This image from a map of Jezero Crater shows the area NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover is currently exploring, including Belva Crater, just below the center of the image. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/University…
Category: Planetary Science
Astronomers observe giant tails of helium escaping Jupiter-like planet
Simulated view of the planet HAT-P-32b orbiting its parent star, HAT-P-32A. The planet is nearly twice the size of Jupiter and losing its atmosphere through dramatic tails of helium unfurling…
NASA’s new detectors could improve views of gamma-ray events
In a practical application like this sounding rocket test instrument design, a gamma-ray observatory would use multiple layers of Astropix sensors, which could then track a 3-dimensional particle trajectory through…
Using statistics in a new way to decipher the universe
Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain The digital age has been a tremendous boon to the fields of both statistics and astronomy. However, according to Dr. Max Bonamente, a professor of physics…
Three Chinese astronauts return safely to Earth
Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain Three Chinese astronauts working at the country’s space station have returned safely to Earth, state media reported Sunday, hailing the mission as a “complete success”. The…
First-of-its-kind Mars livestream by ESA spacecraft interrupted at times by rain on Earth
This image provided by the European Space Agency and taken with the ESA’s High Resolution Stereo Camera (HRSC) aboard the Mars Express spacecraft shows Mars as the spacecraft approaches the…
Exactly how massive is the Milky Way?
Artist depiction of the Milky Way galaxy. Credit: Andrew Z. Colvin How do you weigh a galaxy? It’s an astronomical challenge, particularly if it’s the galaxy you call home. It…
Space tractor beams may not be the stuff of sci-fi for long
Graphic illustrating how a servicer spacecraft could remove debris from orbit using electrostatic forces. Credit: Schaub Lab On Feb. 10, 2009, disaster struck hundreds of miles above the Siberian Peninsula.…
Once hostile, NASA holds first public meeting on UFOs
Scientists at NASA’s first ever public meeting on “unidentified anomalous phenomena” — more commonly called UFOs — have called for a more rigorous scientific approach to clarify the origin of…
