FRIDAY, JUNE 26 ■ This evening the Moon shines under the three-star head of summery Scorpius, as shown below. Orange Antares, the Scorpion’s 1st-magnitude heart, glimmers 5° or 6° to the Moon’s left. That’s about three finger-widths at arm’s length. By the time twilight ends and the night is fully dark, this scene will be…
The SKA-low antennas look like trees, with horizontal branches of different lengths, called dipoles. Each one absorbs radio waves; the bigger the dipole, the longer the wavelength it absorbs.SKA-Low Astronomers have been underestimating the brightness of the low-frequency radio sky. Precision measurements by Australian and Italian radio astronomers reveal that the faint-sky background at low…
China’s Tianwen-2 spacecraft has successfully arrived at Kamoʻoalewa. Tianwen-2 will attempt to hover and snatch samples from the tiny, enigmatic “quasi-satellite” that follows Earth on its journey around the Sun. Space journalist Andrew Jones joins this week’s Planetary Radio to take us inside the mission, what samples of Kamoʻoalewa could teach us about our Solar…
The phenomenon of a Full Moon arises when our planet, Earth, is precisely sandwiched between the Sun and the Moon. This alignment ensures the entire side of the Moon that faces us gleams under sunlight. Thanks to the Moon’s orbit around Earth, the angle of sunlight hitting the lunar surface and being reflected back to…
The Wallacean Islands were a popular place for our ancient ancestors. And as it turns out, our ancient ancestors reached some of these islands, which extend between Asia and Australia, remarkably early on. According to a new paper published in Nature, a stone tool discovery suggests that the hominins appeared on the Wallacean island of…
Back to Article List Here’s what’s launching June 29–July 5: a Pegasus XL carries a servicing spacecraft to reboost NASA’s Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory and ULA’s Atlas V delivers 29 more Amazon Leo broadband satellites to orbit. Katalyst Space Technologies engineers stabilize the LINK robotic servicing spacecraft as it enters a vibration chamber at NASA’s…
Despite continual habitability headlines, the debate over whether Mars ever had or currently has life still rages. At every new planetary conference, someone presents data that often for a few weeks at least appears to change the calculus of Martian astrobiology. But for well over two decades now, one of the biggest mysteries remains —…
Space exploration has always been a fascinating subject for humans. From the Soviet Union’s launch of Sputnik 1 to the United States’ moon landing, space has captured the imagination of people around the world. However, public support for space exploration initiatives is crucial for their success. To gain support, it is essential to understand the importance of public…
Space has always captivated the human imagination, and space exploration has been at the forefront of scientific progress for decades. Developing an understanding of space knowledge is not only exciting, but it plays a critical role in addressing global challenges and fostering scientific innovation. Space knowledge, which includes the study of everything beyond our planet, has far-reaching benefits that can help us tackle…
Space exploration has always fascinated humanity, with the idea of reaching beyond our planet and exploring the unknown. With advancements in technology, we have been able to send probes, rovers, and even humans into space. But can space missions involving human spaceflight pave the way for the colonization of other planets? Human spaceflight has been a crucial aspect of space exploration, enabling us to collect…