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.....»»
Earth may have narrowly avoided a devastating comet impact 1,600 years ago
Evidence from the Ohio River Valley suggests that Earth had a near-miss encounter with a comet about 1,600 years ago, and it still caused considerable devastation......»»
Did comet"s fiery destruction lead to downfall of ancient Hopewell?
The rapid decline of the Hopewell culture about 1,500 years ago might be explained by falling debris from a near-Earth comet that created a devastating explosion over North America, laying waste to forests and Native American villages alike......»»
Peruvian gold rush turns pristine rainforests into heavily polluted mercury sinks
If you had to guess which part of the world has the highest levels of atmospheric mercury pollution, you probably wouldn't pick a patch of pristine Amazonian rainforest. Yet, that's exactly where they are......»»
If launched by 2028, a spacecraft could catch up with "Oumuamua in 26 years
In October 2017, the interstellar object 'Oumuamua passed through our solar system, leaving many questions in its wake. Not only was it the first object of its kind ever observed, but the limited data astronomers obtained as it shot out of our solar.....»»
How to fix a dead pixel on your monitor or smartphone
Whether it's a stuck pixel or a dead one, there are a few tricks you can try. Follow these steps and get your monitor or screen back to pristine condition......»»
Pristine groundwater seeps support native algae on Hawai"i"s coasts
Native marine macroalgae, also known as limu, or as seaweed, thrive in environments created by natural groundwater seeps, specifically benefiting from the combined effects of enhanced nutrients despite lowered salinity levels, according to a review p.....»»
Rogue planets: How wandering bodies in interstellar space ended up on their own
We now know of almost 5,000 planets outside the Solar System. If you were to picture what it would be like on one of these distant worlds, or exoplanets, your mental image would probably include a parent star—or more than one, especially if you're.....»»
U.S. and Chinese Scientists Propose Bold New Missions beyond the Solar System
Independent concepts from each nation envision launching high-speed spacecraft on aspirational multigenerational voyages into the great unknown of interstellar space -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com.....»»
A Staple of Sci-Fi Space Travel Will Likely Remain a Fantasy
Physicists say an interstellar engine popularized in the '60s is technically feasible, but it would take a more advanced civilization to build one......»»
Invasive species "hitchhiking" on tourist and research ships threaten Antarctica"s unique ecosystems
Marine life hitching a ride on ocean-crossing ships poses a threat to Antarctica's pristine ecosystems, with the potential for invasive species to arrive from almost anywhere across the globe, say the authors of a new study......»»
Banks Are Making It Easier To Get Credit Cards
Lenders are again welcoming borrowers with less-than-pristine credit, a vote of confidence in the health of the U.S. economy and Americans' finances. From a report: An estimated 29.2 million general-purpose credit cards were issued to people with cre.....»»
"Don"t Look Up": Real-world scientists comment on new movie"s climate message
In the new Netflix movie "Don't Look Up," two actors playing fictional Michigan State University astronomers discover a comet on a collision course with Earth and struggle to convince people to take them seriously. The film is a satire about society'.....»»
Study: 1960 ramjet design for interstellar travel—a sci-fi staple—is unfeasible
"It is very unlikely that even Kardashev civilizations of type II might build magnetic ramjets." Enlarge / Artist's impression of the Ramjet propulsion system proposed in 1960 by physicist Robert W. Bussard (credit: NASA) In P.....»»
Sending tardigrades to the stars
No longer solely in the realm of science fiction, the possibility of interstellar travel has appeared, tantalizingly, on the horizon. Although we may not see it in our lifetimes—at least not some real version of the fictional warp-speeding, hyperdr.....»»
Coherent interstellar magnetic field detected
Magnetic fields are the essential, but often "secret" ingredients of the interstellar medium and the process of making stars. The secrecy shrouding interstellar magnetic fields can be attributed to the lack of experimental probes......»»
SoloHi catches stunning views of "Christmas comet" Leonard fly by
Scientists at the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory evaluate early data the ESA/NASA Solar Orbiter spacecraft sent back to Earth as it observes comet Leonard, a mass of space dust, rock and ice just over half a mile across (1 kilometer) as it heads inbo.....»»
Largest ever group of lonely rogue planets discovered in Milky Way
Deep in the cold, dark emptiness of interstellar space, you can find some lonely planets roaming freely and not orbiting a star......»»
Hubble lends a helping hand
Far above rain clouds, light pollution, and atmospheric distortion, NASA's Hubble Space Telescope has a clear view of the universe. It has shown us distant galaxies, tracked interstellar objects as they soar through our solar system, and studied the.....»»
Views of comet Leonard from two sun-watching spacecraft
When Comet Leonard, a mass of space dust, rock and ice about a half-mile (1 kilometer) wide, makes its closest pass of the Sun on Jan. 3, 2022, it will be a journey 40,000 years in the making. Ahead of its close pass, two Sun-observing spacecraft cap.....»»
Asteroid Sample Could Reveal Our Solar System"s Origin Story
Just over a year after Japan's Hayabusa2 mission returned the first subsurface sample of an asteroid to Earth, scientists have determined that the near-Earth asteroid Ryugu is a pristine remnant from the formation of our solar system. From a report:.....»»