Artist’s concept of a fast-moving star system. (NASA/JPL-Caltech/R. Hurt (Caltech-IPAC))Near the Milky Way's central bulge, about 24,000 light-years from Earth, a peculiar pair of celestial objects is racing through space at unprecedented speeds.Scientists believe this duo consists of a high-velocity star and its orbiting exoplanet, according to a new study. If confirmed, it would set...
Credit: PixabayUsing multiple NASA telescopes, scientists have conducted a groundbreaking survey to detect both visible and hidden supermassive black holes—colossal objects billions of times more massive than the Sun. Nearly every large galaxy is thought to harbor one at its core, yet directly counting them is impossible. Instead, astronomers analyze smaller samples to estimate...
NASA astronaut Victor Glover tests collection methods for ISS External Microorganisms in the Neutral Buoyancy Lab at Johnson Space Center. (NASA)On January 30, astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore will embark on a 6.5-hour spacewalk outside the International Space Station (ISS). One key objective is collecting surface samples to study microbial presence on the station’s...
Credit: PixabayFirst detected on August 7, 2024, by the University of Hawaiʻi’s ATLAS telescope in Sutherland, South Africa, asteroid 2024 PT5 has intrigued astronomers with its Earth-like orbit around the Sun. This small asteroid, approximately 33 feet (10 meters) in diameter, poses no threat to our planet.Orbiting the Sun in a path similar to...
Artist's concept of the Parker Solar ProbeNASAThe Parker Solar Probe has been confirmed by NASA to be safe and fully functional following a groundbreaking close approach to the Sun on December 24, 2024. During this event, the spacecraft set a record, venturing to within just 3.8 million miles (6.1 million kilometers) of the Sun's...
Artist concept of the new Mars Chopper. (NASA/JPLraw/YouTube)Ingenuity became the first aircraft to fly on another world in the first half of 2021, exploring Mars terrain from above. This achievement proved that powered air flight is an efficient way to navigate alien worlds.Building on this success, NASA has now unveiled a computer rendering of its...
NASA visualization of global temperature anomalies. (NASA Earth Observatory)The world has been steadily warming for decades, but a sudden, extraordinary surge in global heat has pushed the climate into uncharted territory, leaving scientists grappling for answers.Over the past two years, temperature records have been shattered repeatedly, defying even the most advanced climate models. While it’s...
The Ingenuity helicopterNASAFuture space helicopters could benefit from findings made during the first-ever interplanetary aircraft crash investigation. NASA is finalizing a technical report that will explain the causes of the Ingenuity helicopter crash on Mars, which occurred on January 18, 2024.From a Modest Goal to a Revolutionary AchievementPart of the Mars 2020 mission, Ingenuity...
NASA's X-59 quiet supersonic research aircraft as seen when it was unveiled at a ceremony earlier this year at Lockheed Martin's Skunk Works factory in Palmdale, CaliforniaNASA/Steve FreemanNASA 's X-59 aircraft has been progressing toward its first flight since development began in 2016, with the goal of resurrecting commercial supersonic travel. Next, the agency...
NASA Observes Black Hole Jet Colliding with Mysterious ObjectOne of the most peculiar galaxies near the Milky Way has presented astronomers with a new and intriguing mysteryKnown as Centaurus A, this galaxy hosts a supermassive black hole at its center that emits enormous jets of plasma. These jets, traveling through intergalactic space, have collided...
