After the comet, Mercury is next for ESA
After landing a probe on an icy comet, the European Space Agency (ESA) is now heading to scorching-hot Mercury with its BepiColombo spacecraft......»»
How to spot the ‘comet of the century’ next month
Comet Tsuchinshan-Atlas is passing by the sun and will soon pass by Earth, and could be a spectacularly bright object by mid-October......»»
ISS astronauts enjoy front row seats for comet’s journey toward the sun
Astronauts aboard the space station are following the movement of a comet, using the opportunity to capture some remarkable photos and footage......»»
How to View the ‘Comet of the Century’ C/2023 A3
September will see the appearance of C/2023 A3, also known as Tsuchinshan–ATLAS, that has traveled for tens of thousands of years through the solar system......»»
See the gorgeous images of Mercury taken by BepiColombo
The European Space Agency's BepiColombo spacecraft recently made a close flyby of Mercury, and it snapped some stunning pictures along the way......»»
BepiColombo"s best images yet highlight fourth Mercury flyby
The ESA/JAXA BepiColombo mission has successfully completed its fourth of six gravity assist flybys at Mercury, capturing images of two special impact craters as it uses the little planet's gravity to steer itself on course to enter orbit around Merc.....»»
Fourth Mercury flyby begins BepiColombo"s new trajectory
Teams from across ESA and industry have worked continuously over the past four months to overcome a glitch that prevented BepiColombo's thrusters from operating at full power. The ESA/JAXA mission is still on track, with a new trajectory that will ta.....»»
Q&A: Scientist discusses the MESSENGER mission to Mercury
Twenty years ago, the MESSENGER mission revolutionized our understanding of Mercury. We sat down with project head and former Carnegie Science director Sean Solomon to talk about how the mission came together and the groundbreaking work it enabled......»»
California legislature passes controversial “kill switch” AI safety bill
Governor will balance worries about "over-regulation" with calls from AI luminaries. Enlarge / California governor Gavin Newsom will likely soon face a decision on whether to sign SB-1047. (credit: Ray Chavez/The Mercury News via.....»»
"Mercury bomb" threatens millions as Arctic temperatures rise, study warns
The Yukon River flows west across Alaska toward the Bering Sea, eroding Arctic permafrost along its banks and transporting sediment downstream. Within that sediment lurks a toxic stowaway: mercury......»»
An asteroid wiped out the dinosaurs, not a comet, new study finds
Analysis of ruthenium isotopes showed the impactor was a carbonaceous-type asteroid. Enlarge / Artist impression of a large asteroid impacting on Earth, such as the Chicxulub event that caused the end-Cretaceous mass extinction 6.....»»
Wildfires are increasing toxic mercury in streams in Idaho, Oregon, Washington, study finds
Wildfires have been burning across Idaho this summer, and their list of harmful impacts is long, from worsening health conditions because of smoke to challenges recovering millions in costs to fight them......»»
Rising mercury pollution in soil could be related to climate change, study suggests
In 2017, the Minamata Convention on Mercury went into effect, designed to help curb mercury emissions and limit exposure across the globe. However, a new study of mercury levels in soil suggests that the treaty's provisions might not be enough. A stu.....»»
A galactic "comet" called Terzan 5 illuminates a 100-year-old puzzle about cosmic rays
When my colleagues and I set to work on a century-old cosmic mystery, we found an unexpected celestial laboratory in Terzan 5, a dense star cluster currently plunging through our galaxy at breakneck speed......»»
In world first, Russian chess player poisons rival’s board with mercury
At least it wasn't novichok. Enlarge / Amina Abakarova allegedly spreading mercury on her rival's chess board. Russia is no stranger to unique poisonings. State agents have been known to use everything from polonium-lac.....»»
Mercury Weather gets new widget and extra data provider with its latest update
As I once wrote here on 9to5Mac, Mercury is an elegant weather app for Apple devices for those looking for an alternative to the native iOS Weather app. The developers behind the app have just released a major update to it, which adds things like a.....»»
Study of comet A117uUD data suggests it was put on a "hyperbolic trajectory" during pass by Saturn
A pair of astrophysicists from Ciudad Universitaria and Universidad Complutense de Madrid, both in Spain, report evidence that comet A117uUD was put on its current "hyperbolic trajectory" when it passed close to Saturn two years ago......»»
A new study shows how the sun could permanently capture rogue planets
Interest in interstellar objects (ISOs) was ignited in 2017 when 'Oumuamua flew through our solar system and made a flyby of Earth. Roughly two years later, another ISO passed through our solar system—the interstellar comet 2I/Borisov......»»
Researchers develop high-sensitivity technique to detect mercury in soil
Environmental pollution by heavy metals is a major social problem. Among these metals, mercury (Hg) is strictly controlled due to its high toxicity. Focusing on soil, which is closely related to our daily lives, the environmental standard for mercury.....»»
Introducing Ramses, ESA"s 2029 mission to asteroid Apophis
Thirty years ago, on 16 July 1994, astronomers watched in awe as the first of many pieces of the Shoemaker-Levy 9 comet slammed into Jupiter with incredible force. The event sparked intense interest in the field of planetary defense as people asked:.....»»
Local dragonflies expose mercury pollution patterns
A new study has unveiled surprising findings about mercury pollution: where it comes from and how it moves through the environment vary significantly depending on the ecosystem. In drier regions, most mercury is deposited through rain and snow. In we.....»»