How the Solar System led planet-hunters astray
The structure of our Solar System has been known for centuries. When we finally started finding exoplanets, they surprised everyone.
astronomy-space
Columbia's Last Flight
The inside story of the investigation—and the catastrophe it laid bare
The Lunacy of Artemis (Idle Words)
For the first time since the 1960's, it looks doubtful whether the US space agency is even capable of getting us to the Moon.
How to Move the World’s Largest Camera from a California Lab to an Andes Mo
A multimillion-dollar digital camera could revolutionize astronomy. But first it needs to climb a mountain halfway around the globe
This Hellish Alien World’s Skies May Create an Eerie Rainbow ‘Glory’ Effect
"There's a reason no glory has been seen before outside our solar system — it requires very peculiar conditions."
A Nova in the Night Sky Will Make ‘a New Star’: How to See it.
A nova named T Coronae Borealis lit up the night about 80 years ago, and astronomers say it’s expected to put on another show in the coming months.
Under Pluto's Sunny Skies, You'd Have to Wear Shades
Despite being some six billion kilometers away, the sun from Pluto would be a dazzling sight to behold—carefully, that is
The true story of how humans are searching for intelligent alien life
Real scientists are searching for alien life. Don’t let the kooks distract you.
Akin's Laws of Spacecraft Design
I've been involved in spacecraft and space systems design and development for my entire career, including teaching the senior-level capstone spacecraft design course, for ten years at MIT and now at the University of Maryland for more than three decades.
The Enduring Mystery of the Dragonfly 44 Galaxy
The ‘Forbidden Planet’ That Escaped a Fiery Doom
The giant world Halla should have been swallowed by its star long ago. Scientists now think they know how the planet cheated death.
Journey to the Invisible Planet
The tangled history of humanity’s search for the solar system’s uncharted planets.
A Flash of Recognition in a Lonely Universe
Beyond our solar system, the universe is full of planets—but also asteroids, auroras, and other familiar cosmic wonders.
Meet ‘Scary Barbie,’ a black hole tearing apart a giant star
"Discoveries like this really open our eyes to the fact that we are still uncovering mysteries and exploring wonders in the universe..."
How Magnetic Fields Control Galactic Growth
Our galaxy’s enormous scaffolding is shaped by complex magnetic fields
Courting the Sirens of the Southern Sky
These days it takes a generation to build a great astronomical observatory. A new one is taking shape in the Atacama Desert.
How To Start A Rocket Engine | Everyday Astronaut
This article answeres the questions of how to start a rocket engine and takes you on a deep dive into spark plugs, torch ignitors and more.
Cosmic megastructures: The largest objects in the Universe
The discovery of giant superclusters of galaxies are challenging our very understanding of the Universe.
The Tunguska Mystery--100 Years Later
Finding a piece of the elusive cosmic body that devastated a Siberian forest a century ago could help save Earth in the centuries to come
Secretive military space agency stepping out of the shadows - SpaceNews
When a SpaceX Falcon Heavy launched a national security mission to geostationary Earth orbit Jan. 15, the Space Force revealed that three of the payloads onboard were developed by one of its most s…
Burning ice, metal clouds, gemstone rain – tour the strangest known exoplanets | Aeon Videos
An operatic, 3D-animated tour of some of the most fascinating exoplanets yet discovered reveals burning ice and gemstone rain
Faxes From the Far Side • Damn Interesting
The 1950s-era Soviet mission to first photograph the far side of the moon.
Scientists Captured a 9 Billion-Year-Old Radio Signal From Deep Space
The record-breaking signal could be the key to unlocking many cosmic mysteries.
Meet Arrokoth: Ultima Thule, the Most Distant Object Ever Explored, Has a New Name
The small body beyond Pluto visited by NASA's New Horizons spacecraft is now officially known as Arrokoth
NASA's Pluto Spacecraft Begins New Mission at the Solar System's Edge
New Horizons is about to wake up and study the Kuiper Belt, the universe, and even Uranus and Neptune. But a new target to visit could trump them all
Scientists Gain Unprecedented Look at Infernal ‘Hell World’ In Space
55 Cancri e appears to have a deadly surface made entirely of lava, but understanding it could help us find more habitable planets.
