Following the light of the sun, we left the Old World.

— Inscription on Columbus' caravels

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Webb Directly Observers Giant Planets, Sensing Carbon Dioxide in their Atmospheres

Universe Today - Wed, 03/19/2025 - 1:16pm

The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has achieved groundbreaking discoveries in the field of exoplanet studies. In particular, it has made strides in the analysis of their atmospheres by studying light from the parent star as it travels through the gas surrounding the planets. JWST has recently bucked the trend and observed a some gas giant planets in the system HR 8799 and detected the presence of carbon dioxide in their atmospheres, suggesting there are similarities between the formation of this system and our own.

Categories: Astronomy

Solar viewing deals 2025: safely observe the sun for less

Space.com - Wed, 03/19/2025 - 1:01pm
Save money and protect your eyes with these solar viewing deals.
Categories: Astronomy

Astro-Challenge: Following Venus From Dusk Til Dawn

Universe Today - Wed, 03/19/2025 - 12:41pm

With luck and clear skies, you can spot Venus crossing between the Earth and the Sun this weekend. Up for a challenge? If skies are clear, you may be able to complete a rare feat of visual athletics this coming weekend, and follow Venus on its trek from the evening and into the morning sky.

Categories: Astronomy

Welcome Home, Crew-9!

NASA Image of the Day - Wed, 03/19/2025 - 12:19pm
NASA astronaut Butch Wilmore, left, Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov, second from left, and NASA astronauts Nick Hague, second from right, and Suni Williams, right are seen inside a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft aboard the SpaceX recovery ship MEGAN shortly after having landed in the water off the coast of Tallahassee, Florida, Tuesday, March 18, 2025. Hague, Gorbunov, Williams, and Wilmore are returning from a long-duration science expedition aboard the International Space Station.
Categories: Astronomy, NASA

Welcome Home, Crew-9!

NASA - Breaking News - Wed, 03/19/2025 - 12:08pm
NASA/Keegan Barber

NASA astronaut Butch Wilmore, left, Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov, second from left, and NASA astronauts Nick Hague, second from right, and Suni Williams, right, are all smiles as they wait to exit a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft on March 18, 2025. The four returned from a long-duration science expedition aboard the International Space Station, splashing down off the coast of Florida.

Throughout its mission, Crew-9 contributed to a host of science and maintenance activities and technology demonstrations. Williams conducted two spacewalks, joined by Wilmore for one and Hague for another. Williams now holds the record for total spacewalking time by a female astronaut, with 62 hours and 6 minutes outside of station. The American crew members conducted more than 150 unique scientific experiments and technology demonstrations between them, with over 900 hours of research. This research included investigations on plant growth and quality, as well as the potential of stem cell technology to address blood diseases, autoimmune disorders, and cancers.

Image credit: NASA/Keegan Barber

Categories: NASA

Budgie brains have a map of vocal sounds just like humans

New Scientist Space - Space Headlines - Wed, 03/19/2025 - 12:00pm
Recordings of brain activity in budgerigars reveal sets of brain cells that represent different sounds like keys on a keyboard – a structure never seen before in any bird brain
Categories: Astronomy

Budgie brains have a map of vocal sounds just like humans

New Scientist Space - Cosmology - Wed, 03/19/2025 - 12:00pm
Recordings of brain activity in budgerigars reveal sets of brain cells that represent different sounds like keys on a keyboard – a structure never seen before in any bird brain
Categories: Astronomy

Quantum satellite sets globe-spanning distance record

New Scientist Space - Space Headlines - Wed, 03/19/2025 - 12:00pm
A record-setting test of quantum communication used a microsatellite to connect ground stations in China and South Africa, bringing a global quantum internet closer to reality
Categories: Astronomy

Quantum satellite sets globe-spanning distance record

New Scientist Space - Cosmology - Wed, 03/19/2025 - 12:00pm
A record-setting test of quantum communication used a microsatellite to connect ground stations in China and South Africa, bringing a global quantum internet closer to reality
Categories: Astronomy

Trump's EPA Plans to Gut Research. What that Means for Clean Air and Water Rules

Scientific American.com - Wed, 03/19/2025 - 12:00pm

A plan by EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin to fire scientists could disrupt environmental rules focused on clean air and water long after President Donald Trump leaves office

Categories: Astronomy

Is our cosmos just a membrane on the edge of a far stranger reality?

New Scientist Space - Space Headlines - Wed, 03/19/2025 - 12:00pm
String theory may be our best attempt at a theory of everything, except that it can't describe an expanding universe like ours. Now a radical new twist on the idea could finally fix that – but it requires us to completely reimagine reality
Categories: Astronomy

Is our cosmos just a membrane on the edge of a far stranger reality?

New Scientist Space - Cosmology - Wed, 03/19/2025 - 12:00pm
String theory may be our best attempt at a theory of everything, except that it can't describe an expanding universe like ours. Now a radical new twist on the idea could finally fix that – but it requires us to completely reimagine reality
Categories: Astronomy

Hubble Telescope spies star-forming cocoons in neighboring galaxy (photo)

Space.com - Wed, 03/19/2025 - 12:00pm
Young stars enveloped in a transformative cocoon of gas shine brightly in a new image from the Hubble Space Telescope.
Categories: Astronomy

Starliner and Crew-9 astronauts arrive home in Houston: Space photo of the day

Space.com - Wed, 03/19/2025 - 11:26am
After splashing down off the coast of Florida, the latest crew to return from the International Space Station arrived by jet in Houston.
Categories: Astronomy

Blue Ghost Lander Successfully Completes Historic Lunar Mission

Scientific American.com - Wed, 03/19/2025 - 11:15am

Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost commercial lander has gone dark on the moon as planned, but not before sending back spectacular views of the lunar sunset

Categories: Astronomy

Save 28% in this early Amazon Spring Deal Days Lego Star Wars deal as Ahsoka Tano's T-6 Jedi Shuttle is heavily discounted

Space.com - Wed, 03/19/2025 - 11:12am
The 599-piece Lego Star Wars Ahsoka Tano T-6 Jedi Shuttle is 28% off and all but its lowest-ever price, just ahead of Amazon's Spring Deal Days event.
Categories: Astronomy

Microdosing LSD is not an effective ADHD treatment

New Scientist Space - Space Headlines - Wed, 03/19/2025 - 11:00am
The first randomised controlled trial of microdosing LSD as a treatment for ADHD found the psychedelic drug wasn’t any more effective than a placebo in alleviating symptoms
Categories: Astronomy

Microdosing LSD is not an effective ADHD treatment

New Scientist Space - Cosmology - Wed, 03/19/2025 - 11:00am
The first randomised controlled trial of microdosing LSD as a treatment for ADHD found the psychedelic drug wasn’t any more effective than a placebo in alleviating symptoms
Categories: Astronomy

How do spiral galaxies get 'feathers'? All it takes is a little gravity

Space.com - Wed, 03/19/2025 - 11:00am
For over a century, astronomers have marveled at the beauty and complexity of spiral galaxies, which feature arms covered in a multitude of small-scale features known as feathers.
Categories: Astronomy

Borderlands 4: Release date, trailers & everything we know

Space.com - Wed, 03/19/2025 - 10:00am
The Pandora saga might be over, but Borderlands is just evolving. Launching in 2025, this is everything we know about Borderlands 4.
Categories: Astronomy