Space looks black, but just how dark is it? It’s a deceptively simple question that has puzzled astronomers since the 1960s. Now, thanks to data from NASA’s New Horizons probe,…
Category: Space
The biggest galaxies live in our universe’s supercluster ‘cities’
If we took a scenic drive through every era of astronomy, we’d start somewhere among ancient humans wondering why there are stationary fireflies stuck in the sky. We’d travel through…
New measurements reveal the enormous halos that shroud all galaxies in the universe
The starry part of every galaxy is surrounded by a vast shroud of gas extending out for more than 100,000 light years. Credit: Cristy Roberts / ANU / ASTRO 3D…
SpaceX will start launching Starships to Mars in 2026, Elon Musk says
SpaceX’s Starship megarocket will start flying Mars missions just two years from now, if all goes according to plan. “These will be uncrewed to test the reliability of landing intact…
See Saturn at its biggest and brightest tonight before its rings ‘disappear’ in 2025
Saturn will reach opposition this weekend when the ringed planet and the sun are directly opposite of each other in the sky. Just after midnight tonight, Saturn will appear at…
Space travel comes with risk—SpaceX’s Polaris Dawn mission will push the envelope further than ever
Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain Space is an unnatural environment for humans. We can’t survive unprotected in a pure vacuum for more than two minutes. Getting to space involves being strapped…
Old satellite to burn up over Pacific in ‘targeted’ re-entry first
An artist’s illustrtaion of the Cluster satellite mission to study Earth’s magentic field. After 24 years diligently studying Earth’s magnetic field, a satellite will mostly burn up over the Pacific…
Hubble examines spiral galaxy IC 4709
This NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope image features the active spiral galaxy IC 4709. Credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA, M. Koss, A, Barth This NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope image features the spiral…
BepiColombo probe captures stunning Mercury images in closest flyby yet
The BepiColombo Mercury probe made a flyby of its ultimate destination on Wednesday, capturing superb images of the planet’s crater-covered crust. The joint European-Japanese BepiColombo spacecraft, which launched in 2018,…
