Three rare exocomets spotted in orbit around a nearby star
Scientists have spotted three exocomets, or comets outside of our Solar System, in orbit around a bright young star called Beta Pictoris in the constellation of Pictor. They used NASA’s Transiting Exoplanets Survey Satellite (TESS) to capture detailed data about the amount of light being generated.
Jupiter’s vast magnetic field stretches over time, driven by atmospheric wind
Jupiter has the most powerful magnetic field in our Solar System, 18,000 times as strong as Earth's. It is large as well, extending seven million kilometers out from the planet towards the Sun. Now scientists have discovered that the field changes over time, in an effect called secular variation.
Tesla to cap charging at busy Supercharging stations at 80%
Tesla will be updating some of its supercharger stations to impose limits on how much a car can be charged in a single period. The new limits will allow Tesla users to only charge up to 80% at busy supercharger stations in order to reduce queues and wait times. The changes apply to 17% of stations.
Scientists discover unexpected underwater volcano off the coast of Africa
Geologists first noticed something unusual in the Indian Ocean in November last year, when they detected a massive seismic event originating from a spot near to the French island of Mayotte. Now further research has revealed that the source of the seismic activity is an enormous underwater volcano.
Millions of real estate records were publicly accessible due to lax security
A major financial services company, First American Corporation, has left millions of records publicly accessible on its servers. The data included bank account details, bank statements, mortgage records, driver's license images, and Social Security numbers, and was accessible without authorization.
Japanese spacecraft Hayabusa 2 aborts marker drop mission
Japan's Hayabusa 2 spacecraft's latest mission to drop a reflective marker on the surface of asteroid Ryugu has been aborted. A second touchdown on the asteroid is being considered as a way to collect more materials, as a bonus to those materials already collected from the first go-round.
Friendly cube robot Bumble passes its first hardware test aboard the ISS
There are some unexpected guests aboard the International Space Station (ISS): cute cube robots called Astrobees which help the crew with day to day tasks. Now the first Astrobee robot has undergone hardware tests to check whether its subsystems are working correctly.
The moon is shrinking as it loses heat, new images reveal
New research suggests that the Moon is shrinking. NASA scientists have used data from their Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera (LROC) to look at "wrinkles" in the surface of the Moon which are as long as 200 miles and as high as 1000 feet and are formed as it loses heat and shrinks in size.
Two galaxies play tug of war in this spectacular Hubble image
Hubble has captured evidence of a nearby galactic neighbor affecting the the shape and star production of a galaxy. The irregular galaxy NGC 4485 has been pulled into the unusual shape due to the gravitational forces exerted by the nearby and much larger galaxy NGC 4490.
See the impact site where the Beresheet spacecraft crashed into the moon
SpaceIL's Beresheet spacecraft might not have made the final hurdle to land on the moon, but it could still make a contribution to scientific knowledge. An image of the site of the crash has been captured by NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter and is being analyzed for information about the lunar soil.
Chang’e 4 mission may have found minerals from beneath the surface of the moon
China's Chang'e 4 mission has made a major discovery: pieces of rock that could be from beneath the surface of the moon. According to the lander's spectrometer, it spotted two unexpected mineral types, low-calcium pyroxene and olivine, which match what is believed to exist in the mantle.
Watch this drone dodge an incoming soccer ball autonomously
Most drones aren't very good at avoiding incoming objects. Even the most advanced drones struggle to react to dynamic objects and adjust their trajectories accordingly. But now a team from the University of Zurich has developed a drone which can dodge, swoop, and dive to avoid an incoming object.
Remember the summer of 1969? NASA wants to hear memories of the moon landing
This year marks the 50th anniversary of the moon landing. To celebrate this anniversary, NASA is launching an audio project called Apollo Stories which invites the public to submit their memories about where they were when the moon landing happened and what impact the moon landing had on them.
The earliest galaxies shone brightly in the young universe
Observations from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope have shown that the earliest galaxies in the universe were brighter than previously thought, shedding light onto the way that the universe evolved. The earliest galaxies were brighter than scientists expected in certain infrared wavelengths.
Gold on Earth could be result of neutron star collision 4.6 billion years ago
If you enjoy a bit of bling in your life, you could have a billion year old cosmic event to thank for it. Scientists believe that the collision of two neutron stars 4.6 billion years ago could have been the source of some of Earth's heaviest elements, including gold and platinum.
Google has 15 million subscribers for its music-streaming services
Google is chasing its competitors in the world of music streaming services, according to subscriber numbers. It is the fourth largest paid music streaming service. Google's two paid music services, YouTube Music and Google Play Music, have reportedly passed a total of 15 million subscribers.
Tiny drone uses A.I. to learn from nature’s best pilot, the hummingbird
One of nature's most remarkable creations is the hummingbird, which flaps its wings up to 80 times per second and which can hover in place and fly in any direction. Now scientists have used machine learning algorithms to study the way these birds fly in order to replicate their abilities in drones.
