The Polaris Dawn mission has been making headlines due to its groundbreaking nature, as it will mark the first-ever spacewalk by commercial space travelers. This mission, backed by Elon Musk’s SpaceX, features a crew comprising a businessman, a fighter pilot, and two SpaceX employees, none of whom are professional astronauts. Scheduled to launch from Florida’s
Space
SpaceX is on the brink of making history once again with the upcoming launch of the Polaris Dawn mission. Spearheaded by billionaire entrepreneur Jared Isaacman, this all-civilian crew is gearing up for an orbital expedition that includes a groundbreaking spacewalk by private citizens. Scheduled for liftoff from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, this mission
The journey of US astronauts Barry “Butch” Wilmore and Sunita “Suni” Williams aboard Boeing’s Starliner to the International Space Station (ISS) has been marred by technical malfunctions and delays. Originally planned to return to Earth after eight days, the astronauts will now have to stay six more months due to thruster malfunctions on the Boeing
The expansion speed of the Universe has been a persistent issue that has puzzled scientists for a long time. However, new measurements taken using the James Webb Space Telescope have brought some new insights. These measurements suggest that the local Universe is moving away from us at a rate of around 70 kilometers per second
The Milky Way and Andromeda galaxies, two of the largest galaxies in our Local Group, have long been predicted to collide with each other at some point in the future. However, a recent study conducted by researchers from the University of Helsinki and Durham University suggests that this collision may not be as inevitable as
Recent research conducted by the Italian National Institute for Astrophysics (INAF) has shed new light on the enigmatic phenomenon of Fast Radio Bursts (FRBs). These sudden and intense blasts of radio wave energy from deep space have puzzled astrophysicists for years, but a closer look at FRB 20201124A has provided valuable insight into their origins.
The Sun, from a distance, may seem calm and serene, but a closer look reveals a different reality. The recent solar activity has defied the expectations of astrophysicists, including Andrew Gerrard from the New Jersey Institute of Technology. Solar cycles, which typically occur every 11 years, involve fluctuations in solar activity from minimum to maximum.
The discovery of tidal disruption events (TDEs) where giant black holes in the centers of galaxies devour nearby stars has sparked fascination and intrigue in the field of astronomy. This process involves the star being spaghettified and torn to shreds as it approaches the supermassive black hole, resulting in a spectacular display known as a
Black holes are known for their destructive nature towards stars that wander too close to them. The typical scenario involves a star being engulfed by the black hole, resulting in a dramatic death marked by intense X-ray and UV emissions. However, in rare instances, stars can be captured in an orbit around a black hole,
Recently, the Earth experienced a level-four geomagnetic storm, which has the potential to bring the northern lights to night skies further south than usual. This phenomenon is a result of solar storms caused by coronal mass ejections (CMEs) – explosions of particles leaving the Sun. When these particles reach Earth, they disrupt the planet’s magnetic
The age and vastness of the Milky Way galaxy suggest that there should be numerous intelligent civilizations spread throughout the cosmos. However, the question remains – where is everybody? A recent study proposes that alien civilizations may be too advanced for us to detect using our current methods of observation. In an effort to understand
The realm of cosmic rays has long been a puzzling mystery for scientists, dating back to their discovery in 1912 by Austrian-American physicist Victor Hess. The revelation that high-energy particles were bombarding Earth from space shattered previous assumptions about the origins of radiation. These cosmic rays, consisting of atomic nuclei and elementary particles accelerated to
The Gaia mission, known for its stellar cartography in the Milky Way Galaxy, has also proven to be a successful asteroid hunter within our solar system. Through its recent data release 3, Gaia has identified 352 binary asteroids, effectively doubling the known number of asteroids with moons. This discovery sheds light on the complexity of
Mars, our red, dusty neighbor in the solar system, has long been a source of fascination for scientists. Recent analysis of seismic data collected by the Mars InSight lander has revealed something truly remarkable – massive reservoirs of liquid water hiding deep below the surface of the planet. This discovery has raised many questions about
The idea of establishing long-term human colonies on Mars has been a popular topic of discussion for quite some time now. However, the harsh conditions on the red planet pose a number of challenges. Mars is known for its extreme temperatures, with the median temperature sitting at a bone-chilling -64 degrees Celsius (-85 Fahrenheit). In