Space Archives - Page 7 of 10

Jul222024 by Editor DeskNo Comments

Discovery of Intermediate Mass Black Hole in IRS 13 Offers Vital Clues to Black Hole Evolution

Breaking News, Learning & Developments, Space

In a breakthrough that could significantly advance our understanding of black hole evolution, astronomers have identified a potential intermediate mass black hole within the star cluster IRS 13 near the Milky Way's core. This discovery, only 0.1 light-years from the supermassive black hole Sagittarius A* (Sgr A*), offers critical insights into the missing link between stellar mass black holes and their supermassive counterparts. Intermediate mass black holes, those with masses between 100 and 100,000 solar masses, are exceedingly rare. Their scarcity has left a puzzling gap in the evolutionary chain of black holes, which ranges from stellar mass black holes (up to about 80 solar masses) to supermassive black holes (millions to billions of solar masses). The detection of an intermediate ...

Jul102024 by Editor DeskNo Comments

NASA’s Habitable Worlds Observatory Aiming to Detect Alien Life on Earth Like Planets by 2050

Breaking News, Idea & Innovations, Space

NASA is gearing up to launch the Habitable Worlds Observatory (HWO), a state-of-the-art telescope designed specifically to search for signs of extraterrestrial life on Earth-like planets. Scheduled to launch by 2040, HWO represents a monumental step in the quest to find habitable planets by 2050. Dr. Jessie Christiansen, NASA’s chief scientist for the search for extraterrestrial life, has expressed optimism that HWO will detect signals from planets within the habitable zones of sun-like stars during our lifetime. The primary objective of the observatory is to identify biosignatures, which are indicators of life, such as biogenic gases, aerosols, surface biosignatures, and even technosignatures from advanced civilizations. To date, NASA has pinpointed twenty-five Earth-like planets or...

Jun242024 by Editor DeskNo Comments

NASA Sued After Space Junk Projectile Crashes Into Florida Home

Breaking News, Environment, Space

An American family is seeking over $80,000 in damages from NASA after a piece of space debris crashed through the roof of their Florida home. The incident has spotlighted the growing issue of space junk as spatial traffic increases, potentially setting a precedent for future claims against space agencies. On March 8, Alejandro Otero's home in Naples, Florida, was struck by an object weighing 700 grams, creating a hole in the roof. NASA later confirmed that the debris was part of a cargo pallet of used batteries, released as waste from the International Space Station (ISS) in 2021. Contrary to expectations, the pallet did not fully disintegrate during reentry and a section remained intact, impacting the Otero residence. Incident and Legal Action Alejandro Otero's son was home at the ti...

Jun192024 by Editor DeskNo Comments

Earth’s Atmosphere Shields Life from Deadly Supernova Explosions, New Study Reveals

Breaking News, Disasters, Space

Earth's protective atmosphere has protected life for billions of years, creating an environment for evolution to produce complex life forms like us. The ozone layer plays an important role in protecting the biosphere from deadly UV rays. Block 99% of the sun's powerful UV rays. Earth's magnetosphere also protects us. But the Sun is relatively interesting. How effectively does the ozone and magnetosphere protect us from powerful supernova explosions? Every million years - a tiny fraction of Earth's 4.5 billion years - a giant star explodes within 100 parsecs (326 light years) of Earth. We know this because our solar system exists in a space called the local bubble. A cavernous space where the density of hydrogen is lower than outside the bubble. During the previous 10-20 million ye...

Jun192024 by Editor DeskNo Comments

Study Warns Internet Satellites Like Starlink Could Destroy Earth’s Ozone Layer

Breaking News, Environment, Space

There are currently more than 8,000 internet satellites in low Earth orbit. Internet satellite systems like Elon Musk's Starlink could destroy Earth's ozone layer, according to University of Southern California researchers. A study published in the Journal of Geophysical Research Letters stated that SpaceX's Starlink released large amounts of aluminum oxide gas into the atmosphere that could destroy the ozone layer. The ozone layer is vital to our survival. It absorbs the sun's harmful ultraviolet rays, which can cause skin cancer and even damage crops and food production. "Only in recent years have people started to think this could be a problem. One of the first groups to see what this fact means," said Joseph Wan, an Astronaut researcher at the University of Southern California, i...

