Mark Thompson
This is Europa Clipper’s Version of the Golden Record
The Voyager spacecraft carried on board a plethora of scientific instruments but attached to the side was a golden record.…
Black Holes are Tearing Stars Apart All Around Us
Galaxy NGC3799 lies around 16 million light years from Earth. Any event observed today within that galaxy took place 16…
One of the Oldest Astrolabes Has Both Hebrew and Arabic Markings
I always think of planispheres when I think of astrolabes! Navigators used these ancient devices (astrolabes not planispheres) to provide…
Perseverance is Keeping Track of the Big Picture While it’s Exploring Mars
It’s always a real benefit to have scientists on the ground, able to use the wealth of their experience and…
Betelgeuse’s Surface is Boiling Furiously
Of all the stars in the sky, betelgeuse must be among the most enigmatic. One of its many mysteries surrounds…
Crew-8 Arrives at the ISS, Despite a Crack in the Capsule
Space travel seems to be a fairly regular occurrence now with crews hopping up and down to the International Space…
Astronomers Find the Most Massive Pair of Supermassive Black Holes Ever Seen
Supermassive black holes have been found at the heart of most galaxies but understanding how they have formed has eluded…
Grabbing Samples from the Surface of Mars
As if the Mars Perseverance Rover and Ingenuity Drone were not exciting enough then the next step in this audacious…
China Has Built a Huge Space Simulation Chamber
Well it certainly caught my attention when I saw the headlines “China’s first Space Environment Simulator” sounds like something right…
The International Space Station’s Air Leaks are Increasing. No Danger to the Crew
Only the other week I had to fix my leaky tap. That was a nightmare. I cannot begin to imagine…