Astronomy

Noah Hawley's daring exploration of the Alien universe makes for a great sci-fi TV show that asks big questions without neglecting the fun factor.

The world's largest optical telescope is still under construction but is raising the roof on its progress.

On the slopes of Martian mountains and craters clings what appears to be flowing honey, coated in dust and frozen in time. In reality, these features are incredibly slow-moving glaciers, and their contents were once thought to be mostly rock enveloped in some ice.

How can identifying land on exoplanets help scientists better understand whether an exoplanet could harbor life? This is what a recently submitted study hopes to address as a team of researchers investigated how identifying land on exoplanets could help dispel waterworld false positives, which occur when the data indicates an exoplanet contains deep oceans (approximately 50 Earth oceans), hence the name “waterworld”. This study has the potential to help scientists develop more efficient methods for classifying exoplanets and their compositions, specifically regarding whether they contain life as we know it, or even as we don’t know it.

If humans are planning to live off-world and colonise planets like Mars, that includes having children. But deep space and the surface of Mars aren't Earth, and there are several hazards that a gestating foetus will face, mainly microgravity and galactic cosmic rays. In a new paper, a researcher breaks down pregnancy into 10 sequential stages, evaluating what the implications of those conditions would be at each step. The author suggests that radiation would be the bigger risk.

Imagine if every time you turned on your phone, it accidentally jammed radio telescopes trying to detect alien signals. That's essentially what's happening as thousands of internet satellites flood Earth's orbit, creating electronic noise that's drowning out the whispers from black holes, distant galaxies, and the Big Bang itself. A massive new study reveals that our quest to connect every region of the planet is accidentally sabotaging our ability to answer the biggest questions in science and the problem is getting worse with every satellite launch.

Companies are adapting this humble clay-based ceramic to keep people cool—without electricity

By transforming idle heliostats into asteroid detectors, scientists aim to develop a cost-effective method for spotting faint, fast-moving space rocks.

You can save 20% on the Hommkiety Galaxy Projector on Amazon, which we praised for its build quality and high-end projections.

As preparations to launch Europe’s first MetOp Second Generation, MetOp-SG-A1, satellite continue on track, the team at Europe’s Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana, has bid a heartfelt farewell to this precious satellite as it was sealed from view within the Ariane 6 rocket’s fairing.

This all-new weather satellite, which hosts the first Copernicus Sentinel-5 instrument, is set to take to the skies on 13 August at 02:37 CEST (12 August 21:37 Kourou time).

When rocks fracture in underground faults, they generate a variety of chemical compounds that could provide more energy sources for microbes in Earth’s depths

When rocks fracture in underground faults, they generate a variety of chemical compounds that could provide more energy sources for microbes in Earth’s depths

Sky & Telescope Associate Editor Sean Walker and Contributing Editor Stephen James O’Meara accompanied nine adventurers on a stargazing safari for an immersive experience in the African bush in Botswana.

The post Southern Splendors on Safari appeared first on Sky & Telescope.

The image reveals over 2,500 galaxies, many of which are seen as they were during the first billion years of cosmic history.

Is the Helix Nebula looking at you?

A brutal alien planet isn't quite the same as future Earth, but Predator: Concrete Jungle has more than a few things in common with Predator: Badlands.

Birds are starting to make their way south for the winter, and you’ve got a front-row seat to the show

NASA is calling on the public to help shape the future of lunar exploration by designing the next generation of wheels capable of navigating the moon's harsh terrain.

Imagine 3D printing an entire building from Moon dust, or having robots construct disaster relief shelters while humans stay safely away from danger. Imagine construction sites where materials never run out because they're literally made from the dirt beneath your feet, and where every structure is built with manufacturing level precision. What sounds like science fiction is becoming reality as engineers solve the ultimate construction puzzle, building on other planets. The innovations being pioneered for lunar bases and Martian colonies are about to transform every construction site on our home planet.

Scientists are exploring various proposals to repurpose existing spacecraft in order to chase after the interstellar object 3I/ATLAS and take a closer look – but time is against them