London, UK (SPX) Jul 20, 2021
The final stage of cataclysmic explosions of dying massive stars, called supernovae, could pack an up to six times bigger punch on the surrounding interstellar gas with the help of cosmic rays, according to a new study led by researchers at the University of Oxford. The work will be presented by PhD student Francisco Rodriguez Montero today (19 July) at the virtual National Astronomy Meeting (NA

London, UK (SPX) Jul 20, 2021
New models of neutron stars show that their tallest mountains may be only fractions of millimetres high, due to the huge gravity on the ultra-dense objects. The research is presented today at the National Astronomy Meeting 2021. Neutron stars are some of the densest objects in the Universe: they weigh about as much as the Sun, yet measure only around 10km across, similar in size to a large

Moscow, Russia (SPX) Jul 20, 2021
Scientists from the University of Graz, Kanzelhohe Observatory, Skoltech, and the World Data Center SILSO at the Royal Observatory of Belgium, have presented the Catalogue of Hemispheric Sunspot Numbers. It will enable more accurate predictions of the solar cycle and space weather, which can affect human-made infrastructure both on Earth and in orbit. The study came out in the Astronomy and Astr

London, UK (SPX) Jul 20, 2021
Black holes with masses equivalent to millions of suns do put a brake on the birth of new stars, say astronomers. Using machine learning and three state of the art simulations to back up results from a large sky survey, the researchers resolve a 20-year long debate on the formation of stars. Joanna Piotrowska, a PhD student at the University of Cambridge, will present the new work today (Tuesday

San Antonio TX (SPX) Jul 20, 2021
NASA has funded Southwest Research Institute's Environmental Analysis of the Bounded Lunar Exosphere (ENABLE) project, which aims to return mass spectrometry to the lunar surface. The three-year, $2.18 million program seeks to adapt a commercial off-the-shelf mass spectrometer into a design to identify materials present on the Moon. Mass spectrometry is an analytic technique that identifie

Washington (AFP) July 20, 2021
The wealthiest man on the planet Jeff Bezos will ride his own rocket to outer space on Tuesday, a key moment for a fledgling industry seeking to make the final frontier accessible to elite tourists. Blue Origin has planned its first crewed mission, an 11-minute hop from west Texas to beyond the Karman line and back again, to coincide with the 52nd anniversary of the first Moon landing. V

Xichang (XNA) Jul 20, 2021
China launched a Long March 2C carrier rocket on Monday morning at the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in Sichuan province to place four satellites into space. The rocket blasted off at 8:19 am and deployed three Yaogan 30-series remote-sensing satellites as well as a micro communication satellite into their orbits, said the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corp, the country's leadin

Beijing (XNA) Jul 20, 2021
China's reusable aerospace plane, which was tested on Friday, offers great potential in a wide range of businesses, according to industry observers. "It will be able to do many different things: space tourism, transporting astronauts, satellite deployment, cargo transportation and emergency rescues," said Wang Yanan, editor-in-chief of Aerospace Knowledge magazine. "Compared to rocke

Boston MA (SPX) Jul 20, 2021
When the Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 spacecraft launched in 1977, they each carried a Golden Record, a special project spearheaded by astrophysicist Carl Sagan, in addition to the scientific instruments necessary for their mission to explore the outer reaches of our solar system. Part time capsule, part symbolic ambassador of goodwill, the Golden Record comprises sounds, images, music, and greetings

Washington DC (UPI) Jul 19, 2021
Jeff Bezos, the man who made e-commerce the "economy's new frontier," plans to fly into space Tuesday in an effort to make tourism far above the Earth the new frontier. Time magazine recognized Bezos as "Person of the Year" in 1999 for his founding of the Amazon retail website, saying, "Some people must be genetically predisposed to explore the frontiers." Bezos has grown into on