Universe Today (Page 404)

Astronomers Count all the Photons in the Universe. Spoiler Alert: 4,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 Photons Imagine yourself in a boat on a great ocean, the water stretching to the distant horizon, with the faintest hints of land just beyond that. It’s morning, just before dawn, and a dense fog has settled along the coast. As the chill grips you on your early watch, you catch out of the corner of … Continue reading “Astronomers Count all the Photons in the Universe. Spoiler Alert: 4,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 Photons” The post Astronomers Count all the Photons in the Universe. Spoiler Alert: 4,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 Photons appeared first on Universe Today. Universe Today Go toRead More →

Ice loss in Greenland is Accelerating The rate at which Greenland is losing its ice is accelerating. This unsurprising conclusion comes from a new study based on 25 years of satellite data from the European Space Agency. The new study was published in Earth and Planetary Science Letters. The study is called 25 years of elevation changes of the Greenland Ice … Continue reading “Ice loss in Greenland is Accelerating” The post Ice loss in Greenland is Accelerating appeared first on Universe Today. Universe Today Go to SourceRead More →

On the Astronomy Trail in Nebraska Most of us think of distant sites such as Death Valley, the Kalahari Desert or the Canary Islands when it comes to dark skies. And while it’s true that many observers are now traveling farther and farther away from home in search of truly dark skies, that trip need not be as far as you think. We had the opportunity to visit one such often overlooked dark sky gem: the state of Nebraska The post On the Astronomy Trail in Nebraska appeared first on Universe Today. Universe Today Go to SourceRead More →

New SPECULOOS Telescope Sees First Light. Soon it’ll be Seeing Habitable Planets Around Ultra-Cool Stars Our newest planet-hunting telescope is up and running at the ESO’s Paranal Observatory in the Atacama Desert in Chile. SPECULOOS, which stands for Planets EClipsing ULtra-cOOl Stars, is actually four 1-meter telescopes working together. The first images from the ‘scopes are in, and though it hasn’t found any other Earths yet, the images are still … Continue reading “New SPECULOOS Telescope Sees First Light. Soon it’ll be Seeing Habitable Planets Around Ultra-Cool Stars” The post New SPECULOOS Telescope Sees First Light. Soon it’ll be Seeing Habitable Planets Around Ultra-Cool StarsRead More →

Good News: a SpaceX Cargo Resupply is Off to the Space Station. Bad News: Failed Hydraulics in the Grid Fins Caused the First Stage Booster to Crash Into the Ocean SpaceX’s sixteenth Commercial Resupply Services mission (CRS-16) successfully launched a Dragon spacecraft to orbit, but the first stage didn’t quite stick the landing. The post Good News: a SpaceX Cargo Resupply is Off to the Space Station. Bad News: Failed Hydraulics in the Grid Fins Caused the First Stage Booster to Crash Into the Ocean appeared first on Universe Today. Universe Today Go to SourceRead More →

The Large Hadron Collider has been Shut Down, and Will Stay Down for Two Years While they Perform Major Upgrades The Large Hadron Collider (LHC) is getting a big boost to its performance. Unfortunately, for fans of ground-breaking physics, the whole thing has to be shut down for two years while the work is done. But once it’s back up and running, its enhanced capabilities will make it even more powerful. The essence of the … Continue reading “The Large Hadron Collider has been Shut Down, and Will Stay Down for Two Years While they Perform Major Upgrades” The post The Large Hadron Collider hasRead More →

Weekly Space Hangout: Dec 05, 2018: Dr. Pamela Gay talks CosmoQuest Hangoutathon! Hosts: Guest Host Dr. Pamela Gay (astronomycast.com / cosmoquest.org / @starstryder) Fraser Cain (universetoday.com / @fcain) Dr. Paul M. Sutter (pmsutter.com / @PaulMattSutter) Dr. Kimberly Cartier (KimberlyCartier.org / @AstroKimCartier ) Dr. Morgan Rehnberg (MorganRehnberg.com / @MorganRehnberg & ChartYourWorld.org) Dr. Pamela Gay will be back to promote the CosmoQuest Hangoutathon coming up on Dec 22-24, live … Continue reading “Weekly Space Hangout: Dec 05, 2018: Dr. Pamela Gay talks CosmoQuest Hangoutathon!” The post Weekly Space Hangout: Dec 05, 2018: Dr. Pamela Gay talks CosmoQuest Hangoutathon! appeared first on Universe Today. Universe Today Go toRead More →

Building Gas Stations and McMurdo Scale Outposts on the Moon When you go on a camping trip, when is it really tough? When are you really roughing it? It is really tough if there is no supply store and no facilities at the place you are going. If you have to bring everything with you in your car then that makes it tougher. If there … Continue reading “Building Gas Stations and McMurdo Scale Outposts on the Moon” The post Building Gas Stations and McMurdo Scale Outposts on the Moon appeared first on Universe Today. Universe Today Go to SourceRead More →

A Meteor may have Exploded in the Air 3,700 Years Ago, Obliterating Communities Near the Dead Sea A meteor that exploded in the air near the Dead Sea 3,700 years ago may have wiped out communities, killed tens of thousands of people, and provided the kernel of truth to an old Bible story. The area is in modern-day Jordan, in a 25 km wide circular plain called Middle Ghor. Most of the … Continue reading “A Meteor may have Exploded in the Air 3,700 Years Ago, Obliterating Communities Near the Dead Sea” The post A Meteor may have Exploded in the Air 3,700 Years Ago,Read More →

