Astronomy
Watch leeches jump by coiling their bodies like cobras
Watch leeches jump by coiling their bodies like cobras
DARPA's military-grade 'quantum laser' will use entangled photons to outshine conventional laser beams
How Cohousing Neighborhoods Can Combat the Rise of Loneliness
These cohousing communities are fighting an epidemic of loneliness with radical neighborliness.
Summer solstice 2024
Summer officially begins in the Northern Hemisphere today 20 June, marking the longest day of the year. The summer solstice, which is when the Sun reaches the most northerly point in the sky, is set to occur tonight at 21:50 BST/22:50 CEST.
During the summer solstice, the Northern Hemisphere will experience the longest period of sunlight in a day or the longest day of the year. This is because of Earth’s position in orbit around the Sun and the way the North Pole is tilted towards the Sun during the solstice.
The Sun’s rays hit the Northern Hemisphere at their most direct angle, resulting in the most extended period of daylight. Despite the long hours of daylight, it may not necessarily be the hottest day of the year.
This animation shows one image per day captured by the Meteosat Second Generation from 20 June 2023 until 19 June 2024 captured at approximately 16:30 BST/17:30 CEST.
You Can Name a (Quasi) Moon!
A new, official competition allows anyone to propose a mythology-based name for a "quasi-moon," an asteroid that orbits the Sun alongside Earth.
The post You Can Name a (Quasi) Moon! appeared first on Sky & Telescope.
4,000-year-old 'Seahenge' in UK was built to 'extend summer,' archaeologist suggests
Webb snaps first image of aligned jets from newborn stars
For the first time, a phenomenon astronomers have long hoped to image directly has been captured by the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope’s Near-InfraRed Camera (NIRCam). In this stunning image of the Serpens Nebula, the discovery lies in the northern area of this young, nearby star-forming region.
Triceratops relative had the weirdest horns ever seen on a dinosaur
Triceratops relative had the weirdest horns ever seen on a dinosaur
Watch an awe-inspiring video from final flight of Virgin Galactic's VSS Unity spaceplane
NASA discussing asteroid-threat exercise today: Watch it live
Easy-to-Use CRISPR Tests Could Change How We Diagnose COVID and Other Illnesses
Gene-cutting diagnostic tests could be as easy as a rapid COVID test and as accurate as PCR
How George Floyd’s Death Exposed a Fake Syndrome: ‘Excited Delirium’
A completely fabricated condition, crafted from racist medical biases, still corrupts the criminal justice system today
These Are the Most Beautiful Equations in Mathematics
Mathematicians picked the most dazzling, thought-provoking and compelling equations they know
Watch Rocket Lab launch its Electron vehicle for the 50th time today
Doctor Who’s Time Lords Have Two Hearts. Here’s How Their Dual Cardiac System Could Work
A Doctor Who superfan explains how the unusual cardiovascular system of the alien Time Lords could evolve and function
Summer solstice 2024 marks the longest day in the Northern Hemisphere
Too young to be so cool: lessons from three neutron stars
ESA’s XMM-Newton and NASA’s Chandra spacecraft have detected three young neutron stars that are unusually cold for their age. By comparing their properties to different neutron star models, scientists conclude that the oddballs’ low temperatures disqualify around 75% of known models. This is a big step towards uncovering the one neutron star ‘equation of state’ that rules them all, with important implications for the fundamental laws of the Universe.
Scientists spot hidden companions of bright stars
Detecting faint objects close to bright stars is incredibly difficult. Yet, by combining data from ESA's Gaia space telescope with ESO’s GRAVITY instrument on the ground, scientists managed just that. They captured the first light signals of so far unseen dim companions of eight luminous stars. The technique unlocks the tantalising possibility to capture images of planets orbiting close to their host stars.