OffWorld

This Japanese rocket launch looks like an early atomic bomb test

This stunning image shows the launch of the Japanese H-IIA rocket as it carries the Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) Core Observatory into space. The rocket thundered into the sky at 1:37 p.m. EST on Thursday February 27th and this image was, unsurprisingly, captured by NASA photographer Bill Ingalls. https://gizmodo.com/rocket-launch-never-looked-so-overwhelming-like-this-1347520667 I just love this photo: the…

The Number of Known Planets in the Universe Just Doubled

While you were hiding from the last bitter breezes of winter, NASA’s $600 million Kepler Space Telescope discovered a few new planets. Actually, Kepler data revealed 715 new exoplanets. That’s astonishing. It’s actually twice as many as we previously thought existed. The number of known Earth-sized planets also just quadrupled. This is pretty great news…

Astronomersjust discoveredwater vapor on a moon of a nearby exoplanet, known as Tau Boötis b. It’s long been known that there’s water beyond Earth, like Jupiter’s moon Europa, so this new discovery suggests this might be a trend. [Space.com]

Valeri Kubasov, Apollo-Soyuz Crewmember, Passed Away

Valeri Nikolayevich Kubasov, a retired Soviet cosmonaut, died on Wednesday, 19 February 2014, in Moscow at age 79. He was the second crew member of the legendary joint U.S.-USSR Apollo-Soyuz Test Project to pass away, after Deke Slayton died in 1993. Kubasov flew two missions in the Soyuz program as a flight engineer: Soyuz–6 and…

A New Hope: China’s Rover May Still Be Alive!

The Chinese space agency (China National Space Administration) has just announced on its Facebook page, that there is hope yet that its rover is still functional. The reversal of fortune comes two weeks after reports that little Yutu had only lasted a month. Official news: Yutu is still alive! Mission control is busy working on…

How Space Heat Helps Us Hunt Down Alien Technologies

My colleagues and I have begun the Glimpsing Heat from Alien Technologies (G-HAT) SETI program, which has been written about here on Centauri Dreams and in other places, like in this nice summary article. I describe some of the foundations of the search here on my blog, but I have written up this short primer…

Astronomers Discover Oldest Star in Known Universe

Well, here’s a superlative for you. With the help of Australia’s SkyMapper telescope, astronomers have discovered the oldest star in the known universe, some 6,000 light years away from Earth—and the star’s chemistry could change the way we understand the Big Bang. The star itself isn’t like our Sun and not just because it’s nearly…

Winter Olympics Host Cities Look Amazing From Space

NASA Goddard Space Flight Center has released a fresh collection of stunning satellite images to celebrate the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics. Thanks to them you can view most of the cities and countries that have hosted the Winter Olympics, through the eyes of NASA. Each one is more stunning than the last. The Winter Olympics…

A Spectacular New Crater Shows the Hostile Face of Mars

This photo from the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera on NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter shows a fresh crater about 100 feet (30 meters) in diameter at the center. The impact happened somewhen between July 2010 and May 2012. View the map-projected version of the image here: The enhanced colors reveals a large, rayed…

17 Cosmic Toys From The Age Of The Space Race

The Space Race between the USA and USSR was the most intensive scientific competition of the twentieth century, and its indirect effects were perceivable even in the toy industry. The following photos will show you 17 awesome, funny, and sometimes clumsy toys from the 1950s to the early 80s, including when the Soviets thought they…

It’s Hard to Believe These Majestic Light Pillars Are Actually On Earth

Winter does all kinds of weird things to the sky, including make it look like we live on an exotic alien planet circling Vega. NASA just posted this mind-bending 360º view of light pillars in Finland. The agency describes the spectacle: The spherical panoramic image mosaic maps a view from Siilinjärvi in eastern Finland. Flat…

Astronomers Find a Planet Orbiting a Star Nearly Identical to Our Sun

It took six years to do it, but astronomers have discovered at least three planets circling stars in a crowded star cluster some 2,500 light years away from Earth. Even better: One of the planets is circling a solar twin, a star that’s nearly identical to our sun. The star cluster in question is known…

This Is How The Gaia Spacecraft Went to Space In 2 Minutes

The European Space Agency released this nice time-lapse video today of the Soyuz flight VS06. The Gaia space observatory lifted off from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana on 19 December 2013. This resulting film shows Gaia’s sunshield deployment test, the transfer of the Soyuz from the assembly building to the launch pad, and the eventual…

These Cloud Waves Over Venus Are Caused By Its Unseen Mountains

How do we know that there are mountains on Venus? It is completely blanketed by high-level clouds and, at visible wavelengths, we cannot see its surface at all. Here is indirect proof for their existence. Venus Express, European Space Agency’s interplanetary spacecraft made this set of images, published by ESA today. They show interesting looking…

The sun threw off a pair of solar flares as the 2013 turned into 2014. The above image from New Year’s Day shows a variety of wavelengths of light with the lighter colors representing higher temperatures. It’s also totally face-melting. [NASA]

Mesmerising Space Photo Shows A Nebula On Earth

This was seen from the International Space Station. But this is not an interstellar cloud formation. It is here on Earth. You won’t believe your eyes when clicking on the much larger version: It was taken by an astronaut from Expedition 30/31 as the International Space Station was flying northwest over the Chinese coast towards…

I Can’t Help Smiling At This Old Japanese Satellite

The fascinating History of Engineering and Technology tumblr just posted this great, previously unseen photo of a Japanese weather satellite called GMS-2, from 1981. No one can deny it came directly from the Muppet Show! Image source: History of Engineering and Technology

Asteroid That Killed the Dinosaurs Might Have Blasted Life to Mars

The massive asteroid that slammed into Earth some 66 million years ago is often—and understandably—considered a vicious killer. But new research into the cosmic effects of the impact suggest quite the opposite. That deadly asteroid might have actually blasted life throughout the solar system. As a team of researchers argue in the latest issue of…

This list of the dumbest NASA Instagram comments is embarrassing

NASA’s Instagram accounts are awesome. And since everyone can follow them, they’re places where science and space exploration inevitably collides with human stupidity and fatuity in the most entertaining way. Here’s a list of 52 embarrassingly dumb comments that I’ve picked for your pleasure: tony_smith45 Please explain why stars are not visible in the back…

Indie Sci-Fi Movie Featuring Awesome Yugo Monuments Is Almost Done

You probably all know about those old Yugoslavian monuments that look like TIE Fighters and scifi fortresses. Berlin based film-production company Molly Aida Film and director Kaleb Wentzel-Fisher are working on a promising-looking science fiction film partly inspired by these unearthly structures. It was successfully crowd funded a year ago, and this is our first…