Earth’s Atmosphere Is Bigger Than We Thought
We humans like to put labels and boundaries on things. For example, the boundary between Earth’s atmosphere and space is the Kármán line, the point at 100 kilometres (62 miles)…
Elon Musk’s ‘Bleeding’ Rocket Could Be Under Serious Threat From Bird Poop
Over the past few months, Elon Musk has been revealing new details about SpaceX’s upcoming launch system, called Starship. Musk has said the new launch vehicle, which he and engineers…
This New Optical Device Could One Day Detect Plant Life on Distant Alien Worlds
A new optical instrument that can detect plant-based organisms from kilometres away due to the unique way living things reflect light could one day help in the search for life…
Astronomers Have Discovered an Incredibly Small Object Orbiting Neptune
Neptune, it seems, has been keeping a few secrets. A teeny tiny moon has been found in orbit around the enigmatic outermost known planet – previously undetected, even though it’s…
Astronomers Just Found 300,000 Hidden Galaxies in Just a Tiny Patch of Sky
The Universe just got a little more crowded with the discovery of more than 300,000 potential galaxies in a tiny corner of the northern sky. A release of data gathered…
Here’s Why You Don’t Want to Miss Tonight’s ‘Super Snow Moon’
You’re not hallucinating: Yes, the Moon looks brighter than normal, and yes, it looks bigger too. But Tuesday evening will bring the real show: what astronomers at NASA call a…
Astronomers Have Detected a Previously Unnoticed ‘River of Stars’ Flowing Past Earth
If you live in the Southern Hemisphere, next time you get the opportunity, go outside and look at the night sky. Most of that celestial plain is covered in a…
An Asteroid Will Block Our Brightest Star on Monday, And Astronomers Need Your Help
Sirius, a double-star system and the brightest object in the night sky, will briefly blink out of existence for parts of Earth on Monday evening. In an event called an…