Water on Mars Was Similar To Water on Earth
Curiosity rover’s analysis of rocks on Mars suggests that ancient water on the red planet would have been suitable for supporting life. Continue reading Water on Mars Was Similar To Water on Earth
Tag: Astronomy
Betelguese: dimming, but probably not dying
Betelguese, a star in the Orion constellation, was spotted dimming in December 2019. Despite news reports that this may signal an impending supernova, it is probably just part of the star’s natural brightness cycles. Continue reading Betelguese: dimming, but probably not dying
The Universe is Expanding Faster than Scientists Thought
A new study shows that the universe is expanding faster than scientists had initially predicted, sparking an effort to determine what unknown force in space is responsible. Read Ben Andreone’s article to learn more! Continue reading The Universe is Expanding Faster than Scientists Thought
Back in Black: The New Blackest Material
Engineers at MIT have developed the blackest material to date by growing carbon nanotubes on an aluminum surface. The treated aluminum structure additionally has improved electrical properties and the synthesis process can be easily scaled for a number of applications. Continue reading Back in Black: The New Blackest Material
Super Heavy Star Found
Scientists find the heaviest neutron star known to man – and it’s helping us understand when black holes form. Continue reading Super Heavy Star Found
Back to the Moon: Challenges Facing the 2024 Return
50 years after the Apollo 11 landing, the US is planning on returning to the moon. While such a mission could answer new scientific questions about the history of our corner of the universe and help test new technology, lack of federal support and behind-schedule and over-budget projects make a 2024 landing a challenging goal. Continue reading Back to the Moon: Challenges Facing the 2024 Return
Seeing with Gravity: How invisible particles can be observed in outer space
Everyone on Earth is familiar with gravity to some extent; it is the force that pulls us down to the planet’s surface. In fact, all objects with mass tug on other objects moving around them because of gravity. The strength of the gravitational pull depends on the mass of the object, and is often too weak to notice. However, for things as massive as galaxies, … Continue reading Seeing with Gravity: How invisible particles can be observed in outer space
Free Falling: the science of weightlessness
by Lisa Heppler figures by Jovana Andrejevic Weightlessness is something many of us have dreamed about since we were kids. We have seen footage of astronauts floating around the International Space Station playing Ping-Pong with balls of water and Pac-Man with strings of M&Ms. For a moment, as we watch these astronauts thriving in an environment completely alien to us, we are able to imagine ourselves … Continue reading Free Falling: the science of weightlessness
Signs of Life: Searching for Plants on Other Planets
If you travel into deep space and look back at Earth through a sophisticated telescope, you could measure what’s called the vegetation red edge (VRE). The vegetation red edge is a mixture of red and infrared light that is reflected by plants on Earth’s surface. Because of clouds, ice masses, and large oceans, the vegetation red edge on Earth is actually fairly small and difficult … Continue reading Signs of Life: Searching for Plants on Other Planets
Taking out the (space) trash
If you saw the blockbuster Gravity, then you probably had the dangers of orbiting space debris impressed upon you by a 90-minute emotional Hollywood roller coaster. While such catastrophic events haven’t ever happened, the risks of in-space collisions are certainly very real. In 2009, two satellites collided and rapidly produced thousands of smaller orbiting objects. It is this high production of smaller material from a … Continue reading Taking out the (space) trash