New images of the Sun’s chromosphere – the lower region of the solar atmosphere — have been released, and to say they are ‘stellar’ is an understatement. Simply, they are stunning. The high-resolution images were taken with the now-fully-operational Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope, located on the summit of Haleakala, Maui, in Hawai‘i. Scientists say the new observatory — with its large 4-meter (13-ft) primary mirror — will enable a new era of solar science, and provide a leap forward in understanding the Sun and its impacts on our planet.
Continue reading “Insanely High-Resolution Images of the Sun Show its Chromosphere in Vivid Detail”Astronomers Create the First 3D Model of a Planet Orbiting in a Binary System
To date, 5,084 extrasolar planets have been confirmed in 3,811 planetary systems, with another 8,912 candidates awaiting confirmation. These discoveries have provided astronomers with a detailed sampling of the types of planets that exist in our Universe, ranging from gas giants several times the size of Jupiter to smaller, rocky bodies like Earth. So far, the vast majority of these have been discovered using indirect methods – like the Transit Method (Transit Photometry) and the Radial Velocity Method (Doppler Spectroscopy) – while the remainder has been detected using various other means.
In a recent study, an international team of astronomers used the National Science Foundation’s (NSF) Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA) network to detect a Jupiter-like planet orbiting in a binary system (GJ 896AB) located about 20 light-years from Earth. Using a method known as Astrometry, the team managed to detect this planet by the “wobble” it makes as it orbits the larger of the system’s two stars. Moreover, this method allowed the team to create the first 3-dimensional architecture of a binary system and a planet that orbits one of its stars.
Continue reading “Astronomers Create the First 3D Model of a Planet Orbiting in a Binary System”BlueWalker-3 Satellite Launches This Weekend, May Be Bright
A new satellite launching this weekend BlueWalker-3 could be conspicuously bright once it’s unfurled in orbit.
A routine SpaceX Starlink launch this coming weekend carries an unusual passenger, that you many be able to easily see gliding through the increasingly crowded night sky.
Continue reading “BlueWalker-3 Satellite Launches This Weekend, May Be Bright”We Still Have no Idea if it's Safe to be Pregnant in Space
Can humans reproduce in space? The short answer is that we don’t know. The long answer is maybe, but there are significant barriers to overcome to make zero-gravity pregnancy safe, and research into the subject is only just beginning.
Continue reading “We Still Have no Idea if it's Safe to be Pregnant in Space”There’s Still Hope for SLS to Launch in September
After two scrubs for Artemis I, there was serious concerns there will be no further launch attempts at least until mid-October. But it looks like we might see the maiden flight of SLS in September after all.
Continue reading “There’s Still Hope for SLS to Launch in September”The Saturn V was Incomprehensibly Loud. Like Thousands of jet Aircraft Taking off Together
What’s the loudest sound you’ve ever heard? Many people will say an aircraft engine unless they are lucky enough to have attended a rocket launch. And if there was one rocket that was louder than them all, it was the Saturn V, the behemoth that blasted the Apollo astronauts to the moon. But just how loud was it?
Continue reading “The Saturn V was Incomprehensibly Loud. Like Thousands of jet Aircraft Taking off Together”Bouncy Castles on the Moon. Inflated Habitats Might be the Best Way to Get Started on a Lunar Base
In this decade, multiple space agencies will send astronauts to the Moon for the first time since the Apollo Era. In addition to NASA, the ESA, China, and Roscosmos, commercial space entities like SpaceX and Blue Origin are hoping to conduct regular missions in support of human exploration while also mounting their own private ventures. In time, this activity could result in the creation of permanent infrastructure, a regular human presence, and the emergence of a lunar economy. Nevertheless, there are many questions about how humans will live in lunar conditions and what type of facilities will be needed.
To this end, the Austrian-based inflatable structures specialist Pneumocell recently conducted a study to determine if lightweight prefabricated structures would be a suitable option. According to this study, a series of donut-shaped inflatable structures could be transported to the Moon at a low cost, where they would then be inflated. The habitats would be partially buried beneath the lunar regolith and surrounded by solar mirrors that could direct sunlight into their greenhouses. This “Inflatable Moon Habitat” offers a cost-effective and highly self-sufficient means of establishing a foothold on the Moon.
Continue reading “Bouncy Castles on the Moon. Inflated Habitats Might be the Best Way to Get Started on a Lunar Base”Socks, The Final Frontier
What is the greatest challenge facing humans as we prepare for the first crewed missions to Mars? Solar and cosmic radiation? Atrophying bone and muscle? Growing food? How about laundry? It’s strange but true, right now we don’t have a way to clean laundry in space.
Continue reading “Socks, The Final Frontier”Beautiful Dunes on Mars, Sculpted by Swirling Winds
This interesting image from the HiRISE camera on the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter shows a field of fascinating dunes called barchan dunes. These dunes have formed along a cliff in Chasma Boreale, in the North Pole of Mars.
Continue reading “Beautiful Dunes on Mars, Sculpted by Swirling Winds”DNA From Star Trek’s Original Doctor Will Ride to the Final Frontier
A memorial spaceflight paying tribute to the cast and crew of the original “Star Trek” TV show has just added another star to the passenger list.
DeForest Kelley — who played Leonard “Bones” McCoy, the Starship Enterprise’s physician — will be represented by a thimble-sized sample of DNA on next year’s “Enterprise Flight.” Kelley passed away in 1999 at the age of 79, but the DNA was extracted from a hair sample that was preserved after his death.
Continue reading “DNA From Star Trek’s Original Doctor Will Ride to the Final Frontier”