Astronomers have discovered three previously unknown moons around Uranus and Neptune, the most distant planets in our solar system. The find includes one moon spotted orbiting Uranus — the first discovery of its kind in more than 20 years — and two detected in Neptune’s orbit. “The three newly discovered moons are the faintest ever … Read more
A private U.S. lunar lander tilted over at touchdown and ended up on its side near the moon’s south pole, hampering communications, company officials said Friday. Intuitive Machines, the company that built the six-footed lander, initially said the Odysseus lander was upright after touchdown Thursday. But CEO Steve Altemus said Friday the craft “caught a … Read more
Descrease article font size Increase article font size Astronomers have discovered what may be the brightest object in the universe, a quasar with a black hole at its heart growing so fast that it swallows the equivalent of a sun a day. The record-breaking quasar shines 500 trillion times brighter than our sun. The black … Read more
An ominous “national security threat” under discussion by lawmakers pertains to Russians attempting to put a nuclear weapon into space, two sources familiar with talks on Capitol Hill have said. This is not to drop a nuclear weapon onto Earth but rather to possibly be used against satellites. “It is very concerning and very sensitive,” … Read more
Voyager 1 is still alive out there, barreling into the cosmos more than 15 billion miles away. However, a computer problem has kept the mission’s loyal support team in Southern California from knowing much more about the status of one of NASA’s longest-lived spacecraft. The computer glitch cropped up on November 14, and it affected … Read more
Representing Xenovia, the Leiden team took full responsibility for the explosion but said their client repossessed Candidia’s satellite in full accordance with the Outer Space Treaty. Having given notice to the Candidian company that it was late on payments, they argued, the Xenovian creditor had satisfied the treaty’s requirement for “appropriate international consultations.” Katsande felt … Read more
Robin McKie is the science editor of the Observer. Over the last 42 years, he’s covered everything from advances in genetics and new discoveries in physics to the urgent scientific issues raised by the Covid pandemic. But one topic excites him more than any other: space – and, more specifically, the moon. He tells Michael … Read more
Astronomers have detected a rare and extremely high-energy particle falling to Earth from space. Named Amaterasu, after the sun goddess in Japanese mythology, it is one of the highest-energy cosmic rays ever detected, according to the scientists. WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Australian Space Agency prepares for first rover launch to the moon. Watch the latest … Read more
“We know from direct imaging searches of young stars that very few stars have giant planets in [wide] orbits,” Bate said. “It is difficult to accept that there were many large planetary systems in Orion to disrupt.” Rogue Objects Abound At this point, many researchers suspect there’s more than one way to make these strange in-between … Read more
-copy.jpg "The Tantalizing Mystery of the Solar System’s Hidden Oceans")
And yet, defiantly, these alien seas remain liquid. A Mirror-Wrapped Ocean Scientists suspect that a handful of moons orbiting Jupiter and Saturn—and maybe even some spinning around Uranus and Neptune—harbor oceans. Hefty Ganymede and crater-scarred Callisto produce weak, Europa-like magnetic signals. Saturn’s haze-covered Titan, too, very probably has a liquid-water subsurface ocean. These “are the … Read more
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25624498/Screenshot_2024_09_16_at_12.46.11_PM.png "Chipotle is testing avocado-peeling robots")
