Tokyo, Japan (SPX) Oct 13, 2025
Observations with the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) have captured the motion of spiral structures in the disk of dust and gas surrounding the young star IM Lup, offering new evidence that these features are linked to the earliest stages of planet formation. Located 515 light-years away in the constellation Lupus, IM Lup's protoplanetary disk displays spirals that astr

Helsinki, Finland (SPX) Oct 13, 2025
Whether an asteroid spins smoothly or tumbles chaotically has now been linked to its history of collisions, according to new findings from ESA's Gaia mission presented at the EPSC-DPS2025 Joint Meeting. The research provides a method to probe asteroid interiors, an advance with major implications for planetary defense strategies. "By leveraging Gaia's unique dataset, advanced modelling and

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Friday the 13th of April 2029 will be our lucky day.

Apophis, a 375-metre-wide asteroid, will safely pass Earth at a distance of less than 32 000 kilometres. For a few hours, Apophis will be closer than satellites in geostationary orbit and visible to the naked eye from Europe and Africa.

Space agencies have sent a number of spacecraft to asteroids, but we have never had a mission at an asteroid as it sweeps past a planet. This grand natural experiment offers a unique opportunity to study in real time how an asteroid responds to a strong external force – and the European Space Agency aims to have a front-row seat.

To this end, ESA’s Space Safety Programme has proposed the Rapid Apophis Mission for Space Safety (Ramses). If approved, Ramses would launch a

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Oct 10, 2025
Momentus Inc. (NASDAQ: MNTS), the U.S. commercial space company specializing in in-space transportation and orbital services, has secured two new NASA contracts totaling $7.6 million to advance space-based manufacturing and propulsion technologies. The first award, a $5.1 million contract granted on September 26 through NASA's Flight Opportunities program, will support the Commercial Orbit

Sydney, Australia (SPX) Oct 10, 2025
Faraday Factory Japan LLC, a global leader in superconducting tape manufacturing, has partnered with New Zealand-based Zenno Astronautics to advance the development of next-generation high-temperature superconducting (HTS) magnets designed specifically for space use. Building on more than three decades of expertise in HTS materials science, Faraday Factory is tailoring superconducting mate

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Oct 10, 2025
Using a global network of telescopes, astronomers have detected the lowest-mass dark object yet found in the universe. Finding more such objects and understanding their nature could rule out some theories about the nature of dark matter, the mystery substance that makes up about a quarter of the universe. The work is described in two papers published Oct. 9 in Nature Astronomy and Monthly Notice

Berlin, Germany (SPX) Oct 10, 2025
For the first time, astronomers have produced a radio image revealing two black holes orbiting each other, confirming long-suspected black hole pairs. The system sits at the core of quasar OJ287, where a supermassive black hole powers an intensely bright galactic nucleus by feeding on surrounding gas and dust. An international team aligned space and ground radio telescopes to resolve two c

Paris, France (SPX) Oct 10, 2025
By fitting its sunshield and solar panels, engineers have completed the construction of Plato, the European Space Agency's mission to discover Earth-like exoplanets. Plato is on track for the final key tests to confirm that it is fit for launch. The activities to complete Plato started soon after the spacecraft arrived at ESA's Test Centre in the Netherlands. On 9 September, in a dedicated

Boston MA (SPX) Oct 10, 2025
Every time you check the time on your phone, make an online transaction, or use a navigation app, you are depending on the precision of atomic clocks. An atomic clock keeps time by relying on the "ticks" of atoms as they naturally oscillate at rock-steady frequencies. Today's atomic clocks operate by tracking cesium atoms, which tick over 10 billion times per second. Each of those ticks is

Tokyo, Japan (SPX) Oct 10, 2025
Scientists have long debated how much water Mars once held and how it faded to today's arid world. A new study in Geology mines "ice archives" preserved inside impact craters to reconstruct a climate history marked by multiple ice ages, each leaving progressively less ice behind. Led by Associate Professor Trishit Ruj of Okayama University, with colleagues Hanaya Okuda, Hitoshi Hasegawa, a