Space & Spaceflight

Here’s How Spacecraft Dashboards Evolved, and Where They’re Headed

When you drive, the second most important thing you should keep your eyes on is the dashboard of your car (the first thing being the road). In space, however, it’s the controls that are the most essential for navigating and operating your spacecraft. From Gagarin to Scott Kelly, here’s a brief visual history of the…

Space & Spaceflight Attila Nagy

A Mysterious Object From Earth’s Distant Past Has Returned

A first-of-its-kind space rock filled with pristine material from the formation of the Earth itself has returned to the inner solar system, after billions of years in the cosmic boondocks. And it could help us piece together our planet’s origin story. Four and a half billion years ago, chunks of the same material that formed…

Space & Spaceflight Maddie Stone

Stunning Image of the Arctic Is the First Back From Europe’s Latest Satellite

The European Space Agency launched its latest satellite at the start of the week, and it’s already beaming back beautiful images like this one. The Sentinel-1B satellite was launched aboard a Soyuz rocket from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana on April 25th. Once in orbit, it had to unfurl a 40-foot radar system and a…

Space & Spaceflight Jamie Condliffe

SpaceX Has Finally Won a National Security Contract

SpaceX has been making good money sending all sorts of non-classified things into space, and has also been making some fantastic highlight reels of the crashes on return. But things have taken a turn for the serious now that SpaceX has won its first contract for a military launch. The $82.7 million contract to send…

Space & Spaceflight Chris Mills

We Finally Know What Happened to Japan’s Lost Black Hole Satellite [UPDATED]

After a full month spinning out of control in space, Japan’s Space Agency has finally figured out how it lost control of Hitomi, a very expensive satellite that was hunting for black holes. This also means the agency will never get it back. JAXA announced today that it has exhausted all efforts at getting Hitomi…

Space & Spaceflight Ria Misra

Distant Dwarf Planet Makemake Has Its Very Own Moon

Researchers working with the Hubble Space Telescope have discovered a moon in orbit around Makemake, a distant minor-planet that’s about two-thirds the size of Pluto. Discovered in 2005, Makemake (pronounced mak-eh, mak-eh) is one of the brightest and largest objects in the Kuiper Belt. It’s one of several large trans-Neptunian objects (TNOs) known to astronomers,…

Space & Spaceflight George Dvorsky

The Delayed Rocket Launch That Really Pissed Off Putin

Russia has successfully launched the first rocket from its brand new Vostochny cosmodrome. But Vladimir Putin, who’d flown 3,400 miles to watch the spectacle, was far from happy about the 24 hour delay he had to endure. The unmanned Soyuz 2.1a rocket took three satellites with it into space. Originally scheduled for launch on Wednesday,…

Space & Spaceflight Jamie Condliffe

Watch a Mysterious Green Object Soar Over Southern California

Countless people reported seeing a strange green orb tear across the southern California sky last night. And as shown in a recent YouTube upload—complete with a perfect soundtrack—it looked spectacular. Some concluded aliens were behind the impromptu light show, the above dash cam footage shows the source is almost surely a meteor. This explanation seems…

Space & Spaceflight Darren Orf

This Futuristic Ion Thruster Will Take a Mission to Mercury

The very name of the T6 ion thruster sounds like something from sci-fi. But it’s very real, and this little engine will be one of four that take the European Space Agency’s BepiColombo spacecraft to Mercury. The device measures just 11 inches in diameter and was designed for the ESA by UK-based Qinetiq. Most thrusters…

Space & Spaceflight Jamie Condliffe

Saturn’s Moon Titan Is Looking Even More Earth-Like

The Cassini mission is sending us better and better data and images of just what’s happening on the surface of Saturn’s moon Titan. And it’s beginning to look awfully familiar… The latest data NASA researchers have been pouring over shows new details about the strange lakes and seas that trickle across Saturn’s frigid moon, Titan.…

Space & Spaceflight Ria Misra

Why on Earth Are Saturn’s Rings Crossing Each Other?

