Earth formed from the Sun’s protoplanetary disk about 4.6 billion years ago. In the beginning, it was a molten spheroid with scorching temperatures. Over time, it cooled, and a solid crust formed. Eventually, the atmosphere cooled, and life became a possibility.
Space News & Blog Articles
Former NASA astronaut Scott Kelly giving back Russian spaceflight medal
Scott Kelly earned a Russian medal "For Merit in Space Exploration" — but he doesn't want it anymore.
'Star Trek: Picard' season 2 explodes onto our screens with a phenomenal first episode
Has Q's taste in men's fashion improved? Will he have cheap, red wine-stained lips again? All these questions – and more, are answered in this enthralling first episode
SpaceX “broomstick” launches 40th Starlink mission
SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket lifts off from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on March 9. Credit: Michael Cain / Spaceflight Now / Coldlife Photography
Another grouping of 48 Starlink internet satellites soared into orbit Wednesday from Cape Canaveral aboard a Falcon 9 rocket, or what SpaceX’s launch director jokingly called an “American broomstick” in a jab at Russian space chief Dmitry Rogozin.
Huge asteroid slammed into Greenland just a few million years after the dinosaurs died out
Hidden under Greenland's thick ice sheet, scientists found what they thought was the scar of an asteroid impact perhaps just thousands of years old, fresh enough that humans were already on the scene.
How SpaceX got Starlink up and running in Ukraine: report
Officials at SpaceX worked for six weeks to bring Starlink satellite internet service to Ukraine ahead of a government request from that country.
Best time to buy binoculars and save
Prices for binoculars are going up. Here's when to consider buying a pair and how to save.
What Would a Sustainable Space Environment Look Like?
October 4th, 2022, will be an auspicious day as humanity celebrates the 65th anniversary of the beginning of the Space Age. It all began in 1957 with the launch of the Soviet satellite Sputnik-1, the first artificial satellite ever sent to orbit. Since that time, about 8,900 satellites have been launched from more than 40 countries worldwide. This has led to growing concerns about space debris and the hazard it represents to future constellations, spacecraft, and even habitats in Low Earth Orbit (LEO).
NASA would get $24 billion in new omnibus spending bill
NASA will get just over $24 billion this year, if Congress is able to pass a newly devised omnibus spending bill.
Astronomy Jargon 101: Quasar
In this series we are exploring the weird and wonderful world of astronomy jargon! You’ll be feeling very powerful after today’s topic: the quasar!
Around a supermassive black hole, smaller black holes collide extra strangely
Take three black holes and throw them into the disk surrounding a supermassive black hole and things get really weird, really fast.
Pristine asteroid Ryugu contains amino acids that are building blocks of life
Samples from asteroid Ryugu are the most pristine pieces of our solar system ever studied and contain amino acids that could have given rise to life on Earth.
An Earthlike planet may be orbiting in a dead star's 'habitable zone'
Planetary debris, including some objects the size of moons, may hint at a rocky exoplanet within the habitable zone of a dead star, a new study suggests.
Meteor streaks through Jupiter's atmosphere as NASA spacecraft watches
When a rogue meteor careened through the atmosphere of Jupiter last year, it caught the attention of NASA's Juno spacecraft in orbit around the giant planet.
Filling the GOCE data gap unearths South Pole’s geological past
It’s very difficult to know what lies beneath a blanket of kilometres-thick ice, so it is hardly surprising that scientists have long contested the shape and geology of the ancient supercontinent from which East Antarctica formed over a billion years ago. An ESA-funded study can now lay some of this conjecture to rest. Using sensors on aircraft to measure changes in the gravity and magnetic signatures of the different rocks under the ice, scientists have discovered a huge bay the size of the UK formed part of the edge of East Antarctica.
MacBook Pro 16-inch (2021) review
Apple’s MacBook Pro 16-inch offers desktop-class performance in a laptop, and fixes many issues we had with prior models.
Giant radiation bubbles created by monster black hole feeding frenzy, new study suggests
Two giant bubbles of gamma rays and X-rays that erupted from the center of the Milky Way may stem from a supermassive black hole's feeding frenzy at the heart of the galaxy, a new study finds.
In the hunt for dark matter, are axions our best bet?
Scientists investigating the true identity of dark matter are finding new evidence to support one leading candidate: axions.
The sun readies for its close-up as Europe's Solar Orbiter approaches
The European Solar Orbiter mission will make its closest approach to the sun later this month, promising to capture images that could unravel some of the mysteries of our star's behaviour.
Team chosen to make first oxygen on the Moon
Following a competition, ESA has selected the industrial team that will design and build the first experimental payload to extract oxygen from the surface of the Moon. The winning consortium, led by Thales Alenia Space in the UK, has been tasked with producing a small piece of equipment that will evaluate the prospect of building larger lunar plants to extract propellant for spacecraft and breathable air for astronauts – as well as metallic raw materials for equipment.