Are Titan"s dunes made of comet dust?
A new theory suggests that Titan's majestic dune fields may have come from outer space. Researchers had always assumed that the sand making up Titan's dunes was locally made, through erosion or condensed from atmospheric hydrocarbons. But researchers.....»»
Moonlight may hamper views of the Orionid meteor shower, debris of Halley"s comet
The Orionids—one of two annual meteor showers from Halley's comet—peak early Monday. A bright waning moon may make them difficult to spot......»»
Astronomers detect ancient lonely quasars with murky origins
A quasar is the extremely bright core of a galaxy that hosts an active supermassive black hole at its center. As the black hole draws in surrounding gas and dust, it blasts out an enormous amount of energy, making quasars some of the brightest object.....»»
What do planet formation and badminton have in common?
Dust grains in protoplanetary disks align via the same aerodynamics as the sport. The birth of a planet starts with a microscopic grain floating in a protoplanetary disk, a swirli.....»»
Comet last seen in the Stone Age makes appearance over Earth
A comet that passes by Earth just once every 80,000 years has been spotted in the skies, but it may not survive for much longer......»»
Comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS is from the Oort Cloud—the invisible bubble that"s home to countless space objects
The human mind may find it difficult to conceptualize: a cosmic cloud so colossal it surrounds the sun and eight planets as it extends trillions of miles into deep space......»»
SOHO spies bright comet making debut in evening sky
The ESA (European Space Agency) and NASA Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) have captured images of the second-brightest comet to ever pass through its field of view during the spacecraft's nearly 29-year career......»»
A patchwork of spinifex: How we returned cultural burning to the Great Sandy Desert
How can a desert burn? Australia's vast deserts aren't just sand dunes—they're often dotted with flammable spinifex grass hummocks. When heavy rains fall, grass grows quickly before drying out. That's how a desert can burn......»»
Why Hurricane Milton Turned the Sky Purple
The strange, apocalyptic skies during the storm reveal how light behaves in the atmosphere when it’s filled with an unusual amount of water vapor, dust, and debris......»»
Perseverance team revives SHERLOC instrument to help with Jezero crater discovery
In January 2024, the SHERLOC instrument aboard NASA's Mars 2020 Perseverance rover encountered a significant issue. A fault in the instrument's motor caused the dust cover and autofocus mechanism to become inoperative, putting the rover's SHERLOC Ram.....»»
Lunar mission data analysis finds widespread evidence of ice deposits
Deposits of ice in lunar dust and rock (regolith) are more extensive than previously thought, according to a new analysis of data from NASA's LRO (Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter) mission. Ice would be a valuable resource for future lunar expeditions. W.....»»
NASA’s skywatching tips for October include a comet and Europa
NASA is back with its monthly update of what to look out for in the night sky over the coming weeks. And there's plenty to enjoy in October......»»
Titan Submersible Hearings Spotlight Multiple Issues With Its Carbon Fiber Hull
Testimony identifies manufacturing defects and problems following an earlier dive and reveals that OceanGate conducted no testing or remedial work despite concerns with the hull......»»
Solar Sails and Comet Tails: How Sunlight Pushes Stuff Around
It seems crazy, but light actually exerts a physical force on objects. It could power a new generation of spacecraft for deep-space missions......»»
The Titan Submersible Hearings End With Few Solid Answers. Here’s What Comes Next
The Coast Guard hearings into the OceanGate disaster are done. Next comes the full report—and any potential criminal investigations......»»
It will only take 22 seconds to reduce 67-year-old Tropicana Las Vegas to dust, debris
It will only take 22 seconds to reduce 67-year-old Tropicana Las Vegas to dust, debris.....»»
Comet A3: How and when to see Tsuchinshan-ATLAS
Stargazers will have the chance to spot what could be the most impressive comet of the year over the coming weeks......»»
Fireworks forecast if comet survives risky sun flypast
A comet is expected to risk having its tail clipped on Friday by flying perilously close to the sun, promising fireworks next month should it survive the fraught flypast......»»
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......»»
Lunar dust dynamics: Unveiling the charging properties and particle behavior of Chang"e-5 samples in an electric field
A study published in Engineering has shed new light on the behavior of lunar regolith particles under the influence of an external electric field, a discovery that could revolutionize space exploration and lunar resource utilization. The research, co.....»»
Marine dust identifies 1.5 million year Oldest Ice near South America
Earth's climate has experienced major shifts over its billions of years of history, including numerous periods where ice proliferated across the planet. Today, ice cores can be a valuable resource for understanding these periods of Earth's history as.....»»