NASA just found a parking spot on an asteroid 170 million miles away
NASA's OSIRIS-REx craft has been exploring asteroid Bennu since last year. But the craft isn't only imaging the asteroid -- it also plans to land on it and collect a sample. Now, after a year of observing the asteroid's surface to find the perfect spot, a landing site has been chosen.
Stars’ flares can render exoplanets in the habitable zone inhospitable to life
If you've been checking off a list of exoplanets looking for one that's habitable, then a new paper may put a damper on your plans. A letter from an astronomy researcher suggests that exoplanets that lie within the habitable zone of stars may, in fact, be made less habitable due to radiation bursts known as flares.
Galaxies’ spiral arms are formed in sync with their magnetic fields
If you've gazed at pictures of the Milky Way, you might have wondered how our galaxy formed its long, spiral arms. Now, astronomers have gained a clue to this development by looking at another galaxy with spiral arms, NGC 1086, which is located 47 million light-years away in the constellation of Cetus.
This ancient, dusty galaxy gives clues to the earliest evolution of the universe
Astronomers have observed an ancient, dusty galaxy that forms stars at a tremendous rate. The galaxy is named MAMBO-9, and the light it generates traveled for around 13 billion years to reach Earth. The universe is only 13.8 billion years old, so MAMBO-9 is one of the oldest dusty galaxies yet observed.
SpaceX’s next resupply mission will deliver cannabis into orbit
SpaceX has just sent a cargo ship to the International Space Station (ISS) containing everything from supplies and a floating robot to genetically engineered mice. But for its next shipment to the ISS via Dragon capsule, something even more unusual will be on board: A selection of cannabis plants.
Hubble snaps a picture of interstellar comet Borisov zipping past the sun
In September this year, astronomers spotted an interstellar visitor in our solar system: A comet called Borisov. Astronomers were keen to learn more so they imaged it with the Hubble Space Telescope to see its ice core surrounded by a halo of dust. Now, Hubble has captured the comet once again as it zips past the sun.
Juno spots a new cyclone joining the six storms on the south pole of Jupiter
Last year NASA's Juno spacecraft flew close enough to Jupiter to observe bizarre, geometric storms at its poles. Now, NASA researchers have observed a new cyclone on Jupiter's southern pole, with six windstorms swirling in a hexagonal pattern around a massive central storm.
NASA wants to send an armada of hot air balloons to study Venus
Last month, NASA funded a team of scientists to investigate the possibility of sending a mission to Venus, and now the agency has revealed more about the potential benefits and practicalities of such a mission. One proposal is to use multiple hot air balloons to ride through the Venusian atmosphere.
This giant planet is being evaporated as it orbits its long-dead star
A team of astronomers has seen evidence of the first giant planet orbiting a white dwarf star. Using the Very Large Telescope, the team spotted a planet in orbit around WDJ0914+1914, a white dwarf which is the decayed remnants of a once-bright star. As it fades, it is evaporating the planet in orbit around it.
Russia plans to build telescopes on the moon to protect against asteroids
With recent lunar landing attempts by India and Israel, and a mission to the far side of the moon by China, international interest in our planetary satellite is heating up right now. Now, Russia intends to get in on the action as well, by building an observatory on the moon.
Powerbeats Pro true wireless earbuds are down to just $200 for Cyber Monday
One of the best deals we've seen on headphones for Cyber Monday is for the high-end Powerbeats Pro totally wireless earphones, which are available now on Amazon for just $200 -- a savings of $50 on the list price of $250.
Let there be light: Astronomers close in on signals from the very first stars
About 400,000 years after the Big Bang, the universe was in a period called the Dark Ages when there were no stars and no galaxies. Within a few million years, hydrogen coalesced to form the first stars. Now, astronomers are tracking the birth of the earliest stars, using the Murchison Widefield Array radio telescope.
