Where is the center of the universe?
About a century ago, scientists were struggling to reconcile what seemed a contradiction in Albert Einstein’s theory of general relativity. Published in 1915, and already widely accepted worldwide by physicists and mathematicians, the theory assumed the universe was static – unchanging, unmoving and immutable. In short, Einstein believed the size and shape of the universe …
Earth’s magnetic field moves, flips, and protects us from radiation
The Earth’s magnetic field plays a big role in protecting people from hazardous radiation and geomagnetic activity that could affect satellite communication and the operation of power grids. And it moves. Scientists have studied and tracked the motion of the magnetic poles for centuries. The historical movement of these poles indicates a change in the …
Unravelling the mystery behind the Big Bang birth of the universe
How did everything begin? It’s a question that humans have pondered for thousands of years. Over the last century or so, science has homed in on an answer: the Big Bang. This describes how the Universe was born in a cataclysmic explosion almost 14 billion years ago. In a tiny fraction of a second, the …
Where does Mars exploration stand a decade removed from ‘The Martian’ release?
Andy Weir’s bestselling story “The Martian” predicts that by 2035 NASA will have landed humans on Mars three times, perfected return-to-Earth flight systems and collaborated with the China National Space Administration. We are now nearly 10 years past the Hollywood adaptation’s 2015 release and 10 years shy of its fictional timeline. At this midpoint, Mars …
Axiom-4 commercial astronaut mission to ISS scrubs due to LOX leak
Everything had been looking good for a liftoff of the Axiom Mission 4 carrying a quartet of astronauts to the International Space Station last Wednesday, June 11, until SpaceX engineers discovered a liquid oxygen (LOX) fuel leak in the first stage of the Falcon 9 rocket upon further review of data from a static fire …
X-rays reveal a mysterious cosmic object never before seen in galaxy
In a new study published recently in Nature, we report the discovery of a new long-period transient – and, for the first time, one that also emits regular bursts of X-rays. Long-period transients are a recently identified class of cosmic objects that emit bright flashes of radio waves every few minutes to several hours. This …
Brief history of how we brought the stars indoors to planetariums
Picture this: a small audience is quietly ushered into a darkened room. They gasp in awe, as a brilliant night sky shines above. They wonder – as many after them will do – what trickery has made the roof above their heads disappear? But this is a performance; the stars above an ingenious projection. For …
Rubin Observatory assembling the most complete time-lapse record of the universe
On 23 June 2025, the world will get a look at the first images from one of the most powerful telescopes ever built: the Vera C. Rubin Observatory. Perched high in the Chilean Andes, the observatory will take hundreds of images of the southern hemisphere sky, every night for 10 years. In doing so, it …
New model helps to figure out which distant planets may host life
The search for life beyond Earth is a key driver of modern astronomy and planetary science. The U.S. is building multiple major telescopes and planetary probes to advance this search. However, the signs of life – called biosignatures – that scientists may find will likely be difficult to interpret. Figuring out where exactly to look …
Landing on the Moon is still an incredibly difficult feat in 2025
Half a century after the Apollo astronauts left the last bootprints in lunar dust, the Moon has once again become a destination of fierce ambition and delicate engineering. This time, it’s not just superpowers racing to plant flags, but also private companies, multinational partnerships and robotic scouts aiming to unlock the Moon’s secrets and …
Astronaut Sally Ride’s legacy – encouraging young women to embrace science and engineering
On June 24, 1983, Sally Ride returned to earth after becoming the first American woman to fly into space, riding Space Shuttle Challenger on mission STS-7 along with four other crew members. Only five years earlier, in 1978, she had been selected to the first class of 35 astronauts – including six women – who …
Voyager Missions Word Search
Launched in 1977, NASA’s Voyager 1 and 2 spacecraft have been expanding our knowledge of the solar system ever since. The twin probes are now traversing interstellar space. We’ve hidden 27 words related to the missions. They may be placed horizontal, vertical, or even diagonal. Good luck! Author Chase Clark Chase is the founder of …
Radioisotope generators are the ‘nuclear batteries’ that power faraway spacecraft
Powering spacecraft with solar energy may not seem like a challenge, given how intense the Sun’s light can feel on Earth. Spacecraft near the Earth use large solar panels to harness the Sun for the electricity needed to run their communications systems and science instruments. However, the farther into space you go, the weaker the …
Voyager 1 thrusters, inoperable for 21 years, fixed from 15 billion miles away
Engineers at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California have revived a set of thrusters aboard the Voyager 1 spacecraft that had been considered inoperable since 2004. Fixing the thrusters required creativity and risk, but the team wants to have them available as a backup to a set of active thrusters whose fuel tubes are …
Scientists discover ancient buried beach on Mars
In the 1970s, images from the NASA Mariner 9 orbiter revealed water-sculpted surfaces on Mars. This settled the once-controversial question of whether water ever rippled over the red planet. Since then, more and more evidence has emerged that water once played a large role on our planetary neighbour. For example, Martian meteorites record evidence for …
Mars may have once had a carbon cycle more favorable for life
Mars, one of our closest planetary neighbors, has fascinated people for hundreds of years, partly because it is so similar to Earth. It is about the same size, contains similar rocks and minerals, and is not too much farther out from the Sun. Because Mars and Earth share so many features, scientists have long wondered …
Pearl Young overcame barriers and ‘raised hell’ at NASA
Thirteen years before any other woman joined the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics – or the NACA, NASA’s predecessor – in a technical role, a young lab assistant named Pearl Young was making waves in the agency. Her legacy as an outspoken and persistent advocate for herself and her team would pave the way for …
New theory explains how water first arrived on Earth
When Earth first formed, it was too hot to retain ice. This means all the water on our planet must have originated from extraterrestrial sources. Studies of ancient terrestrial rocks suggest liquid water existed on Earth as early as 100 million years after the Sun’s formation–practically “immediately” on an astrophysical timescale. This water, now over …
Why meteorites have less water than the asteroid bits returned by space probes
Much of what scientists know about the early solar system comes from meteorites – ancient rocks that travel through space and survive a fiery plunge through Earth’s atmosphere. Among meteorites, one type – called carbonaceous chondrites – stands out as the most primitive and provides a unique glimpse into the solar system’s infancy. The carbonaceous …
Extraordinary evidence needed to claim discovery of extraterrestrial life
The detection of life beyond Earth would be one of the most profound discoveries in the history of science. The Milky Way galaxy alone hosts hundreds of millions of potentially habitable planets. Astronomers are using powerful space telescopes to look for molecular indicators of biology in the atmospheres of the most Earth-like of these planets. …