Venus, unlike Earth, has a single, unbroken crust with no signs of subduction or plate tectonic activity. This absence of plate movement has long intrigued scientists, especially considering that Venus was once thought to resemble Earth, complete with flowing water and a habitable environment. Over time, however, Venus transformed into the hostile and scorching planet…
A newly discovered astronomical event known as AT2024tvd has led scientists to uncover a supermassive black hole in an unusual location. This phenomenon, called a tidal disruption event (TDE), occurs when a star ventures too close to a black hole and is violently pulled apart by its immense gravitational forces. According to Dr. Yuhan Yao…
The number of super-Earth exoplanets in the universe is significantly greater than previously thought, according to astronomers. Although detecting planets that orbit close to their stars is relatively straightforward, those with much wider orbits are significantly harder to find. Nevertheless, researchers now estimate that roughly one in every three stars hosts a super-Earth with an…
NASA’s Lucy spacecraft is preparing for a close encounter with a small asteroid this weekend as it continues its long journey toward the distant Trojan asteroids near Jupiter. Launched in 2021, Lucy is on an ambitious mission to explore 11 different asteroids, aiming to offer new insights into the early solar system and the remnants…
The habitability or possibly habitation of K2-18b, a planet circling a star some 120 light-years away, requires more investigation. While the quest for extraterrestrial life has taken scientists from Martian methane to Venusian phosphine, Earth remains the only confirmed home to living organisms. However, a new study offers what researchers say could be the strongest…
SpaceX is moving steadily toward its next big launch, as key components of the Starship megarocket have arrived at the launch pad in preparation for liftoff later this week. On February 25, the company shared images on X, showcasing the massive Super Heavy booster being carefully positioned onto the orbital launch mount at its Starbase…
NASA has selected SpaceX to launch a specialized space telescope designed to track near-Earth objects (NEOs). The agency announced on February 21 that it had awarded a task order under the NASA Launch Services II contract, assigning the Falcon 9 rocket for the launch of the Near Earth Orbit (NEO) Surveyor mission. The contract is…
NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams remain aboard the International Space Station’s Harmony module as NASA adjusts its plans for an upcoming crew rotation. On Tuesday, the agency announced a change in the spacecraft assigned to its Crew-10 mission, opting to use a previously flown SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule rather than a newly built…
Astronomers have detected supersonic winds on a massive gas planet over 500 light-years away from Earth. According to a study published Tuesday in Astronomy & Astrophysics, researchers have been monitoring the planet’s weather since 2016 and revealed that its jetstream winds are the fastest ever recorded circling a planet. “This is an entirely new phenomenon,”…
A massive jet of material shooting out from a black hole located 12 million light-years away has encountered an enigmatic obstacle in space, leaving astronomers intrigued about its nature. This phenomenon was captured in an ultra-deep X-ray image from NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory, the most detailed X-ray image ever recorded of the Centaurus A galaxy.…