Universe Today (Page 457)

Why Finding Alien Life Would Be Bad. The Great Filter

By Fraser Cain - February 01, 2018 11:45 AM UTC | Astrobiology

Kurzgesagt just released a new video all about the Great Filter. It's great, and it's unsettling.

Here Are Some Amazing Pictures of the January 2018 Lunar Eclipse

By Matthew Williams - January 31, 2018 05:56 PM UTC | Observing

Here are some lovely photographs that were taken of the "Super Blue Moon", which appeared in the early-morning sky today!

Now That NASA's Missing IMAGE Satellite Has Been Found, Talking To It Is Going To Be Difficult

By Evan Gough - January 31, 2018 04:41 PM UTC | Missions

NASA has confirmed that their missing IMAGE satellite was indeed located by an amateur astronomer in Canada. But re-establishing contact with the long-lost satellite will be a demanding technical challenge.

Weekly Space Hangout - Jan 31, 2018: Andrzej Stewart of the Hi-SEAS IV Mars Simulation Mission

By Fraser Cain - January 31, 2018 01:56 PM UTC | Planetary Science

Microbes May Help Astronauts Turn Human Waste Into Food

By Evan Gough - January 30, 2018 07:26 PM UTC | Astrobiology

Researchers at Penn State are developing methods of turning human waste into food. And microbes, not plants, would provide the food.

Watch this Chilling Animation of Capetown's Water Disappearing

By Matthew Williams - January 30, 2018 04:26 PM UTC | Planetary Science

A new animation released by NASA's Earth Observatory illustrates how ongoing drought is diminishing Cape Town's water supply.

Carnival of Space #546

By Susie Murph - January 30, 2018 03:11 PM UTC | Site News

What'll It Take to Find Life? Searching the Universe for Biosignatures

By Fraser Cain - January 30, 2018 03:09 PM UTC | Astrobiology

When astronomers scan the atmospheres of other worlds, they'll be looking for gases to confirm that yes, indeed, there's life there. It turns out, this is actually pretty tough.

The Brightest Star in the Sky, Sirius, was Hiding a Cluster of Stars. Found by Gaia

By Matthew Williams - January 30, 2018 02:29 PM UTC | Stars

Thanks to the efforts of an amateur astronomer, the star cluster that was recently revealed by Gaia mission is now visible for all to see!

The Most Detailed Map Ever Made of the Milky Way in Radio Waves

By Evan Gough - January 29, 2018 07:10 PM UTC | Milky Way

A new radio wave map of the Milky Way Galaxy is our most detailed yet and will be the basis for further study of the Milky Way for years to come.

Icy Worlds Like Europa and Enceladus Might Actually be too Soft to Land On

By Matthew Williams - January 29, 2018 05:22 PM UTC | Planetary Science

According to a new study led by the Planetary Science Institute, Europa and Enceladus may have surfaces that are too soft for future missions to land on.

Astronomy Cast Ep. 476: The Overview Effect

By Susie Murph - January 29, 2018 03:32 PM UTC | Space Policy

NASA's Insight Lander Spreads Its Solar Wings. It'll Fly To Mars In May, 2018

By Evan Gough - January 26, 2018 03:00 PM UTC | Missions

NASA's InSight lander will launch in May 2018, NASA has announced. InSight will study the interior structure of Mars to learn how it, and other rocky planets, formed and evolved.

Get Set For a "Super Blue Blood Moon Total Lunar Eclipse"

By David Dickinson - January 26, 2018 10:01 AM UTC | Observing

Can you feel the tremor in the Force? Early next Wednesday morning internet astro-memes collide, in one of the big ticket sky events of the year, with a total lunar eclipse dubbed as – get ready -- a Super Blue Blood Moon eclipse.

The New Earth-Sized Planet Hunting Telescope ExTrA is Now Online

By Matthew Williams - January 25, 2018 05:19 PM UTC | Telescopes

The Exoplanets in Transits and their Atmospheres (ExTrA), just went online and is now searching for exoplanets around red dwarf stars!

Where's the Line Between Massive Planet and Brown Dwarf Star?

By Evan Gough - January 25, 2018 03:08 PM UTC | Exoplanets

Astronomers have debated which objects are gas giants like Jupiter, and which are more correctly called brown dwarfs. A new study aims to end that debate.

Perhaps the Best Part of Electron's Successful Launch was its Payload: the Humanity Star

By Matthew Williams - January 25, 2018 01:55 PM UTC | Space Exploration

Rocket Lab's second successful launch of the Electron rocket carried with it a special piece of cargo - the Humanity Sphere!

This is the Surface of a Giant Star, 350 Times Larger Than the Sun

By Matthew Williams - January 24, 2018 07:17 PM UTC | Stars

Using the ESO's Very Large Telescope Interferometer, an international team of astronomers has created the first detailed images of another star's surface.

Finally! SpaceX's Falcon Heavy Does its Static Fire Test. Actual Flight Should Be "In A Week Or So"

By Evan Gough - January 24, 2018 04:56 PM UTC | Space Exploration

We've been anticipating this for a long time: SpaceX's Falcon Heavy has completed its first Static Fire Test. Should launch "in a week or so" says Musk.

This was the Snowstorm Rosetta Saw When it Got 79 km Away From Comet 67P

By Matthew Williams - January 24, 2018 02:55 PM UTC | Planetary Science

The ESA recently released images taken by the Rosetta spacecraft when it witnessed a "snowstorm" while making a flyby of Comet 67P