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Scientists analyzing data from the Large Binocular Telescope Observatory in Arizona spotted a huge lava lake on Io, one of Jupiter’s largest moons. We’ve known for a while that Io is quite an amazing (and hellish) place; it’s the most geologically active place in the solar system, with extreme geologic activity occurring as a result of tidal […]
Mars is now a cold and dry place, but it wasn't always like this - the Red Planet used to have a lot of water on its surface. Now, researchers have discovered one of the very last places where (potentially habitable) liquid water existed on Mars.
Back in 2013, we were telling you about about a small agricultural project on the International Space Station - now, the space veggies are ready to be harvested; for the first time, astronauts will be eating food grown in space.
An amateur radio enthusiast from the UK has managed to have a quick chat with the International Space Station using a device he built in his shed. Adrian Lane, of Gloucestershire, sent out a call signal to the ISS and was absolutely shocked when they actually replied to him. “They came back to me and […]
We call it the "dark side" of the Moon, but that's a rather improper name - a better one would be the "far side", because it's not dark at all. As if to prove that point, NASA just released images of the moon that would be impossible to capture from Earth, highlighting the far side illuminated completely.
Distillers have long been interested in the particularities of the aging process, and how to mature the drink to bring out that specific, mellow flavor we search for in a glass of quality whiskey. Japanese based distillers Suntory set their hopes high for what they feel is the next big thing for whiskey aging - as high as the ISS, to be specific. They announced earlier this week that several samples of their beverage will be sent to the ISS with the intent to study the "development of mellowness in alcoholic beverage through the use of a microgravity environment."
NASA scientists have taken grainy images of a peculiar asteroid nicknamed the "Space Peanut". The asteroids measures 1.2 miles across and made its closest approach at 7.2 million kms from Earth - 19 times closer than the Moon.
In its most recent flyby, NASA’s Cassini space probe discovered some strange red streaks on Tethys – one of Saturn’s 62 known moons. “Like graffiti sprayed by an unknown artist, unexplained arc-shaped, reddish streaks are visible on the surface of Saturn’s icy moon Tethys. As the Saturn system moved into its northern hemisphere summer over the […]
Scott Kelly has been in space for 6 months, and will stay for a full year. The American veteran astronaut actually commands the International Space Station, and his Twitter account is an absolute delight, with often updates on what’s happening on the ISS and glorious pictures of the Earth, as it’s seen from outer space. […]
Two different Philae instruments, known as Ptolemy and COSAC (Cometary Sampling and Composition), hunted for organic compounds— the building blocks of life as we know it — on and around Comet 67P. While the initial data burst received from the lander did hint at the existence of organics on its surface, the data was limited and its meaning not very clear. The new data is much more interesting.
If you do something "once in a blue moon", that's really rare - once every 2 or 3 years, to be more exact. There's no exact pattern for blue moons, sometimes they grace us with their presence sooner, and sometimes it takes more time. It's been about three years since we had the last one, and it will be another three before we have the next one: the blue moon comes on Friday.
The Golden Records were the recordings NASA sent into space to represent our planet's life and culture, ranging from the sound of rain to samples of Beethoven and Mozart, Chucky Berry and Blind Willie Johnson.
Although we still don’t know the full effects of what space travelling does to the human body, scientists have came one step closer to discovering. Scientists have recently discovered that spending a significant amount of time in space thins your skin. According to a Reuters report, it’s been now revealed that spending enough time in space can make your […]
New Horizons has sent over so much data that NASA will be analyzing and learning more about Pluto for over a year - such is the case now: these new images from New Horizons reveal flowing ice, impressive mountain ranges and a surprisingly thick atmosphere.
It took more than was expected, but the three astronauts set for the International Space Station docked with the International Space Station at 10:46 p.m. E.T. You can watch them here: The rocket had a successful launch at 5:02 p.m. EDT (2102 GMT) to experienced Russian cosmonaut Oleg Kononenko and rookie astronauts Kjell Lindgren with NASA and Japan’s Kimiya […]
Planet Kepler-452b, the first near-Earth-size world to be found in the habitable zone of star that is similar to our Sun. This extremely exciting announcement was made by NASA today; while this doesn't mean that the planet is inhabited, it does mean that it has many of the characteristics that our own Earth-Sun system have, and the odds of it hosting life seem significant.
This week space fanatics were teeming with excitement after it was announced that Stephen Hawking had teamed up with Russian billionaire Yuri Milner in a quest to find extraterrestrial life.
The soaring ice mountains of Pluto are accompanied by wide plains and mysterious deep troughs, show photographs received from NASA's New Horizons spacecraft.
