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Multifrequency observations shed more light on the nature of radio galaxy MRC 2011-298 Using Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array (JVLA), astronomers have performed multifrequency radio observations of the radio galaxy MRC 2011-298. Results of these observations, described in a paper published October 15 on arXiv.org, provide crucial information about the morphology and properties of MRC 2011-298, shedding more light on the nature of this galaxy. phys.org Go to SourceRead More →

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Why a rocky planet with three suns has astronomers’ attention Planets that are even a little like Earth are hard to find. That’s why when astronomers like Jennifer G. Winters come across a body that may be solid, rocky, and possibly have its own atmosphere, they get excited. And especially so in a case like this: For although it is statistically unlikely to host life, finding one with three suns raises the likelihood that studying the planet may offer valuable insights into our own. phys.org Go to SourceRead More →

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Weekly Space Hangout: October 23, 2019 – Aileen Yingst: Space Geologist Hosts: Fraser Cain (universetoday.com / @fcain) Dave Dickinson (www.astroguyz.com / @astroguyz) Dr. Kimberly Cartier (KimberlyCartier.org / @AstroKimCartier ) Veranika Klimovich ( @VeronikaSpace) Dr. R. Aileen Yingst is a Senior Scientist at the Planetary Science Institute, a research institution headquartered in Tucson, AZ. She is Principal Investigator for the Heimdall camera system being built for a … Continue reading “Weekly Space Hangout: October 23, 2019 – Aileen Yingst: Space Geologist” The post Weekly Space Hangout: October 23, 2019 – Aileen Yingst: Space Geologist appeared first on Universe Today. Universe Today Go to SourceRead More →

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A Private Company in China Plans to Launch Reusable Rockets by 2021 A Chinese company is planning to launch a rocket with a reusable booster in 2021. The company is called i-Space, and the rocket is called Hyperbola-2. They’ve already developed and launched another rocket, called Hyperbola. i-Space, not to be confused with the Japanese company ispace, showed Hyperbola-2 at the 2019 Zhongguancun Forum in Beijing. (Zhongguancun … Continue reading “A Private Company in China Plans to Launch Reusable Rockets by 2021” The post A Private Company in China Plans to Launch Reusable Rockets by 2021 appeared first on Universe Today. Universe Today Go toRead More →

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Boeing and Airstream Show off Their New Astronaut Transport Vehicle: the Astrovan II When it comes to brand recognition, Airstream‘s got game. Their silver, space-age looking travel trailers and touring coaches are iconic. Almost everyone recognizes their riveted aluminum bodies. Airstream has teamed up with Boeing to produce the Astrovan 2, a vehicle that will carry astronauts to the CST-100 Starliner’s launchpad at Cape Canaveral, Florida. It’s a … Continue reading “Boeing and Airstream Show off Their New Astronaut Transport Vehicle: the Astrovan II” The post Boeing and Airstream Show off Their New Astronaut Transport Vehicle: the Astrovan II appeared first on Universe Today. UniverseRead More →

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Elon Musk Tweets with Starlink. Services Could be Available Next Year. Starlink could be offering services by this time next year, and Musk just tested it by sending out the inaugural tweet (spoiler alert, it worked!) The post Elon Musk Tweets with Starlink. Services Could be Available Next Year. appeared first on Universe Today. Universe Today Go to SourceRead More →

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James Webb Tests its Sun-Shield. So Far, So Good. Rigorous testing is at the heart of any successful space mission. The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) will be a million miles away when it deploys its mission-critical sun-shield, and if it doesn’t function as planned, that’s it. Game over. The Webb is the most advanced space telescope ever built. It’s an infrared telescope, and … Continue reading “James Webb Tests its Sun-Shield. So Far, So Good.” The post James Webb Tests its Sun-Shield. So Far, So Good. appeared first on Universe Today. Universe Today Go to SourceRead More →

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First identification of a heavy element born from neutron star collision For the first time, a freshly made heavy element, strontium, has been detected in space, in the aftermath of a merger of two neutron stars. This finding was observed by ESO’s X-shooter spectrograph on the Very Large Telescope (VLT) and is published today in Nature. The detection confirms that the heavier elements in the Universe can form in neutron star mergers, providing a missing piece of the puzzle of chemical element formation. ESO News Feed Go to SourceRead More →

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Did an Ancient Supernova Force Humans to Walk Upright? A new study hints at a possible fascinating twist in human evolution. Did a chain of cosmic events triggered by a nearby ancient supernova force humans to walk upright? The study, out earlier this year, points to an unlikely source for modern human bipedal locomotion: the effect on our environment of a nearby supernova or … Continue reading “Did an Ancient Supernova Force Humans to Walk Upright?” The post Did an Ancient Supernova Force Humans to Walk Upright? appeared first on Universe Today. Universe Today Go to SourceRead More →

