These earthly godfathers of Heaven's lights, that give a name to every fixed star, have no more profit of their shining nights than those that walk and know not what they are.

— William Shakespeare

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The remarkable tale of how humans nearly didn’t conquer the world

New Scientist Space - Space Headlines - Mon, 06/30/2025 - 12:00pm
Over tens of thousands of years, waves of Homo sapiens set out across Europe and Asia, only for their societies and cultures to mysteriously vanish. At last, ancient DNA is revealing why
Categories: Astronomy

The remarkable tale of how humans nearly didn’t conquer the world

New Scientist Space - Cosmology - Mon, 06/30/2025 - 12:00pm
Over tens of thousands of years, waves of Homo sapiens set out across Europe and Asia, only for their societies and cultures to mysteriously vanish. At last, ancient DNA is revealing why
Categories: Astronomy

Astronomers discover 'raw materials for life' can form in planetary systems even before stars

Space.com - Mon, 06/30/2025 - 12:00pm
"Each new detection brings us closer to understanding the origins of complex organic chemistry in the universe — and perhaps, the origins of the building blocks of life themselves."
Categories: Astronomy

Hurry! Today is your last chance to get 60% off Disney Plus for four months

Space.com - Mon, 06/30/2025 - 11:07am
Today is the last day you can get 60% off Disney Plus, which is the perfect pre-Prime Day streaming deal and in time for Fantastic Four's upcoming release.
Categories: Astronomy

Satellites trace a triangle above Gemini North Telescope | Space photo of the day for June 30, 2025

Space.com - Mon, 06/30/2025 - 11:00am
The satellites were seen in the night skies near the summit of Mauna Kea in Hawaii.
Categories: Astronomy

Hubble Captures an Active Galactic Center

NASA Image of the Day - Mon, 06/30/2025 - 10:59am
This Hubble image shows the spiral galaxy UGC 11397, which resides in the constellation Lyra (The Lyre).
Categories: Astronomy, NASA

Hubble Captures an Active Galactic Center

NASA News - Mon, 06/30/2025 - 10:58am
ESA/Hubble & NASA, M. J. Koss, A. J. Barth

The light that the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope collected to create this image reached the telescope after a journey of 250 million years. Its source was the spiral galaxy UGC 11397, which resides in the constellation Lyra (The Lyre). At first glance, UGC 11397 appears to be an average spiral galaxy: it sports two graceful spiral arms that are illuminated by stars and defined by dark, clumpy clouds of dust.

What sets UGC 11397 apart from a typical spiral lies at its center, where a supermassive black hole containing 174 million times the mass of our Sun grows. As a black hole ensnares gas, dust, and even entire stars from its vicinity, this doomed matter heats up and puts on a fantastic cosmic light show.

Material trapped by the black hole emits light from gamma rays to radio waves, and can brighten and fade without warning. But in some galaxies, including UGC 11397, thick clouds of dust hide much of this energetic activity from view in optical light. Despite this, UGC 11397’s actively growing black hole was revealed through its bright X-ray emission — high-energy light that can pierce the surrounding dust. This led astronomers to classify it as a Type 2 Seyfert galaxy, a category used for active galaxies whose central regions are hidden from view in visible light by a donut-shaped cloud of dust and gas.

Using Hubble, researchers will study hundreds of galaxies that, like UGC 11397, harbor a supermassive black hole that is gaining mass. The Hubble observations will help researchers weigh nearby supermassive black holes, understand how black holes grew early in the universe’s history, and even study how stars form in the extreme environment found at the very center of a galaxy.

Text credit: ESA

Image credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA, M. J. Koss, A. J. Barth

Categories: NASA

Hubble Captures an Active Galactic Center

NASA - Breaking News - Mon, 06/30/2025 - 10:58am
ESA/Hubble & NASA, M. J. Koss, A. J. Barth

The light that the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope collected to create this image reached the telescope after a journey of 250 million years. Its source was the spiral galaxy UGC 11397, which resides in the constellation Lyra (The Lyre). At first glance, UGC 11397 appears to be an average spiral galaxy: it sports two graceful spiral arms that are illuminated by stars and defined by dark, clumpy clouds of dust.

What sets UGC 11397 apart from a typical spiral lies at its center, where a supermassive black hole containing 174 million times the mass of our Sun grows. As a black hole ensnares gas, dust, and even entire stars from its vicinity, this doomed matter heats up and puts on a fantastic cosmic light show.

