Space

Oddly enough, binary stars born from the same parental cloud of collapsing gas and dust aren’t always identical twins. It’s possible they even possess different kinds of orbiting planets. But, why would that be? Well, astronomers may finally have an answer. Despite our familiarity with a single-star system, thanks to the sun’s isolated lifestyle, an … Read more

Texting on the moon? For future lunar astronauts, that may very well be a possibility.  Nokia is developing a LTE/4G communications system for the moon, and its first piece of the network might launch as soon as late this year. Hardware for a simplified version of the network is due to launch late this year … Read more

And you thought rush hour was hell on Earth! New research suggests some “cosmic intersections” have failed “traffic lights” that deem black hole collisions almost inevitable.  At the hearts of all large galaxies lie cosmic monsters called supermassive black holes, enormous voids that swirl around everything in the galaxies themselves. This swirly behavior influences things … Read more

With the bright moon now out of the evening sky, we are given a chance to observe the felines of the mid-spring sky. We might refer to these as “Cat Nights,” although from an official standpoint April is actually the wrong time of year for them. “Dog Days,” are named for the Dog Star, Sirius, … Read more

The use of a special type of atom could make even the most advanced atomic clocks more precise, scientists believe. If confirmed, this breakthrough that could lead to more accurate GPS systems and better atomic clocks for use in space travel — it could even lead to devices that can detect earthquakes and volcanic eruptions … Read more

NASA’s Europa Clipper spacecraft, headed to Jupiter’s ice-covered moon Europa in October 2024, will carry a laser-etched message that celebrates humanity’s connection to water. The message pays homage to past NASA missions that carried similar messages. As the president of Messaging Extraterrestrial Intelligence, or METI, International, I helped design the message on Clipper with two … Read more

Shaping an ambitious and steady space agenda for Europe requires not only diplomatic aplomb but also a firm grounding in science and engineering. Indeed, those attributes are must-haves in working with the 22 member states of the European Space Agency (ESA).  Josef Aschbacher is ESA’s director general, taking on that role in March 2021. He … Read more

Starting with his Superman reboot, James Gunn (Guardians of the Galaxy movies, The Suicide Squad) aims to reshape DC’s shared universe across movies and TV. Here’s everything we know so far. From Man of Steel to Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, the DC Extended Universe (DCEU) has had its ups and downs. Its biggest issue … Read more

Everybody loves an invigorating space-based yarn that employs speculative interpretations of historic events — especially if that alternative reality is set within the rough-and-tumble world of “Firefly,” joining Capt. Mal Reynolds and his charismatic crew aboard the spaceship Serenity. Presenting a very different outcome in which the Alliance was defeated and the rebellious Browncoats triumphed … Read more

SpaceX is set to launch 23 more of its Starlink internet satellites to orbit this evening (April 28). The Starlink spacecraft are scheduled to launch atop a Falcon 9 rocket from Florida’s Cape Canaveral Space Force Station today during a four-hour window that opens at 5:50 p.m. EDT (2150 GMT).  SpaceX will webcast the launch … Read more