Random Space Fact | The Daily Space

Found: Metal-rich Star. Parents Being Sought.

May 12, 2022 | Daily Space, Earth, JWST, Mars, Physics, Random Space Fact, Science, Space History, Spacecraft, Stars, The Sun

A ninth-magnitude star in our neighborhood of the Milky Way has been found to contain 65 different elements, including large proportions of heavier elements like gold. This star required either a supernova or a neutron star merger to form. Plus, another solar flare, a strong marsquake, cosmic rays, cookies, and this week in rocket history, we look back at STS-84.

Stellar Death Just Got More Lit

Apr 28, 2022 | Crewed Space, Curiosity, Daily Space, Exoplanets, Jupiter, KBOs, Mars, Moon, Random Space Fact, Rockets, Space History, Spacecraft, SpaceX, Stars, Supernovae

Remember that new object, COW, named for a strange supernova? We’ve seen four more of these Fast Blue Optical Transits, and new research may even have figured out just how and why they occur. Plus, Crew-4 launches, a bunch of planetary science news, micronovae, and this week in rocket history, we look back at the San Marco program.

An In-Depth Look at Recent Mars Science And Exploration

Apr 14, 2022 | Comets, Crewed Space, Curiosity, Daily Space, Mars, Moon, Random Space Fact, Space History

A new paper looks at marsquakes and what is causing them, which turns out to be magma moving. And Curiosity has found rocks it needs to go around. Then there is the weather on Mars. Plus, lunar formation, a giant comet, and this week in rocket history, we look back at Apollo 13.

Climate Change Affects the Birds and the Bees

Apr 7, 2022 | Climate Change, Crewed Space, Daily Space, Earth, Jupiter, Moon, Random Space Fact, Science, Space History

From plastics invading the Arctic Ocean to the changing morphology of birds in response to rising temperatures and the problems with pathogens killing off pollinators like bees, we examine some of the effects of climate change on Earth’s ecosystems. Plus, Ganymede, moonlight, solar cells, and this week in rocket history, we look back at STS-83.

Rubble Pile Asteroids May Be Extinct Comets

Mar 24, 2022 | Asteroids, Cassini, Crewed Space, Daily Space, Galaxies, Gemini North, JAXA, Random Space Fact, Rockets, Saturn, Science, Space History, Spacecraft

After detecting high levels of organic matter using remote sensors at the asteroid Ryugu, numerical models show that it’s possible that rubble pile asteroids are actually extinct comets. Plus, the Cosmic Optical Background, Enceladus’s tiger stripes, and this week in rocket history, we look back at STS-45.

Several Kepler Planets Turn Out to be Small Stars

Mar 17, 2022 | Astrobiology, Climate Change, Crewed Space, Daily Space, Earth, Exoplanets, Kepler, Mars, Random Space Fact, Rockets, Soyuz, Space History, Spacecraft, Stars

Using updated stellar measurements based on new data from the Gaia mission, three (and possibly four) Kepler exoplanets are actually small stars, but it’s unlikely new calculations will reveal many more such issues. Plus, Ingenuity, astronauts, permafrost, and This Week in Rocket History, we look back at STS-3 and the first use of the Canadarm.