OK, we all know New Horizons zoomed past Pluto, took some breathtaking pictures and then called back home to tell us everything’s fine. But let’s switch our attention a bit and focus on Charon – Pluto’s Moon that’s just as mysterious as its name implies. Charon is the largest of the five known moons of the […]
It is similar to the asteroid belt, in that it contains many small bodies, all remnants from the Solar System’s formation. But unlike the Asteroid Belt, it is much larger – 20 times as wide and 20 to 200 times as massive. In order to catch a better glimpse of these remote leftovers from the birth of the solar system, NASA places its hopes in the success of the New Horizons mission.
Before you get overly excited, no, Pluto hasn't been once again accepted as a planet - it's still officially a dwarf planet (though in our hearts, you'll always be a planet, Pluto!). However, this emblematic picture of the solar system from my childhood is now complete, as seen in this great family portrait produced by Ben Gross, a research fellow at the Chemical Heritage Foundation. Basically, we have at least the one good image of all the worlds in our solar system.
New Horizons's trip to Pluto came and went - it was met with extreme enthusiasm at NASA headquarters and praised by astronauts throughout the world - but New Horizon's mission is far from over. The shuttle is adequately powered to sent back valuable data until the 2030s; for now, it simply "phoned" back home to say it's OK after zooming past Pluto.
Speeding at 14 km per second, NASA’s New Horizons shuttle went past Pluto, hurdling towards the edge of the Solar System. But regardless of what happens, New Horizons’ flyby of the dwarf planet will remained firmly anchored in the history of space exploration. “We have completed the initial reconnaissance of the Solar System, an endeavour started under […]
Pluto, the Solar System's most well known planet wanna-be is having its week in the spotlight: NASA's New Horizons probe is offering an unprecedented look at the dwarf planet, and already revealing some interesting features.
Yesterday, we presented an article in which we detailed the claims of two astronomers, Director of the Buckingham Centre for Astrobiology professor Chandra Wickramasinghe and his colleague Dr Max Wallis from the University of Cardiff; they proposed that Rosetta’s lander Philae may have actually landed on an inhabited comet – as the black slime on the […]
Our Universe may be riddled with millions of supermassive black holes, a new study reports. The reason why we haven’t yet discovered them is because they are shrouded in thick clouds of dust and gas, and because we weren’t looking with the right telescope. Using NASA’s Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array (NuSTAR) satellite observatory, astronomers from Durham […]
Dylan O’Donnell, an amateur photographer, took one of the luckiest shots ever: the International Space Station past the moon. Any astro buff would be envious.
Comet lander Philae may be sitting on top of microbial life and not even know it – even worse, it has no way of figuring out if it actually is. According to two researchers, the comet’s characteristics (as well as computer simulations) might indicate that the surface may be teeming with microbes. The Rosetta spacecraft was […]
We've kept you up to date with New Horizon's progress, and the pictures it took of Pluto; now, after 10 years and 3 billion miles, the shuttle will pass close to Pluto - only 7,800 miles away from it.
Rosetta is a robotic space probe built and launched by the European Space Agency. Along with Philae, its lander module, the craft is performing a detailed study of comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko. The probe usually orbits 67P at a distance of a few hundred kilometers. Footage received from Rosetta over the last year showed a number of dust […]
Samantha Cristoforetti, an astronaut currently on board the International Space Station was allowed to take some extra food with her (astronauts are allowed to take “comfort food” with them for psychological reasons – a little something that reminds them of home). Today, she’ll be telling us how to make some space tortillas. Cooking in microgravity […]
Last night, Jupiter and Venus nearly converged on the night sky, being so close that you actually don’t need a telescope to see their celestial dance. “Throughout the month of June 2015, the two brightest planets in the night sky, Venus and Jupiter, are going to converge for a close jaw-dropping encounter,”said NASA in […]
NASA is preparing to send a drone to Mars by 2024 - they've already developed a small, lightweight craft that could conduct aerial surveys and identify potential landing areas and zones of interest.
Tomorrow, something extraordinary will happen, even though you might not notice it: right before 8 p.m. Eastern time, we will be adding an extra second – a leap second. Aside for being an interesting quirk, this is another reminder that our time isn’t exactly synced with solar time, and every once in a while, we need […]
Today was a bad day for science after SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket exploded shortly after taking off from Cape Canaveral, Florida. This is the second successive botched mission whose goal was to re-supply the International Space Station, and the third in the past 8 eight months. The Dragon Capsule was supposed to reach the space station with 5,200 pounds of space station cargo, including the first docking port designed for future commercial crew capsules and the custom tailored Microsoft HoloLenses for virtual reality.
