In the next few decades, many physicists are hopeful that nuclear fusion could become a realistic source of practically limitless energy. But before this can happen, it will be critical to ensure that reactors cannot be covertly misused to produce materials for nuclear weapons.
Using NASA’s Chandra X-ray spacecraft, astronomers have performed deep X-ray observations of a galactic globular cluster known as NGC 6540. The new observational campaign, described June 1 on the preprint server arXiv, focused on disentangling the nature of a peculiar X-ray flare emitted by the cluster about two decades ago.
Plan now to be in the right place at the right time for an unforgettable show. Continue ReadingMillions could see a rare sunset during the total solar eclipse on Aug. 12, 2026. Here’s where to look
On Episode 214 of This Week In Space, Rod Pyle and Tariq Malik talk with former NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine about his past and the space agency’s future. Continue ReadingThis Week In Space podcast: Episode 214 — Moon Man
Venus appeared to move closer to Jupiter in Earth’s sky, as the two planets drifted farther apart in space. Continue ReadingCloser every day: A spectacular 30-day collage of the Venus-Jupiter conjunction (photo)
Pioneer 10 holds the titles for many “firsts”: It was NASA’s first mission to the outer planets, the first spacecraft to fly beyond Mars, the first to traverse the asteroid belt, and the first to fly past Jupiter. It was also the first spacecraft placed on a trajectory to escape the solar system into interstellarContinue reading “June 13, 1983: Pioneer 10 leaves solar system” The post June 13, 1983: Pioneer 10 leaves solar system appeared Continue ReadingJune 13, 1983: Pioneer 10 leaves solar system
This week’s notable citations: Astronomers believe collapsing stars could spawn mini universes. Chimpanzees do not like unfairness. And a single dose of psilocybin temporarily restored function in an 80-year-old with Alzheimer’s disease.
Hidden underground around the world lie 110 quadrillion kilometers of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal networks—webs of ultra-thin threads that, if connected in a single line, would stretch almost a billion times the distance between the Earth and the sun, according to new research published in Science on Thursday. These fungal communities form intimate relationships with the roots of plants, which they provide with nutrients like phosphorus and nitrogen in exchange for carbon, 1 billion tons of which the networks sequester underground annually, previous research has found. If the fungal network wasn’t storing it, that carbon would be warming the atmosphere. But Continue ReadingThreads of underground fungal networks are long enough to reach beyond the Solar System
More than 20 years after its founding, SpaceX made history Friday with its record-high stock market debut, crowning a unique journey marked by dazzling successes but also catastrophic failures and unfulfilled promises.
An autonomous rolling rover that was able to transform from a sphere into a robot successfully explored a small part of the moon in 2024. Continue ReadingHow Japanese scientists sent a real-life Transformer to the moon
Looking for a sky event this week? Check out our full Sky This Week column. June 12: The Moon meets Mars Turn your telescope toward southern Pisces this morning, where Saturn outshines any of the stars in this part of the sky. This is where Comet 220P/McNaught recently underwent an outburst, quickly brightening from 18th magnitude toContinue reading “The Sky Today on Saturday, June 13: Catch Comet 220P/McNaught” The post The Sky Today on Saturday, June 13: Continue ReadingThe Sky Today on Saturday, June 13: Catch Comet 220P/McNaught
NASA-supported scientists have provided new information about how the early Earth may have acquired some elements necessary for the planet to become habitable. They also suggest a new role for Jupiter in the distribution of these elements throughout the young solar system. The study, published in Science Advances, examines this history by looking at the ratio of phosphorus to nitrogen in iron meteorites and in younger objects known as chondrites.
NASA took an unconventional approach to informing the astronauts of Artemis 3 about their crew assignments. Continue ReadingEver have a scary HR meeting on your calendar? That’s how the Artemis 3 crew found out their assignments
📷 Mark Johnston from Scottsdale, Arizona A line of filaments march toward the limb of the Sun, which itself is bedecked with multiple prominences in this Hα image. Both phenomena are made of loops and tendrils of plasma that arch off the surface of the Sun; their varying appearance depends on the viewing geometry. TheContinue reading “Prominent filaments” The post Prominent filaments appeared first on Astronomy Magazine. Continue ReadingProminent filaments
Liftoff of the Falcon 9 rocket occurred at 8:27 a.m. ET, just over an hour before SpaceX went public on the NASDAQ stock market. Continue ReadingSpaceX’s stock wasn’t the company’s only launch today — It also put 29 Starlink satellites in orbit
Japan successfully completed its first mission with its H3 rocket since a launch failure last year resulted in the loss of a payload. Continue ReadingJapan’s H3 rocket bounces back from failure with successful return to flight launch carrying 6 satellites
The quasar existed 12.9 billion years ago and shows that supermassive black holes were able to age rapidly in the early universe. Continue ReadingCould the secret to black hole formation be locked away in this record-breaking ancient quasar?
A University of Birmingham scientist has built a “mini-universe” that takes a step toward answering one of science’s biggest questions: “What is time?” Publishing his findings in Physical Review Research, Professor Giovanni Barontini shows how it is possible to measure the flow of time without using a clock at all. The new findings provide a scientific model in which a version of time emerges from the experiment itself.
As the US military readies for two 2027 missions to test spacecraft maneuvering, a new challenge with orbital warehouses aims to beef up space infrastructure. Continue ReadingWhy is the US Space Force researching ‘orbital warehouses’?
Every so often, the Sun hurls billions of tonnes of charged particles toward Earth in what are called coronal mass ejections and if a big one hits at the wrong moment, the consequences for satellites, power grids, and communications systems could be catastrophic. Our best defence is to predict them before they happen, and that means watching the Sun’s magnetic fields constantly and precisely. Now, a component smaller than a shirt button could transform how we do exactly that.
