Our Moon is Electric
New measurements show what happens to the moon’s thin exosphere when the lunar orb slips into Earth’s protective magnetic bubble. The moon is often thought of as a lifeless and inactive place. But a new study reminds us that our pale celestial guardian is more dynamic than it seems from afar. Fresh measurements of its flimsy atmosphere back up the … Continue reading
Two Massive Objects Discovered Challenges Our Understanding of Star Evolution
Not quite a planet, not quite a star! VIA Science Alert: The line between star and planet might be a lot finer than we think. Brown dwarfs are celestial objects that are more massive than a planet, but not quite massive enough to be stars. But astronomers have discovered two brown dwarfs that are so massive they’re challenging our understanding … Continue reading
Scientists Planning to Use Earth to ‘Catch’ Asteroids for Mining
This would involve slowing a passing asteroid down and having it orbit around our planet which it ordinarily would not do.. well what could go wrong here?!! via The Sun: An asteroid hurtling toward Earth sounds like a nightmare scenario – but a bunch of space scientists have hatched a plan to make it happen. Why? Because capturing the space … Continue reading
New Type of Ion Propulsion System Being Tested
A revolutionary new type of propulsion system for use in deep space missions has reached another milestone. Known as the Hall-effect thruster (HET), the new propulsion system uses electric and magnetic fields to ionize a propellant (such as argon or xenon) and then expels the ions to produce thrust. The main advantage of ion thrusters over conventional chemical rockets is … Continue reading
Scientists Suggest Life Might Exist on Closest Exoplanet to Earth
The findings could be good news for astronomers who still know very little about the planetary companion of Proxima Centauri, a small red-dwarf star located 4.2 light-years from the sun. US scientists have found that the exoplanet Proxima Centauri b, which orbits the closest star to the sun, may harbor living organisms thanks to enormous seas of liquid water on … Continue reading
Bright Green Comet to Grace the Skies in September
September brings a chance to see a comet. It will be bright enough that you can readily glimpse it using binoculars, though it will be much easier to see using just a small telescope. Comet Giacobini-Zinner was discovered in December 1900 by the French astronomer Michel Giacobini at the Nice Observatory in France. Initially, Giacobini calculated that this newfound comet … Continue reading
AI Discovers Mysterious Repeating Signals from ‘Alien Galaxy’ 3 Billion Light Years Away
Researchers at Breakthrough Listen, a project involved in the search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI), have used AI to study signals from distant galaxies and found that we may have missed a lot in the hunt for alien life. The team, led by UC Berkeley doctoral student Gerry Zhang, examined a phenomena known as Fast Radio Bursts or FRBs. These are … Continue reading
Intelligent Design of the Cosmos From Micro to Macro Scales
From the molecular nanomachines within a tiny cell to the large-scale structure of the universe, design is everywhere to be found. Sometimes the best defense of intelligent design is just to ponder the details. Here are some new illustrations: Fastest Creature Is a Cell If you were asked what the fastest creature on earth is, would you guess a cheetah … Continue reading
Discovery of Water On Jupiter Ups the Possibility of Finding Exotic Life
The precious liquid once thought to only exist on earth and in ice form on comets… it seems lately scientist are finding water ‘everywhere’ in our solar system. Here are some of the other places recently found to contain water: Evidence of Liquid Water Detected of Beneath the Surface of Mars Water on the moon and now Jupiter! via unexplained-mysteries: … Continue reading
Black Holes May Hold the Key to Time Travel
TIME travel is possible, but would be extremely difficult to achieve, according to a top university. In a piece written for the University of Sussex by astrophysicist John Gribbin, co-authored with his wife Mary Gribbin, they say that “there is nothing in the laws of physics to prevent time travel. “It may be extremely difficult to put into practice; but … Continue reading
