Latest science news in Astronomy & Space
Risk to Vehicle Crew Egress Capability and Task Performance as Applied to Earth and Extraterrestrial Landings
1 min readRisk to Vehicle Crew Egress Capability and Task Performance as Applied to Earth and Extraterrestrial Landings NASA astronaut Douglas Hurley is helped out of the SpaceX Crew Dragon Endeavour spacecraft onboard...
For first time, Southwest Airlines to start charging passengers for checked bags
Southwest Airlines is ending a longtime perk and will now charge most flyers to check their luggage.
Watch: Gamer beats 'Super Mario Bros.' in 4 minutes, 54.565 seconds
A dedicated gamer broke a Guinness World Record by beating 1985's classic "Super Mario Bros." with a time of 4 minutes and 54.565 seconds.
Finding white dwarf-main sequence binaries in Gaia data with machine learning
Despite having recently officially ended its science operations in January, Gaia, one of the most prolific star explorers ever, is still providing new scientific insights. A recent paper submitted to...
Remember that asteroid that isn't going to hit Earth? We could send a mission to explore it
Last year, astronomers detected the near-earth asteroid (NEA) 2024 YR4, which orbits the sun every four years and periodically crosses Earth's orbit. The nature of its orbit makes it a...
SpaceX Dragon meets sunrise at launch pad for Crew-10 flight | Space photo of the day March 11, 2025
The Dragon capsule will launch atop a SpaceX rocket to carry 4 astronauts to space on March 12.
Four tiny planets are orbiting one of our nearest stars
Astronomers have revealed new evidence that not just one, but four tiny planets are circling around Barnard's Star, the second-nearest star system to Earth.
Summary of Special Engage Session on “Remote Sensing and the Future of Earth Observations”
Explore This SectionEarth HomeEarth Observer HomeEditor’s CornerFeature ArticlesMeeting SummariesNewsScience in the NewsCalendarsIn MemoriamMoreArchives 27 min readSummary of Special Engage Session on “Remote Sensing and the Future of Earth Observations” Introduction On October 16, 2024,...
The NASA DC-8 Retires: Reflections on its Contributions to Earth System Science
Explore This SectionEarth HomeEarth Observer HomeEditor’s CornerFeature ArticlesMeeting SummariesNewsScience in the NewsCalendarsIn MemoriamMoreArchives 13 min readThe NASA DC-8 Retires: Reflections on its Contributions to Earth System Science Introduction Since 1987, a highly modified McDonnell...
Toad patrol volunteers are ensuring frisky amphibians can cross the road to reach their mating grounds
During February and March, volunteers head out after dark with buckets and florescent jackets to stand on roads across the UK. These are the toad patrols, and they help an...
Investigating more than 1,000 star-forming regions to understand stellar birth
In the ALMAGAL project, an international research team will analyze observations of more than a thousand "star factories" to better understand the origin and formation of new stars. Most previous...
Team preps to study dark energy via exploding stars with NASA's Roman
The universe is ballooning outward at an ever-faster clip under the power of an unknown force dubbed dark energy. One of the major goals for NASA's upcoming Nancy Grace Roman...
Mission possible: Parastronaut programs can make space travel more inclusive and attainable for all
Humans will likely set foot on the moon again in the coming decade. While many stories in this new chapter of lunar exploration will be reminiscent of the Apollo missions...
Scientists identify unexpected variations in electrons connecting Jupiter with its moon Io
Using data collected by NASA's Juno spacecraft as it flew past Jupiter's highly volcanic moon Io in late 2023 and again in early 2024, a Southwest Research Institute-led team identified...
NASA Astronaut Jonny Kim to Discuss Upcoming Launch, Mission
Official portrait of NASA astronaut Jonny Kim, who will serve as a flight engineer during Expedition 73. Credit: NASA NASA will provide interview opportunities with astronaut Jonny Kim beginning at 9 a.m. EDT,...
Super-Earths and mini-Neptunes research suggests more Earth-like planets may exist
A new study by Rice University researchers Sho Shibata and Andre Izidoro presents a compelling new model for the formation of super-Earths and mini-Neptunes—planets that are 1 to 4 times...
The universe's water is billions of years older than scientists thought — and may be nearly as old as the Big Bang itself
A new study suggests that water first appeared in the universe just a couple hundred million years after the Big Bang — meaning life could have evolved billions of years...
Watch sparks fly as Blue Ghost lander drills into the moon (video)
Firefly Aerospace's Blue Ghost lander has beamed back video of its ongoing lunar science operations, including drilling into the surface of the moon.
Ancient wind patterns reveal future climate risks
A new study has revealed significant changes in the strength and position of the Southern Hemisphere westerly winds over the past 11,000 years.
The next ice age is coming in 10,000 years — unless climate change prevents it
Natural cycles in Earth's rotational axis and its orbit around the sun drive climatic changes, and now researchers have matched up specific points in those cycles to the timing of...
The best sci-fi TV shows of the 1960s
Return to the glory days of 'Star Trek' and 'The Outer Limits' in our special voyage down small screen's memory lane.
How Do We Know the Earth Isn’t Flat? We Asked a NASA Expert: Episode 53
2 min readHow Do We Know the Earth Isn’t Flat? We Asked a NASA Expert: Episode 53 This was a magical revelation for the Greeks and the Egyptians, who were able to...
Small, faint and 'unexpected in a lot of different ways': Dwarf galaxy discovery forces rethink of cosmic evolution
A discovery made by a team led by researchers at the University of Michigan tugs at the seams of some key cosmic lessons we thought we had learned from our...
Discovery Alert: ‘Super-Earth’ Swings from Super-Heated to Super-Chill
Artist’s rendering of a potentially habitable super-Earth orbiting a star called HD 20794.Illustration credit: Gabriel Pérez Díaz, SMM (IAC) The Discovery A possible “super-Earth” orbits a relatively close, Sun-like star, and could be...
Uranus emits more heat than previously thought
Uranus radiates more energy than it gets from the sun, two new studies find — just as Jupiter, Saturn and Neptune do.
Private mini rover aboard sideways Athena moon lander was ready to roll — but it couldn't get out
Data sent to Earth by its MAPP moon rover on Intuitive Machines' ill-fated IM-2 mission will help Colorado company Lunar Outpost prepare for future lunar voyages.
Team Preps to Study Dark Energy via Exploding Stars With NASA’s Roman
This video sparkles with synthetic supernovae from the OpenUniverse project, which simulates observations from NASA’s upcoming Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope. More than a million exploding stars flare into visibility and then slowly...
Experiments aboard the International Space Station may offer promising advancements in fighting cancer
Getting seven experiments on the International Space Station requires a really good idea. Like a brand new way to attack tumors—one that you can only make in space.