Astronomy

Watch as SpaceX's Falcon Heavy second stage deploys the powerful new GOES-U satellite into space as Earth glows in the background.

A technique to charge a battery inside a quantum computer relies on sorting qubits in an imitation of Maxwell’s demon, a 19th-century thought experiment once thought to break the laws of physics

A technique to charge a battery inside a quantum computer relies on sorting qubits in an imitation of Maxwell’s demon, a 19th-century thought experiment once thought to break the laws of physics

Some people find the scale of the universe existentially frightening, but here's why you should take it as a source of comfort

Extreme wildfires are increasing in frequency and intensity globally, data show for the first time

Some people find the scale of the universe existentially frightening, but here's why you should take it as a source of comfort

A very rugged and well-put-together monocular from Bushnell, with fantastic, crisp, clear views, and a comfortable, sturdy body.

Satellites burning up in Earth's atmosphere are producing chemicals that could thwart the recovery of our planet's protective ozone shield.

Wind shear and atmospheric instability have combined to create a brutal tornado season this year

Video: 00:13:39

In this first episode of our docu-series, we embark on the exciting journey of the YPSat (Young Professional Satellite), a satellite flying on-board the inaugural flight of Ariane 6, Europe’s new heavy launcher. Two years ago, a team of Young Professionals at ESA, with diverse backgrounds, nationalities and expertise, have come together around one passion and with one ambition; design, manufacture and send their own satellite to space.

Starting with some trivial ideas, the team matured their mission objectives and won the approval and support of ESA management to kick start the project. YPSat will be ‘the witness’ of Ariane 6: it will record the fairing separation, document the CubeSats deployment and send back beautiful in-orbit images of Earth and space.

This scaled-down mission has all the ingredients of a large flagship mission; engineering, verification, testing and production assurance; project management, tight schedule, team coordination and communication; failures, crisis situations and successes.

YPSat is a blueprint for the future of European space exploration. It has been a life changing opportunity for young professionals at ESA to get hands-on experience and experience the process of developing a space mission. But it has also been an eye-opening occasion for the European Space Agency to get inspired by the young generations, bringing in new ideas and technologies.

This is just the beginning of the adventure for the YPSat team. The next episode will unravel the creativity, ingenuity and determination that the young professionals brought in to achieve the mission’s objectives. What powers the satellite? Who activates the cameras? How is the data transmitted back on Earth?

Credits:

Directed and produced by Chilled Winston: https://chilledwinston.com/ and Emma de Cocker

Powered by ESA - European Space Agency

Music from Epidemic Sound

Footage from Chilled Winston (Chilled Winston – Where Stories Come to Life)

Europe's youngest country has inaugurated its new observatory and planetarium, and folks far and away joined the festivities.

The post New Observatory Opens in the Young Country of Kosovo appeared first on Sky & Telescope.

Financial incentives have helped people with obesity lose weight in trials, but whether the approach is sustainable or cost-effective remains to be seen

Financial incentives have helped people with obesity lose weight in trials, but whether the approach is sustainable or cost-effective remains to be seen

SpaceX just announced a more compact version of its satellite internet antennas called Starlink Mini that are small enough to fit in a backpack.

See the circle of galaxy clusters and voids that surround us in this map of the nearby cosmos, extending 200 million light years in each direction

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Don Pettit, NASA's oldest active astronaut and a space shuttle flyer, will return to space no earlier than Sept. 11 aboard a Russian Soyuz spacecraft.

Despite an eye-watering price tag, bringing pieces of Mars back to Earth promises to revolutionize our understanding of life’s place in the early solar system

Politicians and nonprofit groups have blamed offshore wind turbines for whale deaths, but the science doesn’t support those claims—at all

ESA scientists have been exploring how a future Moon base might be built from materials on the lunar surface. Inspired by LEGO building, they have used dust from a meteorite to 3D-print 'space bricks' to test the idea. ESA's space bricks are on display in selected LEGO Stores from 20 June to 20 September, helping to inspire the next generation of space engineers.