The Perseids peak on Sunday night, August 11-12 and just might be joined by a colorful display of northern lights.
Space News & Blog Articles
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SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launches for record-tying 22nd time, sending Arctic broadband satellites to orbit
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launched for a record-tying 22nd time on Sunday night (Aug. 11), sending aloft two satellites that will provide broadband coverage in the Arctic region.
New Study Examines the Links Between Science Fiction and Astronomy
“Today’s science fiction is tomorrow’s science fact.” This quote, attributed to Isaac Asimov, captures science’s intricate relationship with science fiction. And it is hardly a one-way relationship. Whereas science fiction is constantly evolving to reflect new scientific discoveries and theories, science itself has a long history of drawing inspiration from the works of visionary authors, filmmakers, and popular culture. And in some cases, where scientists themselves were the visionaries (like Asimov himself), you had an instance of both!
Live coverage: SpaceX to launch communications satellites for Space Norway on its Falcon 9 rocket
An illustration of the two Arctic Satellite Broadband Mission (ASBM) program satellites on orbit. Illustration: Northrop Grumman
SpaceX is looking to complete its second launch of the weekend with a mission for Space Norway. The company is targeting a Sunday evening launch of its Falcon 9 rocket for the Arctic Satellite Broadband Mission (ASBM).
Marvel and 'Star Wars' take note. 'Star Trek' is now Hollywood's ultimate shared universe
The most exciting shared universe of them all is currently located somewhere on the final frontier in the "Star Trek" franchise.
Origami-inspired 'transformer' robots could help build habitats in space (photo)
Engineers have created a configurable robot that can transform into various structures, which has potential applications for building habitats in space.
Small black holes could play 'hide-and-seek' with elusive supermassive black hole pairs
Small pairs of binary black holes could be used to play hide-and-seek' with elusive supermassive black hole binaries via gravitational waves carry the "baritone singing" of these cosmic titans.
Live coverage: SpaceX to launch 23 Starlink satellites from the Kennedy Space Center
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket stands at Launch Complex 39A in preparation for launching the Starlink 10-7 mission. Image: Spaceflight Now
SpaceX is preparing for the second of three planned launches over the weekend. A Falcon 9 rocket will send 23 Starlink satellites into low Earth orbit after launching from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center.
Good Thing We Found this Earth-Sized Planet Now. It’s About to Be Destroyed
Astronomers have confirmed the existence of exoplanets with extremely small orbits around their stars. But what about exoplanets that get close enough to be devoured by their star, and what if it’s an Earth-sized exoplanet? This is what a recent study accepted to AAS Journals hopes to address as an international team of more than 50 researchers investigated an Earth-sized exoplanet with an orbital period of only 5.7 hours, known as “ultra-short-period” (USP) exoplanets, that could eventually experience what’s known as tidal disruption, resulting in its devourment by its star. This study holds the potential to help researchers better understand the processes responsible for this, along with continuing to challenge our understanding of exoplanetary architectures, as well.
Watch Rocket Lab launch sharp-eyed radar satellite to orbit on Aug. 11
Rocket Lab will launch an Earth-observing radar satellite for the California company Capella Space on Sunday morning (Aug. 11), and you can watch the action live.
SpaceX to launch 23 Starlink satellites from Florida on Aug. 11
SpaceX intends to launch 23 more of its Starlink broadband satellites on Sunday (Aug. 11), as part of a planned spaceflight doubleheader for the company.
Scientists Develop a Novel Method for Detecting Supermassive Black Holes: Use Smaller Black Holes!
In 1974, astronomers Bruce Balick and Robert L. Brown discovered a powerful radio source at the center of the Milky Way galaxy. The source, Sagittarius A*, was subsequently revealed to be a supermassive black hole (SMBH) with a mass of over 4 million Suns. Since then, astronomers have determined that SMBHs reside at the center of all galaxies with highly active central regions known as active galactic nuclei (AGNs) or “quasars.” Despite all we’ve learned, the origin of these massive black holes remains one of the biggest mysteries in astronomy.
An Ancient Martian Lake Was Larger Than Any Lake on Earth
The ESA’s Mars Express orbiter captured an image of the remains of a vast ancient lake on Mars. The remnant lake bed has been weathered and altered by the passing of billions of years. In the planet’s distant past, scientists say, it held enough water to fill Earth’s Caspian Sea almost three times over.
SpaceX launches 21 Starlink satellites to orbit from Florida (video, photos)
SpaceX sent another group of its Starlink satellites into space today (Aug. 10), as it continues to build out its giant internet constellation.
Gaia Finds Hundreds of Asteroid Moons
The amazing Gaia mission to chart stars in the Milky Way Galaxy is also an expert asteroid hunter. Now, astronomers are reporting its success at spotting more moons of asteroids in our solar system. Once the Gaia data from its release 3 are confirmed, those observations will add 352 more binary asteroids to the known count. That nearly doubles the known number of asteroids with moons and previous Gaia data releases also revealed asteroids in its survey.
This Week In Space podcast: Episode 123 —The Mighty Perseids
On Episode 123 of This Week In Space, Rod and guest host Isaac Arthur talk with astronomer Steve Fentress about the Perseids meteor shower.
10 of Futurama's smartest science references and gags
Good news, everyone! With "Futurama" season 12 about to land, here are 10 of the best science and math-based jokes from the sci-fi comedy's 25-year history.
Which Autobots and Decepticons will we see in 'Transformers One?'
A preview of which Transformers robots will be featured in the upcoming film "Transformers One."
Archaeology on the ISS? Scientists study how astronauts use and store stuff in space
The International Space Station Archaeological Project aims to understand how astronauts use and store objects throughout the orbital laboratory to help inform development of future space habitats.
How can we build landing and launch pads on the moon?
If the future unfolds like some experts forecast, the moon is going to be one bustling spaceport. How can we handle all of that lunar traffic?
Starship is ready for its 5th test flight, SpaceX says (photos)
SpaceX's latest Starship megarocket is ready to fly, the company announced on Thursday afternoon (Aug. 8).
