White Dwarfs | The Daily Space

Theory and Observation Combine to Update Galaxies and Stars

Feb 17, 2022 | Crewed Space, Daily Space, Dark Matter, Galaxies, IXPE, Moon, Space China, Space History, Spacecraft, Stars, White Dwarfs

Today, our view on the universe gets itself an update thanks to the combined efforts of theorists and observers. From a new understanding of how galaxies can lose their dark matter, to how white dwarfs can be resurrected into helium-burning stars, we have the weird, the wonderful, and in the case of a new lunar tracking system, we even have a touch of the mundane. Plus, this week in rocket history, we look back at STS-82 which serviced the Hubble Space Telescope.

Old Falcon 9 Stage Reenters Over Mexico

Feb 14, 2022 | Asteroids, Book Club, Daily Space, Exoplanets, JWST, Review, Rockets, Soyuz, Spacecraft, SpaceX, White Dwarfs

The second stage of a Falcon 9 rocket launched in 2017 re-entered the atmosphere over Mexico, breaking up and creating a show of fiery lights in the sky. Plus, dead stars with possibly living planets, more on moon formation, more launches, more launch failures, and a review of “The Apollo Murders” by Chris Hadfield.

Distant Galaxies Found Lifeless Within Ancient Cluster

Feb 11, 2022 | Daily Space, Exoplanets, Galaxies, Sky Watching, Spacecraft, Venus, White Dwarfs

Defying expectations, an ultramassive galaxy and many of its cluster companions had already formed most of their stars and become inactive only two billion years after the beginning of the universe. Plus, the nightside of Venus, a new exoplanet for Proxima Centauri, and What’s Up.

Indigenous North American Stories Point to Comet Explosion

Feb 3, 2022 | Asteroids, Comets, Daily Space, Earth, Exoplanets, Moon, Random Space Fact, Rockets, Space History, Spacecraft, White Dwarfs

By collecting and analyzing stories from a variety of indigenous cultures in North America, researchers find evidence for a mid-air explosion of a comet or asteroid, similar to the Tunguska event. Plus, a new Trojan for Earth, volcanoes and dinosaurs, ancient Mexican cacao groves, and this week in rocket history is Lunar Orbiter 3.

Carbon Molecules on Mars Open New Mystery

Jan 20, 2022 | Astrobiology, Cosmology, Curiosity, Daily Space, Mars, Neutron Stars / Pulsars, Rockets, Space History, Spacecraft, SpaceX, Starlink, Stars, Supermassive Black Holes, White Dwarfs

NASA’s Curiosity rover has discovered carbon isotopes on Mars which are usually caused by the degradation of biological methane, leading scientists to examine other potential reasons for the molecules. Plus, more Starlink satellites, their impact on observing, and This Week in Rocket History.

Another Possible Exomoon Discovered

Jan 17, 2022 | Daily Space, Exoplanets, JWST, Mars, Rockets, Sky Watching, Space History, Spacecraft, SpaceX, Stars, Virgin Orbit, White Dwarfs

Researchers have potentially found a Neptune-sized exomoon orbiting a Jupiter-sized planet in a system with a Sun-like star, making it the second such potential exomoon discovered to date. Plus, rocket launches, This Week in Rocket History, and What’s Up.