These Sony wireless noise-canceling headphones are $110 off for Cyber Monday
It's every technophile's favorite day of the year: Cyber Monday, when online retailers offer massive savings on popular electronics. We've got a terrific Cyber Monday deal on headphones: The Sony WH-CH700N wireless noise-canceling headphones are $110 off at Best Buy, down to just $90.
Sony WH-1000XM3 wireless headphones are less than $300 for Cyber Monday
Now that Cyber Monday has arrived, you'll want to move fast to snap up great deals like an offer on the critically adored noise-canceling headphones from Sony. The Sony WH-1000XM3 headphones are now $278 at Amazon, which is over $70 off the list price and an absolute bargain for some of our favorite headphones.
These $80 Sennheiser wireless headphones are the deal to beat this Cyber Monday
Cyber Monday 2019 is almost here, and we're excited to bring you the best deals from across the internet. We've found one of the best Cyber Monday deals on headphones that is already available: The Sennheiser HD 4.50 wireless headphones are $80 at Best Buy, which is $100 less than their usual price.
New electro-optical nanoscale device could lead to faster processors
Scientists have developed a tiny nanoscale device that acts as a processor and can be programmed using either photons or electrons. This electro-optical device is a bridge between electronic computing and the field of optical computing, and it could lead to faster and more efficient processors in the future.
Researchers track a cosmic whale to learn about galaxies’ magnetic fields
Astronomers are looking to a cosmic whale to learn about the magnetic fields which surround galaxies. An image of NCG 4631, also known as the Whale Galaxy, was captured by the Very Large Array in New Mexico, and shows filaments of the magnetic field in green and blue, snaking out from the main body of the galaxy.
NASA unveils its plans for a lander to deliver rovers to the moon
NASA already has plans to send one rover to the moon, but with the upcoming Artemis mission, the agency is planning further lunar explorers including a mid-sized lander concept. It unveiled its plans for an as-yet-unnamed lander that could deliver a rover to the polar regions of the moon, where water ice is located.
How did this beautiful ring galaxy form? Astronomers remain puzzled
NASA and the European Space Agency have shared a beautiful and striking image of a most unusual galaxy. Hoag's Object, as it is known, is an almost perfect ring galaxy with an elegant circular form, meaning it is classified as a peculiar galaxy. The image was captured using the Hubble Space Telescope.
Planets could form around supermassive black holes, new study shows
At the heart of our galaxy lies a supermassive black hole 4 million times the mass of our sun. It's believed most other galaxies have an enormous black hole at their center, too. But astronomers have discovered something unexpected about these monstrous black holes. It may be possible for planets to orbit around them.
Astronomers discover an ‘impossible’ black hole in our galaxy
We know that our galaxy is peppered with black holes. But scientists thought that such black holes could only reach a certain size -- about 20 times the mass of our Sun. Now, an international team of astronomers has discovered a monster black hole around three times that size hiding out in our very own galaxy.
Can NASA’s experimental electric airplane, the Maxwell X-57, save the planet?
Cars aren't the only type of transportation which are going electric in the name of the environment. NASA has been working on an experimental electric plane, the Maxwell X-57, which the agency received last month. NASA showed off an early version of the plane on Friday, in addition to a new simulator.
Hubble observes mammoth gamma-ray burst with highest-ever energy levels
The Hubble Space Telescope has observed the highest-energy ever gamma-ray burst, called GRB 190114C. Gamma-ray bursts are the most powerful explosions in the universe according to the European Space Agency, and this particular burst was even brighter and longer-lasting than most.
Astronomers find cosmic anomaly: Three supermassive black holes in one galaxy
A typical but terrifying feature of almost every galaxy is a monster at its center: A supermassive black hole hundreds of even billions of times the mass of our Sun. Now, researchers have spotted something utterly unprecedented: A galaxy with not one but three supermassive black holes at its heart.
Boeing’s Starliner capsule attached to Atlas rocket ahead of first test flight
Things are heating up in Cape Canaveral as Boeing's new Starliner capsule is connected to the rocket which will launch it on its first orbital test flight in a few weeks' time. The capsule will carry astronauts to the International Space Station as part of NASA's commercial crew program.
