The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) has requested funding to participate in the European Space Agency’s (ESA) Rapid Apophis Mission for Space Safety (Ramses).

Image: This Copernicus Sentinel-3 image shows high concentrations of chlorophyll in yellow-green along the coastline of South Australia, near Adelaide. Chlorophyll-a is a key indicator of the presence of algae in the ocean.

Tokyo, Japan (SPX) Aug 22, 2025
In the race to improve autonomous systems, researchers in China have unveiled a new algorithm that accelerates navigation while maintaining precision. Called Optimized iSAM-Factor Graph Optimization (OiSAM-FGO), the method halves processing times compared with leading benchmarks yet delivers accuracy equal to state-of-the-art solutions. Traditional navigation tools face persistent trade-of

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Aug 26, 2025
Researchers led by Northwestern University and the Weizmann Institute of Science have identified a rare type of supernova that exposes the hidden inner layers of a massive star, revealing where heavy elements such as silicon and sulfur are produced. The discovery centers on SN2021yfj, a stellar explosion detected in September 2021 by the Zwicky Transient Facility. Unlike most observed supe

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Aug 26, 2025
Scientists have developed a new technique to chart the star spots of distant suns using data from NASA's TESS and Kepler missions. The method, called StarryStarryProcess, builds on long-standing models of stellar spottiness and enhances how astronomers interpret transit light curves produced when planets cross their host stars. Lead researcher Sabina Sagynbayeva of Stony Brook University e

Santa Cruz CA (SPX) Aug 26, 2025
For astrobiologists, the search for life beyond our solar system could be likened to where one would look in a vast desert-essentially, where there's water. And it turns out that one of the most common types of exoplanet observed in planetary systems beyond ours have a size and mass that indicate a water-rich interior. They are categorized as "sub-Neptunes" because their size and mass are betwee

West Lafayette IN (SPX) Aug 26, 2025
New results from OSIRIS-REx, NASA's first asteroid sample return mission, reveals why some gray asteroids reflect light at different wavelengths, like red or blue, more strongly. How these asteroids reflect light at red and blue wavelengths can give deeper insights into the evolution of rocky bodies in the solar system. It also enables future research. By having a better understanding and

Flagstaff AZ (SPX) Aug 26, 2025
A team of astronomers led by Dr. Phil Massey of Lowell Observatory has taken the sharpest look yet at one of the heaviest pairs of stars in our galaxy, known as NGC 3603-A1. Using previously unpublished archival data from the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) and new, precisely timed observations, the team measured the properties of this extraordinary system at a level never before achieved. The stud

Washington DC (SPX) Aug 26, 2025
NASA's James Webb Space Telescope has captured new data on interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS using its Near-Infrared Spectrograph during observations on August 6. Researchers are now analyzing the results, with a preprint already available for review. The Webb observations add to efforts by other NASA missions. The Hubble Space Telescope and the newly launched SPHEREx mission are also gathering