"Professor Goddard does not know the relation between action and reaction and the need to have something better than a vacuum against which to react. He seems to lack the basic knowledge ladled out daily in high schools."
--1921 New York Times editorial about Robert Goddard's revolutionary rocket work.

"Correction: It is now definitely established that a rocket can function in a vacuum. The 'Times' regrets the error."
NY Times, July 1969.

— New York Times

Astronomy

Two sneaky viruses may be messing with honeybee flight

New Scientist Space - Space Headlines - Fri, 08/08/2025 - 3:00pm
The deformed wing and sacbrood viruses were thought to cause asymptomatic infections in adult bees. But the viruses make the insects fly slower and faster than normal, respectively
Categories: Astronomy

Spacecraft headed to DART asteroid crash site images 2 faint space rocks to boost planetary defense tactics

Space.com - Fri, 08/08/2025 - 3:00pm
The techniques used to target the asteroids could also be employed in tracking hazardous asteroids and interstellar objects.
Categories: Astronomy

Satellites watch France's largest wildfire in 75 years burn an area larger than Paris

Space.com - Fri, 08/08/2025 - 2:29pm
Satellite images revealed the scope of destruction in the south of France where an area larger than the country's capital Paris has been turned into ashes by a massive wildfire.
Categories: Astronomy

Scientists find oldest-known black hole in the universe: 'This is about as far back as you can practically go'

Space.com - Fri, 08/08/2025 - 2:00pm
A newfound supermassive black hole from the dawn of the universe challenges how early cosmic giants formed.
Categories: Astronomy

Rogue Planets Can Spawn Their Own Planetary Systems

Universe Today - Fri, 08/08/2025 - 1:43pm

New research from the University of St Andrews has found that giant free floating planets have the potential to form their own miniature planetary systems without the need for a star.

Categories: Astronomy

Icy Comets Can Alter Exoplanet Atmospheres and Shape Habitability

Universe Today - Fri, 08/08/2025 - 1:43pm

Earth's history was shaped by the bombardment of icy and rocky bodies. These impacts delivered volatiles and organic compounds to the planet. They also brought water, helping Earth become the life-supporting planets it is today. Could the same thing happen on exoplanets?

Categories: Astronomy

Little Red Dots Eat Fast, But Not Faster Than Eddington

Universe Today - Fri, 08/08/2025 - 1:43pm

Little Red Dots are thought to be young supermassive black holes at the center of early galaxies. That would make them young versions of Active Galactic Nuclei. But Little Red Dots don't emit much x-ray light, and we're starting to learn why.

Categories: Astronomy

How superheavy chemistry could rearrange the periodic table

New Scientist Space - Cosmology - Fri, 08/08/2025 - 1:00pm
In an unprecedentedly precise accelerator experiment, researchers directly observed how some of the heaviest known elements react and form molecules
Categories: Astronomy

How superheavy chemistry could rearrange the periodic table

New Scientist Space - Space Headlines - Fri, 08/08/2025 - 1:00pm
In an unprecedentedly precise accelerator experiment, researchers directly observed how some of the heaviest known elements react and form molecules
Categories: Astronomy

What would Mars look like under an Earth-like blue sky? NASA's Perseverance rover just showed us

Space.com - Fri, 08/08/2025 - 1:00pm
NASA's Perseverance Mars rover captured a breathtaking panorama of the Red Planet surface depicted in false-color under a blue sky.
Categories: Astronomy

Rare Type of Black Hole Snacks on Star

NASA Image of the Day - Fri, 08/08/2025 - 12:12pm
NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope and NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory have teamed up to identify a new possible example of a rare class of black holes. Called NGC 6099 HLX-1, this bright X-ray source seems to reside in a compact star cluster in a giant elliptical galaxy.
Categories: Astronomy, NASA

'Alien: Earth' creators Noah Hawley and David W. Zucker want to 'mimic the feeling of discovery' you felt when watching the original (exclusive)

Space.com - Fri, 08/08/2025 - 12:00pm
Ahead of Alien: Earth's two-episode premiere, we talked to series creator Noah Hawley and executive producer David W. Zucker.
Categories: Astronomy

Europe could face weeks of 40°C heat in current worst-case scenario

New Scientist Space - Cosmology - Fri, 08/08/2025 - 11:00am
A perfect storm of conditions priming the atmosphere for extreme heat could result in devastating droughts and deadly temperatures lasting for weeks across Europe
Categories: Astronomy

Europe could face weeks of 40°C heat in current worst-case scenario

New Scientist Space - Space Headlines - Fri, 08/08/2025 - 11:00am
A perfect storm of conditions priming the atmosphere for extreme heat could result in devastating droughts and deadly temperatures lasting for weeks across Europe
Categories: Astronomy

Will the bright moon ruin the Perseid meteor shower, or is it still worth watching?

Space.com - Fri, 08/08/2025 - 11:00am
While moonlight might steal the spotlight, it won't steal the Perseids' show.
Categories: Astronomy

Astronomers gather more clues about interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS

New Scientist Space - Cosmology - Fri, 08/08/2025 - 10:00am
The latest observations of 3I/ATLAS suggest it resembles comets from the outer reaches of our solar system, but may be smaller than initially estimated
Categories: Astronomy

Astronomers gather more clues about interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS

New Scientist Space - Space Headlines - Fri, 08/08/2025 - 10:00am
The latest observations of 3I/ATLAS suggest it resembles comets from the outer reaches of our solar system, but may be smaller than initially estimated
Categories: Astronomy

Discovery Space Projector review

Space.com - Fri, 08/08/2025 - 10:00am
It’s a disappointing star projector, but the Discovery Space Projector has some nice scientific images of moons and planets.
Categories: Astronomy

LaView Galaxy Star Projector review

Space.com - Fri, 08/08/2025 - 10:00am
The LaView Galaxy Star Projector posits itself as a premium option, but doesn’t quite live up to the competition.
Categories: Astronomy