If this feels like an optical illusion, your Saturn sense is dead on. The gas giant’s rings don’t crisscross at 90 degree angles. They do, however, cast shadows, a fact which the latest shot from the Cassini spacecraft illustrates beautifully. Cassini took this image on February 11th 2016, while gazing toward the sunlit side of…

Space & Spaceflight Maddie Stone

New ‘Image Enhance’ Lets Satellites See 2-Inch Objects on Mars

Researchers have developed an image enhancement technique that allows them to boost the resolution of satellite images, revealing unprecedented levels of detail on Mars. The team from University College London call the tool Super-Resolution Restoration. It takes multiple images of the same spot, stacks them on top of each other, and matches them to enhance…

Space & Spaceflight Jamie Condliffe

A Dozen Black Holes Are Mysteriously Spewing Energy In the Same Direction

Something strange is going on in a distant corner of our universe. About a dozen supermassive black holes are all shooting enormous jets of energy in roughly the same direction. It could be a cosmic coincidence—but some astronomers suspect there are larger forces at play. Supermassive black holes, which are found at the center of…

Space & Spaceflight Maddie Stone

Researchers Discover Ancient Observations of a 1006 AD Supernova

Ancient astronomers have long been providing observations of supernovae, such as SN 185 by Chinese astronomers in 185 AD, SN 1054, which produced the Crab Nebula, and SN 1006, the brightest stellar event ever recorded. Now, a new paper has uncovered a new observation of the 1006 event. A trio of German astronomers uncovered a…

Space & Spaceflight Andrew Liptak

Tomorrow, Astronaut Tim Peake Will Run The London Marathon Onboard The ISS

Here’s a way to keep in shape while in space: run a marathon. That’s what UK Astronaut Tim Peake will be doing tomorrow as he orbits above the Earth on the International Space Station. Peake, due to return home in June, will be running on one of the ISS’s treadmills. He’ll start at the same…

Space & Spaceflight Andrew Liptak

The Kepler Space Telescope Is Alive Again After Scaring the Hell Out of Everyone

After causing a minor panic when it went into Emergency Mode two weeks ago, the Kepler Space Telescope is back to doing science. As of 11:30 ET today, it’s continuing the search for planets beyond our solar system. Kepler is the most productive exoplanet-hunting machine humans have ever built, but it also has a history…

Space & Spaceflight Maddie Stone

How to Watch Tonight’s Lyrid Meteor Shower

The Lyrid meteor shower is tonight and—even though there’s going to be some obstacles to navigate—it’s still a spectacle you shouldn’t miss. Here’s how, when, and where to watch tonight’s Lyrids. The Lyrids are a spring meteor shower made up of debris from Comet Thatcher falling (dramatically!) through our atmosphere. Although the meteors themselves are…

Space & Spaceflight Ria Misra

Breathtaking Visualization of the Universe Will Make You Feel Like an Ant

On the grandest scale, our universe is a network of galaxies tied together by the force of gravity. Cosmic Web, a new effort led by cosmologists and designers at Northeastern’s Center for Complex Network Research, offers a roadmap toward understanding how all of those tremendous clusters of stars connect—and the visualizations are stunning. The images…

Space & Spaceflight Maddie Stone

NASA Celebrates Hubble’s 26th Birthday With Some Spectacular New Space Porn

What better way to celebrate Hubble’s 26th birthday than by releasing a gorgeous new photo taken by the intrepid space telescope. Behold the Bubble Nebula, a massive expanse of gas and dust located 8,000 light-years from Earth. The Hubble Space Telescope was deployed to Low Earth Orbit on April 25, 1990 by the Space Shuttle…

Space & Spaceflight George Dvorsky

The Ghost of a Long-Dead Star Still Haunts Our Solar System

A few million years ago, humans’ ancestors might have gazed in wonder at a strange, brilliant blue spot in the night sky. It was the aftermath of an epic stellar explosion, maybe two. Had these supernovae occurred a little closer to home, life on Earth would have been toast. Obviously, things didn’t go down that…

Space & Spaceflight Maddie Stone

Here’s How Spacecraft Dashboards Evolved, and Where They’re Headed

A Mysterious Object From Earth’s Distant Past Has Returned

Stunning Image of the Arctic Is the First Back From Europe’s Latest Satellite

SpaceX Has Finally Won a National Security Contract

We Finally Know What Happened to Japan’s Lost Black Hole Satellite [UPDATED]

Distant Dwarf Planet Makemake Has Its Very Own Moon

The Delayed Rocket Launch That Really Pissed Off Putin

Watch a Mysterious Green Object Soar Over Southern California

This Futuristic Ion Thruster Will Take a Mission to Mercury

Saturn’s Moon Titan Is Looking Even More Earth-Like

Why on Earth Are Saturn’s Rings Crossing Each Other?

