In July 2017, a giant iceberg, named A-68, snapped off Antarctica’s Larsen-C ice shelf and began an epic journey across the Southern Ocean. Three and a half years later, the main part of iceberg, A-68A, drifted worryingly close to South Georgia. Concerns were that the berg would run aground in the shallow waters offshore. This would not only cause damage to the seafloor ecosystem but also make it difficult for island wildlife, such as penguins, to make their way to the sea to feed. Using measurements from satellites, scientists have charted how A-68A shrunk towards the end

Image: The Hunga-Tonga-Hunga-Ha'apai volcano near Tonga in the South Pacific erupted with such force on 15 January that it is thought to be the biggest eruption recorded anywhere on the planet in 30 years.

Washington DC (SPX) Jan 19, 2022
the Israel Missile Defense Organization (IMDO) of the Directorate of the Defense Research and Development (DDR and D) at Israel's Ministry of Defense, together with the U.S. Missile Defense Agency (MDA) and Israeli Defense Forces, conducted a successful flight test of the Arrow Weapon System (AWS) and the Arrow 3 interceptor at a test site in central Israel. AWS radars detected the target

Dalian (XNA) Jan 20, 2022
Who would ever have thought that technology used on China's largest carrier rocket would be used to improve the safety of skiers? Chinese scientists have developed a strong ski helmet with space technology originally used on the Long March-5 rocket, the country's heaviest launch vehicle and the carrier of Mars probe Tianwen-1. The helmet, designed by a team from the Dalian University

Baltimore MD (SPX) Jan 20, 2022
Spirals are some of the most captivating shapes in the universe. They appear in intricate seashells, carefully constructed spider webs, and even in the curls of ocean waves. Spirals on cosmic scales - as seen in galaxies - are even more arresting, not only for their beauty, but also for the overwhelming amount of information they contain. How do stars and star clusters form? Until recently, a co

Tempe AZ (SPX) Jan 20, 2022
Most galaxies, including our own, grow by accumulating new material and turning them into stars - that much is known. What has been unknown is where that new material comes from and how it flows into galaxies to create stars. In a recently published study, Arizona State University astronomer Sanchayeeta Borthakur has identified the faint fuel reservoirs that surround galaxies, and how this

Washington DC (UPI) Jan 19, 2021
NASA's James Webb telescope completed alignment all 18 of its primary mirror segments and the secondary mirror on Wednesday, the agency reported. NASA Administrator Bill Nelson shared the news, tipping his hat to the crew on Twitter. "Congratulations to the teams that have been working tirelessly since launch to get to this point. Soon, Webb will arrive at its new home, L2," wrot

San Antonio, TX (SPX) Jan 20, 2022
A Southwest Research Institute scientist set out to prove that the tiny, innermost moon of Saturn was a frozen inert satellite and instead discovered compelling evidence that Mimas has a liquid internal ocean. In the waning days of NASA's Cassini mission, the spacecraft identified a curious libration, or oscillation, in the moon's rotation, which often points to a geologically active body able t

Baltimore MD (SPX) Jan 20, 2022
Often portrayed as destructive monsters that hold light captive, black holes take on a less villainous role in the latest research from NASA's Hubble Space Telescope. A black hole at the heart of the dwarf galaxy Henize 2-10 is creating stars rather than gobbling them up. The black hole is apparently contributing to the firestorm of new star formation taking place in the galaxy. The dwarf galaxy

Greenbelt MD (SPX) Jan 20, 2022
Our initial plan was to conduct a MAHLI "dog's eye" imaging sequence on the beautiful Panari outcrop that we are parked before. During a dog's eye sequence, the rover's arm walks the MAHLI camera along a feature near ground level, just how your martian canine (obviously named "Rover") would see it. But, we had to move that to tomorrow's plan due to a couple issues that need resolving first