New Gravitational Waves Detected From Four More Black Hole Mergers. Total Detections up to 11 Now The LIGO and Virgo The post New Gravitational Waves Detected From Four More Black Hole Mergers. Total Detections up to 11 Now appeared first on Universe Today. Universe Today Go to SourceRead More →

Carnival of Space #589 It’s that time again! This week’s Carnival of Space is hosted by Pamela Hoffman at the Everyday Spacer blog. Click here to read Carnival of Space #589. And if you’re interested in looking back, here’s an archive to all the past Carnivals of Space. If you’ve got a space-related blog, you should really join the carnival. … Continue reading “Carnival of Space #589” The post Carnival of Space #589 appeared first on Universe Today. Universe Today Go to SourceRead More →

SpaceX Uses a Thrice-Launched Booster to Send 64 Satellites Into Space. Earlier today (Monday, Dec. 3rd), private aerospace giant SpaceX launched its Spaceflight SSO-A: SmallSat Express mission. The launch took place from Space Launch Complex 4E (SLC-4E) at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. Aboard the rocket were 64 spacecraft, consisting of microsatellites, cubesates, technology demonstrators and educational research endeavors. This mission was a milestones for … Continue reading “SpaceX Uses a Thrice-Launched Booster to Send 64 Satellites Into Space.” The post SpaceX Uses a Thrice-Launched Booster to Send 64 Satellites Into Space. appeared first on Universe Today. Universe Today Go to SourceRead More →

OSIRIS-REx has Finally Caught up with Asteroid Bennu. Let the Analysis and Sample Collection Commence! NASA’s OSIRIS-REx spacecraft has reached its destination and is now in orbit around asteroid Bennu. The spacecraft travelled for over two years and covered more than 2 billion kms. It will spend a year in orbit, surveying the surface of the Potentially Hazardous Object (PHO) before settling on a location for the key phase of … Continue reading “OSIRIS-REx has Finally Caught up with Asteroid Bennu. Let the Analysis and Sample Collection Commence!” The post OSIRIS-REx has Finally Caught up with Asteroid Bennu. Let the Analysis and Sample Collection Commence!Read More →

Astronomy Cast Ep. 508: 2018 Holiday Gift Guide We did it, we made it to the end of another year. Once again it’s time to wonder what gifts to get your beloved space nerds. We’ve got some suggestions. Some are brand new this year, others are classics that we just can’t help but continue to suggest. Let’s get into it. We usually record … Continue reading “Astronomy Cast Ep. 508: 2018 Holiday Gift Guide” The post Astronomy Cast Ep. 508: 2018 Holiday Gift Guide appeared first on Universe Today. Universe Today Go to SourceRead More →

Micrometeorite Damage Under the Microscope A new study by a team from MIT has shed light on the physical processes that take place when tiny particles (like micrometeorites) hit a surface while traveling at high speeds. The post Micrometeorite Damage Under the Microscope appeared first on Universe Today. Universe Today Go to SourceRead More →

Messier 73 – the NGC 6994 Star Cluster Located in the Aquarius constellation, some 2,500 light-years from Earth, is the four star cluster known as Messier 73 The post Messier 73 – the NGC 6994 Star Cluster appeared first on Universe Today. Universe Today Go to SourceRead More →

A New Atomic Clock has been Built that Would be off by Less than a Second Since the Big Bang Physicists have developed an atomic clock so accurate that it would be off by less than a single second in 14 billion years. That kind of accuracy and precision makes it more than just a timepiece. It’s a powerful scientific instrument that could measure gravitational waves, take the measure of the Earth’s gravitational shape, and … Continue reading “A New Atomic Clock has been Built that Would be off by Less than a Second Since the Big Bang” The post A New Atomic Clock hasRead More →

Prehistoric Cave Paintings Show That Ancient People Had Pretty Advanced Knowledge of Astronomy According to a new study that examined ancient cave paintings and archaeological sites, it appears that prehistoric humans had a greater understanding of astronomy than we thought. The post Prehistoric Cave Paintings Show That Ancient People Had Pretty Advanced Knowledge of Astronomy appeared first on Universe Today. Universe Today Go to SourceRead More →

Antibiotic Resistant Bacteria has been Found on the Space Station’s Toilet NASA keeps a close eye on the bacteria inhabiting the International Space Station with a program called the Microbial Observatory (M.O.) The ISS is home to a variety of microbes, some of which pose a threat to the health of astronauts. As part of their monitoring, the M.O. has discovered antibiotic resistant bacteria on the … Continue reading “Antibiotic Resistant Bacteria has been Found on the Space Station’s Toilet” The post Antibiotic Resistant Bacteria has been Found on the Space Station’s Toilet appeared first on Universe Today. Universe Today Go to SourceRead More →

A 2018 Outburst From the December Andromedids? A relatively obscure meteor shower may put on a surprise performance in early December 2018. Chances are, you’ve never heard of the Andromedids, though it’s worth keeping an eye out for these swift-moving meteors over the next week. The post A 2018 Outburst From the December Andromedids? appeared first on Universe Today. Universe Today Go to SourceRead More →