Category: Science

Although a common premise in science fiction, the prospect of a large asteroid smashing into Earth is not fiction at all, but rather a guarantee. Extinction-event asteroids are a periodic occurrence, just like the tides or the full moon; just ask the dinosaurs. That’s why the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) spent so much …

Asteroids made of “rubble” might be very, very hard to destroy, astronomers say Read More »

SpaceX has launched its Falcon 9 rocket for the 200th time. Measuring 70 meters (230 ft) tall and 3.7 meters (12 ft) wide, the 200th Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from SpaceX’s Vandenberg Space Force Base SLC-4E pad on January 31st, 2023. Beyond the statistical milestone, the Starlink 2-6 mission was a mostly ordinary launch …

SpaceX launches 200th Falcon 9 rocket Read More »

Credit: Northwestern University In 2008, HR8799 was the first extrasolar planetary system ever directly imaged. Now, the famous system stars in its very own video. Using observations collected over the past 12 years, Northwestern University astrophysicist Jason Wang has assembled a stunning time lapse video of the family of four planets—each more massive than Jupiter—orbiting …

New time lapse video shows 12 years of exoplanets orbiting their star Read More »

The link between ancient volcanic eruptions and the most severe extinction event the world has ever seen just got even stronger. A new analysis of mercury isotopes have provided evidence that a quarter of a billion years ago, far-flung places in Earth’s Southern Hemisphere were blanketed with debris from volcanic eruptions in Siberia. The so-called …

Embers of an Ancient Inferno Pinpoint the Worst Extinction in Earth’s History : ScienceAlert Read More »

A comet with a greenish glow will make its closest approach to Earth since the age of the Neanderthals tonight (Feb. 1 to 2), and if you look in the right place at the right time, you might be able to spot it. The comet, known as C/2022 E3 (ZTF), will come within 26.4 million …

How to watch the rare green comet whiz past Earth tonight Read More »

NASA’s small Ingenuity helicopter notched its 41st flight. The Ingenuity drone made a quick flight out of its resting stop and then back again on Jan. 27, covering 600 feet (183 meters) in horizontal distance in just 109 seconds. After the dust settled in Jezero Crater, Ingenuity returned to its resting area at “Airfield Beta,” …

Mars helicopter Ingenuity soars over rover tracks on 41st flight Read More »

A Japanese telescope captured images and video of a flying blue whirlpool shape over Hawaii on Jan. 18. “The Subaru-Asahi Star Camera captured a mysterious flying spiral over Maunakea, Hawaii” which “seems to be related to the SpaceX company’s launch of a new satellite,” the Subaru Telescope tweeted on Jan. 19. The telescope is mounted …

‘Mysterious flying spiral’ above Hawaii likely caused by SpaceX launch : NPR Read More »

A ghostly blue spiral spotted in the sky over Hawaii could be related to a SpaceX satellite launch. The National Astronomical Observatory of Japan spotted the mysterious spiral through its Subaru Telescope on January 18just after SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 rocket carrying a large military satellite for the US Space Force. Ichi Tanaka, a …

A Mysterious Whirlpool Appeared Over Hawaii, And It Could Be Because of SpaceX : ScienceAlert Read More »