Material trapped by the black hole emits light from gamma rays to radio waves, and can brighten and fade without warning. But in some galaxies, including UGC 11397, thick clouds of dust hide much of this energetic activity from view in optical light. Despite this, UGC 11397’s actively growing black hole was revealed through its bright X-ray emission — high-energy light that can pierce the surrounding dust. This led astronomers to classify it as a Type 2 Seyfert galaxy, a category used for active galaxies whose central regions are hidden from view in visible light by a donut-shaped cloud of dust and gas.

Using Hubble, researchers will study hundreds of galaxies that, like UGC 11397, harbor a supermassive black hole that is gaining mass. The Hubble observations will help researchers weigh nearby supermassive black holes, understand how black holes grew early in the universe’s history, and even study how stars form in the extreme environment found at the very center of a galaxy.

Text credit: ESA

Image credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA, M. J. Koss, A. J. Barth

Categories: NASA

MTG-S1 satellite hosting the Sentinel-4 instrument is ready for liftoff

ESO Top News - Mon, 06/30/2025 - 9:50am

The Meteosat Third Generation Sounder (MTG-S1) satellite, which is hosting the instrument for the Copernicus Sentinel-4 mission, has been placed inside the nose cone of the Falcon 9 launch rocket and is ready for the scheduled liftoff at 23:03 CEST on Tuesday, 1 July.

Categories: Astronomy

World Asteroid Day 2025: Watch live views of near-Earth asteroids for free online on June 30

Space.com - Mon, 06/30/2025 - 9:33am
World Asteroid Day 2025: Watch live views of near-Earth asteroids for free online on June 30
Categories: Astronomy

'Apollo 13' at 30: The space movie where scientists have the right stuff too

Space.com - Mon, 06/30/2025 - 9:00am
Ron Howard's classic celebrates the mission control geniuses who got the astronauts home.
Categories: Astronomy

NASA exoplanet-hunting spacecraft and citizen scientists discover a cool new alien world

Space.com - Mon, 06/30/2025 - 9:00am
With the aid of NASA's exoplanet-hunter TESS, citizen scientists have discovered a new gas giant that is cool, literally and figuratively.
Categories: Astronomy

Cells Can ‘Hear’ Sounds—And Respond Genetically

Scientific American.com - Mon, 06/30/2025 - 6:45am

Audible sound can affect gene activity in mouse cells, boosting the attachment of muscle precursors to surrounding tissue and decreasing fat accumulation

Categories: Astronomy

Why Did the Company behind the Dakota Access Pipeline Sue Greenpeace?

Scientific American.com - Mon, 06/30/2025 - 6:00am

Energy Transfer, the company behind the Dakota Access Pipeline, sued the nonprofit Greenpeace over alleged conspiracy—the host of Drilled explains why

Categories: Astronomy

Going the Distance: Lisa Pace Leads Exploration Development Integration at Johnson

NASA - Breaking News - Mon, 06/30/2025 - 6:00am

Lisa Pace knows a marathon when she sees one. An avid runner, she has participated in five marathons and more than 50 half marathons. Though she prefers to move quickly, she also knows the value of taking her time. “I solve most of my problems while running – or realize those problems aren’t worth worrying about,” she said.

She has learned to take a similar approach to her work at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. “Earlier in my career, I raced to get things done and felt the need to do as much as possible on my own,” she said. “Over time, I’ve learned to trust my team and pause to give others an opportunity to contribute. There are times when quick action is needed, but it is often a marathon, not a sprint.”

Official portrait of Lisa Pace.NASA/Josh Valcarcel

Pace is chief of the Exploration Development Integration Division within the Exploration Architecture, Integration, and Science Directorate at Johnson. In that role, she leads a team of roughly 120 civil servants and contractors in providing mission-level system engineering and integration services that bring different architecture elements together to achieve the agency’s goals. Today that team supports Artemis missions, NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services initiative and other areas as needed.

Lisa Pace, seated at the head of the table, leads an Exploration Development Integration Division team meeting at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. NASA/James Blair

“The Artemis missions come together through multiple programs and projects,” Pace explained. “We stitch them together to ensure the end-to-end mission meets its intended requirements. That includes verifying those requirements before flight and ensuring agreements between programs are honored and conflicts resolved.” The division also manages mission-level review and flight readiness processes from planning through execution, up to the final certification of flight readiness.

