Astronomers discover interstellar origin of one of the building blocks of life
Phosphorus is one of the essential elements for the development of life on Earth, but we aren't sure how it got here. Now, astronomers have traced the path of phosphorus from its interstellar origin, onto comets, from where it could be transported to our planet and form a building block for life.
See the inner structure of the Crab Nebula in NASA’s stunning visualization
NASA has released both an image and a video visualization of one of astronomy's most beautiful objects, the famous Crab Nebula, by combining data from three of its key instruments. What makes this new visualization different is the combination of three different data sets to create a 3D image of the nebula.
Impending collision of Milky Way with other galaxy is already creating new stars
In around 2 billion years' time, our galaxy will collide with a nearby satellite galaxy, the Large Magellanic Cloud, in a catastrophic and highly destructive event. For now, though, the interaction of the two galaxies isn't destructive -- new research shows it is actually creating new stars.
LIGO observatory sees its 2nd-ever neutron star collision — and it was massive
The Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory (LIGO), famous for the first detection of gravitational waves, has made another exciting observation. It spotted a pair of neutron stars smashing into each other. Even by the standards of neutron stars, the two bodies which collided were massive.
Teenage NASA intern discovers single exoplanet orbiting two stars
A high school junior has made an unusual discovery, locating a distant planet that orbits around two stars. He located the planet while working on a summer internship at NASA last year, where he looked at data from the TESS planet-hunting satellite as part of the Planet Hunters TESS citizen science project.
Astronomers search tiny galaxies to understand the evolution of black holes
We know that at the heart of galaxies lie enormous supermassive black holes, although exactly how these formed when the universe was young is a question scientists are still investigating. Now, astronomers have new clues to this conundrum with the discovery of 13 massive black holes in dwarf galaxies relatively nearby to Earth.
This instrument weighs exoplanets by observing their gravitational effects
Researchers have shown the first results from a new instrument for calculating the weight of distant exoplanets. The NN-EXPLORE Exoplanet Investigations with Doppler spectroscopy, or NEID, is an instrument mounted on the WIYN telescope at the Kitt Peak National Observatory and is funded by NASA and the NSF.
See the giant galaxy named after pioneering dark matter researcher Vera Rubin
Hubble has imaged a gentle giant -- galaxy UGC 2885, which is 2.5 times wider than the Milky Way and has 10 times as many stars as our home galaxy. Despite its massive size, the galaxy is docile, with a modest rate of new stars being born and only a small amount of hydrogen absorbed by its supermassive black hole.
NASA’s flying observatory peeks inside the iconic Swan Nebula
The Omega or Swan Nebula has been a target of astronomical research for 250 years, but astronomers have never been able to get a clear view of the inside of the structure until now, thanks to SOFIA -- NASA's flying observatory, a collection of equipment aboard a modified Boeing 747SP jetliner aircraft.
NASA planet-hunter telescope locates first Earth-sized planet in habitable zone
NASA's planet-hunting telescope TESS has made an exciting discovery -- a planet the size of Earth which could potentially host liquid water. The planet TOI 700 d is located just on the inner edge of its system's habitable zone, with the other system planets TOI 700b and TOI 700c located closer to the star.
Researchers create tiny particle accelerator that fits on a silicon chip
Researchers have created a tiny prototype particle accelerator, small enough to fit onto a silicon chip. Although it accelerates particles to a far lower velocity than a full-size particle accelerator, it can still produce energized particles that could be used for research applications in chemistry and biology.
Dark craters on moon could contain vital resources for human explorers
As the Earth rotates, it tilts on its axis bringing some parts of the planet closer to the sun, which is why we have seasons. But on the Moon, the lack of tilt means there are some areas that are never exposed to sunlight. And these dark areas contain impact craters which could hold the key to future lunar missions.
