Universe Today (Page 422)

Newborn Stars in the Orion Nebula Prevent Other Stars from Forming The Orion Nebula is one of the most observed and photographed objects in the night sky. At a distance of 1350 light years away, it’s the closest active star-forming region to Earth. This diffuse nebula is also known as M42, and has been studied intensely by astronomers for many years. From it, astronomers have learned … Continue reading “Newborn Stars in the Orion Nebula Prevent Other Stars from Forming” The post Newborn Stars in the Orion Nebula Prevent Other Stars from Forming appeared first on Universe Today. Universe Today Go to SourceRead More →

Uh oh, a Recent Study Suggests that Dark Energy’s Strength is Increasing Staring into the Darkness The expansion of our universe is accelerating. Every single day, the distances between galaxies grows ever greater. And what’s more, that expansion rate is getting faster and faster – that’s what it means to live in a universe with accelerated expansion. This strange phenomenon is called dark energy, and was first … Continue reading “Uh oh, a Recent Study Suggests that Dark Energy’s Strength is Increasing” The post Uh oh, a Recent Study Suggests that Dark Energy’s Strength is Increasing appeared first on Universe Today. Universe Today Go toRead More →

When Does the Sun Rise… Really? It’s strange but true… we may not fully understand one of the simplest metrics in observational astronomy: just what time does the Sun rise… really? The post When Does the Sun Rise… Really? appeared first on Universe Today. Universe Today Go to SourceRead More →

Weekly Space Hangout: Jan 30, 2019: Rod Pyle talks “Space 2.0” Hosts: Fraser Cain (universetoday.com / @fcain) Dr. Morgan Rehnberg (MorganRehnberg.com / @MorganRehnberg & ChartYourWorld.org) Tonight we welcome author Rod Pyle who will be discussing his new book, Space 2.0: How Private Spaceflight, a resurgent NASA, and International Partners Are Creating a New Space Age (BenBella Books, February 2019), written in collaboration with the National Space … Continue reading “Weekly Space Hangout: Jan 30, 2019: Rod Pyle talks “Space 2.0”” The post Weekly Space Hangout: Jan 30, 2019: Rod Pyle talks “Space 2.0” appeared first on Universe Today. Universe Today Go to SourceRead More →

Crew Dragon Rolls Out to the Launch Pad. Demo-1 Flight Should Happen Shortly The long-anticipated first flight of the SpaceX Crew Dragon is almost here. Early in January, the Crew Dragon was rolled out of its hangar at Kennedy Space Center, and on January 24th it performed a brief static firing as part of its testing. The Crew Dragon’s inaugural flight, called Demo-1, is not far off. Neither … Continue reading “Crew Dragon Rolls Out to the Launch Pad. Demo-1 Flight Should Happen Shortly” The post Crew Dragon Rolls Out to the Launch Pad. Demo-1 Flight Should Happen Shortly appeared first on Universe Today. UniverseRead More →

One of the Oldest Earth Rocks Turned up on the Moon, of all Places A recent study has determined that the oldest sample of Earth rock ever discovered (~4 billion years old) was actually found on the Moon. The post One of the Oldest Earth Rocks Turned up on the Moon, of all Places appeared first on Universe Today. Universe Today Go to SourceRead More →

Carnival of Space #596 This week’s Carnival of Space is hosted by Allen Versfeld at his Urban Astronomer blog. Click here to read Carnival of Space #596. 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. Just email an entry … Continue reading “Carnival of Space #596” The post Carnival of Space #596 appeared first on Universe Today. Universe Today Go to SourceRead More →

Tiny Object Found at the Edge of the Solar System for the First Time. A Kuiper Belt Object that’s Only 2.6 km Across The Kuiper Belt, or the Edgeworth-Kuiper Belt, is home to ancient rocks. Kuiper Belt Objects, or KBOs, are remnants of the early planet-formation days of our Solar System. Small KBOs, in the 1 km. diameter range, have been theorized about for decades, but nobody’s every found one. Until now. Planets form when bits of dust … Continue reading “Tiny Object Found at the Edge of the Solar System for the First Time. A Kuiper Belt Object that’s Only 2.6 km Across” TheRead More →

Astronomers are Continuing to Watch the Shockwaves Expand from Supernova SN1987A, as they Crash Into the Surrounding Interstellar Medium An international team of researchers was able to accurately measure the effect that a supernova shock wave had on the surrounding gas for the first time. The post Astronomers are Continuing to Watch the Shockwaves Expand from Supernova SN1987A, as they Crash Into the Surrounding Interstellar Medium appeared first on Universe Today. Universe Today Go to SourceRead More →

Without the Impact that Formed the Moon, We Might Not Have Life on Earth The Earth wasn’t formed containing the necessary chemicals for life to begin. One well-supported theory, called the “late veneer theory”, suggests that the volatile chemicals needed for life arrived long after the Earth formed, brought here by meteorites. But a new study challenges the late veneer theory. Evidence shows that the Moon was created when … Continue reading “Without the Impact that Formed the Moon, We Might Not Have Life on Earth” The post Without the Impact that Formed the Moon, We Might Not Have Life on Earth appeared first onRead More →

