new Starship fire up in these stunning engine test photos
SpaceX and Elon Musk have released mind-blowing photos from the recent test-firing of the company's latest Starship prototype.
See Summer's Best 'Gobbled' Globulars
Mergers between the Milky Way and long-ago dwarf galaxies have enriched our skies with dozens of iconic globular clusters. Many are visible in small telescopes.
Second statue of first US woman in space to be unveiled at Reagan Library
Days before she became the first American woman in space, Sally Ride joined President Ronald Reagan on the White House North Lawn. Forty years later, the two "meet" again on a different courtyard.
Lego Star Wars Endor Speeder Chase Diorama review
One of five diorama sets, the Lego Star Wars Endor Speeder Chase is one of our favorite display pieces.
Marvel powers up 'Star Wars: Dark Droids' miniseries with 5 new 'Scourged' covers
Marvel Comics just unwrapped five new variant cover promos for the "Star Wars: Dark Droids" miniseries.
What Would the Milky Way Look Like From Afar?
Our understanding of galaxies is rooted in the fact that we can see so many of them. Some, such as the Andromeda and Pinwheel galaxies are fairly close, and others are more distant, but all of them give a unique view. Because of this, we can see how the various types of galaxies appear from different points of view, from face-on to edge-on and all angles in between. But there is one galaxy that’s a bit harder to map out, and that’s our own. Because we are in the galactic plane of the Milky Way, it can be difficult to create an accurate bird’s-eye view of our home galaxy. That’s where a recent study in Nature Astronomy comes in.
Secret Invasion season 1 episode 2 review: Nick Fury exposes his humanity and tensions rise
In episode 2 of Marvel's Secret Invasion, we learn about Nick Fury and the Skrulls' shared past as well as the former's weaknesses.
NASA wants ideas for Artemis 3 moon landing experiments. But time's running out.
NASA is soliciting the scientific community for ideas about instruments and experiments that could accompany Artemis 3 astronauts on their mission to the moon.
All new ESA photo library for high-resolution images
Our ‘ESA Photolibrary for Professionals’ platform has relaunched with a new modern user interface, additional search features and download options. Register for a user account and you can access the largest selection of high-resolution professional images from ESA.
Watch dark matter-hunting Euclid probe launch on SpaceX rocket on July 1
The European-led Euclid mission will launch July 1 aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. Here's how to watch the free webcast of the liftoff.
Mars rover Perseverance sets new record for making oxygen on Red Planet
Mars rover Perseverance sets new record for making oxygen on Red Planet
Supermassive black holes grow surprisingly quickly, study suggests
A new way to estimate the masses of supermassive black holes suggests that these cosmic titans may grow faster than previously believed.
Saturn looks incredible in these raw James Webb Space Telescope images (photos)
The James Webb Space Telescope has captured some incredible raw images of Saturn for the first time, but you might have to wait a bit longer to see them in their full glory.
First hot-fire test of Europe’s reusable methane-fueled Prometheus rocket engine
A prototype of Europe’s reusable Prometheus engine roars to life on the test stand in Vernon, France on June 22, 2023. Image: ArianeGroup.
Europe has successfully completed the first hot-fire test of its reusable Prometheus rocket, a 12-second burn while integrated to the Themis first-stage demonstrator at the ArianeGroup site in Vernon, France.
Eye of Euclid
Image: Eye of Euclid
UK Professor Granted JWST Observation Time to Study Jupiter’s Upper Atmosphere
A professor from Northumbria University in the North East region of England has been granted telescope time with NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) later this year to study Jupiter’s upper atmosphere, also known as its ionosphere. Being granted such access to JWST is extremely competitive which makes getting access to use its powerful instruments to study the cosmos a very high honor.
AI Could Help Astronomers Rapidly Generate Hypotheses
Almost anywhere you go on the internet, it seems nearly impossible to escape articles on AI. Even here at UT, we’ve published several. Typically they focus on how a specific research group leveraged the technology to make sense of reams of data. But that sort of pattern recognition isn’t all that AI is good for. In fact, it’s becoming pretty capable of abstract thought. And one place where abstract thought can be helpful is in developing new scientific theories. With that thought in mind, a team of researchers from ESA, Columbia, and the Australian National University (ANU) utilized an AI to come up with scientific hypotheses in astronomy.
Another Key Molecule for Life Found in Space by JWST
The search for life is an incredibly evocative driver of cosmic exploration. It captures our imagination to think that there might be living things out there somewhere else. That’s one reason why we point our eyes—and telescopes—to the stars.
Dark nebula dominates gorgeous new view of Orion constellation (photo)
A telescope at Kitt Peak National Observatory in Arizona has captured a striking new view of a dark nebula called LDN 1622, located in the nearby Orion complex.
