Here’s how we could quickly raise temperatures on Mars

Multiple plans exist to explore Mars in the coming decades using robotic and crewed missions. The ultimate goal of these missions is to determine whether human beings could actually live there someday. This requires access to building materials, water, cutting-edge manufacturing technology, and closed-loop habitation systems with bioregenerative life support systems (BLSS). Basically, future settlers will need to create conditions that mimic Earth’s self-sustaining ecological systems—essentially, we need to “take Earth with us” to other planets.

Curiosity discovers largest organic molecules yet on Mars

The Mars Curiosity rover has found the largest organic molecules yet on the Red Planet. Organic molecules are the building blocks of life, although they can also be produced by geological processes. While there’s currently no way to prove whether these particular molecules were formed from processes associated with life, their very discovery shows thatContinue reading “Curiosity discovers largest organic molecules yet on Mars” The post Curiosity discovers largest organic molecules yet on Mars appeared first on Astronomy Magazine. Continue ReadingCuriosity discovers largest organic molecules yet on Mars

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Massive Jupiter storm churns ammonia deep into planet’s atmosphere

A pair of planetary scientists at the University of California, working with a colleague from the California Institute of Technology, has discovered that a massive amount of ammonia is churned up and down in Jupiter’s atmosphere during major storms. In their study published in Science Advances, Chris Moeckel, Imke de Pater, and Huazhi Ge analyzed data from multiple sources focused on a major storm that occurred on Jupiter starting in 2016.

Golden Dome: who and what should it defend?

On January 27, President Trump ordered the Pentagon to develop “a reference architecture, capabilities-based requirements, and an implementation plan for the next-generation missile defense shield,” which, inspired by Israel’s Iron […] The post Golden Dome: who and what should it defend? appeared first on SpaceNews.

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JWST finds spiral galaxy about 5 times more massive than Milky Way — scientists call it ‘Big Wheel’

Scientists have uncovered a massive galaxy that existed just 2 billion years after the Big Bang. But how did this colossal “Big Wheel” form so early in the universe? The answer could change everything we know about galaxy growth. Continue ReadingJWST finds spiral galaxy about 5 times more massive than Milky Way — scientists call it ‘Big Wheel’

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Horns of the Sun

Fabrizio Melandri from Voltana, Italy The partial solar eclipse of March 29, 2025, gave viewers along the U.S. Eastern Seaboard a view of “devil’s horns” — the horns of a partially eclipsed Sun emerging from the horizon at sunrise. This photographer captured this phenomenon from Monticello, Maine, with a 4-inch f/7 refractor and Nikon DSLR. The post Horns of the Sun appeared first on Astronomy Magazine. Continue ReadingHorns of the Sun

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The Sky This Week from April 4 to 11: Catch your last views of Uranus

Sky This Week is brought to you in part by Celestron. Friday, April 4This evening, the roughly half-illuminated face of the Moon hangs in Gemini, high in the south an hour after sunset. First Quarter Moon occurs at 10:15 P.M. EDT. The two brightest stars in Gemini are Castor (magnitude 1.6) and Pollux (magnitude 1.2).Continue reading “The Sky This Week from April 4 to 11: Catch your last views of Uranus” The post The Sky This Week from April 4 to 11: Catch your last views of Uranus appeared first on Astronomy Magazine. Continue ReadingThe Sky This Week from April 4 to 11: Catch your last views of Uranus

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Startups demonstrate in-orbit satellite autonomy

A small spacecraft earlier this year successfully demonstrated edge autonomy — or the capability of a satellite to analyze data and make decisions independently without waiting for instructions from ground […] The post Startups demonstrate in-orbit satellite autonomy appeared first on SpaceNews.

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