Leading the division through the planning, launch, and landing of Artemis I was a career highlight for Pace, though she feels fortunate to have worked on many great projects during her time with NASA. “My coolest and most rewarding project involved designing and deploying an orbital debris tracking telescope on Ascension Island about 10 years ago,” she said. “The engineers, scientists, and military personnel I got to work and travel with on that beautiful island is tough to top!”  

Pace says luck and great timing led her to NASA. Engineering jobs were plentiful when she graduated from Virginia Tech in 2000, and she quickly received an offer from Lockheed Martin to become a facility engineer in Johnson’s Astromaterials Research and Exploration Science Division, or ARES. “I thought working in the building where they keep the Moon rocks would be cool – and it was! Twenty-five years later, I’m still here,” Pace said.

During that time, she has learned a lot about problem-solving and team building. “I often find that when we disagree over the ‘right’ way to do something, there is no one right answer – it just depends on your perspective,” she said. “I take the time to listen to people, understand their side, and build relationships to find common ground.”

Lisa Pace, right, participates in a holiday competition hosted by her division.Image courtesy of Lisa Pace

She also emphasizes the importance of getting to know your colleagues. “Relationships are everything,” she said. “They make the work so much more meaningful. I carry that lesson over to my personal life and value my time with family and friends outside of work.”

Investing time in relationships has given Pace another unexpected skill – that of matchmaker. “I’m responsible for setting up five couples who are now married, and have six kids between them,” she said, adding that she knew one couple from Johnson.

She hopes that strong relationships transfer to the Artemis Generation. “I hope to pass on a strong NASA brand and the family culture that I’ve been fortunate to have, working here for the last 25 years.”

Explore More 3 min read Meet Rob Navias: Public Affairs Officer and Mission Commentator   Article 6 days ago 5 min read Heather Cowardin Safeguards the Future of Space Exploration   Article 1 week ago 5 min read Driven by a Dream: Farah Al Fulfulee’s Quest to Reach the Stars Article 2 weeks ago
Categories: NASA

NASA budget cuts threaten Europe's already troubled flagship Mars rover

Space.com - Mon, 06/30/2025 - 6:00am
NASA was to supply some critical technologies for the mission, which Europe may not be able to readily replace.
Categories: Astronomy

Going the Distance: Lisa Pace Leads Exploration Development Integration at Johnson

NASA News - Mon, 06/30/2025 - 6:00am

Lisa Pace knows a marathon when she sees one. An avid runner, she has participated in five marathons and more than 50 half marathons. Though she prefers to move quickly, she also knows the value of taking her time. “I solve most of my problems while running – or realize those problems aren’t worth worrying about,” she said.

She has learned to take a similar approach to her work at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. “Earlier in my career, I raced to get things done and felt the need to do as much as possible on my own,” she said. “Over time, I’ve learned to trust my team and pause to give others an opportunity to contribute. There are times when quick action is needed, but it is often a marathon, not a sprint.”

Official portrait of Lisa Pace.NASA/Josh Valcarcel

Pace is chief of the Exploration Development Integration Division within the Exploration Architecture, Integration, and Science Directorate at Johnson. In that role, she leads a team of roughly 120 civil servants and contractors in providing mission-level system engineering and integration services that bring different architecture elements together to achieve the agency’s goals. Today that team supports Artemis missions, NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services initiative and other areas as needed.

Lisa Pace, seated at the head of the table, leads an Exploration Development Integration Division team meeting at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. NASA/James Blair

“The Artemis missions come together through multiple programs and projects,” Pace explained. “We stitch them together to ensure the end-to-end mission meets its intended requirements. That includes verifying those requirements before flight and ensuring agreements between programs are honored and conflicts resolved.” The division also manages mission-level review and flight readiness processes from planning through execution, up to the final certification of flight readiness.

Leading the division through the planning, launch, and landing of Artemis I was a career highlight for Pace, though she feels fortunate to have worked on many great projects during her time with NASA. “My coolest and most rewarding project involved designing and deploying an orbital debris tracking telescope on Ascension Island about 10 years ago,” she said. “The engineers, scientists, and military personnel I got to work and travel with on that beautiful island is tough to top!”  

