Astronomy

A Powerful New Telescope Is About to Get Screwed by Elon Musk’s Starlink Constellation, Research Suggests

As astronomers eagerly await the opening of the Vera C. Rubin Observatory in Chile, anxious operators have run tests to see how well the system might work when low Earth orbit is cluttered with satellite megaconstellations, similar to the one being built by SpaceX. Unsurprisingly, the results were not good. New research from the Rubin…

Space & Spaceflight George Dvorsky

It Could Rain Iron on This Hellish Exoplanet

Don’t forget to bring your sturdiest umbrella when you travel to the extra-hot planet WASP-76b, where it may literally rain molten iron. Hot Jupiters represent some of the galaxy’s most hellish worlds, giving scientists clues into the diverse planetary climates and atmospheric chemistry that can come about in extreme conditions. A new analysis of the…

Space & Spaceflight Ryan F. Mandelbaum

A Typical Neutron Star Is Only 13.6 Miles Wide, According to New Ultra-Precise Measurement

A typical neutron star measures 22 kilometers (13.6 miles) wide, according to new research. It’s the most accurate measurement yet of these highly compact, super-dense objects. If black holes are the most extreme phenomena in the universe, then neutron stars have to be a close second (unless quark stars exist, which has yet to be…

Space & Spaceflight George Dvorsky

See Curiosity’s Highest-Resolution Panorama of Mars Yet

If news from Earth has got you down, maybe this update from the Red Planet will take your mind off things. NASA’s Curiosity rover mission has produced an incredible 1.8-billion-pixel image of the surface of Mars. The image above doesn’t nearly do it justice, so be sure to watch the video below. You can also…

Space & Spaceflight Ryan F. Mandelbaum

Black Hole Photobombs Asteroid

The OSIRIS-REx spacecraft set out on September 8, 2016 to study the asteroid Bennu. But last fall, one of its experiments detected something surprising: a flare from a black hole. OSIRIS-REx launched with a suite of instruments, including the Regolith X-Ray Imaging Spectrometer, or REXIS. The instrument, run by MIT and Harvard students and staff,…

Space & Spaceflight Ryan F. Mandelbaum

Earth’s New Mini-Moon Captured in Color Image

Our planet recently adopted a mini-moon that’s roughly the size of a car, though astronomers aren’t sure yet if it’s an asteroid or an artificial object. An observatory in Hawaii is now providing us with a clearer view of Earth’s intriguing new—yet temporary—celestial companion. The new color image was captured on February 24, 2020, by…

Space & Spaceflight George Dvorsky

Astronomers See Ancient Remnants of Incredible Galactic Explosion

Scientists have discovered evidence of the largest energy outburst ever recorded. The clues to this ancient explosion come in the form of a giant bubble of ancient radio waves. The researchers observed the Ophiuchus Cluster of galaxies, the second-brightest galaxy cluster in the sky when viewed in x-rays, which sits 390 million light-years from Earth.…

Space & Spaceflight Ryan F. Mandelbaum

Possible New ‘Mini-Moon’ Detected in Orbit Around Earth

Astronomers from the Catalina Sky Survey say they have detected a rare mini-moon around Earth. Sadly, we shouldn’t get too attached to our new natural satellite, as the rock—if that’s indeed what it is—will only hang around for a few months. The mini-moon, dubbed 2020 CD3 and also known as C26FED2, was seen by astronomers…

Space & Spaceflight George Dvorsky

There’s a Lot More Happening Inside Mars Than We Knew

Scientists have published a treasure trove of new research from the InSight lander’s first year on Mars, showing just how active the Red Planet really is. InSight touched down on Mars’ Elysium Planitia in November 2018. It has an impressive suite of instruments, including cameras, weather sensors, magnetic field sensors, a heat probe, and a…

Space & Spaceflight Ryan F. Mandelbaum

NASA Mathematician Katherine Johnson, ‘Hidden Figures’ Hero, Dies at 101

NASA mathematician and subject of the 2016 movie “Hidden Figures” Katherine G. Johnson passed away today at age 101. Johnson was born on August 26, 1918 in White Sulfur Springs, West Virginia to a family dedicated to her education—her father moved his family to Institute, West Virginia so she could continue her studies past eighth…

Space & Spaceflight Ryan F. Mandelbaum

German Man Finds Rock From Early Solar System in His Front Yard

Scientists have released their initial analysis of a meteorite that fell over Europe last September. They report that the rock, the remnant of a daytime bolide that impacted Earth with an energy of 0.48 kilotons of TNT (around this much), is a carbonaceous chondrite—the kind of meteor that contains material from the earliest epoch of…

Space & Spaceflight Ryan F. Mandelbaum

Near-Earth Asteroid Sets Off Alert, Turns Out to Be Two Asteroids Hanging Out Together

An asteroid that whizzed within 3 million miles of Earth last week turned out to be two objects in a binary system, according to new observations. The automated Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System (ATLAS) on Mauna Loa in Hawaii discovered 2020 BX12 on January 27. It immediately determined that the asteroid was a potentially hazardous…

Space & Spaceflight Ryan F. Mandelbaum

Four Shortlisted NASA Missions Would Explore the Nastiest Places in the Solar System

As part of its ongoing Discovery Program, NASA has selected four possible missions that would involve some of the most hostile and enigmatic places in the solar system. Established in 1992, NASA’s Discovery Program “gives scientists a chance to dig deep into their imaginations and find new ways to unlock the mysteries of our solar…

