Discovery could dramatically narrow search for space creatures
Tuesday, 25 October 2022 11:05An Earth-like planet orbiting an M dwarf - the most common type of star in the universe - appears to have no atmosphere at all. This discovery could cause a major shift in the search for life on other planets. Because M-dwarfs are so ubiquitous, this discovery means a large number of planets orbiting these stars may also lack atmospheres and therefore are unlikely to harbor living things.
'Marshmallow' world orbiting a cool red dwarf star
Tuesday, 25 October 2022 11:05A gas giant exoplanet with the density of a marshmallow has been detected in orbit around a cool red dwarf star by a suite of instruments, including the NASA-funded NEID radial-velocity instrument on the WIYN 3.5-meter Telescope at Kitt Peak National Observatory, a Program of NSF's NOIRLab. The planet, named TOI-3757 b, is the fluffiest gas giant planet ever discovered around this type of star.
Using Webb Telescope to study supernovae as source of heavy elements in universe
Tuesday, 25 October 2022 11:05In 1980's popular book "Cosmos," Carl Sagan wrote of what makes us: "All the elements of the Earth except hydrogen and some helium have been cooked by a kind of stellar alchemy billions of years ago in stars, some of which are today inconspicuous white dwarfs on the other side of the Milky Way Galaxy. The nitrogen in our DNA, the calcium in our teeth, the iron in our blood, the carbon in our app
The most precise accounting yet of dark energy and dark matter
Tuesday, 25 October 2022 11:05Astrophysicists have performed a powerful new analysis that places the most precise limits yet on the composition and evolution of the universe. With this analysis, dubbed Pantheon+, cosmologists find themselves at a crossroads. Pantheon+ convincingly finds that the cosmos is composed of about two-thirds dark energy and one-third matter - mostly in the form of dark matter - and is expanding at a
SpaceX announces Starlink Internet service on airplanes
Tuesday, 25 October 2022 11:05SpaceX announced that its satellite internet service Starlink will be available on select airplanes beginning next year. Starlink Aviation will offer Internet speeds of up to 350 Mbps to each plane that is equipped with its Aero Terminal, which it says is fast enough for video calls, online gaming, "and other high data rate activities." "With Starlink, passengers will be able to
Ride into microgravity with a 'spy' amongst numerous experiments
Tuesday, 25 October 2022 11:05On 21 October 2022 at 09:25, the MAPHEUS 12 research rocket of the German Aerospace Center took off from the Esrange Space Center near Kiruna in northern Sweden. It reached an altitude of 260 kilometres before descending back to Earth on a parachute. On board for the first time were nerve cells. The goal is to understand how their electrical signals deviate in microgravity. The research te
Mapping planet Earth for better positioning: ESA's GENESIS mission
Tuesday, 25 October 2022 11:05ESA's Navigation Directorate is planning a new satellite whose results will enable the generation of an updated global model of Earth - the International Terrestrial Reference Frame, employed for everything from land surveying to measuring sea level rise - with an accuracy down to 1 mm, while tracking ground motion of just 0.1 mm per year. This improvement, at a stroke, will have a major impact
Methane-eating 'borgs' have been assimilating Earth's microbes
Tuesday, 25 October 2022 11:05In Star Trek, the Borg are a ruthless, hive-minded collective that assimilate other beings with the intent of taking over the galaxy. Here on nonfictional planet Earth, Borgs are DNA packages that could help humans fight climate change. Last year, a team led by Jill Banfield discovered DNA structures within a methane-consuming microbe called Methanoperedens that appear to supercharge the o
China’s spaceplane raises orbit and national funding
Tuesday, 25 October 2022 10:49A spaceplane launched by China in August has performed an orbit-raising maneuver and recently secured new funding to promote new modes of transportation.
Polaris Dawn crewed mission could suffer additional delays
Tuesday, 25 October 2022 10:05A billionaire-backed private astronaut mission on a SpaceX Crew Dragon has slipped from late this year to March 2023 and could be further delayed, in part for issues beyond its control.
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Ten years: Warsaw at night
Tuesday, 25 October 2022 09:21Webb explores a pair of merging galaxies
Tuesday, 25 October 2022 06:55From Rome to Cannes
Tuesday, 25 October 2022 05:45The Copernicus Sentinel-1C satellite is currently in Cannes undergoing a series of demanding tests in preparation for launch in 2023. The third member of the Sentinel-1 radar family, part of Europe’s Copernicus programme, will continue the critical task of delivering key radar imagery of Earth’s surface for a wide range of services and scientific applications.
Sending DNA-infused Space Crystals to the moon
Monday, 24 October 2022 20:58Space Crystals plans to send crystals grown in microgravity and infused with customer DNA to the moon next year.
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Final two Pléiades Neo imagery satellites land in French Guiana
Monday, 24 October 2022 20:44The last two high-resolution imaging satellites for Airbus Defence and Space’s Pléiades Neo constellation have arrived in French Guiana ahead of their launch next month.
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