We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars.

— Oscar Wilde

Astronomy

Black holes may obey the laws of physics after all, new theory suggests

Space.com - Mon, 03/24/2025 - 5:00am
A new recipe for black holes could do away with central singularities, saving the laws of physics from troubling infinities.
Categories: Astronomy

We're One Step Closer to a Giant Interferometer on the Moon

Universe Today - Sun, 03/23/2025 - 11:12pm

What's on and in a star? What happens at an active galactic nucleus? Answering those question is the goal of a proposed giant interferometer on the Moon. It's called Artemis-enabled Stellar Imager (AeSI) and would deploy a series of 15-30 optical/ultraviolet-sensitive telescopes in a 1-km elliptical array across the lunar surface.

Categories: Astronomy

Why Can't Physicists Decide if Warp Drives are Real?

Universe Today - Sun, 03/23/2025 - 8:25pm

In the years since Miguel Alcubierre came up with a warp drive solution in 1994, you would occasionally see news headlines saying that warp drives can work. And then a few months later you’ll see that they’ve been ruled out. And then after that you’ll see that warp drives kind of work, but only in limited cases. It seems to constantly go around and around without a clear answer. What gives?

Categories: Astronomy

<p><a href="https://apod.nasa.gov/apod

APOD - Sun, 03/23/2025 - 4:00pm

Thor not only has


Categories: Astronomy, NASA

The Star Grinder: A Cloud of Black Holes at the Center of the Milky Way

Universe Today - Sun, 03/23/2025 - 1:58pm

There is a supermassive black hole at the center of our galaxy. There is also a lot of other stuff there as well. Young stars, gas, dust, and stellar-mass black holes. It's a happening place. It is also surrounded by a veil of interstellar gas and dust, which means we can't observe the region in visible light. We can observe stars in the region through infrared and radio, and some of the gas there emits radio light, but the stellar-mass black holes remain mostly a mystery.

Categories: Astronomy

JWST Cycle 4 Spotlight, Part 5: Solar System Astronomy

Universe Today - Sun, 03/23/2025 - 11:54am

Welcome back to our five-part examination of Webb's Cycle 4 General Observations program. In the first and second installments, we examined how some of Webb's 8,500 hours of prime observing time this cycle will be dedicated to exoplanet characterization, the study of galaxies at "Cosmic Dawn," the period known as "Cosmic Noon," and the study of star formation and evolution. In our final installment, we'll examine programs that leverage Webb's unique abilities to study objects in our cosmic backyard—the Solar System!

Categories: Astronomy

Ouch! Carlo Rambaldi's original screen-used 'E.T.' model might reach $1 million at Sotheby's auction

Space.com - Sun, 03/23/2025 - 11:00am
This original prop from Steven Spielberg's timeless 1982 film hits the auction block.
Categories: Astronomy

Preserving astronomy history: The fight is on to save iconic Royal Greenwich Observatory site

Space.com - Sun, 03/23/2025 - 10:00am
Nestled in the rolling green hills of the English countryside is an important site in global astronomical history. But now, with its future uncertain, this historic site is at risk.
Categories: Astronomy

What will the partial solar eclipse of March 2025 look like from space?

Space.com - Sun, 03/23/2025 - 9:00am
On March 29, a partial solar eclipse will cause a dark shadow over eastern North America — and weather satellites will pick it up.
Categories: Astronomy

1st-ever orbital rocket launch from European soil delayed due to unsafe winds

Space.com - Sun, 03/23/2025 - 8:00am
Isar Aerospace is set to launch its new Spectrum rocket from Europe's first orbit-capable spaceport facility in Norway.
Categories: Astronomy

James Webb Space Telescope could find signs of life on alien 'hycean' ocean worlds

Space.com - Sun, 03/23/2025 - 6:00am
JWST could potentially detect the signature of methyl halide compounds, produced by microbial life in Earth's ocean, on hypothetical hycean exoplanets.
Categories: Astronomy

What Rules Actually Prohibit Us From Building a Warp Drive?

Universe Today - Sat, 03/22/2025 - 8:21pm

In 1994 Miguel Alcubierre was able to construct a valid solution to the equations of general relativity that enable a warp drive. But now we need to tackle the rest of relativity: How do we arrange matter and energy to make that particular configuration of spacetime possible?

Categories: Astronomy

LIGO Has Seen Several Intermediate Mass Black Hole Mergers

Universe Today - Sat, 03/22/2025 - 2:07pm

There are three known types of black holes: supermassive black holes that lurk in the hearts of galaxies, stellar mass black holes formed from stars that die as supernovae, and intermediate mass black holes with masses between the two extremes. It's generally thought that the intermediate ones form from the mergers of stellar mass black holes. If that is true, there should be a forbidden range between stellar and intermediate masses. A range where the mass is too large to have formed from a star but too small to be the sum of mergers. But a new study of data from LIGO suggests that there are black holes in that forbidden range.

Categories: Astronomy

Aurora alert: Giant 'hole' in sun and strong geomagnetic storm converge to supercharge northern lights this weekend

Space.com - Sat, 03/22/2025 - 1:48pm
A huge sun eruption combines with speedy solar wind from a "coronal hole" for a weekend aurora show, experts predict.
Categories: Astronomy

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APOD - Sat, 03/22/2025 - 12:00pm

This was a very unusual type of solar eclipse.


Categories: Astronomy, NASA

'Star Trek' icon lives on with new Nichelle Nichols Space Camp to inspire young women to aim for the stars

Space.com - Sat, 03/22/2025 - 11:00am
"Together, we can inspire a spirit of discovery to change lives and change the world for the better through a passion for exploration."
Categories: Astronomy

Dark skies and epic Winter Star Party — why the Florida Keys are more than just a Spring Break destination

Space.com - Sat, 03/22/2025 - 10:00am
For an unforgettable stargazing adventure, few places rival the Florida Keys.
Categories: Astronomy

This Week In Space podcast: Episode 153 — Pathways to Mars

Space.com - Sat, 03/22/2025 - 9:54am
On Episode 153 of This Week In Space, Rod Pyle and Tariq Malik talk with Robert Zubrin, founder and president of The Mars Society, about making real, actionable plans to send a crew to Mars.
Categories: Astronomy

Exoplanet 'baby pictures' reveal exomoons possibly taking shape around infant worlds

Space.com - Sat, 03/22/2025 - 9:00am
Astronomers have examined infant planets orbiting a star 370 light-years away, seeing the exomoon forming disks of gas and dust around them in unprecedented detail.
Categories: Astronomy

Stunning space photo captures bright blue shock wave around double star system

Space.com - Sat, 03/22/2025 - 8:00am
This stunning image features a deep field view of the Cassiopeia constellation where the two small planetary nebulas can be found, Abell 6 and the larger HFG1.
Categories: Astronomy