NASA’s next generation rocket system is ready for shipping and testing
NASA's next-generation rocket, the Space Launch System (SLS), has been through its share of troubles with ballooning costs and repeated delays. However, assembly of the core stage of the rocket is now complete and the structure is ready for shipping and testing.
This week’s Hubble image illustrates an ancient Egyptian myth
This week's Hubble image shows an elegant spiral galaxy named NGC 4455, located in the northern constellation of Coma Berenices (Berenice’s Hair). This unusually named constellation took its title from an Egyptian queen who ruled from around 250 BC and who scarified her locks to protect her husband in battle.
Ring in the new year with a calendar of lesser-known Hubble space images
To celebrate the arrival of 2020, researchers from the European Space Agency have put together a calendar featuring 12 of the loveliest but lesser-known images captured by the Hubble Space Telescope in its thirty years of operation. The calendar is available to download for free as a PDF or in a printable version.
NASA says farewell to tiny satellite that paved the way for exoplanet discovery
NASA has lost contact with one of its tiniest explorers, a miniature satellite called ASTERIA (Arcsecond Space Telescope Enabling Research in Astrophysics). Operators have been unable to contact the satellite since December 5, 2019, though they will continue attempting to make contact until March this year.
SpaceX’s Starship could be ready for launch in just a few months
SpaceX's beautiful and huge Starship could be ready for launch in as little as a few months, according to CEO Elon Musk. The aim is for the Starship to haul large amounts of cargo and to eventually help humanity to colonize Mars. Now, recent tweets by Musk reveal more details about SpaceX's plans for the Starship.
SpaceX’s Dragon craft is departing the ISS on Tuesday: Here’s how to watch
This week SpaceX's Dragon cargo spacecraft will depart from the International Space Station, carrying 3,600 pounds of cargo. After detaching from the ISS, the craft will fire its thrusters, execute a deorbit burn, and perform a parachute-assisted splashdown into the Pacific Ocean southwest of Long Beach, California.
Venus is the only other planet in solar system with active volcanoes
In the 1990s, data from the Magellan spacecraft revealed that Venus is a hellish world covered in volcanoes and lava flows. Before now, we didn't know whether this volcanic activity was ancient or recent. Now, new research reveals that the lava flows are recent, suggesting the volcanoes are currently active.
This stinky gas could be the key to identifying alien life on distant planets
How do you search for life on other worlds? While the gases we associate with life, such as oxygen or methane, are commonly found on other planets, that doesn't necessarily indicate living things are present. A team from MIT has found that a rare gas, phosphine, can only be produced by anaerobic (non-oxygen-reliant) life.
Doctors are fighting brain cancer by growing mini-brains
Glioblastoma is one of the most common and aggressive forms of brain cancer, and it is particularly difficult to treat. Now, researchers from the University of Pennsylvania have come up with a new approach to treatment, by growing organoids based on a patient's own tumor to find the most effective treatments.
The public helped NASA pick a landing site on asteroid Bennu
Citizen scientists have helped to find the perfect landing spot for the OSIRIS-REx craft on asteroid Bennu. This required painstakingly identifying and flagging potential hazards like boulders, so the research team turned to citizen scientists, asking for the public's help to perform this vital but tedious work.
It will take 20,000 years for our earliest probes to reach Alpha Centauri
The earliest explorations of the universe beyond our solar system were made by four probes launched in the 1970s -- Pioneer 10 and 11 and Voyager 1 and 2. But where will these early probes end up? And how long will they travel before finding another star? A new study uses data from the Gaia space telescope to find out.
NASA astronaut Christina Koch breaks record for longest spaceflight
NASA astronaut Christina Koch has just set the record for the longest single spaceflight stay by a woman. Koch has been in space for 289 days, after arriving on the ISS on March 14 this year. She has overtaken the previous record set by Peggy Whitson, a now-retired NASA astronaut.
Is one of the brightest stars in the sky about to go supernova?
