The first astronauts to enter a polar orbit around Earth chose the obvious animal to serve as their zero-g indicator — a plush white *polar* bear. But given that the…
Category: Astronomy
2 decades of Hubble Space Telescope data track changing seasons on Uranus
An analysis of two decades of data from NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope has provided fresh insights into the complex atmospheric changes on Uranus that are largely driven by the effects…
Cosmic rays may be the elusive spark for lightning here on Earth
Cosmic rays may offer an out-of-this-world answer to a long-standing mystery about lightning on Earth, a new study suggests. Thunderstorms are exceedingly common; a staggering 3 million lightning strikes occur…
SpaceX’s Fram2 astronaut flight over Earth’s poles will be the 1st to grow mushrooms in space
Astronauts will attempt to grow mushrooms in space for the first time during SpaceX’s upcoming Fram2 mission. Launching aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket as early as Monday (March 31),…
A total solar eclipse from 2471 B.C. may have shaken Egypt’s cult of the sun
The date is April 1, 2471 B.C., and a total solar eclipse has forced night to fall during the day in Egypt. The sun has morphed into a lifeless black…
Boeing’s next Starliner launch for NASA could slip to early 2026 after fixes
Boeing’s Starliner capsule will remain ground-bound for a while longer yet. Last June, Starliner launched on its first-ever crewed flight, which sent NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams to…
When’s the next ‘parade of planets’? The past, present and future of planetary alignments
The recent and much-ballyhooed “planetary parade” was an interesting celestial event that likely spurred even infrequent skywatchers to seek out the seven planets stretched out across the sky. Some of…
The new moon of March 2025 creates a partial solar eclipse this weekend
This new moon of March 2025 will create a partial solar eclipse visible in the northeastern part of North America, much of Europe and Russia; one will even be able…
Dazzling photos of this month’s total lunar eclipse showcase a blood red moon near the Milky Way’s heart
Breathtaking photos of the total lunar eclipse from earlier this month capture a glowing, blood red moon and star-studded heart of the Milky Way in the night skies over Chile.…
Euclid ‘dark universe detective’ spacecraft discovers 2,674 new dwarf galaxies
The latest wide-scale analysis of data from the Euclid Space Telescope has demonstrated just how big of an impact this European Space Agency (ESA) spacecraft is set to have on…
