Paris (AFP) Oct 1, 2024
A rare exoplanet smaller than Earth has been discovered orbiting one of the closest stars to the Sun, although its surface is far too hot to sustain life, astronomers said on Tuesday. The planet orbits Barnard's Star, which is just six light years away, according to observations made over five years by the Very Large Telescope in the Chilean desert. The astronomers were looking for plan

Puerto San Julian, Argentina (AFP) Oct 2, 2024
An annual solar eclipse will create a rare "ring of fire" phenomenon visible in parts of South America on Wednesday. A "ring of fire" occurs when the Moon lines up between the Sun and the Earth to create a solar eclipse but does not block out the Sun's light entirely. This year, the Moon will be further from the Earth than usual, so those in parts of Chile and Argentina will be able to w

Washington DC (SPX) Sep 26, 2024
NASA's TBIRD (TeraByte InfraRed Delivery) demonstration and its host spacecraft - the PTD-3 (Pathfinder Technology Demonstrator-3) - have completed their technology demonstration. The TBIRD payload spent the past two years breaking world records for the fastest satellite downlink from space using laser communications. NASA's PTD series leverages a common commercial spacecraft to provide a

This September saw the completion of a critical milestone for the construction of ESA's new deep space communication antenna in New Norcia, Australia: the lifting of the 122-tonne reflector dish.