Space Archives - Page 6 of 10

Oct22024 by Editor DeskNo Comments

Astronomers Discover Tiny Exoplanet Orbiting Barnard’s Star, Just 6 Light-Years Away

In a groundbreaking discovery, scientists have found a new exoplanet orbiting Barnard’s Star, the nearest single star to our Solar System, located just 5.96 light-years away. This small, rocky world, named Barnard b, has a mass of only 37% that of Earth, making it one of the smallest exoplanets ever detected. Although uninhabitable, the discovery marks a significant step toward finding Earth-sized planets scattered across the galaxy. Barnard b is incredibly close to its host star, completing an orbit every 3.15 days at just 0.02 astronomical units (AU) from the red dwarf. Despite Barnard’s Star being much cooler than our Sun, this proximity makes the planet too hot to sustain liquid water or life as we know it. However, the discovery is still a scientific marvel, as detecting such small...

Oct22024 by Editor DeskNo Comments

Final Solar Eclipse of 2024: A Rare Annular Eclipse on October 2nd

Breaking News, Space

The last solar eclipse of 2024 is almost here, offering skywatchers and eclipse chasers a final opportunity to witness the Moon passing in front of the Sun. This annular solar eclipse, often called a "ring of fire" eclipse, will take place on Wednesday, October 2nd. Unlike the April 8th total solar eclipse, which was visible to millions across North America, this event is more elusive, with its path crossing the South Pacific and only making landfall in a few remote regions. What is an Annular Solar Eclipse? An annular solar eclipse occurs when the Moon, due to its elliptical orbit, appears smaller than the Sun in the sky and fails to cover it entirely. This leaves a bright ring of sunlight around the Moon, creating the stunning "ring of fire" effect. The eclipse occurs when the shad...

Sep302024 by Editor DeskNo Comments

New “Mini-Moon” to Visit Earth: Asteroid 2024 PT5 Set for Brief Stay

Breaking News, Environment, Space

Stargazers and space enthusiasts have a new reason to be excited this autumn, as Earth is set to briefly capture a small asteroid, turning it into a temporary "mini-moon" from September 29 to November 25. The asteroid, named 2024 PT5, will be pulled into Earth's gravitational field, sparking interest from the astronomical community. Unfortunately, due to its small size and lack of brightness, the mini-moon won’t be visible to the naked eye or through ordinary telescopes. Asteroid 2024 PT5, measuring about 33 feet wide, hails from the Arjuna asteroid belt and was first detected on August 7 by NASA’s Asteroid Terrestrial-Impact Last Alert System (ATLAS). Dr. Jennifer Millard, host of the Awesome Astronomy podcast, explained that while the asteroid won’t be visible to amateur astronomers, ...

Sep272024 by Editor DeskNo Comments

Astronomers Discover Earth-like Exoplanet Orbiting White Dwarf Offering Glimpse into Solar System’s Future

Breaking News, Space

In a remarkable discovery, astronomers have identified an Earth-like exoplanet orbiting a white dwarf star, potentially providing insight into the distant future of our own solar system. The exoplanet, with a mass approximately 1.9 times that of Earth, survived the violent phase when its host star expanded into a red giant before shrinking into a white dwarf. The finding offers new understanding of how planets might endure the tumultuous stages of stellar evolution. Led by Keming Zhang from the University of California, the study utilized microlensing, a technique that magnifies distant celestial objects when the gravity of a foreground star bends the light from a background star. The white dwarf was nearly perfectly aligned with the background star, amplifying the event more than 1,000...

Sep262024 by Editor DeskNo Comments

SpaceX Proposes $15 Billion Investment in Vietnam for Starlink Satellite Service

Breaking News, Space, Tech

SpaceX is looking to invest a substantial $15 billion in Vietnam, with the focus on expanding its Starlink satellite service in the near future, according to the Vietnamese government. The proposed investment was discussed in a meeting between SpaceX Senior Vice President Tim Hughes and Vietnam’s Communist Party General Secretary To Lam, during the latter's visit to the US for the United Nations General Assembly. The Vietnamese government is currently reviewing the proposal, though no further details have been provided, and SpaceX has yet to comment on the matter. The government noted last year that SpaceX had shown interest in offering its low-Earth orbit satellite service in Vietnam, though earlier reports suggested those plans were delayed. Lam expressed that Vietnam would work wi...