Space & Spaceflight George Dvorsky

Oh Yeah, Betelgeuse Is Definitely Looking Weirder

At this point, we’re all crossing our fingers that the dying star Betelgeuse will hurry up and explode already, because who doesn’t love a good show? The red giant star (visible in the constellation Orion) has been growing dimmer since late last year, leading many to speculate it could soon go supernova. Scientists operating the…

Space & Spaceflight Ryan F. Mandelbaum

Mysterious Object Beyond Pluto Could Help Explain How Our Solar System Formed

Nothing you encounter is truly “pristine.” Nearly every atom on our planet has been processed in some way, either by humans, the Sun, Earth’s core, or other influences. But on New Year’s Day 2019, the New Horizons mission flew past one of the most pristine objects in the solar system: Arrokoth, an object far beyond…

Space & Spaceflight Ryan F. Mandelbaum

Telescope Detects Fast Radio Burst Hitting Earth Every 16 Days

A telescope in Canada has found a source of mysterious fast radio bursts that repeat every 16 days, according to a new paper. It’s the first regularly repeating fast radio burst known to science. Fast radio bursts (FRB) are bright radio blips that originate from deep space. After the initial fast radio burst discovery in 2001,…

Space & Spaceflight Ryan F. Mandelbaum

Comet 67P Repeatedly Changed Color During the Historic Rosetta Mission

A review of data taken over the course of the two-year Rosetta mission shows that comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko was sometimes reddish in appearance, while at other times it assumed a bluish hue. Sounds weird, but scientists have come up with a sensible explanation that doesn’t involve aliens with paint guns. New research published in Nature shows…

Space & Spaceflight George Dvorsky

Illustration: Mark Myers, ARC Centre of Excellence for Gravitational Wave Discovery

Astrophysicists Observe Star Dragging Space-Time

Scientists have observed a spinning star dragging space-time along with it, according to a new paper. Physicists today devote a lot of time to trying to disprove the claims made in Albert Einstein’s theory of general relativity, but each new attempt has continued to prove the theory correct. This newest discovery, evidence of “frame dragging,”…

Physics & Chemistry Ryan F. Mandelbaum

Highest-Resolution Solar Telescope Ever Releases Incredible First Images of the Sun

This image is the first high-resolution shot from the 4-meter Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope in Hawai’i. Though it’s the nearest star to Earth, the Sun is still a mystery, and understanding its behaviors—specifically the behaviors that manifest as space weather here on Earth—has proven difficult. The Inouye Solar Telescope’s core goals include imaging the…

Space & Spaceflight Ryan F. Mandelbaum

Two Satellites Could Smash Into Each Other Over the U.S. Tonight [Update: They Didn’t]

Update: U.S. Space Command has confirmed that the decommissioned satellites in question, the joint NASA-Netherlands Infrared Astronomical Satellite (IRAS) and GGSE-4, passed each other without incident on Wednesday night (ET). As such, no new space debris was generated, meaning any possible cascade that could result in a Kessler Syndrome outcome was avoided. Gizmodo’s original coverage…

Space & Spaceflight George Dvorsky

A Powerful New Telescope Is About to Get Screwed by Elon Musk’s Starlink Constellation, Research Suggests

It Could Rain Iron on This Hellish Exoplanet

A Typical Neutron Star Is Only 13.6 Miles Wide, According to New Ultra-Precise Measurement

See Curiosity’s Highest-Resolution Panorama of Mars Yet

Black Hole Photobombs Asteroid

Earth’s New Mini-Moon Captured in Color Image

Astronomers See Ancient Remnants of Incredible Galactic Explosion

Possible New ‘Mini-Moon’ Detected in Orbit Around Earth

There’s a Lot More Happening Inside Mars Than We Knew

NASA Mathematician Katherine Johnson, ‘Hidden Figures’ Hero, Dies at 101

German Man Finds Rock From Early Solar System in His Front Yard

Near-Earth Asteroid Sets Off Alert, Turns Out to Be Two Asteroids Hanging Out Together

Four Shortlisted NASA Missions Would Explore the Nastiest Places in the Solar System

Oh Yeah, Betelgeuse Is Definitely Looking Weirder

Mysterious Object Beyond Pluto Could Help Explain How Our Solar System Formed

Telescope Detects Fast Radio Burst Hitting Earth Every 16 Days

Comet 67P Repeatedly Changed Color During the Historic Rosetta Mission

Astrophysicists Observe Star Dragging Space-Time

Highest-Resolution Solar Telescope Ever Releases Incredible First Images of the Sun

Two Satellites Could Smash Into Each Other Over the U.S. Tonight [Update: They Didn’t]

Did AMD Just Make the Best CPU for Gamers and Creators?

AI Just One-Shotted Another CEO

6 Magic School Anime and Manga to Discover Instead of Thinking About ‘Harry Potter’ Ever Again

Unprecedented Images Show Sperm Whales Acting as Midwives to Help a Mom Give Birth

‘Butt Birth’-ing Rhinoceros from Ace Ventura Sequel Sold at Auction for a Whopping $60,000

The Ryan Gosling Sci-Fi Streak Will Continue Until Morale Improves

Study Challenges Popular Theory on Why Primordial Bugs Were So Darn Huge

Ewan McGregor and Anne Hathaway’s Mystery’s Sci-Fi Film Has Its First Trailer

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

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