Earth experienced a relatively close encounter this morning (Dec. 4) as a significant space rock, known as asteroid 2020 XR, passed by at a distance of approximately 1.4 million miles (2.2 million kilometers). The asteroid made its closest approach at around 12:26 a.m. EST (0526 GMT), coming within just under six times the distance between…
As NASA prepares for Artemis III, humanity’s historic return to the Moon, researchers are developing groundbreaking materials to support a permanent lunar base. Among these innovations is a 3D-printable, waterless concrete that could revolutionize construction in space—and possibly on Earth. This sulfur-based compound, designed for lunar conditions, eliminates the need for water and accelerates the…
NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS), a massive lunar rocket central to the Artemis program, faces growing scrutiny as rival rockets like SpaceX’s Starship gain momentum. With changing political landscapes and private companies pushing innovation, the future of SLS is becoming uncertain. A Decade in the Making SLS, developed over more than a decade, stands as…
Scientists discover surprising warmth on a distant dwarf planet, hinting at an amazing possibility: volcanoes that erupt snow and ice. Far beyond Neptune, a tiny frozen world called Makemake (which is smaller than Pluto, orbits the Sun beyond Neptune) is stirring up excitement among astronomers. Why? Parts of this distant dwarf planet are mysteriously warm…
Researchers at Imperial College London have made a surprising discovery that challenges claims of alien life in space samples. Matthew Genge and his team analyzed a particle of rock retrieved from the asteroid Ryugu by the Hayabusa2 mission in 2020. Despite strict protocols designed to prevent contamination, the team found traces of Earthly bacteria on the sample….
In a thrilling yet partially truncated test flight, SpaceX’s colossal Starship rocket blasted off from Texas on Tuesday, November 19, 2024, marking the sixth demonstration of the world’s most powerful and largest rocket. While the mission achieved several key objectives, it notably skipped the highly anticipated booster catch using giant mechanical arms, opting instead for…
In a groundbreaking development, researchers have shared the first scientific insights into samples brought back from the Moon’s far side by China’s Chang’e-6 mission. This mission, which returned nearly two kilograms of lunar soil to Earth in June, has provided a wealth of new information about the Moon’s volcanic history spanning billions of years. The…
What We Know About the “Red Monsters” The Surprise: Rethinking Galaxy Formation Theories Expert Insights What’s Next in the Pursuit of the “Red Monsters” Key Takeaways Further Information: This research was published in Nature. Read more about it here.
Scientists at the forefront of astrochemistry have made a groundbreaking discovery in the Taurus Molecular Cloud (TMC-1), one of the closest stellar nurseries to Earth. The finding of two nitrile-containing molecules, malononitrile and maleonitrile, opens new avenues for understanding the origins of life in the universe. The Discovery: Malononitrile and Maleonitrile in TMC-1 Insights from the Experts “Dinitriles,…
Scientists from Princeton University and Los Alamos National Laboratory are on a quest to unravel the mysteries of black holes by tracing the clues left behind by light that embarks on a roundabout journey around these cosmic voids. This phenomenon, known as light echoes, is an extreme manifestation of gravitational lensing, where the massive object (in this case, a black hole)…