Astronomy
My go-to pair of budget binoculars are now even cheaper this Prime Day
The perfect binoculars for casual stargazing are now under $100 for Amazon Prime Day
Private Ax-4 astronauts aboard ISS are filling their time with science, views of Earth and pierogis (video)
Scientists discover ice in space isn't like water on Earth after all
NASA's asteroid-crash Earth defense tactic has a complication — DART ejected large boulders into space
Smart telescope, smarter deal — save $600 off the Unistellar eQuinox 2
Surgical robots take step towards fully autonomous operations
Surgical robots take step towards fully autonomous operations
Finding An Ocean On An Exoplanet Would Be Huge and the Habitable Worlds Observatory Could Do It
The search for habitable exoplanets boils down to the search for water. Exoplanet scientists lack the technological capability to detect surface water on exoplanets from great distances, so instead they can only search for planets in habitable zones where surface water is likely. But what if we could directly detect the surface water itself?
Finding PBHs Using The LSST Will Be A Statistical Challenge
With the recent first light milestone for the Vera Rubin observatory, it's only a matter of time before one of astronomy’s most long-awaited surveys begins. The Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST) is set to start on November 5th, and will scan the sky of billions of stars for at least ten years. One of the most important things it hopes to find is evidence (or lack thereof) of primordial black holes (PBHs), one of the primary candidates for dark matter. A new paper from researchers at Durham University and the University of New Mexico looks at the difficulties the LSST will have in finding those enigmatic objects, especially the statistical challenges, and how they might be overcome.
New Heat Sink Tested in Space Uses Melting Wax to Regulate Temperature
It's cold in space, but overheating is a bigger problem than low temperatures. That's because the only way to regulate a spacecraft's heat is through radiation, or slowing down its computing. Engineers have tested a new type of heat sink in space that contains a wax-based phase change material that melts within the normal operating temperature range of the electronics, absorbing heat and then helping to radiate it away. The heat sink was part of a CubeSat launched in August 2024.
Two Powerful Space Telescopes are Better Than One
When the JWST was being built, some labelled it as the Hubble's successor. In some ways it is, even though the Hubble is still performing important science observations. When the two telescopes team up, we get the best of both.
Could Bioplastics be the Solution to Living Beyond Earth?
An international team of scientists led by the Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) proposed a new method for living beyond Earth. Their experiment demonstrated how bioplastic structures can be grown using algae, which would be rugged enough to survive the hostile Martian environment.