New ‘Image Enhance’ Lets Satellites See 2-Inch Objects on Mars

A Dozen Black Holes Are Mysteriously Spewing Energy In the Same Direction

Researchers Discover Ancient Observations of a 1006 AD Supernova

Tomorrow, Astronaut Tim Peake Will Run The London Marathon Onboard The ISS

The Kepler Space Telescope Is Alive Again After Scaring the Hell Out of Everyone

How to Watch Tonight’s Lyrid Meteor Shower

Breathtaking Visualization of the Universe Will Make You Feel Like an Ant

NASA Celebrates Hubble’s 26th Birthday With Some Spectacular New Space Porn

The Ghost of a Long-Dead Star Still Haunts Our Solar System

Even the ‘Avatar’ Fighting Game Is Disrespecting ‘Legend of Korra’

Bluesky Has a New App, and It’s All About AI

Dammit, Jim, He’s a Doctor And an Action Figure!

Whatever Just Happened with ‘Fruit Love Island,’ Nobody Won

AMC Puts a Stake in ‘Talamasca’ After One Season

Aqara Smart Lock U400 Review: Hands-free Unlocking at Its Best

2027 Is Shaping Up to Be a Great Year for Big Sci-Fi RPGs

MSI Prestige 14 Flip AI+ Review: A Solid 2-in-1 Laptop With Some Glaring Flaws

Sonos Play Review: Call It a Comeback

Sonos Era 100 SL Review: The Cheapest Way Into Wired Sonos Sound

Asus ROG’s Massive Swift OLED Gaming Monitor Epitomizes Excess in the Best Way

The Ikea Varmblixt Smart Lamp Fills a Donut Hole in My Life

Nothing Headphone A vs. Headphone 1: Which Pair of ANC Wireless Headphones Wins?

Asus ROG’s Cetra Open Wireless Gaming Earbuds Might Be Better Than Wearing a Headset

Nintendo’s Talking Flower Is Annoying as Hell. I Love It

Level Lock Pro Review: As Good as a Secret Smart Lock Gets

Let us help find what you are looking for...

Space & Spaceflight

Here’s How Spacecraft Dashboards Evolved, and Where They’re Headed

A Mysterious Object From Earth’s Distant Past Has Returned

Stunning Image of the Arctic Is the First Back From Europe’s Latest Satellite

SpaceX Has Finally Won a National Security Contract

We Finally Know What Happened to Japan’s Lost Black Hole Satellite [UPDATED]

Distant Dwarf Planet Makemake Has Its Very Own Moon

The Delayed Rocket Launch That Really Pissed Off Putin

Watch a Mysterious Green Object Soar Over Southern California

This Futuristic Ion Thruster Will Take a Mission to Mercury

Saturn’s Moon Titan Is Looking Even More Earth-Like

Why on Earth Are Saturn’s Rings Crossing Each Other?

New ‘Image Enhance’ Lets Satellites See 2-Inch Objects on Mars

A Dozen Black Holes Are Mysteriously Spewing Energy In the Same Direction

Researchers Discover Ancient Observations of a 1006 AD Supernova

Tomorrow, Astronaut Tim Peake Will Run The London Marathon Onboard The ISS

The Kepler Space Telescope Is Alive Again After Scaring the Hell Out of Everyone

How to Watch Tonight’s Lyrid Meteor Shower

Breathtaking Visualization of the Universe Will Make You Feel Like an Ant

NASA Celebrates Hubble’s 26th Birthday With Some Spectacular New Space Porn

The Ghost of a Long-Dead Star Still Haunts Our Solar System

Even the ‘Avatar’ Fighting Game Is Disrespecting ‘Legend of Korra’

Bluesky Has a New App, and It’s All About AI

Dammit, Jim, He’s a Doctor *And* an Action Figure!

Whatever Just Happened with ‘Fruit Love Island,’ Nobody Won

AMC Puts a Stake in ‘Talamasca’ After One Season

Aqara Smart Lock U400 Review: Hands-free Unlocking at Its Best

2027 Is Shaping Up to Be a Great Year for Big Sci-Fi RPGs

MSI Prestige 14 Flip AI+ Review: A Solid 2-in-1 Laptop With Some Glaring Flaws

Sonos Play Review: Call It a Comeback

Sonos Era 100 SL Review: The Cheapest Way Into Wired Sonos Sound

Asus ROG’s Massive Swift OLED Gaming Monitor Epitomizes Excess in the Best Way

The Ikea Varmblixt Smart Lamp Fills a Donut Hole in My Life

Nothing Headphone A vs. Headphone 1: Which Pair of ANC Wireless Headphones Wins?

Asus ROG’s Cetra Open Wireless Gaming Earbuds Might Be Better Than Wearing a Headset

Nintendo’s Talking Flower Is Annoying as Hell. I Love It

Level Lock Pro Review: As Good as a Secret Smart Lock Gets

Let us help find what you are looking for...

Dammit, Jim, He’s a Doctor And an Action Figure!