Amount of information in visible universe quantified
Estimate measures information encoded in particles, opens door to practical experiments.
Oct 19th, 2021
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Space Exploration News – Latest Headlines
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Carbon from a cosmic source
Computer simulations show that binary stars produce a large amount of this vital element.
Oct 19th, 2021
Read moreAstronomers see white dwarf 'switch on and off' for first time
Astronomers have used a planet-hunting satellite to see a white dwarf abruptly switching on and off for the first time.
Oct 19th, 2021
Read moreSeti: why extraterrestrial intelligence is more likely to be artificial than biological
We may want to rethink the term 'alien civilisations'. A 'civilisation' connotes a society of individuals. In contrast, extraterrestrials might be a single integrated intelligence.
Oct 18th, 2021
Read moreDeath in space: here's what would happen to our bodies
We need to start thinking about what it will be like to live in space - but also what will happen if someone dies there.
Oct 18th, 2021
Read moreDid Venus ever have oceans?
Previous studies have suggested that Venus may have been a much more hospitable place in the past, with its own liquid water oceans. A team of astrophysicists investigated whether our planet's twin did indeed have milder periods.
Oct 15th, 2021
Read moreHubble finds evidence of persistent water vapor in one hemisphere of Europa
The Hubble Space Telescope observations of Jupiter's icy moon Europa have revealed the presence of persistent water vapor - but, mysteriously, only in one hemisphere.
Oct 14th, 2021
Read moreA planetary defense against cosmic impacts
Physicists have laid out a proactive method for dealing with dangerous extraterrestrial space debris. The project is called PI, which affectionately stands for 'Pulverize It'.
Oct 13th, 2021
Read moreStrange radio waves have emerged from the direction of the galactic centre
Astronomers have discovered unusual signals coming from the direction of the Milky Way's centre. The radio waves fit no currently understood pattern of variable radio source and could suggest a new class of stellar object.
Oct 12th, 2021
Read moreBrain damage from long stays in space
Spending a long time in space appears to cause brain damage. This is shown by a study of five Russian cosmonauts who had stayed on the International Space Station (ISS).
Oct 12th, 2021
Read moreRover images confirm Jezero crater is an ancient Martian lake
The findings include signs of flash flooding that carried huge boulders downstream into the lakebed.
Oct 11th, 2021
Read more'Double' galaxy mystifies Hubble astronomers
NASA's Hubble Space Telescope uncovered what appears to be a pair of identical objects that look so weird it took astronomers several years to determine what they are.
Oct 7th, 2021
Read moreAn X-ray view of carbon: New measurement method promises spectacular insights into the interior of planets
At the heart of planets, extreme states are to be found: temperatures of thousands of degrees, pressures a million times greater than atmospheric pressure. They can therefore only be explored directly to a limited extent - which is why the expert community is trying to use sophisticated experiments to recreate equivalent extreme conditions.
Oct 5th, 2021
Read moreExtreme exoplanet even more exotic than originally thought
Considered an ultra-hot Jupiter - a place where iron gets vaporized, condenses on the night side and then falls from the sky like rain - the fiery, inferno-like WASP-76b exoplanet may be even more sizzling than scientists had realized.
Oct 5th, 2021
Read more'Planet confusion' could slow Earth-like exoplanet exploration
When it comes to directly imaging Earth-like exoplanets orbiting faraway stars, seeing isn't always believing. A new study finds that next-generation telescopes used to see exoplanets could confuse Earth-like planets with other types of planets in the same solar system.
Sep 30th, 2021
Read moreBombardment of planets in the early solar system
Studies of the asteroid Vesta provide new findings on the formation of Earth-like planets.
Sep 30th, 2021
Read moreAre pulsars the source of galactic cosmic rays?
A new project is investigating the role pulsars play in creating galactic, high-energy cosmic rays.
Sep 29th, 2021
Read moreThis is what it looks like when a black hole snacks on a star
Astronomers documented a fatal encounter between an unlucky star and an intermediate-mass black hole.
Sep 28th, 2021
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