Astrobiology | The Daily Space

Dealing with Potentially Hazardous Asteroids

Oct 21, 2022 | Asteroids, Astrobiology, Curiosity, Daily Space, ESA, Galaxies, JAXA, JWST, Mars, OSIRIS-REx, Space History, Star Forming Region, Venus

A trio of asteroid-related stories crossed our emails this week: Bennu’s sample is on schedule for next year’s return, researchers have developed a tool to measure an asteroid’s density distribution, and 3200 Phaeton’s rotational period has accelerated. Plus, JWST’s new Pillars of Creation image, and this week in space history, we look back at Venera 4.

Saturn’s Rings are Made of a Broken-up Moon

Sep 17, 2022 | Astrobiology, Daily Space, Earth, Mars, Mars 2020, Perseverance, Review, Rocket Lab, Rockets, Saturn, Spacecraft, Volcanoes

Using computer simulations, researchers have pieced together a possible scenario where Titan caused another of Saturn’s moons to break up and become the beautiful ring system we see today. Plus, organic molecules on Mars, the death of the dinosaurs, and a review of Lightyear on Disney+.

Infrared Telescope Balloon Mission Gets Mini-JWST Mirror

Jul 7, 2022 | Astrobiology, Daily Space, Earth, Fast Radio Bursts, JWST, Our Solar System, Physics, Quantum, Science, Space History, Spacecraft

While waiting for the launch and commissioning of JWST, engineers designed an infrared telescope with a 2.5-meter mirror that will fly onboard a large research balloon to nearly 40 kilometers in altitude. Plus, fast radio bursts, robotic ammonites, and this week in rocket history we look back at Telstar-1.

Looking for Life in All the Strange Places

Jul 1, 2022 | Astrobiology, Daily Space, Earth, Europa, Mars, Quasar, Sky Watching, Spacecraft, SpaceX, Stars, Supermassive Black Holes

A trio of stories examines the possibilities for finding life in strange, new places, including deep underground here on Earth, in the subsurface oceans of Europa, and fossilized within sedimentary rocks on Mars. Plus, a SpaceX launch, gamma-ray bursts, and this week’s What’s Up.

Black Hole Caught Eating Faster Than Normal

Jun 29, 2022 | Astrobiology, Daily Space, Earth, JWST, Mars, Milky Way, Rockets, Space China, Spacecraft, Supermassive Black Holes

With a little bit of luck and a lot of time on different telescopes, researchers managed to capture the black hole in the center of the Milky Way, SgrA*, consuming matter at a faster rate than usual. Plus, Australia launches a rocket, a couple of Mars stories, and strange glaciers on Earth.

Astronomers Map Interstellar Clouds in Three Dimensions

May 18, 2022 | Astrobiology, Bennu Mapper, Daily Space, Earth, Galaxies, Guest Interview, Nebulae, Rockets, Space China, SpaceX, Starlink

A team of scientists combined stellar locations from the Gaia mission with dust and cloud maps from the WISE and 2MASS catalogs to create amazing three-dimensional images of the California Cloud and Orion A Cloud. Plus, rocket launches, the origin of carbon, and an interview with Dani DellaGiustina, principal investigator for the OSIRIS-APEX mission.