Do We Have Cosmic Dust to Thank for Life on Earth?

It might be that what set prebiotic chemistry in motion and kept it going in the early days of the Earth was dust from outer space accumulating in holes melted…

Astronomers reveal a new link between water and planet formation

Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain Researchers have found water vapor in the disk around a young star exactly where planets may be forming. Water is a key ingredient for life on…

Earth as a test object

Physicists at ETH Zurich and the University of Zurich wanted to know whether the planned LIFE space mission could really detect traces of life on other planets. Yes, it can.…

Webb finds dwarf galaxies reionized the universe

Astronomers estimate 50,000 sources of near-infrared light are represented in this image from the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope. Their light has traveled through various distances to reach the telescope’s…

Black Hole Fashions Stellar Beads on a String

An international team of astronomers has discovered one of the most powerful eruptions from a black hole ever recorded. A black hole – artistic impression. Image credit: Alius Noreika /…

China names its capsule and lander for its upcoming human lunar missions

Credit: CC0 Public Domain In a recent announcement, the Chinese Space Agency (CSA) unveiled the names for its forthcoming lunar mission components. The CSA have been working toward sending humans…

ERS-2 buckles and bends during final farewell

Credit: Fraunhofer FHR Following a hugely successful mission and almost 30 years in orbit, ESA’s ERS-2 reentered Earth’s atmosphere at approximately 18:17 CET (17:17 UTC) on 21 February 2024. Predicting…

New Search Finds 85 Exoplanet Candidates – as Cool as Planets in Our Own Solar System

Astronomers have discovered 85 possible planets outside of our solar system, with temperatures closer to those of our own Solar System planets, potentially cool enough to sustain life. Exoplanet –…

Growing black hole is the most luminous object ever observed by astronomers

ERS-2 spotted by other satellites during descent

ESA’s European Remote Sensing 2 satellite (ERS-2) was recently spotted tumbling as it descends through the atmosphere. These images were captured by cameras on board other satellites by Australian company HEO on…