In the constellation of Orion sits one of the brightest stars in the sky -- Alpha Orionis, aka Betelgeuse. Astronomers think dramatic events could be stirring in this system, with the star ready to explode in a supernova, following reports that the light from Betelgeuse has faded to around half of its usual magnitude.
NASA wants to launch a new space telescope to search for a second Earth
With environmental catastrophes befalling Earth and an increasing population, there's an argument that for humanity to survive, we'll need to find a new planet. A proposal from NASA is for a telescope to do just that: The Habitable Exoplanet Observatory would search for a "second Earth" where humanity could relocate.
China launches its largest rocket ever, the Long March-5
China launched its largest-ever rocket this week: The Long March-5 Y3 rocket took off from the Wenchang Space Launch Center in south China's Hainan Province, carrying a Shijian-20 satellite, as reported by China's state news agency Xinhua. Just over half an hour later, the satellite achieved its planned orbit.
Astronomical union enlists people from 112 countries to help name exoplanets
With an ever-growing number of exoplanets being discovered, the International Astronomical Union (IAU) recently turned to the public for help with naming them all. The IAU created the NameExoWorlds project to collect suggestions from national campaigns in 112 countries, with more than 780,000 people voting.
Spitzer Space Telescope uses infrared light to image a stellar playground
NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope has captured a beautiful image of the Perseus Molecular Cloud by observing infrared radiation which makes the cloud glow. The cloud is over 500 light-years old and is located relatively nearby to Earth, at around 1000 light-years away.
Boeing successfully landed its troubled Starliner capsule today
The first orbital flight test of Boeing's Starliner has not gone as planned. On Friday morning, the craft was scheduled to launch an uncrewed mission to the ISS, but it entered the wrong orbit and has not made it to the space station. Now, the craft has headed back to Earth and landed early on Sunday morning.
NASA wants to bring supersonic flights back with the ultra-quiet X-59 craft
Supersonic flights have been banned in the U.S. since the 1970s due to the noise created by sonic booms. But now NASA is developing a quieter supersonic plane, the X-59, which it hopes will appease regulators and allow faster journeys across the country. The craft has been cleared for final assembly.
Hubble investigates new type of super-puff planet with texture of cotton candy
Our solar system contains three types of planet: Rocky planets, gas giants, and ice giants. We've also found planetary types including lava planets, gas dwarfs, and protoplanets. But observations from Hubble have uncovered a new and most unusual class of planet: A super-puff planet with the density of cotton candy.
Astronomers spot a cosmic ‘candy cane’ in the center of the Milky Way
It seems that the Milky Way is hanging up its Christmas decorations, as a new image of our galaxy's central zone reveals a structure that looks rather like a candy cane. Data for the image was captured by an instrument called the Goddard-IRAM Superconducting 2-Millimeter Observer, or GISMO.
European Space Agency launches Cheops satellite to investigate exoplanets
This decade has seen an explosion of research into exoplanets -- planets orbiting stars other than our sun. Now, the European Space Agency (ESA) is beginning its own exoplanet mission with the launch of the Characterizing Exoplanet Satellite, aka Cheops, which will look for information about already-discovered planets.
ISS receives new hardware for the coolest experiment in the universe
Astronauts aboard the International Space Station have taken custody of new hardware including an atom interferometer for the Cold Atom Lab, a particle physics experiment that can chill atoms down to almost absolute zero, allowing scientists to see how atoms behave when moving at slow speeds.
Astronomers explain what fed hungry supermassive black holes at dawn of universe
When the first stars formed in the Cosmic Dawn, they were swiftly joined by enormous supermassive black holes. But astronomers have long wondered how these black holes were able to form, as they must have fed on huge quantities of dust and gas. Now, they have located a potential food source for these early monsters.
See the most detailed view yet of the center of our galaxy
A beautiful image is the most detailed observation yet of the center of our galaxy, collected by the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope. The image isn't only pretty though. It has also taught astronomers more about the history of star formation in our galaxy.