What’s it Like Inside a Super-Earth?
We know a ton about the inside of Earth. We know it has both an inner core and an outer…
Testing an Antenna That Will Float in the Atmosphere of Venus
Radar is finicky. It is extraordinarily useful for a multitude of tasks, but testing it for some particular tasks is…
If Russia Backs out of the ISS, SpaceX Could Help Keep the Station Operational
The ongoing conflict in Ukraine has wide-reaching implications, not only in the geopolitical sphere but also outside of the atmosphere. …
Coronal Loops Might Not Be Loops At All
We've all seen the gorgeous images and videos of coronal loops. They're curved magnetic forms that force brightly glowing plasma…
Astronomers Scan 800 Pulsars to See If Any of Them Have Planets
Astronomers discovered the first exoplanets in 1992. They found a pair of them orbiting the pulsar PSR B1257+12 about 2300…
A Huge Rotating Kilometer-Scale Space Station Could be Launched From a Single Rocket
Artificial gravity remains the stuff of science fiction. But dealing with no gravity causes significant problems in many astronauts, ranging…
The Europa Clipper is Coming Together, Launching in 2024
Who is excited to send a spacecraft to Europa? Every person I’ve talked to who is even remotely interested in…
Thanks to Observations, a Potentially Dangerous Asteroid was Found to be Harmless
Earlier this year, the discovery of a potentially hazardous asteroid took astronomers on a roller coaster ride. On January 6,…
It Turns out, the “Closest Black Hole” System Doesn’t Contain a Black Hole At All
One thousand light-years away is pretty close for a black hole. When researchers discovered a black hole at that distance…
How to Search for Life as we Don’t Know it
A NASA-funded study by a team from the University of Arizona has identified possible tools for identifying life on other…