News
Where's the Dividing Line Between A Star and A Planet? Ask the JWST.
2+ hour, 51+ min ago (556+ words) Some of the most scientifically important astronomical objects are the ones that push the boundaries of definitions. These objects can exist in the grey areas between competing definitions. They motivate astronomers to develop a deeper and more comprehensive understanding of…...
JWST Sees Smoking Gun for Black Hole Mergers in the Virgo Cluster
4+ hour, 12+ min ago (137+ words) A pair of dwarf galaxies in the giant Virgo Cluster show what can happen when these stellar cities interact. Scientists at the University of Michigan focused the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) onto the galaxies NGC 4486 B and UCD736 and found…...
The World Welcomes the Crew of Artemis II Home!
6+ hour, 1+ min ago (284+ words) As NASA Associate Administrator Amit Kshatriya stated in an official press statement: The Artemis II crew is home. The entry, descent, and landing systems performed as designed and the final test was completed as intended. This moment belongs to the…...
Planetary Exploration With Four-Legged Rovers Carrying Only Two Instruments
8+ hour, 50+ min ago (411+ words) Mars rovers have spearheaded the exploration of the planet over the last 20 years. MSL Curiosity and Perseverance are awe-inspiring machines, and Spirit and Opportunity were similarly impressive. Collectively, they've greatly improved our understanding of Mars and its ancient climate and…...
Catching the 2026 April Lyrid Meteor Shower
12+ hour, 2+ min ago (494+ words) Keep an eye out this coming week for the venerable Lyrid meteor shower. April flowers mean one thing to springtime sky-watchers: it's time for the Lyrid meteor shower. The Lyrids are always a good bet, and always make the top…...
Stardust in the Clouds of Venus.
14+ hour, 22+ min ago (131+ words) The thick clouds of Venus revealed here through ultraviolet imaging (Credit: Kevin M. Gill) The scene from the surface of Venus from the Venera 9 lander (Credit: Ted Stryk, Venera 9) If cosmic dust is shaping the atmosphere and climate of our nearest…...
A New Eye Opens at the Top of the World.
16+ hour, 18+ min ago (1006+ words) Thirty four years ago, a group of Cornell scientists looked at a remote Chilean mountaintop and imagined what might be built there one day. That day has arrived. The Fred Young Submillimeter Telescope has just opened its eyes on the…...
The Sharpest Eyes on the Sun The Sharpest Eyes on the Sun.
16+ hour, 12+ min ago (701+ words) The Sun is the most studied star in the universe, yet some of its most violent behaviour remains stubbornly out of reach. Solar flares, explosive eruptions that can disrupt satellites, knock out power grids and bathe astronauts in radiation release…...
Exploring the Moon's Shadowy Craters With Nuclear-Powered Rovers
1+ day, 21+ min ago (203+ words) The study, "Radioisotope mission concepts for in-situ exploration of permanently shadowed regions on the Moon," was authored by Senior VP of Space Business Development A. C. Charania at Zeno Power, and Business Development and Sales Lead Charlie Crouse at Advanced Space. The…...
Are Neutrinos Their Own Evil Twins? Part 4: Majorana's Mystery
23+ hour, 49+ min ago (533+ words) (This is Part 4 of a series on neutrinos, Majorana fermions, and one of the strangest open questions in physics. Read Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3.) It's 1937. One year before Ettore Majorana vanishes. He is sitting with Dirac's framework " the precise, picture-perfect…...