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.....»»
Things are finally looking up for the Voyager 1 interstellar spacecraft
Things are finally looking up for the Voyager 1 interstellar spacecraft.....»»
Alaska"s rusting waters: Pristine rivers and streams turning orange
Dozens of Alaska's most remote streams and rivers are turning from a crystal clear blue into a cloudy orange, and the staining could be the result of minerals exposed by thawing permafrost, finds new research in Communications Earth & Environment......»»
South African communities vs Shell: High court victories show cultural beliefs and practices count in climate cases
When the Shell petroleum company announced in 2021 that it wanted to explore for fossil fuels off South Africa's pristine Wild Coast, Indigenous communities in the area immediately fought back through the country's courts......»»
AI in space: Karpathy suggests AI chatbots as interstellar messengers to alien civilizations
Andrej Karpathy muses about sending a LLM binary that could "wake up" and answer questions. Enlarge (credit: Getty Images) On Thursday, renowned AI researcher Andrej Karpathy, formerly of OpenAI and Tesla, tweeted a ligh.....»»
The Eta Aquarid meteor shower, debris of Halley"s comet, peaks this weekend. Here"s how to see it
The Eta Aquarid meteor shower, remnants of Halley's comet, peaks this weekend. And with just a waning crescent moon in the sky, it should be visible......»»
Recoding Voyager 1—NASA’s interstellar explorer is finally making sense again
"We're pretty much seeing everything we had hoped for, and that's always good news.” Engineers have partially restored a 1970s-era computer on NASA's Voyager 1 spacecraft after five months of long-distance troubleshooting, building.....»»
Researchers detect a new molecule in space
New research from the group of MIT Professor Brett McGuire has revealed the presence of a previously unknown molecule in space. The team's open-access paper, "Rotational Spectrum and First Interstellar Detection of 2-Methoxyethanol Using ALMA Observa.....»»
10 best 2010s sci-fi movies, ranked
The best sci-fi movies from the 2010s are now considered genre-defining modern classics, from the mind-bending Interstellar to the spine-chilling Ex Machina......»»
The "devil comet" 12P/Pons-Brooks has finally become visible from Australia. What can we expect?
If you're a fan of all things space, you've doubtless heard about the "devil comet," which has been captivating keen-eyed observers in the northern hemisphere for the past few weeks. Now it's our turn, as comet 12P/Pons–Brooks is creeping into view.....»»
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.....»»
Peptides on interstellar ice: Study finds presence of water molecules not a major obstacle for formation
A research team led by Dr. Serge Krasnokutski from the Astrophysics Laboratory at the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy at the University of Jena had already demonstrated that simple peptides can form on cosmic dust particles. However, it was previo.....»»
Cold Coulomb crystals, cosmic clues: Unraveling the mysteries of space chemistry
While it may not look like it, the interstellar space between stars is far from empty. Atoms, ions, molecules, and more reside in this ethereal environment known as the Interstellar Medium (ISM). The ISM has fascinated scientists for decades, as at l.....»»
Swiss climate policy in spotlight after court ruling
Switzerland, known for pristine countryside and snow-capped peaks, is facing scrutiny of its environmental policies after becoming the first country faulted by an international court for failing to do enough against climate change......»»
Scientists find vast numbers of illegal "ghost roads" used to crack open pristine rainforest
One of Brazil's top scientists, Eneas Salati, once said, "The best thing you could do for the Amazon rainforest is to blow up all the roads." He wasn't joking. And he had a point......»»
Four in five bird species cannot tolerate intense human pressures, data show
Currently 14% of the world's 11,000 bird species are threatened with extinction. A new study assessed the populations of bird species across a spectrum of landscapes from pristine habitats to human-dominated environments......»»
The ‘Devil Comet’ will be visible during the solar eclipse in April
Not only will April bring a rare total solar eclipse, but there's also the chance to view the dramatically named Devil Comet......»»
ESA, NASA Solar Observatory discovers its 5,000th comet
On March 25, 2024, a citizen scientist in the Czech Republic spotted a comet in an image from the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) spacecraft, which has now been confirmed to be the 5,000th comet discovered using SOHO data. SOHO has achieved.....»»
12P/Pons-Brooks: How and when to see the "Devil Comet"
A Mount Everest-sized 'devil' comet making its first visit to the inner solar system in more than 70 years could be visible to the naked eye over the next few weeks......»»
NASA volunteers find 15 rare "active asteroids"
Some extraordinary asteroids have "activity"—comet-like tails or envelopes of gas and dust. NASA's Active Asteroids project announced the discovery of activity on 15 asteroids, challenging conventional wisdom about the solar system......»»
A 790,000 year-old asteroid impact could explain seafloor spherules
Our solar system does not exist in isolation. It formed within a stellar nursery along with hundreds of sibling stars, and even today has the occasional interaction with interstellar objects such as 'Oumuamua and Borisov. So it's reasonable to presum.....»»