Hear the Earth’s magnetic field sing as it is bombarded by a solar storm
The sun doesn't only shine light and heat down on our planet -- it also bombards the Earth with solar winds. Now, researchers from the European Space Agency have caught these solar winds in action, by recording the sound of a solar storm colliding with the Earth's magnetic field.
ISS astronauts are fixing a particle physics detector in space
Astronauts on the International Space Station are attempting to fix the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer, an instrument investigating the nature of dark matter that wasn't designed to be serviced. But the AMS proved so valuable that the ISS crew are taking on the challenge of fixing its cooling system.
Pore over the geography of Saturn’s moon Titan with first global geologic map
A NASA team has created the first global map of Titan, the largest moon of Saturn, showing the different geological features on the distant body. The map was created using data from the Cassini spacecraft which continues to provide insights despite being burned up in Saturn's atmosphere two years ago.
European Space Agency wants to put astronauts into hibernation for space travel
The European Space Agency has assembled a team to study hibernation with the aim of using it in manned space missions. The team considered a theoretical mission that would send six people to Mars and back within five years, and found that the use of hibernation could reduce spacecraft mass by one-third.
NASA’s underwater rover will hunt for life on distant ocean worlds
NASA has developed BRUIE, the Buoyant Rover for Under-Ice Exploration, which could eventually search for extraterrestrial life on distant ocean worlds such as Jupiter's moon Europa and Saturn's moon Enceladus. It can dive deep beneath sea ice to explore ocean depths which are normally hidden from view.
Meteorologists not swayed by telecom companies’ plans for 5G regulations
Experts and officials have warned that interference from 5G wireless radios could seriously compromise the ability to forecast weather, including the prediction of extreme weather events like hurricanes. The forecasts of NOAA could be reduced in accuracy by up to 30%.
OnePlus customer data stolen in second data breach in two years
Phone company OnePlus has suffered another data breach, with an undisclosed number of names, contact numbers, email addresses, and shipping addresses of customers having been stolen by an unnamed third party. This comes less than two years after up to 40,000 customers' information was stolen from OnePlus.
Flexible, wireless skin interface could restore amputees’ sense of touch
A flexible, wireless skin interface could allow people to virtually hold hands across the globe, to experience full-body VR immersion, or even restore a sense of touch to those who have lost a limb. Digital Trends spoke with professor and lead researcher John Rogers of Northwestern University about the new technology.
Hypervelocity star booted out of our galaxy by supermassive black hole
Astronomers have detected a hypervelocity star called S5-HVS1 traveling at a tremendous speed of 2.3 million mph (1,017 km/s), making it the third-fastest star ever recorded. It is traveling fast enough that it will leave the Milky Way and shoot off into the massive space between galaxies.
Hubble captures a peculiar galaxy pulled out of shape by a nearby satellite
A new Hubble image shows NGC 772, an unusual elongated galaxy with a spiral arm that has been stretched and extended. The distortion is caused by the movements of a nearby satellite galaxy, which is a term for a smaller galaxy which is gravitationally bound to a larger galaxy and which orbits around it.
Watch the evolution of a galaxy, from the Big Bang till today
To learn about how galaxies change over time, scientists have created the most complex ever simulation of a galaxy, called TNG50. The data from this simulation were used to create a video that shows the evolution of a massive galaxy from near the beginning of the universe in the Big Bang up until today.
Planet-hunting satellite spots rare hot Neptune on border of Neptune desert
Astronomers have used data from NASA's planet-hunting satellite to make an unusual discovery: A planet the size of Neptune which is orbiting extremely close to its star. Planet TOI-132b has an orbital period of just 2.11 days and its surface temperature is estimated to be 2,032 degrees Fahrenheit.
Most distant object ever explored is renamed following Nazi controversy
NASA scientists from the New Horizons mission have re-named the farthest object ever explored. The object was previously nicknamed Ultima Thule, a medieval term meaning a location beyond the borders of the known world. But the word Thule has historically been used by Nazi supporters.