New Orleans LA (SPX) Jan 11, 2024
In 1995, Swiss astronomers Michael Mayor and Didier Queloz announced the first discovery of a planet outside our solar system, orbiting a distant Sun-like star known as 51 Pegasi. Since then, more than 5500 so-called exoplanets have been found orbiting other stars in our galaxy, and in 2019 the two scientists shared a Nobel Prize in Physics for their pioneering work. This week, an international

Washington DC (SPX) Jan 11, 2024
A team of astronomers analyzed this system using data from NASA's TESS (Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite), which spots "transits," or instances where planets cross in front of their star as they orbit, blocking a tiny piece of the starlight. Two planets had already been previously discovered in this planetary system, so to see what else might be lurking in the star's orbit, the team took th

Boston MA (SPX) Jan 12, 2024
These four images represent a sample of galaxy clusters that are part of the largest and most complete study to learn what triggers stars to form in the universe's biggest galaxies. This research, made using NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory and other telescopes, showed that the conditions for stellar conception in these exceptionally massive galaxies have not changed over the last ten billion ye

Coventry UK (SPX) Jan 12, 2024
Astronomers have made the rare discovery of a small, cold exoplanet and its massive outer companion - shedding light on the formation of planets like Earth. The findings include a planet with radius and mass between that of the Earth and Neptune, with a potential orbit around its host star of 146 days. The star system also contains an outer, large companion, 100 times the mass of Jupiter.

Beijing (XNA) Jan 15, 2024
The Tianzhou 6 cargo spacecraft departed from the Tiangong space station on Friday afternoon and is set to return to Earth soon, according to the China Manned Space Agency. The agency said in a brief release that the robotic craft undocked from Tiangong at 4:12 pm and entered into the solo-flight mode. During the atmospheric reentry process guided by ground controllers, most of the s

Sydney, Australia (SPX) Jan 12, 2024
In a significant move to expand its satellite service offerings, MEASAT Global Berhad, Malaysia's leading satellite solutions provider, has entered into a strategic partnership with Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (SpaceX). As per the agreement finalized in December 2023, MEASAT has become the Official Authorised Reseller for SpaceX's Starlink Hardware and Services in the markets it serves.

Boulder CO (SPX) Jan 15, 2024
Scientists and engineers at the CU Boulder will soon take part in an effort to collect a bit of stardust-the tiny bits of matter that flow through the Milky Way Galaxy and were once the initial building blocks of our solar system. The pursuit is part of NASA's Interstellar Mapping and Acceleration Probe (IMAP) mission to explore our solar neighborhood-decoding the messages in particles fro

Madison WI (SPX) Jan 15, 2024
A team of astronomers have discovered a planet closer and younger than any other Earth-sized world yet identified. It's a remarkably hot world whose proximity to our own planet and to a star like our sun mark it as a unique opportunity to study how planets evolve. The new planet was described in a new study published this week by The Astronomical Journal. Melinda Soares-Furtado, a NASA Hub

Tempe AZ (SPX) Jan 15, 2024
What is the impact of extended space travel on the human body? Can space travel bring life-threatening extraterrestrial contaminants back to Earth? Do we spend money on space exploration and research when there are problems on Earth to solve? These questions and more will be tackled at an upcoming BioEthics Breakfast Club talk titled "Life in Space." The event takes place from 9 to 10 a.m.

Preston UK (SPX) Jan 15, 2024
The discovery of a second ultra-large structure in the remote universe has further challenged some of the basic assumptions about cosmology. The Big Ring on the Sky is 9.2 billion light-years from Earth. It has a diameter of about 1.3 billion light-years, and a circumference of about four billion light-years. If we could step outside and see it directly, the diameter of the Big Ring would