"If you wish to make an apple pie truly from scratch, you must first invent the universe."

— Carl Sagan

Astronomy

Would a Planetary Sunshade Help Cool the Planet? This Mission Could Find Out

Universe Today - Tue, 06/17/2025 - 3:15pm

As worldwide temperatures continue to rise and conventional solutions aren't working fast enough, governments may turn to geoengineering solutions. One idea is to place a giant sunshade somewhat like an umbrella between the Earth and the Sun to block some of the sunlight that reaches our planet. A new mission proposes sending an 81 m² sail to Earth-Sun L1 to measure the effect of blocking a tiny fraction of solar energy.

Categories: Astronomy

Nat Geo documentary 'SALLY,' about the 1st US woman in space, now streaming on Disney+ & Hulu

Space.com - Tue, 06/17/2025 - 3:00pm
You can now watch the award-winning documentary "SALLY" about the first American woman in space, Sally Ride, on Disney+ and Hulu.
Categories: Astronomy

Scientists Find Universe’s Missing Matter in Intergalactic ‘Cosmic Fog’

Scientific American.com - Tue, 06/17/2025 - 2:00pm

Researchers have used cosmic explosions called fast radio bursts to illuminate the intergalactic medium

Categories: Astronomy

China's next-gen astronaut capsule for moon missions aces crucial pad-abort test (video)

Space.com - Tue, 06/17/2025 - 2:00pm
China's human spaceflight agency just conducted a crucial pad abort test for its Mengzhou spacecraft as it continues toward its goal of putting boots on the moon before 2030.
Categories: Astronomy

Training for the Moo(n)

NASA Image of the Day - Tue, 06/17/2025 - 1:42pm
A curious cow watches as NASA astronauts Andre Douglas and Kate Rubins perform a simulated moonwalk in the San Francisco Volcanic Field in Northern Arizona on May 14, 2024.
Categories: Astronomy, NASA

Your forgotten memories continue to influence the choices you make

New Scientist Space - Cosmology - Tue, 06/17/2025 - 1:14pm
We might not think we remember something, but attempting to recall it still fires up activity in our brain linked to memory, which seems to direct our behaviours
Categories: Astronomy

Your forgotten memories continue to influence the choices you make

New Scientist Space - Space Headlines - Tue, 06/17/2025 - 1:14pm
We might not think we remember something, but attempting to recall it still fires up activity in our brain linked to memory, which seems to direct our behaviours
Categories: Astronomy

'Star Trek: Strange New Worlds' season five will be the show's final frontier on Paramount+

Space.com - Tue, 06/17/2025 - 1:00pm
Paramount announced that the show's five-season mission is coming to an end last week with a heartfelt 'thank you' from the showrunners.
Categories: Astronomy

Mysterious radio pulses detected high above Antarctica may be evidence of an exotic new particle, scientists say

Space.com - Tue, 06/17/2025 - 12:42pm
A mystery signal detected high in the sky above Antarctica defies current models of physics and could represent a new particle, scientists say.
Categories: Astronomy

ESA at Le Bourget 2025 - Day Two Highlights

ESO Top News - Tue, 06/17/2025 - 12:26pm

The beginning of the industrial development of LISA was among the highlights for the European Space Agency on the second day of the International Paris Air Show. 

Categories: Astronomy

The surprisingly big impact the small intestine has on your health

New Scientist Space - Cosmology - Tue, 06/17/2025 - 12:00pm
The workings of the small intestine have long been a mystery, but now we are discovering the hidden roles this organ plays in appetite, metabolism and the microbiome – and how to look after it better
Categories: Astronomy

The surprisingly big impact the small intestine has on your health

New Scientist Space - Space Headlines - Tue, 06/17/2025 - 12:00pm
The workings of the small intestine have long been a mystery, but now we are discovering the hidden roles this organ plays in appetite, metabolism and the microbiome – and how to look after it better
Categories: Astronomy

Wind and Solar Energy Are Cheaper Than Electricity from Fossil-Fuel Plants

Scientific American.com - Tue, 06/17/2025 - 12:00pm

Even without subsidies, renewable energy is staying competitive with power from gas and coal

Categories: Astronomy

How do baby planets grow? Study of 30 stellar nurseries sheds new light

Space.com - Tue, 06/17/2025 - 12:00pm
Astronomers have used the ALMA radio telescope to investigate how planets grow in protoplanetary disks of gas and dust around young stars.
Categories: Astronomy

Watch the stunning Mars and Regulus conjunction today with this free livestream

Space.com - Tue, 06/17/2025 - 11:00am
Watch the stunning Mars and Regulus conjunction today with this free livestream
Categories: Astronomy

Searching for the past and future of quantum physics on a tiny island

New Scientist Space - Cosmology - Tue, 06/17/2025 - 10:57am
According to scientific legend, quantum mechanics was born on the island of Helgoland in 1925. A hundred years later, physicists are still debating the true nature of this strange theory - and recently returned to the island to discuss its future
Categories: Astronomy

Searching for the past and future of quantum physics on a tiny island

New Scientist Space - Space Headlines - Tue, 06/17/2025 - 10:57am
According to scientific legend, quantum mechanics was born on the island of Helgoland in 1925. A hundred years later, physicists are still debating the true nature of this strange theory - and recently returned to the island to discuss its future
Categories: Astronomy

Roman Space Telescope will use a century-old idea from Einstein to probe the nature of mysterious dark matter

Space.com - Tue, 06/17/2025 - 10:00am
Get ready for a new Roman Empire: A NASA space telescope will detect a staggering wealth of intricate gravitational lenses that could help unlock the mysteries of dark matter.
Categories: Astronomy

Google AI Grant to iNaturalist Prompts Community Outcry

Scientific American.com - Tue, 06/17/2025 - 9:30am

The nonprofit iNaturalist announced that it received a $1.5-million grant from Google’s philanthropic arm to develop generative AI tools for species identification. The news didn’t go over well

Categories: Astronomy

Greenland’s Ice Sheet Collapse Could Be Closer Than We Think

Scientific American.com - Tue, 06/17/2025 - 9:00am

The collapse of the world’s second-largest ice sheet would drown cities worldwide. Is that ice more vulnerable than we know?

Categories: Astronomy