astronomy

How the Webb sends its hundred-megapixel images a million miles back to Earth

NASA has just revealed the James Webb Space Telescope’s first set of images, from an awe-inspiring deep field of galaxies to a minute characterization of a distant exoplanet’s atmosphere.

AI model’s insight helps astronomers propose new theory for observing far-off worlds

Machine learning models are increasingly augmenting human processes, either performing repetitious tasks faster or providing some systematic insight that helps put human knowledge in perspective. Astr

Simulation meets observation in first image of the supermassive black hole at our galaxy’s center

As countless science and general news outlets have reported today, the image of Sagittarius A*, the supermassive black hole at the center of our galaxy, is a fabulous scientific achievement. But one a

Scientists detect a gas that typically indicates the presence of biological life in the atmosphere of Venus

In a press briefing today, scientists rom the Royal Astronomical Society announced a potentially revolutionary scientific discovery: They’ve detected the presence of phosphine in the atmosphere

Join us Wednesday, September 9 to watch Techstars Starburst Space Accelerator demo day live

The 2020 class of Techstars Starburst Space Accelerator is graduating with an official demo day on Wednesday at 10 a.m. PDT (1 p.m. EDT), and you can watch all the teams present their startups live vi

Watch NASA’s Mars Perseverance rover launch live

NASA is set to launch its newest rover to Mars later this morning. The liftoff is set for 7:50 AM EDT (4:50 AM PDT), with a broadcast beginning at 7:00 AM EDT (4:00 AM PDT). This mission will launch a

NASA to fly a football stadium-sized high-altitude balloon to study light from newborn stars

NASA’s latest mission won’t actually reach space — but it will come very close, with a massive observation craft made up of a football stadium-sized high-altitude balloon, along with

Deep Science: Automated peach sniffers, orbital opportunity and AI accessibility

I see far more research articles than I could possibly write up. This column collects the most interesting of those papers and advances, along with notes on why they may prove important in the world o

China set to launch Mars probe and rover mission in July

China’s space program will launch a Mars mission in July, according to its current plans. This will include deploying an orbital probe to study the red planet, and a robotic, remotely-controlled

Here’s what NASA’s Mars helicopter will look like when it makes history with the first extraterrestrial powered flight

NASA is getting ready to send its next Mars rover to the Red Planet later this year, and that mission will also carry Ingenuity, a brand new helicopter robot that will attempt to make history by becom

New Earth-sized planet found in habitable sweet-spot orbit around a distant star

Researchers have discovered a new Earth-sized planet orbiting a star outside our solar system. The planet, called Kepler-1649c, is only around 1.06 times larger than Earth, making it very similar to o

NASA finds real uses for VR and AR in astronomy and engineering

Years after the advent of decent VR hardware, there are still precious few ways the technology has been employed as anything other than a game or gimmick. One team at NASA, however, has been assemblin

NASA’s planet-hunting satellite found another potentially habitable Earth-sized planet

NASA’s Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) has discovered another Earth-sized, potentially habitable planet orbiting around a star in the range of distances where conditions could allow

Europe’s space agency just launched a satellite to study planets outside our solar system

The European Space Agency (ESA) launched a satellite early this morning aboard a Russian Soyuz rocket that took off from the Guiana Space Center in French Guiana. Atop the Soyuz is the so-called &#822

Stingray-inspired spacecraft could eventually probe the atmosphere of Venus

NASA’s next Venus probe could be an atmosphere-skimming robotic stingray designed by the University of Buffalo. UB’s CRASH Lab, which is the institution’s Crashworthinesss for Aerosp

Kepler achieves a world-first for satellite broadband with 100Mbps connection to the Arctic

Small-satellite startup Kepler has done something never before accomplished with satellite-based broadband connectivity: providing a high-bandwidth to the Arctic. Kepler’s nanosatellites have su

NASA’s Jim Bridenstine says 2035 is doable for human landing on Mars — provided budget is there

NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine took part in a joint presentation by the chiefs of a number of international space agencies at the annual International Astronautical Conference on Monday. At the en

NASA’s newest planet-hunting satellite finds three new worlds

NASA’s Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite, a planet-seeking satellite that launched aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket last April, has found three new worlds that orbit a nearby dwarf star that

ispace Europe tapped by the European Space Agency for mission to extract water from the Moon

Space startup ispace, which is headquartered in Japan but has a European subsidiary based in Luxembourg, will take part in PROSPECT, a program run by the European Space Agency (ESA) that intends to ex

Hold the first Moon rock ever collected with your smartphone

NASA is celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 Moon landing in a variety of ways today, but here’s one you can experience no matter where you are, provided you have a modern smartphon
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