Jun162024 by Editor DeskNo Comments

Neptune Changes Color From Blue to Pale Yellow in image shown by NASA

Breaking News, Space

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) often captures stunning images of our universe that amaze space enthusiasts. NASA's social media accounts are gold for those who love educational videos and fun pictures of Earth and space. The agency's Voyager 2 spacecraft shared a photo of Neptune's south pole in its latest post. The image shows Neptune's south pole. NASA aptly described the image as "the curve at the bottom of the image is like a smile. From left to right, the planet changes color from blue to pale yellow." The space agency wrote on Instagram: "Our Voyager 2 spacecraft took this image of Neptune's south pole as it flew past the planet in 1989. Here's an interesting fact about Neptune's south pole: It's about 10 degrees Celsius (18 degrees Fahrenheit) warmer tha...

Jun152024 by Editor DeskNo Comments

Slowing of Earth’s Inner Core May Alter Length of Days, Study Reveals

Breaking News, Space

A groundbreaking study has found "clear evidence" that the Earth's inner core has slowed its rotation relative to the planet's surface since 2010, potentially affecting the length of a day by a fraction of a second. The inner core, a solid sphere of iron and nickel, is encased within the liquid outer core and stabilized by gravity. Researchers typically study the core through seismograms, which record waves generated by earthquakes. "When I first saw the seismograms showing these changes, I was shocked," said John Widale, Earth sciences professor at the University of Southern California. "But after finding dozens more observations with the same pattern, the conclusion was inescapable. The inner core has slowed down for the first time in decades," added Widale, co-author of the study ...

Jun132024 by Editor DeskNo Comments

Emergency on the ISS? Leaked Audio of Training Exercise Triggers Brief Earth Panic

Breaking News, Disasters, Space

Audio of a flight surgeon dealing with an emergency on the International Space Station (ISS) while she was stuck in traffic triggered a brief panic on the evening of June 12 CDT. The unnamed speaker appeared to be conducting a phone call with an unheard conversant, discussing a situation in which an unnamed commander would require hyperbaric treatment after an event that left them with decompression sickness. "Unfortunately, the prognosis for commander is relatively tenuous, I'll say, to keep it generic," the speaker is heard saying. ISS mission control has now confirmed that the audio was a ground simulation that was broadcast to the ISS livestream channel by mistake, and all crew members were safely asleep at the time of the broadcast. The audio, clipped from the livestream a...

Jun82024 by Editor DeskNo Comments

Mysterious Neutron Star Emits Unprecedented Signals, Baffling Astronomers

Breaking News, Disasters, Space

Astronomers are grappling with a perplexing signal emanating from a distant neutron star, ASKAP J193505.1+214841.0 (ASKAP J1935+2148), located about 15,820 light-years from Earth in the Milky Way's plane. The enigmatic star emits a series of pulses ranging from strong to weak, interspersed with periods of silence that challenge existing models of neutron star behavior. An Unprecedented Signal The peculiar signals from ASKAP J1935+2148 were first detected serendipitously during observations for another project. Follow-up studies using the Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder (ASKAP) and the MeerKAT radio telescope in South Africa revealed a regular 53.8-minute pulsation period. However, the nature of these pulses deviates significantly from known neutron star patterns. Neut...

Jun62024 by Editor DeskNo Comments

Japan’s Obayashi Corporation Aims for 2050 Completion of Space Elevator to Revolutionize Space Travel

Breaking News, Space, Thoughts & Talks

Imagine a long tether linking Earth to space, launching us to orbit at a fraction of the cost and slingshotting us to other worlds at record speed. That's the basic idea behind a space elevator. Instead of taking six to eight months to reach Mars, scientists have estimated a space elevator could get us there in three to four months or even as quickly as 40 days. The concept isn't new, but engineering such a structure is a monumental challenge, and many issues beyond technology stand in the way. Japan's Ambitious Plan The Japan-based Obayashi Corporation, known for constructing the world's tallest tower, the Tokyo Skytree, announced in 2012 its goal to build a space elevator. The company projected that construction on the $100-billion project would begin by 2025, with operations st...