How Many Additional Exoplanets are in Known Systems?
NASA's TESS mission has turned up thousands of exoplanet candidates in almost as many different star systems. But if one…
Hubble and Webb are the Dream Team. Don't Break Them Up
Many people think of the James Webb Space Telescope as a sort of Hubble 2. They understand that the Hubble…
Scientists Have Figured out why Martian Soil is so Crusty
On November 26th, 2018, NASA's Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy, and Heat Transport (InSight) mission landed on Mars. This…
Another Way to Extract Energy From Black Holes?
Black holes are incredible powerhouses, but they might generate even more energy thanks to an unusual effect known as frame…
Plastic Waste on our Beaches Now Visible from Space, Says New Study
According to the United Nations, the world produces about 430 million metric tons (267 U.S. tons) of plastic annually, two-thirds…
Future Space Telescopes Could be Made From Thin Membranes, Unrolled in Space to Enormous Size
As we saw with JWST, it's difficult and expensive to launch large telescope apertures, relying on origami techniques to unfold…
Voyager 1 is Forced to Rely on its Low Power Radio
Voyager 1 was launched waaaaaay back in 1977. I would have been 4 years old then! It’s an incredible achievement…
Webb Confirms a Longstanding Galaxy Model
The spectra of distant galaxies shows that dying sun-like stars, not supernovae, enrich galaxies the most.
The Aftermath of a Neutron Star Collision Resembles the Conditions in the Early Universe
Neutron stars are extraordinarily dense objects, the densest in the Universe. They pack a lot of matter into a small…
New View of Venus Reveals Previously Hidden Impact Craters
Think of the Moon and most people will imagine a barren world pockmarked with craters. The same is likely true…