Astronomy

The hunt will be on shortly, to once again recover a clandestine mission in low Earth orbit. SpaceX is set to launch a Falcon-9 rocket from launch pad LC-39A at the Kennedy Space Center Thursday night August 21st, with the classified USSF-36 mission. The U.S. Space Force has announced that this is the eighth mission for its fleet of two Orbital Test Vehicles (OTV-8). This is the automated ‘mini-space shuttle’ about the size of a large SUV that launches like a rocket, and lands like a plane.

Sometimes inspiration can strike from the most unexpected places. It can result in a cross-pollination between ideas commonly used in one field but applied to a completely different one. That might have been the case with a recent paper on lightsail design from researchers at the University of Nottingham that used techniques typically used in video games to develop a new and improved structure of a lightsail.

In this roundup of recent news, birds react to light pollution and a respected mirror maker calls it a day.

The post 60-Second Astro News: Light Pollution, Birds, and Zambuto Mirrors appeared first on Sky & Telescope.

Users’ Internet search questions can strengthen echo chambers, even on factual topics, but there are simple ways to lessen the effect

In honor of SciAm’s 180th birthday, we’re spotlighting the biggest “wait, what?” moments in science history.

The European Space Agency’s Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (Juice) is on track for its gravity-assist flyby at Venus on 31 August, following the successful resolution of a spacecraft communication anomaly that temporarily severed contact with Earth.

The issue, which emerged during a routine ground station pass on 16 July, temporarily disrupted Juice’s ability to transmit information about its health and status (telemetry).

Thanks to swift and coordinated action by the teams at ESA’s European Space Operations Centre (ESOC) in Darmstadt, Germany, and Juice’s manufacturer, Airbus, communication was restored in time to prepare for the upcoming planetary encounter.

NASA's Psyche spacecraft, which is headed toward a big and bizarre metal asteroid, has delivered a stunning perspective of our home planet from deep space.

SpaceX scrubbed the planned 10th test flight of its Starship megarocket today (Aug. 24), citing a problem with ground systems at its Starbase site in South Texas.

This galaxy is not only pretty -- it's useful.

A SpaceX cargo ship arrived at the International Space Station on Aug. 25 carrying about 5,000 pounds (2,270 kilograms) of food, supplies and scientific experiments.

Could you be the Lord of the rings (of Saturn)? Try your hand at our Saturn-themed space quiz!

From the semi-annoying antics of 'ALF' to 'Knight Rider's' awesome autonomous auto, the 1980s were a transitional time for stimulating small-screen science fiction!

A new wave of climate research is sounding a stark warning: Human activity may be driving drought more intensely — and more directly — than previously understood.

A new wave of delusional thinking fueled by artificial intelligence has researchers investigating the dark side of AI companionship

If black holes are actually droplets of dark energy that convert stellar matter into this mysterious and dominant force, many "cosmic hiccups" could soon be cured.

How do tidal forces determine a planet’s orbital evolution, specifically planets in the habitable zone? This is what a recently submitted study hopes to address as an international team of researchers investigated how tidal forces far more powerful than experienced on Earth could influence orbital evolution of habitable zone planets with highly eccentric orbits around low-mass stars. This study has the potential to help researchers better understand the formation and evolution of exoplanets, specifically regarding where we could find life beyond Earth.

Some scientists thought that the asteroids Ryugu and Bennu were from the same family. Now that they have samples and JWST spectra from both, the verdict is in: They're both from the Polana collisional family, a diverse and widespread family of asteroids.

Astronomers have discovered what may be a massive star exploding while trying to swallow a black hole companion, offering an explanation for one of the strangest stellar explosions ever seen.

NASA will announce its new astronaut class in September, as well as details about the Artemis 2 crewed mission around the moon.

SpaceX launched its 33rd Dragon cargo mission early Sunday morning (Aug. 24), sending 5,000 pounds of cargo toward the International Space Station.