Sep242024 by Editor DeskNo Comments

Nuclear Detonation Above Asteroids Could Be Earth’s Best Defense Against Space Rocks

Breaking News, Disasters, Space

A new laboratory experiment conducted by an international team of researchers has reinforced the idea that a nuclear detonation above an incoming asteroid could effectively prevent a catastrophic impact on Earth. The study confirmed that X-rays emitted by a suitably-sized nuclear blast could deflect asteroids as large as 3 to 5 kilometers (around 2 to 3 miles) wide, potentially steering them off a collision course with our planet. While there is no immediate threat from hazardous near-Earth asteroids, the catastrophic potential of an unexpected impact makes it crucial to develop reliable strategies for planetary defense. Nuclear Option: Our Best Bet for Large Asteroids Recent success in asteroid deflection was demonstrated by NASA’s DART mission, which successfully altered the orb...

Sep162024 by Editor DeskNo Comments

Groundbreaking Discovery: Hidden Structures Found Beneath Mars’ Surface, Hint at Active Interior

Breaking News, Disasters, Space

In a monumental discovery, scientists have unveiled massive, dense structures hidden beneath the surface of Mars, providing fresh insight into the planet’s geological history and hinting at ongoing internal activity. Presented at the Europlanet Science Congress 2024, this new revelation stems from a highly detailed gravity map of Mars, constructed using data from multiple missions, including NASA's InSIGHT and satellite observations. The findings challenge long-held beliefs about Mars’ geological processes, particularly around Olympus Mons, the largest volcano in the Solar System. The map suggests that active processes within Mars' mantle could be responsible for lifting the Tharsis volcanic region, contradicting the traditional concept of flexural isostasy—a principle that states the p...

Sep122024 by Editor DeskNo Comments

NASA’s Juno Mission Discovers New Volcano on Jupiter’s Moon Io

Breaking News, Space

Jupiter's moon Io, known as the most volcanically active body in the Solar System, has once again astonished scientists with the discovery of a new volcano. NASA's Juno spacecraft, which has been making closer approaches to Io in recent years, provided the first close-up images of the moon in 25 years, offering fresh insights into its volcanic landscape. The images captured by JunoCam revealed the presence of a new volcano, located just south of Io's equator. This volcano had formed sometime after NASA's Galileo spacecraft last surveyed the region in 1997. At that time, the area where the volcano now sits appeared featureless. However, Juno's latest images show significant volcanic activity, with multiple lava flows and volcanic deposits spread across an area of 180 by 180 kilometers. ...

Sep82024 by Editor DeskNo Comments

Mysterious Formation of Earth’s Inner Core: How Mineral Physics is Unlocking Secrets Beneath Our Feet

Breaking News, Environment, Space

Deep below Earth’s surface, at a staggering depth of over 5,100 km, lies the inner core a solid ball of iron and nickel. Despite its size and influence, this mysterious part of Earth still puzzles scientists. While we know it plays a crucial role in shaping the conditions necessary for life on Earth, how and when the inner core formed remains a topic of ongoing debate. The Earth’s inner core is responsible for generating the planet’s magnetic field, which shields us from harmful solar radiation. This magnetic field is likely key to creating the conditions that allowed life to flourish billions of years ago. Without it, our planet may not have been able to sustain life. Interestingly, the inner core wasn’t always solid. As Earth has cooled over time, the once-liquid core has been grad...

Sep22024 by Editor DeskNo Comments

Discovery of Earth’s Ambipolar Electric Field Unlocks New Insights into Planetary Atmospheres

Breaking News, Space

In a groundbreaking discovery, scientists have confirmed the existence of a long-theorized electric field around Earth, known as the "ambipolar electric field," which plays a critical role in shaping our planet's atmosphere. First hypothesized over 60 years ago, this weak but significant phenomenon has been observed for the first time, thanks to recent measurements from NASA's Endurance rocket mission. The findings, published in Nature, reveal that this electric field drives a "polar wind" that propels charged particles from Earth's upper atmosphere into space at supersonic speeds. According to NASA, the ambipolar electric field is a key factor in the continuous outflow of particles above Earth's poles, lifting them to altitudes higher than they would otherwise reach. This process, in t...