Hiding in Plain Sight? The Argument for Invisible Aliens
Are invisible aliens living among us in shadow biospheres? Is extraterrestrial life hiding in plain sight?
New JWST image reveals full glory of Neptune, its moons, and rings
“It has been three decades since we last saw these faint, dusty rings.”…
Just Like That, We’re Making Oxygen on Mars
A small experiment on a NASA rover is tinkering with the alien atmosphere.
The First Space Ace
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F-15 vs. Satellite
How the Physics of Nothing Underlies Everything | Quanta Magazine
The key to understanding the origin and fate of the universe may be a more complete understanding of the vacuum.
The James Webb telescope had 344 'single point failures' before launch. The
Bill Ochs, the project manager for the James Webb telescope shares the trials and tribulations of the launch and what it's like having the images out in the world.
The Fermi Paradox - Wait But Why
The Fermi Paradox: There should be 100,000 intelligent alien civilizations in our galaxy — so why haven't we found any of them?
Behold the Magnetar, nature’s ultimate superweapon
Their magnetic fields—the strongest we’ve observed—could melt you from 1,000 km away.
Analysis of the Cosmos 1408 Breakup | by LeoLabs | Nov, 2021 | Medium
By now we’ve all heard the news that none of us wanted to hear — a significant breakup occurred in space, and was intentionally performed…
The Hit Book That Came From Mars
The Martian started as a self-published blog, and became a major motion picture.
A Visual Introduction to the Dwarf Planets in our Solar System
Planet 9 may be closer and easier to find than thought—if it exists
A new study's "treasure map" suggests that a planet several times more massive than Earth could be hiding in our solar system, camouflaged by the bright strip of stars that make up the Milky Way.
Star Trek's Warp Drive Leads to New Physics
Researchers are taking a closer look at this science-fiction staple—and bringing the idea a little closer to reality
Sci-Fi Short Film “FTL" | DUST - YouTube
A lone astronaut testing the first faster-than-light spacecraft travels farther than he imagined possible. "FTL" by Adam Stern #DUST #scifi #shortfilm More About FTL: Ethan Kane, a NASA Astronaut and decorated pilot, has recently retired from active duty to spend more time with…
The weird space that lies outside our Solar System
The mysterious dark vacuum of interstellar space is finally being revealed by two intrepid spacecraft that have become the first human-made objects to leave our Solar System.
Surviving an In-Flight Anomaly: What Happened on Ingenuity’s Sixth Flight -
On the 91st Martian day, or sol, of NASA’s Mars 2020 Perseverance rover mission, the Ingenuity Mars Helicopter performed its sixth flight. The flight was designed to expand the flight envelope and demonstrate aerial-imaging capabilities by taking stereo images of a region of…
How the Space Program Created a Culture of Learning From Failure
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In space, every failure could equal disaster. On Earth, they were priceless gifts.
Something Huge and Invisible Is Making Nearby Stars Vanish, Scientists Prop
Stars that have gone missing from the Hyades cluster may have been torn away by a dark matter monster with the mass of 10 million Suns.
‘It Seems That I Know How the Universe Originated’
The theoretical physicist Andrei Linde may have the world’s most expansive conception of what infinity looks like.
Legacy Survey Sky Browser
Mars. Is. WEIRD.
Dark sprays of material at the south pole of Mars are due to eruptions of CO2 and dust
The New History of the Milky Way | Quanta Magazine
Over the past two years, astronomers have rewritten the story of our galaxy.
Gravity, Gizmos, and a Grand Theory of Interstellar Travel | WIRED
For decades, Jim Woodward dreamed of a propellantless engine to take humans to the stars. Now he thinks he’s got it. But is it revolutionary—or illusory?
An Atlas of the Cosmos - Longreads
We’ve mapped Mars, the Moon, the solar system, even our own galaxy. Which means there is only one thing left to understand in this symbolic way and that is the entirety of the cosmos.