Science Archives - Page 19 of 57

Sublimating Nitrogen Responsible for Pluto’s Icy Polygons

Dec 21, 2021 | Active Galaxies, Daily Space, Guest Interview, Pluto & Charon, Spacecraft, Star Forming Region, Stars, Supermassive Black Holes

New models of sublimating nitrogen show that the process creates enough heat to drive the formation and texture of the polygons in Sputnik Planitia. Plus, black holes, star formation, and an interview with Dr. Jonathan McDowell, orbital police.

Massive Thwaites Glacier in Antarctica at Risk of Collapse

Dec 17, 2021 | AGU, Climate Change, Curiosity, Daily Space, Earth, Mars, Our Solar System, Perseverance, Rovers, Sky Watching, Star Forming Region, The Sun, Venus

A team of scientists collected cores and modeled ice cliff failure and found that Thwaites Glacier in Antarctica is melting more quickly than ever and could be at risk of collapse, threatening global coastlines with almost a meter of sea-level rise. Plus, new results from Percy, and this week’s What’s Up.

Rocket Roundup for December 15, 2021

Dec 16, 2021 | Blue Origin, Crewed Space, Daily Space, Moon, Random Space Fact, Rocket Lab, Rockets, ROSCOSMOS, Space China, Space History, Spacecraft

On Rocket Roundup, launches include the latest from Rocket Lab, a Blue Origin crewed launch, several Chinese launches, and a pair of Russian communication satellites. Plus, this week in rocket history, we look back at Apollo 17.

New, Deep Images of Milky Way’s Black Hole Show Stars Moving

Dec 15, 2021 | Active Galaxies, AGU, Asteroids, Daily Space, Exoplanets, Mars, Milky Way, Review, Stars, Supermassive Black Holes

Using the ESO’s Very Large Telescope Interferometer, scientists have obtained the deepest and sharpest images of Sagittarius A*, the black hole at the center of the Milky Way. They tracked the orbits of stars and were able to more precisely measure the mass of the black hole. Plus, new ways to research meteors, and a review of a Peak Design camera anchor system.

Overlooked Exoplanet Found by Citizen Scientists

Dec 13, 2021 | Brown Dwarf, Citizen Science, Climate Change, Daily Space, Earth, Exoplanets, Milky Way, Review, Rockets, Spacecraft, SpaceX, Supermassive Black Holes

Using data provided by the Backyard Worlds: Planet 9 citizen science project, volunteers found a possible large planet or brown dwarf orbiting its star at a distance of more than 1,600 astronomical units. Plus, NASA launches the Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer, and we review Ghostbusters: Afterlife.

Q-balls Knock Matter Into Dominance Over Antimatter After Big Bang

Dec 10, 2021 | Asteroids, Cosmology, Crewed Space, Daily Space, Exoplanets, Galaxies, Gemini South, Guest Interview, Rockets, ROSCOSMOS, Sky Watching, Soyuz, Spacecraft, Very Large Array

Researchers hypothesize that blobs in post-Big Bang fields of energy, known as Q-balls, could explain how matter came to dominate over antimatter in our Universe, and they plan to use gravitational waves to find their evidence. Plus, a crewed launch to the ISS features Japanese tourists, NASA selects the latest astronaut class, and What’s Up is the Geminids.