Universe Today (Page 452)

Carnival of Space #546

By Susie Murph - January 30, 2018 03:11 PM UTC | Site News

What'll It Take to Find Life? Searching the Universe for Biosignatures

By Fraser Cain - January 30, 2018 03:09 PM UTC | Astrobiology

When astronomers scan the atmospheres of other worlds, they'll be looking for gases to confirm that yes, indeed, there's life there. It turns out, this is actually pretty tough.

The Brightest Star in the Sky, Sirius, was Hiding a Cluster of Stars. Found by Gaia

By Matthew Williams - January 30, 2018 02:29 PM UTC | Stars

Thanks to the efforts of an amateur astronomer, the star cluster that was recently revealed by Gaia mission is now visible for all to see!

The Most Detailed Map Ever Made of the Milky Way in Radio Waves

By Evan Gough - January 29, 2018 07:10 PM UTC | Milky Way

A new radio wave map of the Milky Way Galaxy is our most detailed yet and will be the basis for further study of the Milky Way for years to come.

Icy Worlds Like Europa and Enceladus Might Actually be too Soft to Land On

By Matthew Williams - January 29, 2018 05:22 PM UTC | Planetary Science

According to a new study led by the Planetary Science Institute, Europa and Enceladus may have surfaces that are too soft for future missions to land on.

Astronomy Cast Ep. 476: The Overview Effect

By Susie Murph - January 29, 2018 03:32 PM UTC | Space Policy

NASA's Insight Lander Spreads Its Solar Wings. It'll Fly To Mars In May, 2018

By Evan Gough - January 26, 2018 03:00 PM UTC | Missions

NASA's InSight lander will launch in May 2018, NASA has announced. InSight will study the interior structure of Mars to learn how it, and other rocky planets, formed and evolved.

Get Set For a "Super Blue Blood Moon Total Lunar Eclipse"

By David Dickinson - January 26, 2018 10:01 AM UTC | Observing

Can you feel the tremor in the Force? Early next Wednesday morning internet astro-memes collide, in one of the big ticket sky events of the year, with a total lunar eclipse dubbed as – get ready -- a Super Blue Blood Moon eclipse.

The New Earth-Sized Planet Hunting Telescope ExTrA is Now Online

By Matthew Williams - January 25, 2018 05:19 PM UTC | Telescopes

The Exoplanets in Transits and their Atmospheres (ExTrA), just went online and is now searching for exoplanets around red dwarf stars!

Where's the Line Between Massive Planet and Brown Dwarf Star?

By Evan Gough - January 25, 2018 03:08 PM UTC | Exoplanets

Astronomers have debated which objects are gas giants like Jupiter, and which are more correctly called brown dwarfs. A new study aims to end that debate.

Perhaps the Best Part of Electron's Successful Launch was its Payload: the Humanity Star

By Matthew Williams - January 25, 2018 01:55 PM UTC | Space Exploration

Rocket Lab's second successful launch of the Electron rocket carried with it a special piece of cargo - the Humanity Sphere!

This is the Surface of a Giant Star, 350 Times Larger Than the Sun

By Matthew Williams - January 24, 2018 07:17 PM UTC | Stars

Using the ESO's Very Large Telescope Interferometer, an international team of astronomers has created the first detailed images of another star's surface.

Finally! SpaceX's Falcon Heavy Does its Static Fire Test. Actual Flight Should Be "In A Week Or So"

By Evan Gough - January 24, 2018 04:56 PM UTC | Space Exploration

We've been anticipating this for a long time: SpaceX's Falcon Heavy has completed its first Static Fire Test. Should launch "in a week or so" says Musk.

This was the Snowstorm Rosetta Saw When it Got 79 km Away From Comet 67P

By Matthew Williams - January 24, 2018 02:55 PM UTC | Planetary Science

The ESA recently released images taken by the Rosetta spacecraft when it witnessed a "snowstorm" while making a flyby of Comet 67P

NASA's Aqua Satellite Watches Ships Crossing the Atlantic Ocean

By Matthew Williams - January 23, 2018 07:50 PM UTC | Planetary Science

A new image released by NASA's Aqua satellite shows a beautiful pattern of clouds created by ships criss-crossing the Atlantic Ocean

Weekly Space Hangout - Jan 24, 2018: Paul Hildebrandt's "First to the Moon"

By Fraser Cain - January 23, 2018 06:04 PM UTC | Space Exploration

The Solar Eclipse Caused a Bow Wave in Earth's Atmosphere

By Evan Gough - January 23, 2018 04:49 PM UTC | Solar Astronomy

Scientists have long predicted that an eclipse can create a bow wave in the ionosphere. The August 2017 eclipse, called the Great American Eclipse, gave researchers an opportunity to look for it.

This is Ice in Antarctica, Flowing in Slow Motion Like Water Going Through River Rapids

By Matthew Williams - January 22, 2018 07:37 PM UTC | Planetary Science

As part of their ninth year monitoring the Antarctic peninsula, Operation IceBridge recently flew above the ice sheet and took some stunning pictures

A New Kind of Propulsion System That Doesn't Need Propellant. It Converts Electricity into Thrust and Vice Versa.

By Evan Gough - January 22, 2018 06:52 PM UTC | Physics

Long aluminum tethers attached to satellites could revolutionize satellite propulsion systems, and help eliminate space junk.

Upcoming Telescopes Should be Able to Detect Mountains and Other Landscapes on Extrasolar Planets

By Matthew Williams - January 22, 2018 03:35 PM UTC | Telescopes

According to a new study by a team from Columbia University, the upcoming super telescopes might be able to detect mountains and other features on exoplanets