Tokyo (AFP) Aug 20, 2025
A flashing fireball dashed across the skies of western Japan, shocking residents and dazzling stargazers, though experts said it was a natural phenomenon and not an alien invasion. Videos and photos emerged online of the extremely bright ball of light visible for hundreds of kilometres shortly after 11:00 pm (1400 GMT) local time on Tuesday. "A white light I had never seen before cam

London, UK (SPX) Aug 21, 2025
A team of physicists is arguing that one of the biggest taboos in cosmology-asking what existed before the big bang-can now be approached using numerical relativity. In a new paper published in Living Reviews in Relativity, Eugene Lim of King's College London, together with Katy Clough of Queen Mary University of London and Josu Aurrekoetxea of Oxford University, describe how computer simulation

Minneapolis MN (SPX) Aug 21, 2025
Researchers at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities have made a groundbreaking discovery by observing and analyzing the first new type of plasma wave in Jupiter's aurora. This research helps us understand "alien aurora" on other planets, which in turn teaches us more about how Earth's magnetic field protects us from the sun's harmful radiation. The research is published in Physical Revi

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Aug 21, 2025
The dwarf planet is cold now, but new research paints a picture of Ceres hosting a deep, long-lived energy source that may have maintained habitable conditions in the past. New NASA research has found that Ceres may have had a lasting source of chemical energy: the right types of molecules needed to fuel some microbial metabolisms. Although there is no evidence that microorganisms ever exi

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Aug 21, 2025
Astrobotic reported that its LunaGrid-Lite mission has cleared Critical Design Review (CDR) and has begun building flight hardware, moving the project closer to a planned 2026 demonstration of lunar surface power transmission. The mission will deploy 500 meters of lightweight cable across the Moon and deliver one kilowatt of power using an Astrobotic CubeRover. "This milestone signals the

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Aug 21, 2025
Approximately 4.6 billion years ago our solar system formed from a huge disk of gas and dust orbiting our Sun. The asteroids we see today are some of the most complete artifacts of this formation left for us to observe, like the screws, offcuts, and other debris leftover at a construction site. Scientists can study these floating time capsules and examine their composition, shape, and surface ma

Sydney, Australia (SPX) Aug 21, 2025
Space Machines Company has announced the completion of its in-house Scintilla propulsion engine, designed to power the Optimus Viper platform for rapid orbital manoeuvring and space domain awareness. The engine has achieved 65-second sustained burns, more than 1,200 seconds of cumulative testing, and 40 restarts to date. The metal 3D-printed thruster delivers 50 Newtons of thrust at 92 per

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Aug 21, 2025
For many homeowners, installing solar panels is one of the best ways to cut energy bills, reduce reliance on fossil fuels, and add long-term value to a property. But if you've already invested in solar, you might be wondering how to get the most out of it. That's where energy storage comes in. By pairing solar panels with a smart battery system, you can take control of your power use, save even

Manchester UK (SPX) Aug 21, 2025
For the first time, scientists have directly tracked the slow transformation of a dying star over more than a century - revealing it is heating up faster than any other typical star ever observed. The research, published in The Astrophysical Journal Letters, tracks 130 years of changes in the "spirograph" Planetary Nebula IC418 - a glowing shell of gas and dust cast off by a dying star abo

Evanston IL (SPX) Aug 21, 2025
An international team of scientists, led by Northwestern University astrophysicists, has detected a never-before-seen type of exploding star, or supernova, that is rich with silicon, sulfur and argon. When massive stars explode, astrophysicists typically find strong signatures of light elements, such as hydrogen and helium. But the newly discovered supernova, dubbed SN2021yfj, displayed a