Image: Black body experiment on Ariane 6 captures Pale Blue Dot

Paris, France (SPX) Jul 19, 2024
The latest addition to ESA's ESTEC technical center in the Netherlands, the Hertz 2.0 building, stands more than 22 meters high beside its neighboring sand dunes, but here is the view inside. Seen here being lined with steel plates that will serve to insulate it from external radio signals, this spacious test area will be employed to evaluate the performance of a new generation of bigger a

Sydney, Australia (SPX) Jul 19, 2024
China is gearing up to promote the extensive use of the BeiDou Navigation Satellite System by designating several pilot cities to highlight BeiDou's applications in mass consumption, manufacturing, and emerging sectors such as the Industrial Internet and Artificial Intelligence (AI), according to an announcement by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT). "The large-scal

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Jul 19, 2024
Maxar Intelligence, a leader in secure and precise geospatial intelligence, has released the first images captured by its next-generation WorldView Legion satellites. The first two of these satellites were launched from Vandenberg Space Force Base, California, on May 2, 2024. The 30 cm-class high-resolution images were gathered on July 16, 2024, showcasing the advanced capabilities of the

London, UK (SPX) Jul 19, 2024
Researchers have detected early signs of the Sun's next 11-year solar cycle, despite being only halfway through the current one. This discovery was made through the observation of sound waves within the Sun. Currently at its peak or 'solar maximum,' Cycle 25 has seen the Sun's magnetic field flip, causing an increase in sunspots, flares, and coronal mass ejections. These activities result

London, UK (SPX) Jul 19, 2024
Europe's upcoming space mission, a telescope designed to search for Earth-like planets beyond our solar system, is scheduled for launch at the end of 2026. The telescope, known as PLATO (PLAnetary Transits and Oscillations of stars), aims to find nearby potentially habitable planets around Sun-like stars for detailed examination. The spacecraft will be launched on Europe's new Ariane

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Jul 19, 2024
NASA's latest experiment indicates that if life exists in the oceans beneath the ice crusts of Europa and Enceladus, its organic molecules, such as amino acids and nucleic acids, could survive just beneath the surface ice. Despite the harsh radiation conditions, robotic landers may not need to dig deep to find these life signs. "Based on our experiments, the 'safe' sampling depth for amino

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Jul 18, 2024
Astronomers have identified a planet with the most elongated orbit ever detected among transiting planets. This exoplanet's highly stretched orbit provides new insights into the formation and evolution of close-in massive gas planets, also known as hot Jupiters. Remarkably, the exoplanet orbits its star in the opposite direction to the star's rotation. The study, led by Penn State research

Berlin, Germany (SPX) Jul 19, 2024
An international team of researchers, led by PD Dr. Florian Peissker, has identified signs of an intermediate-mass black hole while studying a star cluster near the supermassive black hole SgrA* (Sagittarius A*) at the center of our galaxy. Despite extensive research, only about ten intermediate-mass black holes have been discovered throughout the universe. These black holes, believed to h

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Jul 18, 2024
Astronomers using the WIYN 3.5-meter telescope at the U.S. National Science Foundation Kitt Peak National Observatory, a program of NSF NOIRLab, have found an exoplanet with a highly unusual orbit. This planet is on a trajectory to become a hot Jupiter and has one of the most elongated orbits of all known transiting exoplanets, as well as a reverse orbit around its star. This discovery sheds lig