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Now that Many Countries Have the Ability to Destroy Satellites, the US is Figuring Out Ways to Make Them More Armored With all the advances made in anti-satellite technology, Sandia National Laboratories is seeking partnerships to develop satellites that can defend themselves The post Now that Many Countries Have the Ability to Destroy Satellites, the US is Figuring Out Ways to Make Them More Armored appeared first on Universe Today. Universe Today Go to SourceRead More →

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A NASA Panel Says We Don’t Need to be so Careful About Infecting Other Worlds It’s time to update the rules. That’s the conclusion of a panel that examined NASA’s rules for planetary protection. It was smart, at the dawn of the space age, to think about how we might inadvertently pollute other worlds with Earthly microbes as we explore the Solar System. But now that we know a lot … Continue reading “A NASA Panel Says We Don’t Need to be so Careful About Infecting Other Worlds” The post A NASA Panel Says We Don’t Need to be so Careful About Infecting Other WorldsRead More →

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Cosmic Yeti from the dawn of the universe found lurking in dust Astronomers accidentally discovered the footprints of a monster galaxy in the early universe that has never been seen before. Like a cosmic Yeti, the scientific community generally regarded these galaxies as folklore, given the lack of evidence of their existence, but astronomers in the United States and Australia managed to snap a picture of the beast for the first time. phys.org Go to SourceRead More →

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eROSITA delivers first striking images Astronomers are excited: The first images by the eROSITA telescope launched in July reveal an impressive performance. After an extended commissioning phase, all seven X-ray telescope modules with their custom-designed CCD cameras have been observing the sky simultaneously since 13 October. The first composite images show our neighboring galaxy, the Large Magellanic Cloud, and two interacting clusters of galaxies at a distance of about 800 million light years in remarkable detail. phys.org Go to SourceRead More →

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Mid-sized storms spotted on Saturn An international team of researchers has found that mid-sized storms form near Saturn’s northern pole. In their paper published in the journal Nature Astronomy, the group describes discovering four of the mid-sized storms near the planet’s northern polar region last year and their study of them. phys.org Go to SourceRead More →

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The ongoing search for habitable exoplanets A balmy Florida evening, and my family and I stood on Cocoa Beach, looking northward toward the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. We were part of a seaside crowd gathered to witness the launch of NASA’s Kepler Space Telescope. As the fireball appeared and slowly began to rise in the distance, we cheered with our fellow observers. About 30 seconds later, we felt the ground rumble and heard the deep roar, watching the Delta II rocket climb into the night sky and accelerate as it headed out over the ocean. phys.org Go to SourceRead More →

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SPT-CL J2106-5844 is the most massive high-redshift galaxy cluster, study finds Using data from the Hubble Space Telescope (HST), astronomers have conducted a detailed high-resolution study of a massive galaxy cluster known as SPT-CL J2106-5844. The research, presented in a paper published October 10 on arXiv.org, delivers precise mass determination of SPT-CL J2106-5844, finding that it is the most massive high-redshift galaxy cluster known to date. phys.org Go to SourceRead More →

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Time-lapse Captured from the International Space Station 400 photos. 11 minutes. That’s what it took to create this time-lapse of the Earth and stars as the International Space Station over Namibia toward the Red Sea. NASA astronaut Christina Koch captured these images. It’s obvious that the circular streaks in the sky are star-trails. But the lights on the ground have different sources. … Continue reading “Time-lapse Captured from the International Space Station” The post Time-lapse Captured from the International Space Station appeared first on Universe Today. Universe Today Go to SourceRead More →

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How Long is a Day on Venus? Astronomers Make Their Best Measurement Yet There’s a problem with Venus. We don’t know how fast it rotates. For a space-faring civilization like ours, that’s a problem. Measuring the length of day, or rotation rate, of most bodies is pretty straightforward. Mark a prominent surface feature and time how long it takes to rotate 360 degrees. But Venus is blanketed in … Continue reading “How Long is a Day on Venus? Astronomers Make Their Best Measurement Yet” The post How Long is a Day on Venus? Astronomers Make Their Best Measurement Yet appeared first on Universe Today. UniverseRead More →

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Astronomers investigate IRAS 09002-473 cluster, find hundreds of probable member stars Using NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory, astronomers from Pennsylvania State University (PSU) and the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) have investigated IRAS 09002-473, an embedded cluster of stars in the Vela Molecular Ridge. The study, presented in a paper published October 10 on arXiv.org, reveals more insights into the nature of this poorly studied cluster and identifies hundreds of its potential members. phys.org Go to SourceRead More →