Microalgae could be key to efficient life support system in space
Current life support systems used in space use chemical reactions to create water and oxygen and recycle carbon dioxide. But a new system could use algae to produce oxygen, water, and even food. Tiny plants called microalgae remove concentrated carbon dioxide and turn it into oxygen and plant matter.
This soft and flexible leech-inspired robot can climb walls
A robot called the Longitudinally Extensible Continuum-robot inspired by Hirudinea (LEeCH) can elongate and bend its body to climb walls, just like a leech. It is made from a shower hose with two suction cups attached and is part of a growing trend of soft robots which are flexible and adaptable.Â
Faith in superior abilities of machines is key to accepting self-driving cars
Some people love the idea of self-driving cars, while other people find the concept terrifying or creepy. A new survey has revealed the biggest difference between these groups is not how open they are to new technology in general, but whether they believe machines can outperform humans in driving tasks.
Historic SpaceX Falcon 9 core to go on public display in Houston
Soon visitors to the Space Center Houston will be able to see one of SpaceX's Falcon 9 rockets that was used for NASA-commissioned missions. It was first launched on June 3, 2017, for a mission to resupply the ISS then was used again six months later for a second mission on December 15, 2017.
Physicists may have detected first-ever collision of black hole and neutron star
Just weeks after it resumed operations, the National Science Foundation’s Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory may have detected the first ever observed merger between a black hole and a neutron star. These collisions warp spacetime, sending out gravitational waves which LIGO can detect.
Hubble captures an archetypal spiral galaxy in the constellation of Leo
The Hubble Space Telescope has captured an ideal example of the archetypal spiral galaxy. The NGC 2903 galaxy is located in the constellation of Leo (The Lion) as is approximately 30 million light-years away. It is notable for its high rate of new star creation, particularly concentrated in the center.
First private Japanese rocket, MOMO-3, successfully launched this week
Troubled spaceflight company Interstellar Technologies had a success this week, when it was finally able to launch its MOMO-3 rocket into space. Two previous launches failed, but this week the launch went off successfully, marking the first successful private launch by a Japanese company.
Galactic mapping satellite Gaia spotted by ground-based Very Large Telescope
The European Space Agency's Gaia satellite was launched in 2013 to survey the stars in our galaxy to create a precise 3D map of the Milky Way. But now the observer has become the observee, as it the satellite is captured in this image from the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope.
Supplier falsifying certifications was cause of two launch failures, NASA says
In 2009 and 2011, two NASA launches failed: the Orbiting Carbon Observatory and the satellite Glory. Both failures involved the use of a Taurus rocket. Now a NASA investigation has determined the failures were caused by faulty materials provided by the aluminum manufacturer Sapa Profiles, Inc.
See 265,000 galaxies in the epic Hubble Legacy Field mosaic
A stunning image shows an incredible 265,000 galaxies, stretching back to the early universe at 500 million years after the Big Bang. It is a mosaic of different images captured by the Hubble Space Telescope as part of its deep-field surveys, arranged into a giant overview called the Hubble Legacy Field.
Breakthrough in bioprinting could enable 3D printing of replacement organs
A technique for bioprinting tissues allows scientists to create vascular networks like those used in the body to transport blood, air, and other fluids, in a step towards 3D-printing of organs. The scientists also released a video showing a lung-like air sac which can feed nutrients to nearby tissue.
Firefox extensions stopped working this morning, but a fix is on the way
Before 12:00 a.m. UTC today, many Firefox users found themselves browsing with their usual extensions. When the clock ran over to midnight, a code certificate expired and caused the glitch, disabling all extensions. A fix for the issue has been created and will be rolled out soon.
SpaceX launch to resupply ISS finally goes off after several delays
After a number of delays, the SpaceX mission to resupply the International Space Station has successfully launched. Originally scheduled for April 30, the launch of the Falcon 9 rocket had to be put on hold due to several electrical problems. But this morning around 3 a.m. ET, the rocket finally launched.
China’s Chang’e 4 lunar mission: See Yutu on the far side of the moon
China's Chang'e 4 lander touched down on the far side of the moon and has been exploring this rarely investigated part of the lunar landscape. Now the Chinese space agency has shared images captured using the panoramic camera on the Yutu 2 rover as it explores near the landing site.
Supermassive black hole resides inside a supermassive galaxy
The eyes of the world turned to Messier 87 earlier this month when scientists released the first ever image of a black hole. Now a new image created from data from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope shows more about the giant galaxy in which the now-famous black hole resides.
Listen in on a stellar symphony to understand the inner workings of stars
Sounds can't travel through a vacuum, but stars nevertheless give off subsonic notes caused by vibrations created deep inside their structures. And an astrophysicist from University of Wisconsin-Madison has been working on how this stellar symphony can teach us about the interior of stars.
Pluto’s atmosphere could freeze and disappear by the year 2030
Astronomers have been studying the seasonal changes to Pluto's atmosphere, and they discovered that during some seasons it gets cold enough for the nitrogen in the atmosphere to freeze. As atmospheric pressure increases over time, this could result in the atmosphere freezing away by 2030.