A rock from space slammed into Mars in February 2021, causing seismic waves that reached NASA’s InSight spacecraft, located 1,000 miles (1,600 km) away. The impact left a 70-foot (21-meter) diameter crater and dented an area nearly a mile wide (1,600 meters). ESA’s ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter (TGO), using its Color and Stereo Surface Imaging … Read more
Technicians carrying the precious sample of asteroid Bennu in 2023. The sample was headed for a newly constructed clean room at Johnson Space Center in Houston. Image via NASA. Bennu is a carbon-rich asteroid that passes semi-close to Earth about every six years. Scientists say it might have originated from a larger body farther out … Read more
View larger. | Here’s a practice image to start! Astronauts aboard the International Space Station took this photograph of a glowing city on April 8, 2015. Can you identify which of the world’s cities this is? … If you guessed the City of Lights – Paris – you’re right! The Seine flows through the city, … Read more
NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter captured this mosaic image of the far side of the moon. For the first time, scientists have found evidence for relatively recent geological activity on moon’s far side. Via NASA/ GSFC/ Arizona State University. Across the lifetimes of people alive on Earth today, scientists have assumed the moon has been a … Read more
The exoplanet K2-18 b may have an ocean of water beneath a hydrogen-rich atmosphere, as shown in this artist’s concept. Credit: Illustration: NASA, ESA, CSA, Joseph Olmsted (STScI). Science: Nikku Madhusudhan (IoA) This past year brought much of the world together through events both anticipated and unexpected. April’s highly awaited total solar eclipse delighted millions … Read more
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
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
It’s not often that DJI is behind the curve, but even the world’s leading drone manufacturer isn’t going to be leading the pack all of the time. The DJI Neo is a sub-250 g beginner drone that can be flown autonomously, with the DJI Fly app, using the DJI RC-N3 Controller, and even flown as … Read more
SpaceX had a pretty good 2024. Elon Musk’s company broke its own record for most launches in a single year, continued pushing the boundaries of rocket reuse and made serious strides toward getting Starship, its next-generation megarocket, up and running. Oh, and Musk has apparently entered the inner circle of President-elect Donald Trump, wielding political … Read more