First interstellar comet may be the most pristine ever found
New observations with the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope (ESO's VLT) indicate that the rogue comet 2I/Borisov, which is only the second and most recently detected interstellar visitor to our Solar System, is one of the most pris.....»»
NASA"s Interstellar Mapping and Acceleration Probe passes system integration review
The Interstellar Mapping and Acceleration Probe (IMAP) marked the completion of an important step on the path to spacecraft assembly, test, and launch operations in late September 2023 at Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) in Maryland......»»
Move over, highways. Now you can sponsor an ocean sanctuary
In a novel conservation strategy, the small South Pacific island state of Niue is offering individuals and institutions the opportunity to sponsor its marine sanctuary, home to pristine coral reefs, sharks, whales and hundreds of fish species......»»
Historians race to find Great Lakes shipwrecks before quagga mussels destroy the sites
The Great Lakes' frigid fresh water used to keep shipwrecks so well preserved that divers could see dishes in the cupboards. Downed planes that spent decades underwater were left so pristine they could practically fly again when archaeologists finall.....»»
Solar sails could reach Mars in just 26 days
A recent study submitted to Acta Astronautica and currently available on the arXiv preprint server explores the potential for using aerographite solar sails for traveling to Mars and interstellar space, which could dramatically reduce both the time a.....»»
Webb snaps supersonic outflow of young star
NASA's James Webb Space Telescope has captured a high-resolution look at Herbig-Haro 211 (HH 211), a bipolar jet traveling through interstellar space at supersonic speeds. At roughly 1,000 light-years away from Earth in the constellation Perseus, the.....»»
Researchers investigate how carbon atoms might diffuse on interstellar ice grains
Uncovering the organic (carbon-based) chemistry in interstellar space is central to understanding the chemistry of the universe in addition to the origin of life on Earth and the possibilities for life elsewhere......»»
Across the Northern Hemisphere, now"s the time to catch a new comet before it vanishes for 400 years
A newly discovered comet is swinging through our cosmic neighborhood for the first time in more than 400 years......»»
Living with wildfire: How to protect more homes as fire risk rises in a warming climate
Humans have learned to fear wildfire. It can destroy communities, torch pristine forests and choke even faraway cities with toxic smoke......»»
Q&A: Sustainability in space travel can aid efforts here on Earth
Dr. Angelo Vermeulen is a space systems researcher at Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands, where he explores advanced concepts for interstellar exploration. Over the past decade, he has collaborated closely with the European Space Agenc.....»»
How to watch the 2023 Perseid meteor shower this weekend
This weekend sees the opportunity to catch the best meteor shower of the year, as the Earth passes through a cloud of debris from a comet called Swift–Tuttle......»»
Arctic monitoring program plays vital role in global pollution reduction efforts
Historically, the Arctic was considered a pristine region, but scientific research spanning the last three decades has revealed the harsh reality of long-range transported pollutants reaching the Arctic from different corners of the world. In respons.....»»
Archaeologists refute claims that a comet destroyed Hopewell culture
In February 2022, the journal Scientific Reports published a paper with the claim that a comet exploded over what is now Cincinnati around 1,500 years ago, raining fire over the area and destroying villages and farm fields, supposedly resulting in th.....»»
NASA back in touch with Voyager 2 after "interstellar shout"
NASA has succeeded in re-establishing full contact with Voyager 2 by using its highest-power transmitter to send an "interstellar shout" that righted the distant probe's antenna orientation, the space agency said Friday......»»
NASA hears signal from Voyager 2 spacecraft after mistakenly cutting contact
After days of silence, NASA has heard from Voyager 2 in interstellar space billions of miles away......»»
"Millennium Falcon" Comet Sprouts Icy Wings as It Loops around the Sun
Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks, headed for its closest encounter with the sun next year, has started to heat up, leading to a cinematic outburst of icy volcanism.....»»
High-resolution scattering imaging reveals vibrational-state-specific mechanisms in paradigmatic ion-molecule reaction
Charged atomic and molecular species are ubiquitous in environments such as planetary atmospheres, interstellar medium and plasma. The collisions between charged ions and neutral molecules play vital roles in determining the chemical evolution and en.....»»
A mysterious interstellar radio signal has been blinking on and off every 22 minutes for more than 30 years
Last year, we made an intriguing discovery—a radio signal in space that switched on and off every 18 minutes......»»
We can leave the Solar System, but arriving anywhere is not happening soon
What if we dropped interstellar ambitions and focused on understanding our home system? Enlarge / Home sweet home. (credit: SCIEPRO/Getty) On August 25th, 2012, humanity became an interstellar species. There was no fanfa.....»»
Physicist who found spherical meteor fragments claims they may come from an alien spaceship: Here"s what to make of it
Avi Loeb, a physicist from Harvard University in the US, has recovered 50 tiny spherical iron fragments from the bottom of the Pacific Ocean that he claims may be material from an interstellar alien spaceship......»»
Astronomers scan the skies for nanosecond pulses of light from interstellar civilizations
In 2015, Russian-Israeli billionaire Yuri Milner and his non-profit organization, Breakthrough Initiatives, launched the largest Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI) project. Known as Breakthrough Listen, this SETI effort relies on the mos.....»»