The space of night is infinite,
The blackness and emptiness
Crossed only by thin bright fences
Of logic

— Kenneth Rexroth
"Theory of Numbers"

Astronomy

Invisible 'dark radiation' may explain a big problem with dark energy

New Scientist Space - Cosmology - Thu, 05/09/2024 - 3:00pm
Surprising recent measurements hint that the universe isn’t expanding in the way we had thought, and it could be explained by still-theoretical dark radiation
Categories: Astronomy

Invisible 'dark radiation' may explain a big problem with dark energy

New Scientist Space - Space Headlines - Thu, 05/09/2024 - 3:00pm
Surprising recent measurements hint that the universe isn’t expanding in the way we had thought, and it could be explained by still-theoretical dark radiation
Categories: Astronomy

Sierra Space's 1st Dream Chaser space plane aces key tests. Next stop: Florida launch site.

Space.com - Thu, 05/09/2024 - 3:00pm
Sierra Space's first Dream Chaser space plane has finished rigorous environmental testing in Ohio and is being prepped for the journey to its Florida launch site.
Categories: Astronomy

Spitzer Space Telescope Captures Galactic Snack

NASA Image of the Day - Thu, 05/09/2024 - 2:09pm
This image of the Andromeda galaxy uses data from NASA’s retired Spitzer Space Telescope. Multiple wavelengths are shown, revealing stars (in blue and cyan), dust (red), and areas of star formation.
Categories: Astronomy, NASA

NASA's Nancy Grace Roman Telescope will hunt for tiny black holes left over from the Big Bang

Space.com - Thu, 05/09/2024 - 2:07pm
Primordial black holes left over from the Big Bang and no wider than a dime could be a prime target for NASA's Nancy Grace Roman Telescope after it launches in 2026.
Categories: Astronomy

'Star Wars: Tales of the Empire' review: A gorgeous but ultimately uneven set of stories

Space.com - Thu, 05/09/2024 - 2:00pm
Lucasfilm Animation's second Star Wars anthology series often wows, but neither the tales chosen nor the structure feel like a good fit for the format.
Categories: Astronomy

In a First, JWST Confirms an Atmosphere on a Rocky Exoplanet

Scientific American.com - Thu, 05/09/2024 - 1:30pm

Milestone observations from the James Webb Space Telescope reveal signs of an atmosphere on the inhospitably hot super-Earth 55 Cancri e

Categories: Astronomy

James Webb Space Telescope chief scientist Jane Rigby receives highest US civilian award

Space.com - Thu, 05/09/2024 - 12:50pm
Last week, the chief scientist of the James Webb Space Telescope, Jane Rigby, was awarded the 2024 Medal of Freedom.
Categories: Astronomy

Gargantuan sunspot 15-Earths wide erupts with another colossal X-class solar flare (video)

Space.com - Thu, 05/09/2024 - 12:41pm
A sunspot so big it rivals the gigantic sunspot responsible for the Carrington Event in 1859 has unleashed another X-class solar flare. Watch the eruption here and find out how to see the sunspot for yourself.
Categories: Astronomy

Game theory shows we can never learn perfectly from our mistakes

New Scientist Space - Cosmology - Thu, 05/09/2024 - 12:10pm
An analysis of a mathematical economic game suggests that even learning from past mistakes will almost never help us optimise our decision-making – with implications for our ability to make the biggest financial gains
Categories: Astronomy

Game theory shows we can never learn perfectly from our mistakes

New Scientist Space - Space Headlines - Thu, 05/09/2024 - 12:10pm
An analysis of a mathematical economic game suggests that even learning from past mistakes will almost never help us optimise our decision-making – with implications for our ability to make the biggest financial gains
Categories: Astronomy

Historic space-baked cookie lands in the Smithsonian

Space.com - Thu, 05/09/2024 - 11:30am
It's been four years since it was made, but if you could smell it, you'd find it still retains the whiff of a DoubleTree Cookie. The first food item baked in space is now at the Smithsonian.
Categories: Astronomy

Mars is blasting plasma out of its atmosphere into space

New Scientist Space - Cosmology - Thu, 05/09/2024 - 11:00am
The Red Planet launches large bursts of plasma into space from its upper atmosphere, much like the sun’s coronal mass ejections, despite not having a global magnetic field
Categories: Astronomy

Mars is blasting plasma out of its atmosphere into space

New Scientist Space - Space Headlines - Thu, 05/09/2024 - 11:00am
The Red Planet launches large bursts of plasma into space from its upper atmosphere, much like the sun’s coronal mass ejections, despite not having a global magnetic field
Categories: Astronomy

China launches 4 satellites on 1st flight of new Long March 6C rocket (video)

Space.com - Thu, 05/09/2024 - 10:19am
China launched its first Long March 6C rocket, helping the nation further its goal of launching 100 orbital missions this year.
Categories: Astronomy

'Star Trek: Discovery' season 5 episode 7 'Eirgah' is the best yet of this final season

Space.com - Thu, 05/09/2024 - 10:18am
With just three more episodes remaining after this one, "Star Trek: Discovery" offers us a surprisingly well-written installment.
Categories: Astronomy

'Major lunar standstill' may reveal if Stonehenge is aligned with the moon

Space.com - Thu, 05/09/2024 - 10:00am
Is Stonehenge aligned with the moon? Scientists hope to find out during a rare 'major lunar standstill, which happens once every 18.6 years.
Categories: Astronomy

'I don't see any evidence of aliens.' SpaceX's Elon Musk says Starlink satellites have never dodged UFOs

Space.com - Thu, 05/09/2024 - 10:00am
Elon Musk isn't convinced that aliens have ever visited Earth, according to remarks the SpaceX CEO and founder made during a conference on Tuesday (May 7).
Categories: Astronomy

Has the biggest problem in cosmology finally been solved?

New Scientist Space - Cosmology - Thu, 05/09/2024 - 9:00am
For decades, cosmologists have been fighting over the Hubble constant, a number that represents the expansion rate of the universe – it may have finally been pinned down
Categories: Astronomy

Has the biggest problem in cosmology finally been solved?

New Scientist Space - Space Headlines - Thu, 05/09/2024 - 9:00am
For decades, cosmologists have been fighting over the Hubble constant, a number that represents the expansion rate of the universe – it may have finally been pinned down
Categories: Astronomy