Universe Today (Page 383)

Sediments on Mars, Created By Blowing Wind or Flowing Water The HiRISE (High-Resolution Imaging Science Experiment) instrument on NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) has given us a steady stream of images of the Martian surface. It’s been in orbit around Mars since March 2006, and has greatly outlived its intended mission length. One of the latest Hi-PODs, or HiRISE Pictures of the Day, is this … Continue reading “Sediments on Mars, Created By Blowing Wind or Flowing Water” The post Sediments on Mars, Created By Blowing Wind or Flowing Water appeared first on Universe Today. Universe Today Go to SourceRead More →

Another Starship Success! Raptor Engine Fires for 4 Seconds and Nothing Explodes SpaceX has passed another milestone with their Starship prototype after the successful completion of a static fire test The post Another Starship Success! Raptor Engine Fires for 4 Seconds and Nothing Explodes appeared first on Universe Today. Universe Today Go to SourceRead More →

This “All Terminator” Image of the Moon isn’t Actually Possible to See. But it Sure is Beautiful “This moon might look a little funny to you, and that’s because it is an impossible scene,” wrote photographer Andrew McCarthy on Instagram. He was talking about his other-wordly, almost Shakesperean image of the Moon. And that’s because this is an ‘all-terminator’ image. The terminator is the line between light and dark—or day and night—on … Continue reading “This “All Terminator” Image of the Moon isn’t Actually Possible to See. But it Sure is Beautiful” The post This “All Terminator” Image of the Moon isn’t Actually Possible toRead More →

Time Travel Into The Future Is Totally Possible Believe it or not, time travel is possible. In fact, you’re doing it right now. Every single second of every single day you are advancing into your own future. You are literally moving through time, the same way you would move through space. It may seem pedantic, but it’s a very important point. Movement through … Continue reading “Time Travel Into The Future Is Totally Possible” The post Time Travel Into The Future Is Totally Possible appeared first on Universe Today. Universe Today Go to SourceRead More →

Better Tires to Drive on Mars A future rover on Mars may include shape-shifting capabilities. This innovative tech won’t quite be like the liquid-metal polymorphing robot from “Terminator 2,” but will solve a problem that have plagued previous rovers: wheel wear and tear. NASA’s Glenn Research Center is now using shape memory alloys (SMA) to build better wheels for driving on … Continue reading “Better Tires to Drive on Mars” The post Better Tires to Drive on Mars appeared first on Universe Today. Universe Today Go to SourceRead More →

NASA is Going to Try Manufacturing a Telescope Mirror in Space A process developed by NASA, which could be very useful for building telescopes in space, will soon be tested with an orbital launch. The post NASA is Going to Try Manufacturing a Telescope Mirror in Space appeared first on Universe Today. Universe Today Go to SourceRead More →

Perseverance Rover is Getting Tucked Into its Launch Fairing 70 days from now, the next launch window to Mars opens. That’s when NASA will launch their Perseverance Rover. New images from NASA show the advanced rover being put into the fairing, readying it for its long journey. Engineers are putting the rover and other components into the configuration they’ll be in when they’re launched … Continue reading “Perseverance Rover is Getting Tucked Into its Launch Fairing” The post Perseverance Rover is Getting Tucked Into its Launch Fairing appeared first on Universe Today. Universe Today Go to SourceRead More →

One Step Closer to Interstellar Travel. A Successful Microgravity Test of a Graphene Light Sail If we want to travel to the stars, we’re going to have to be creative. The answer might be light sails made of sheets of graphene. The post One Step Closer to Interstellar Travel. A Successful Microgravity Test of a Graphene Light Sail appeared first on Universe Today. Universe Today Go to SourceRead More →

Spacecraft and Ground Telescopes Work Together to Give us Stunning New Pictures of Jupiter It’s difficult to imagine the magnitude of storms on Jupiter. The gas giant’s most visible atmospheric feature, the Great Red Spot, may be getting smaller, but one hundred years ago, it was about 40,000 km (25,000 miles) in diameter, or three times Earth’s diameter. Jupiter’s atmosphere also features thunderheads that are five times taller than … Continue reading “Spacecraft and Ground Telescopes Work Together to Give us Stunning New Pictures of Jupiter” The post Spacecraft and Ground Telescopes Work Together to Give us Stunning New Pictures of Jupiter appeared first onRead More →

