Latest science news in Astronomy & Space
Interstellar gatecrasher 2I/Borisov is no ordinary comet
Scientists have discovered that a comet called 2I/Borisov — only the second interstellar object ever detected passing through the solar system — is surprisingly different in its composition from comets hailing from...
'Lucky' MESSENGER data upends long-held idea about Venus' atmosphere
Philosopher Nicholas Rescher once wrote, "Scientific discoveries are often made not on the basis of some well-contrived plan of investigation, but through some stroke of sheer luck."
SpaceX plans Wednesday Starlink satellite launch from Florida
SpaceX plans to launch its seventh Starlink satellite cluster from Florida at 3:37 p.m. EDT Wednesday amid restrictions during the coronavirus pandemic.
Study may explain the source of nitrogen in Earth’s atmosphere
Nitrogen makes up approximately 78% of the air we breathe. But scientists have never fully understood how it came to be present in the atmospheres around Earth and other planets....
Michigan Gov. Whitmer says she'll take pay cut during pandemic
Democrat Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer announced Monday that she and her top staff would take pays cut to do their part to tighten the state budget during the coronavirus pandemic.
Exoplanet apparently disappears in latest Hubble observations
What scientists thought was a planet beyond our solar system has 'vanished.' Though this happens to sci-fi worlds, scientists seek a more plausible explanation. One interpretation: instead of a planet,...
No, they're not aliens — SpaceX's Starlink satellites surprise British skywatchers
British skywatchers spotted a trail of lights in their night skies this past weekend as SpaceX's Starlink satellites passed overhead. Some thought they were UFOs.
NASA Earth Data Powers Energy-Saving Decisions
Portal origin URL: NASA Earth Data Powers Energy-Saving DecisionsPortal origin nid: 460091Published: Monday, April 20, 2020 - 15:00Featured (stick to top of list): noPortal text teaser: NASA Earth Data Powers Energy Saving DecisionsPortal image: 35,000 solar...
Hubble Space Telescope: Pictures, Facts & History
Since launch in 1990, the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) has provided amazing images that have led to discoveries. Explore Hubble's history and facts.
Milky Way could be catapulting stars into its outer halo
University of California, Irvine astronomers and others have shown that clusters of supernovas can cause the birth of scattered, eccentrically orbiting suns in outer stellar halos, upending commonly held notions...
ALMA reveals unusual composition of interstellar comet 2I/Borisov
A galactic visitor entered our solar system last year -- interstellar comet 2I/Borisov. When astronomers pointed the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) toward the comet on Dec. 15-16, 2019, for...
Starlink space display 'set to continue all week'
The 60 Starlink satellites launched by Elon Musk's SpaceX firm appear in a line crossing the night sky.
Strange ingredient in interstellar Comet Borisov offers a clue to its origins
Astronomers have revealed the unusual chemical composition inside 2I/Borisov, the interstellar comet that visited our solar system last year. A strange ingredient has provided new clues about where this traveling...
Can you get a refund for sports, concerts and other events disrupted by coronavirus? It depends
If you hold tickets for sporting events or concerts that have been canceled or postponed, here's what the leagues and ticket sellers are doing.
Astronomers discover planet that never was
What astronomers thought was a planet beyond our solar system has now seemingly vanished from sight, suggesting that what was heralded as one of the first exoplanets to ever be...
ALMA observations reveal unusual composition of intestellar comet 2I/Borisov
ALMA data revealed surprisingly large amounts of carbon monoxide sublimating from the first known interstellar comet 2I/Borisov.
Kumail Nanjiani, Issa Rae's 'The Lovebirds' to release May 22 on Netflix
"The Lovebirds," starring Kumail Nanjiani and Issa Rae, is coming to Netflix on May 22.
When It Comes to Water, You Have to Think Global
Portal origin URL: When It Comes to Water, You Have to Think GlobalPortal origin nid: 460072Published: Monday, April 20, 2020 - 08:15Featured (stick to top of list): noPortal text teaser: When It Comes to Water,...
Gov. Andrew Cuomo says N.Y. crisis declining; protests oppose lockdowns nationwide
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Monday the coronavirus arc appears to be "on the descent" in his state, where the death toll has fallen below 500 for the first...
Scientists detect rare crash of two mismatched black holes for the first time ever
Colliding black holes aren't always as evenly matched as scientists expected, according to a cosmic chirp astronomers have puzzled over for a year.
Interstellar comet 2I/Borisov: Carbon monoxide abundance points to birth around cooler star
Interstellar comet 2I/Borisov is providing a glimpse of another star system's planetary building blocks, using new observations from NASA's Hubble Space Telescope.
LIGO and Virgo detectors catch first gravitational wave from binary black hole merger with unequal masses
The expectations of the gravitational-wave research community have been fulfilled: gravitational-wave discoveries are now part of their daily work as they have identified in the past observing run, O3, new...
Can high-power microwaves reduce the launch cost of space-bound rockets?
Governments throughout the world use rockets to launch satellites and people into orbit. This currently requires a lot of high-energy fuel, which is 95% of total rocket mass. Because the...
NASA astronauts to launch from U.S. soil for the first time in 9 years on May 27
NASA and SpaceX have picked May 27 for resuming astronaut launches from the U.S. after nine years of complete Russian dependence.
'Alien comet' visitor has weird composition
The first known comet to visit us from another star system has an unusual make-up.
Interstellar gatecrasher 2I/Borisov is no ordinary comet
Scientists have discovered that a comet called 2I/Borisov - only the second interstellar object ever detected passing through the solar system - is surprisingly different in its composition from...
Interstellar comet Borisov has an unexpected amount of carbon monoxide
Comet 2I/Borisov, the solar system’s second known interstellar visitor, probably hails from a planetary family that is chemically distinct from our own. During Borisov’s brief sojourn through the inner solar system, it was...
Unlike Earth, the gases in Venus’ atmosphere aren’t uniformly mixed
A new look at the nitrogen on Venus may overturn a decades-old assumption about the planet’s atmosphere. Scientists long thought that atmospheric turbulence would create a uniform mixture of gases in Venus’s atmosphere...