Pace says luck and great timing led her to NASA. Engineering jobs were plentiful when she graduated from Virginia Tech in 2000, and she quickly received an offer from Lockheed Martin to become a facility engineer in Johnson’s Astromaterials Research and Exploration Science Division, or ARES. “I thought working in the building where they keep the Moon rocks would be cool – and it was! Twenty-five years later, I’m still here,” Pace said.

During that time, she has learned a lot about problem-solving and team building. “I often find that when we disagree over the ‘right’ way to do something, there is no one right answer – it just depends on your perspective,” she said. “I take the time to listen to people, understand their side, and build relationships to find common ground.”

Lisa Pace, right, participates in a holiday competition hosted by her division.Image courtesy of Lisa Pace

She also emphasizes the importance of getting to know your colleagues. “Relationships are everything,” she said. “They make the work so much more meaningful. I carry that lesson over to my personal life and value my time with family and friends outside of work.”

Investing time in relationships has given Pace another unexpected skill – that of matchmaker. “I’m responsible for setting up five couples who are now married, and have six kids between them,” she said, adding that she knew one couple from Johnson.

She hopes that strong relationships transfer to the Artemis Generation. “I hope to pass on a strong NASA brand and the family culture that I’ve been fortunate to have, working here for the last 25 years.”

Explore More 3 min read Meet Rob Navias: Public Affairs Officer and Mission Commentator   Article 6 days ago 5 min read Heather Cowardin Safeguards the Future of Space Exploration   Article 1 week ago 5 min read Driven by a Dream: Farah Al Fulfulee’s Quest to Reach the Stars Article 2 weeks ago
Categories: NASA

Plato’s eyes meet brain

ESO Top News - Mon, 06/30/2025 - 4:00am
Video: 00:01:38

On 11 June, engineers at OHB’s facilities in Germany joined together the two main parts of ESA’s Plato mission

They used a special crane to lift Plato’s payload module, housing its 26 ultra-sensitive cameras, into the air and carefully line it up over the service module. The supporting service module contains everything else that the spacecraft needs to function, including subsystems for power, propulsion and communication with Earth. 

With millimetre-level precision, the engineers gently lowered the payload module into place. Once perfectly positioned, the team tested the electrical connections. 

Finally, they securely closed a panel that connects the payload module to the service module both physically and electronically (seen ‘hanging’ horizontally above the service module in this image). This panel, which opens and closes with hinges, also contains the electronics to process data from the cameras. 

Now in one piece, Plato is one step closer to beginning its hunt for Earth-like planets.  

In the coming weeks, the spacecraft will undergo tests to ensure its cameras and data processing systems still work perfectly. 

Then it will be driven from OHB’s cleanrooms to ESA’s technical heart (ESTEC) in the Netherlands. At ESTEC, engineers will complete the spacecraft by fitting it with a combined sunshield and solar panel module. 

Following a series of essential tests to confirm that Plato is fit for launch and ready to work in space, it will be shipped to Europe’s launch site in French Guiana. 

The mission is scheduled to launch on an Ariane 6 in December 2026. 

Access the related broadcast quality video footage

ESA’s Plato (PLAnetary Transits and Oscillations of stars) will use 26 cameras to study terrestrial exoplanets in orbits up to the habitable zone of Sun-like stars.  

Plato's scientific instrumentation, consisting of the cameras and electronic units, is provided through a collaboration between ESA and the Plato Mission Consortium. This Consortium is composed of various European research centres, institutes and industries, led by the German Aerospace Center (DLR). The spacecraft is being built and assembled by the industrial Plato Core Team led by OHB together with Thales Alenia Space and Beyond Gravity

Categories: Astronomy

Webb spots a starburst shining in infrared

ESO Top News - Mon, 06/30/2025 - 3:59am
Image: A starburst shines in infrared (MIRI)
Categories: Astronomy

What Islands Can Teach Us About Planetary Protection

Universe Today - Mon, 06/30/2025 - 3:47am

As Charles Darwin explored the Galapagos Islands, he discovered how the different islands allowed for different species to thrive. This is very similar to our current exploration of the Solar System; individual worlds, separated by the vacuum of space. The similarities provide a new insight into predictin planetary contamination risks and improve protection methods. A new paper by Daniel J. Brener and Charlesg S. Cockell uses the spread of life to new islands as a powerful model for rethinking how we prevent Earth's microbes from contaminating other worlds, shifting focus from probability calculations to whether microbes can actually survive in alien environments.

Categories: Astronomy