Lunar Gateway Could be Built With the Falcon Heavy NASA has announced that the Lunar Gateway could be launched in the coming years using the Falcon Heavy or another commercial provider. The post Lunar Gateway Could be Built With the Falcon Heavy appeared first on Universe Today. Universe Today Go to SourceRead More →

Newly Reprocessed Images of Europa Make This World Even More Interesting and Mysterious Jupiter’s moon Europa is the smoothest object in the Solar System. There are no mountains, very few craters, and no valleys. It’s tallest features are isolated massifs up to 500 meters (1640 ft) tall. But its surface is still of great interest, both visually and from a science perspective. And with a future mission to … Continue reading “Newly Reprocessed Images of Europa Make This World Even More Interesting and Mysterious” The post Newly Reprocessed Images of Europa Make This World Even More Interesting and Mysterious appeared first on Universe Today. UniverseRead More →

Closest Black Hole Found, Just 1,000 Light-Years From Earth Scientists with the ESO have detected a triple system with a black hole roughly 1,000 light-years from Earth – making it the closest ever observed. The post Closest Black Hole Found, Just 1,000 Light-Years From Earth appeared first on Universe Today. Universe Today Go to SourceRead More →

Space Force is Recruiting, Here’s their New Video The United States Space Force just released a recruitment video. If you’re looking for your purpose, and suspect it’s off-world, this is the service for you! The post Space Force is Recruiting, Here’s their New Video appeared first on Universe Today. Universe Today Go to SourceRead More →

A Cool Idea to Catch Up With an Interstellar Visitor Poor, dim-witted humanity. We used to think we were the center of everything. That wasn’t that long ago, and even though we’ve made tremendous advancements in our understanding of our situation here in space, we still have huge blind spots. For one, we’re only now waking up to the reality of interstellar objects passing through … Continue reading “A Cool Idea to Catch Up With an Interstellar Visitor” The post A Cool Idea to Catch Up With an Interstellar Visitor appeared first on Universe Today. Universe Today Go to SourceRead More →

Galaxies Like the Milky Way are the Best for Life A new study indicates that, contrary to what has been previously argued, galaxies like our own may be the most likely place to find intelligent life The post Galaxies Like the Milky Way are the Best for Life appeared first on Universe Today. Universe Today Go to SourceRead More →

New Data Show How Phytoplankton Pumps Carbon Out of the Atmosphere at an Enormous Scale One of the most fascinating things about planet Earth is the way that life shapes the Earth and the Earth shapes life. We only have to look back to the Great Oxygenation Event (GOE) of 2.4 billion years ago to see how lifeforms have shaped the Earth. In that event, phytoplanktons called cyanobacteria pumped the … Continue reading “New Data Show How Phytoplankton Pumps Carbon Out of the Atmosphere at an Enormous Scale” The post New Data Show How Phytoplankton Pumps Carbon Out of the Atmosphere at an Enormous ScaleRead More →

Review: Galileo and the Science Deniers by Mario Livio So, you think you know Galileo? A new book out from Simon and Schuster publishing looks at the life and times of one of the most famous astronomers there ever was: Galileo Galilei. Galileo and the Science Deniers by Dr. Mario Livio not only looks at the life and times of the famous astronomer Galileo, but busts some of the most famous myths surrounding Galileo, and looks at his greatest discoveries and tempestuous clash with the Roman Catholic Church and its aftermath. Livio also connects the science denialism of the day, with comparisons to modern clashesRead More →

When Did Mars Lose its Global Magnetic Field? New research using data from MAVEN shows that Mars had a magnetic field earlier and later in its history than previously thought. The post When Did Mars Lose its Global Magnetic Field? appeared first on Universe Today. Universe Today Go to SourceRead More →

More Pictures of Planet-Forming Disks Around Young Stars Astronomy is advancing to the point where we can see planets forming around young stars. This was an unthinkable development only a few years ago. In fact, it was only two years ago that astronomers captured the first image of a newly-forming planet. Now there are more and more studies into how planets form, including … Continue reading “More Pictures of Planet-Forming Disks Around Young Stars” The post More Pictures of Planet-Forming Disks Around Young Stars appeared first on Universe Today. Universe Today Go to SourceRead More →

A Fast Radio Burst Has Been Detected From Inside The Milky Way Fast radio bursts last for such a short time that it is difficult to track down the source. Now astronomers have found one in our own back yard. The post A Fast Radio Burst Has Been Detected From Inside The Milky Way appeared first on Universe Today. Universe Today Go to SourceRead More →