Artist's concept fo Odysseus on the MoonIntuitive MachinesThe US has made a comeback to the Moon after more than 50 years. At 6:24 pm EST, the robotic Odysseus landed autonomously on the lunar surface, followed by a tense 13-minute wait as radio communications were established with mission control.The landing of the IM-1 mission today...
An artist's impression of the brightest object ever discovered – a quasar that shines with the light of 500 trillion Suns – which is also the fastest growing black hole, eating the equivalent of a Sun a dayESO/M. KornmesserOne might expect that locating the brightest object in the observable universe would be straightforward, but...
Intuitive Machines' lander captured this stunning view of Earth en route to the Moon. Credit: Intuitive MachinesIntuitive Machines stands on the cusp of a historic milestone. It aims to become the first private company to achieve a soft landing on the Moon, marking a pivotal moment in space exploration. The endeavor, slated for tomorrow,...
Starship is larger and twice as powerful as the Apollo-era Saturn VSpaceXSpaceX intends to frequently launch its large Starship booster from Florida's Kennedy Space Center. To achieve this, the company will renovate an existing Apollo-era launch site and build a new one, as detailed in a recent environmental impact assessment.The Starship booster has intermittently...
Virtual Incision co-founder Shane Farritor tries his hand at controlling spaceMIRACraig Chandler, UNL Communication and MarketingA team of six doctors in Nebraska has accomplished a surgical robot operation on the International Space Station (ISS). While the procedure was conducted on rubber bands this time, this achievement holds significance for upcoming missions to Mars and...
Io as seen from Juno, with 'Jupitershine' illumination on the left sideNASA/JPL-Caltech/SwRI/MSSSNASA has unveiled a high-resolution image captured by the Juno spacecraft during its recent encounter with Jupiter's moon Io on December 30, 2023. This image not only showcases remarkable details of the volcanic satellite but also features an unusual lighting effect.During its close...
Credit: Unsplash / Nicolas Thomas.In December 2020, the Chang'e-5 mission embarked on an extraordinary journey to the Moon, marking a milestone in lunar exploration. Its mission is to land, collect, and return rocks to Earth. This endeavor marked the first collection of lunar material in 45 years, offering a treasure trove of insights into...
The eROSITA map seen in two different ways: Left shows extended X-ray emissions, while the right image shows point-like X-ray sourcesMPE, J. Sanders for the eROSITA consortiumAstronomers have utilized the eROSITA space telescope to chart half of the universe in X-ray light. This newly created map, featuring nearly a million X-ray sources, serves as...
"Astronomers unearth a previously undiscovered celestial entity adrift in the cosmos" is a frequent news topic, yet it never fails to captivate. The most recent discovery introduces a novel category of stars – elderly red giants affectionately dubbed "Old Smokers" by the research team.
Credit: Unsplash.Astronomers utilizing the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope have observed GJ 9827d, the smallest exoplanet known to have water vapor in its atmosphere. With a diameter approximately twice that of Earth, this distant planet could provide insights into the prevalence of water-rich atmospheres around other stars in our galaxy.Discovery and CharacteristicsGJ 9827d, discovered by...
