Universe Today
Carnival of Space #541
Mysterious Filament is Stretching Down Towards the Milky Way's Supermassive Black Hole
Looking to the center of our galaxy, astronomers noted the presence of a mysterious filament extending from the supermassive black hole located there.
Continue reading
Just a Billion Years After the Earth Formed, Life had Already Figured out Plenty of Tricks
According to a recent study, multi-celled lifeforms lived on Earth as early as 3.5 billion years ago - a good indication that life exists elsewhere in the Universe.
Continue reading
What is the Radial Velocity Method?
The Radial Velocity (aka. Doppler Spectroscopy) Method relies on measurements of a planet's "wobble" to determine the presence of one or more planets around it.
Continue reading
Yes Please! NASA is Considering a Helicopter Mission to Titan
NASA has chosen the Dragonfly mission concept as a finalist in its New Frontiers program. The double-quadcopter drone is designed to explore Titan and study habitability.
Continue reading
Astronomers Figure Out a New Way to Search for Planets at Alpha Centauri
A mew study by a team of exoplanet scientists has revealed what kinds of planets are likely to lurk around Alpha Centauri, the nearest star system to our own.
Continue reading
Maybe Mars and Earth Didn't Form Close to Each Other
A new study by an international team of researchers has suggested that Mars formed farther from the Sun than previously thought.
Continue reading
Red Dwarf Star, Planet Orbiting at Right Angles. Mayhem.
A new study of a well-known exoplanet has revealed something very strange. Apparently, the planet orbits its star from pole to pole.
Continue reading
Weekly Space Hangout - Dec 20, 2017: The Year in Review
Updates on 'Oumuamua. Maybe it's a Comet, Actually. Oh, and no Word From Aliens.
Kilonova Neutron Star Collision Probably Left Behind a Black Hole
According to a new study, the recent merger of two neutron stars (which was detected thanks to the gravitational waves it created) most likely led to the creation of a black hole.
Continue reading
Astronomers Find Another Solar System with 8 Planets. Uh, Pluto, About that Deplaneting...
A research team recently applied a Google "neural net" to Kepler data, which conformed the existence of a star system with eight planets.
Continue reading
Carnival of Space #540
Astronomy Cast Ep. 470: Best Modern Sci Fi for the Science Lover - Part 2: 3D Printing
How Long Can a Rocky World Withstand the Blasts From a Red Dwarf Star?
In a presentation at the Fall Meeting of the American Geological Union, a team of researchers showed how MAVEN data could help determine the habitability of rocky planets around red dwarf stars.
Continue reading
Gaia Looks Beyond our Galaxy to Other Islands of Stars
The latest scientific finds made from the first release of Gaia data include illuminating images of the Milky Way galaxy's neighbors.
Continue reading
Are Little Blue Dots in the Hubble Frontier Fields Precursors to Globular Clusters?
Using data from the Hubble Frontier Fields program, a team of astronomers has produced a study that indicates how globular clusters could be the remnants of dwarf galaxies from the early Universe.
Continue reading
NASA's Opportunity Rover Withstands Another Harsh Winter on Mars
Having survived its eight winter in a row, the Opportunity rover continues to operate long past its original, anticipated lifespan.
Continue reading
Meteors Explode from the Inside When They Reach the Atmosphere
A new study from Purdue University indicates that Earth's atmosphere will break up small meteoroids, which is good news for planetary protection
Continue reading
86 Stars Just got Official Names from the IAU
The IAU just approved the names of 86 new stars, the majority of which are derived from Chinese, Hindu, Aboriginal, South African, Coptic, Mayan, and Polynesian traditions.
Continue reading