OSIRIS-REx Failed to Deploy its Drogue Chute Properly. Now NASA has Figured out Why
On September 24, 2023, NASA’s OSIRIS-REx mission returned a precious sample of rocky material from asteroid Bennu to Earth. The…
In 1872, a Solar Storm Hit the Earth Generating Auroras from the Tropics to the Poles
Imagine a solar storm generating auroral displays across the entire sky. No, we haven't quite seen them that strong in…
For its Final Trick, Chandrayaan-3 Brings its Propulsion Module to Earth Orbit
On August 23, ISRO's Vikram lander detached from its propulsion module and made a soft landing near the Moon’s south…
ESA’s Ariel Mission is Approved to Begin Construction
We're about to learn a lot more about exoplanets. The ESA has just approved the construction of its Ariel mission,…
Communicating With a Relativistic Spacecraft Gets Pretty Weird
Someday, in the not-too-distant future, humans may send robotic probes to explore nearby star systems. These robot explorers will likely…
99% of Space Junk is Undetectable. That Could Change Soon
Private and military organizations are tracking some of the 170 million pieces of space junk orbiting the planet, but they're…
Astronomers Calculate Which Exoplanets Are Most Likely to Have Water
Astronomers know of about 60 rocky exoplanets orbiting in the habitable zones of their stars. When they try to determine…
Famed Halley’s Comet Passes Aphelion This Weekend
Famous Halley’s Comet reaches a distant milestone this coming weekend.
Another Fast Radio Burst is Coming from a Hypernebula. Also, Hypernebulae are a Thing
If nothing else catches your attention in the title then surely ‘hypernebula’ does! There are some amazing processes scattered around…
This Planet is Way Too Big for its Star
Scientists love outliers. Outliers are nature's way of telling us what its boundaries are and where its limits lie. Rather…