Racing at a pace of about 1 millions per day, the New Horizon craft is getting closer to Pluto and so are the pictures itțs beaming back. Previously, we've shown you the first colored pics of Pluto taken by New Horizon, and its moons. Some of you were disappointed when you got to see only a couple of pale pixels, so this latest shot taken just this morning might be more exciting to watch.
The whole media is abuzz after NASA released some pictures of the dwarf planet Ceres, the largest object in the asteroid belt, which lies between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter. But while it's somewhat expected for pseudoscientists and alien fanatics went crazy after they spotted what appears to be a huge pyramid-shaped mountain, I was expecting more from the mainstream media. I know, right?
This weekend, SpaceX is scheduled to deliver cargo and other much needed supplies to the International Space Station via its Dragon capsule. Among the supplies is a surprise for the astronauts on board: the latest high tech gadget from Microsoft, the HoloLens. If you missed ZME Science's feature of the HoloLens, well you're in for a treat if this is the first time you hear about it. Basically, the tech involves using holographic computing which enables you to mix virtual reality with ..actual reality. Holograms following in your kitchen, weather reports on your coffee cup. Really, anything is possible with the HoloLens, let alone in the final frontier: space.
Astronomers using the Hubble telescope have identified a warm Neptune-sized planet that is "bleeding" a huge hydrogen cloud - thus increasing the odds of finding liquid oceans on gas giants.
NASA released the breathtaking image you see below, announcing that it is basically X-ray light echoes reflecting off clouds of dust. But this image does more than thrill us amateur stargazers – it helps astronomers figure out how far away the double star system Circinus X-1 is from Earth. “It’s really hard to get accurate distance measurements […]
Researchers from the European Space Agency (ESA) and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) have been trying to figure out how Titan's seas formed - more exactly, how the depressions in which the seas are formed.
Astronomers have discovered a whopping 854 new ultra-dark galaxies which might have large quantities of the elusive dark matter, which makes out most of our universe.
NASA's spacecraft Dawn is currently orbiting Ceres - a dwarf planet and the largest object in the asteroid belt - in order to study this highly fascinating, yet enigmatic object. For instance, strange and peculiar brights spots on its surface are still puzzling scientists. NASA has kindly shared some of the photos documenting these brights spots, taken by Dawn from only 2,700 miles above the surface.
It almost looks like a sci-fi movie; in a small, crammed room at the Goddard Space Flight Center, a group of brilliant NASA researchers are discussing ways to protect our planet from dangerous asteroids. But this is not a movie, it’s reality – and it’s happening now. So how big is the threat from asteroids? Spoiler […]
Astronomers have discovered the oldest known stars lurking in a super-luminous galaxy - they may very well be among the very first objects that formed in the history of the Universe.
As the ISS hurtles in orbit around the Earth, an eternal freefall at 17,100 mph, its cameras, and the astronauts on board, are capturing images and footage of our planet below -- much of which is from NASA, and therefore public domain.
The Moon doesn’t have an atmosphere, but it is surrounded by a thick dust cloud; the dust constantly falls down to the lunar surface, but new dust constantly jumps to replenish it. The pattern of dust falling back to its home “in due time … will fill in craters,” says the University of Colorado, Boulder’s Mihaly […]
Sampling impact glass from the ancient craters that litter the surface for Mars might prove key to settling a long debate: did Mars ever harbor life? Researchers at NASA believe this is a great lead after the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) currently hovering above the red planet found deposits of glass. These were formed by impacts with large asteroids, whose blast trapped and preserved any matter it came across: dust, soil or any plants or bacteria (if there ever were such things). Cracking open these glass time capsules and peering inside could, thus, be one of the best places to look for.
Later last year, ZME Science revealed that one of Elon Musk's top priorities in the future is deploying a massive fleet of micro-satellites into Earth's low orbit to provide internet and mobile data. The plan is to serve internet to billions in the developing world, but to do so the service needs to be very, very cheap. At the same time, while launching thousands of satellites into space doesn't sound particularly cheap, but if there's any company good at launching cargo into space affordably that's SpaceX. This isn't exactly a pipe dream, and Musk seems very serious about it considering he just filled an official request to the FCC to gain permission for a test of the satellite internet, according to the Washington Post.
The SpaceX Dragon crew capsule's milestone safety state which took place the other day passed NASA's approval board. Back then, the capsule was launched atop a trunk powered by eight SuperDraco engines to a height of 1,187 meters (3,900 feet) at 345mph. The capsule then separated from the trunk and deployed three parachutes that touched it down for a splash in the Atlantic, very close to shore.
