London, UK (SPX) Jan 13, 2022
An international team of researchers, led by postgraduate student Alexis Andres, has found that the black hole at the centre of our galaxy, Sagittarius A*, not only flares irregularly from day to day but also in the long term. The team analysed 15 years' worth of data to come to this conclusion. The research was initiated by Andres in 2019 when he was a summer student at the University of Amster

Montreal, Canada (SPX) Jan 13, 2022
The days of the U.S.-Soviet Space Race are over, and the domain of space exploration is expanding daily to include more countries than ever before. With the advent of private companies such as Elon Musk's SpaceX, which aim to reduce the costs of space transportation, expeditions into our extraterrestrial surroundings are no longer limited to just two contenders. Though it may seem like we

Zurich, Switzerland (SPX) Jan 13, 2022
Every living thing requires energy. This is also true of microorganisms. This energy is frequently generated in the cells by respiration, that is by the combustion of organic compounds, in other words: food. During this process, electrons are released which the microorganisms then need to get rid of. In the absence of oxygen, microorganisms can use other methods to do so, including transporting

Liverpool UK (SPX) Jan 13, 2022
Scientists have witnessed for the first time exactly what happens to the most massive stars at the end of their lives. Most very large stars explode in a fiery supernova explosion that leaves behind a neutron star in a process frequently witnessed by Earth's most powerful telescopes. But some - the most massive, 30 times the size of the Sun or more - are believed to undergo a less vi

Washington DC (SPX) Jan 13, 2022
Webb has begun the detailed process of fine-tuning its individual optics into one huge, precise telescope. Engineers first commanded actuators - 126 devices that will move and shape the primary mirror segments, and six devices that will position the secondary mirror - to verify that all are working as expected after launch. The team also commanded actuators that guide Webb's fine steering

Boston MA (SPX) Jan 13, 2022
The Earth sits in a 1,000-light-year-wide void surrounded by thousands of young stars - but how did those stars form? In a paper appearing in Nature, astronomers at the Center for Astrophysics | Harvard and Smithsonian (CfA) and the Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) reconstruct the evolutionary history of our galactic neighborhood, showing how a chain of events beginning 14 million

Hefei, China(SPX) Jan 13, 2022
A solar eclipse over the Arctic created changes in auroras in both of Earth's hemispheres due to connections through the planet's magnetic field, according to a new study. The new work could help scientists predict changes in the near-Earth environment that can interfere with satellite communication. On 10 June 2021, the moon's shadow darkened much of the Earth's northern polar region, pro

Denver-based startup Atomos Space announced Jan. 12 it has raised the $5 million it had first sought in 2020 to develop its space-tug business, following an investment from early-stage investor Cantos Ventures.

U.S. military satellite procurements and contracts for launch services have been put on hold and cannot move forward until Congress passes a full-year defense appropriations bill for fiscal year 2022.

SpaceNews

The Space Development Agency, created in 2019 as a separate entity under the Office of the Secretary of Defense, will be transferred to the U.S. Space Force in October, the agency’s director confirmed Jan.