Here it is, the high resolution photo of MU69 We’ve all been waiting for. A newly-processed image of Ultima Thule provides the highest-resolution picture of the object to date. The post Here it is, the high resolution photo of MU69 We’ve all been waiting for. appeared first on Universe Today. Universe Today Go to SourceRead More →

Quasars with a Double-Image Gravitational Lens Could Help Finally Figure out how Fast the Universe is Expanding How fast is the Universe expanding? That’s a question that astronomers haven’t been able to answer accurately. They have a name for the expansion rate of the Universe: The Hubble Constant, or Hubble’s Law. But measurements keep coming up with different values, and astronomers have been debating back and forth on this issue for decades. … Continue reading “Quasars with a Double-Image Gravitational Lens Could Help Finally Figure out how Fast the Universe is Expanding” The post Quasars with a Double-Image Gravitational Lens Could Help Finally Figure outRead More →

What Would be the Benefits of an Interstellar Probe? A new study from the Initiative for Interstellar Studies outlines the benefits and requirements of sending a probe on an interstellar mission. The post What Would be the Benefits of an Interstellar Probe? appeared first on Universe Today. Universe Today Go to SourceRead More →

A Planetary Nebula Like This Will Only be Visible for About 10,000 Years Before it Fades Away For some stars, their last act is a final exhalation of gases, which we call a planetary nebula. While a living being’s last breath is closely followed by death, a star can continue to shine. And that shining illuminates the final exhalation of gases like a cosmic, diaphanous veil. Astronomers have captured one such planetary … Continue reading “A Planetary Nebula Like This Will Only be Visible for About 10,000 Years Before it Fades Away” The post A Planetary Nebula Like This Will Only be Visible for AboutRead More →

Blue Origin has Shown off a New Video of its New Glenn Rocket Design Blue Origin, the private aerospace company founded by multi-billionaire (and founder of Amazon) Jeff Bezos, is looking to make its presence felt in the rapidly expanding NewSpace industry. To this end, Blue Origin has spent years developing a fleet of reusable rockets that they hope will someday rival those of their greatest competitor, SpaceX. So … Continue reading “Blue Origin has Shown off a New Video of its New Glenn Rocket Design” The post Blue Origin has Shown off a New Video of its New Glenn Rocket Design appeared first onRead More →

One of Our Best Views of the Supermassive Black Hole at the Heart of the Milky Way An almost unimaginably enormous black hole is situated at the heart of the Milky Way. It’s called a Supermassive Black Hole (SMBH), and astronomers think that almost all massive galaxies have one at their center. But of course, nobody’s ever seen one (sort of, more on that later): It’s all based on evidence other than … Continue reading “One of Our Best Views of the Supermassive Black Hole at the Heart of the Milky Way” The post One of Our Best Views of the Supermassive Black Hole atRead More →

SpaceX Starhopper Damaged in High Winds Elon Musk indicates that the SpaceX Starhopper has been damaged after being toppled in 50 mile-per-hour winds. This will take a few weeks to repair. I just heard. 50 mph winds broke the mooring blocks late last night & fairing was blown over. Will take a few weeks to repair.— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 23, … Continue reading “SpaceX Starhopper Damaged in High Winds” The post SpaceX Starhopper Damaged in High Winds appeared first on Universe Today. Universe Today Go to SourceRead More →

Weekly Space Hangout: Jan 23, 2019: Marco Parigi, Asteroid/Comet Whisperer Hosts: Fraser Cain (universetoday.com / @fcain) Dr. Morgan Rehnberg (MorganRehnberg.com / @MorganRehnberg & ChartYourWorld.org) Marco is a self-declared Asteroid/Comet whisperer. He’s dabbled in citizen science for years, and he most recently flagged many changes on 67P when this was directly requested through the Rosetta Blog: http://blogs.esa.int/rosetta/2016/06/03/the-changing-comet-call-for-contributions/ He is currently working on finding evidence for out … Continue reading “Weekly Space Hangout: Jan 23, 2019: Marco Parigi, Asteroid/Comet Whisperer” The post Weekly Space Hangout: Jan 23, 2019: Marco Parigi, Asteroid/Comet Whisperer appeared first on Universe Today. Universe Today Go to SourceRead More →

A Disc of Icy Material, not Planet 9, Might Explain the Strange Movements in the Outer Solar System Is there or isn’t there a Planet 9? Is there a planet way out on the outskirts of our Solar System, with sufficient mass to explain the movements of distant objects? Or is a disc of icy material responsible? There’s no direct evidence yet of an actual Planet 9, but something with sufficient mass is … Continue reading “A Disc of Icy Material, not Planet 9, Might Explain the Strange Movements in the Outer Solar System” The post A Disc of Icy Material, not Planet 9, MightRead More →

Amazing Images From Sunday’s Total Lunar Eclipse as Observers Spy Impact Flash Wow. Sunday night’s total lunar eclipse offered an amazing view, and for a few astute observers, a little surprise. The only total lunar eclipse for 2019 was an amazing spectacle for the Americas late Sunday night on January 20th and early Monday morning on January 21st for Africa and Europe. Like millions of other observers, … Continue reading “Amazing Images From Sunday’s Total Lunar Eclipse as Observers Spy Impact Flash” The post Amazing Images From Sunday’s Total Lunar Eclipse as Observers Spy Impact Flash appeared first on Universe Today. Universe Today Go toRead More →