In recent decades, technological advances have opened up the possibility of light-powered space travel at a significant fraction of light speed. This involves a ground-based light beamer pushing ultra-light nanocrafts – miniature space probes attached to lightsails – to speeds of up to 100 million miles an hour (160 million kph). Such a system would … Read more
This Hubble image shows a supernova named SN 2022aajn in a distant galaxy about 600 million light-years away with the unwieldy name of WISEA J070815.11+210422.3. However, the obtuse yet scientifically descriptive names aren’t what’s important. What’s important is that SN 2022aajn is a Type 1a supernova, also known as a standard candle, and this image … Read more
The vast valleys of Vallis Schrödinger and Vallis Planck demonstrate the incredible forces that shaped the face of the Moon. Vallis Schrödinger (at left) and Vallis Planck (at right) are enormous canyons blasted out by streams of debris from the impact that formed Schrödinger Basin (lower right). Credit: NASA/SVS/Ernie T. Wright Each year, millions of … Read more
Scientists have discovered that some supermassive black holes rotate much more rapidly than expected. The discovery came as the result of a new form of “black hole archeology” that links black hole spins to the gas and dust they have consumed to grow over 7 billion years of cosmic history. The findings, courtesy of the … Read more
Our fascination with black holes is pretty understandable; their one-way boundary, the “event horizon,” traps light, meaning no signal can ever travel from inside a black hole to outside. The edge of the black hole is thus a region of space and time that expressly forbids interlopers. That’s a recipe for mystery. And we all … Read more
In August 2018, NASA’s Parker Solar Probe (PSP) began its long journey to study the Sun’s outer corona. After several gravity-assist maneuvers with Venus, the probe broke Helios 2‘s distance record and became the closest object to the Sun on October 29th, 2018. Since then, the Parker probe’s highly elliptical orbit has allowed it to … Read more
Amid the sacred stone walls of the Sisterhood’s fortress-like headquarters on the planet Wallach IX, the acolytes of Mother Superior Valya Harkonnen (Emily Watson) and Reverend Mother Tula Harkonnen (Olivia Williams) in “Dune: Prophecy” struggle to make sense of the strange happenings of their order as forces internal and external try to destroy their influential … Read more
Key specs Camera: 50MP 1-inch CMOS & 48MP 1/1.3-inch CMOS Video resolution: Up to 4K Frame rates: 4K up to 120 FPS / FHD up to 240 FPS / 2.7K vertical up to 60 FPS Battery: 4276 mAh / up to 45 minutes flight Charger type: USB-C cable / battery charging hub Modes: Cine, Normal, … Read more
Whether you’re following Master Chief and the United Nations Space Command (UNSC)’s fight against the Covenant by watching the Halo TV series or playing the Halo games in order, you might be wondering what’s the deal with the religious alien hegemony that threatens humanity. We’ve collected the main points of their history here to give … Read more
View larger. | An example of weird, dark streaks called recurring slope lineae on the slopes of Mars’ Horowitz crater. Do liquid water brines form these streaks? A new study suggested brines on Mars are less likely to occur than scientists thought. Image via NASA/ JPL-Caltech/ University of Arizona. 2025 EarthSky lunar calendar is available … Read more