Tag: Space

United Arab Emirates Publishes First Photo From Mars Probe

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates—The United Arab Emirates on Sunday published the first image for its Mars probe now circling the red planet. The picture, taken Wednesday, shows sunlight just coming across the surface of Mars. It shows Mars’ north pole, as well as Mars’ largest volcano, Olympus Mons. The image comes from its “Amal,” or…


Astronomers Detect Tremendous Amount of Dark Matter in Dwarf Satellite Galaxy

Scientists have discovered that a small galaxy called Tucana II has a much stronger gravitational pull than expected, which means it is likely home to a large amount of dark matter. Just as the moon orbits the Earth, many satellite galaxies are orbiting our Milky Way. Tucana II is one of them. These small galaxies,…


SpaceX Starship Prototype Rocket Explodes on Landing After Test Launch

A SpaceX Starship prototype rocket exploded on landing after an otherwise successful high-altitude experimental launch from Boca Chica, Texas, on Tuesday, in a repeat of an accident that destroyed a previous test rocket. The Starship SN9 that blew up on its final descent, like the SN8 before it, was a prototype for the heavy-lift rocket…


Giant Gamma-Ray Eruption Bursts From Nearby Magnetar

Our universe is not as peaceful as what we see in the night sky. Eruptions or catastrophes can happen anywhere at any second. This time, astronomers may have detected a giant gamma-ray flare from a nearby magnetar. A magnetar is a rapidly spinning type of neutron star, which is the remains of a star that…


Cable Trouble Dogs Spacewalkers in European Lab Upgrades

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla.—Spacewalking astronauts encountered cable trouble Wednesday while attempting to make improvements to the International Space Station’s European lab. Only one of the two lab upgrades was completely successful. NASA’s Mike Hopkins and Victor Glover installed a new antenna on Columbus, one of three high-tech labs at the orbiting outpost. It took a few…


Astronomers Discover That Stars and Planets May Form and Evolve as Siblings

A radio telescope has found evidence that planets might form at the same time as their stars, instead of much later as was previously thought. The telescope detected dark rings in the disk around a nascent star system. The rings could be the first evidence that a star and its planets are forming and evolving…


Richard Branson’s Virgin Orbit Reaches Space on 2nd Try

LOS ANGELES—Richard Branson’s Virgin Orbit reached space on Sunday, eight months after the first demonstration flight of its air-launched rocket system failed, the company said. A 70-foot-long LauncherOne rocket was released from beneath the wing of a Boeing 747 carrier aircraft off the coast of Southern California, ignited moments later and soared toward space. The…


Jupiter, Saturn ‘Merge’ in Night Sky, Closest in Centuries

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — Jupiter and Saturn will merge in the night sky Monday, appearing closer to one another than they have since Galileo’s time in the 17th century. Astronomers say so-called conjunctions between the two largest planets in our solar system aren’t particularly rare. Jupiter passes its neighbor Saturn in their respective laps around the…


Jupiter, Saturn ‘Merge’ in Night Sky in Rare Celestial Event

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla.—Jupiter and Saturn will merge in the night sky Monday, appearing closer to one another than they have since Galileo’s time in the 17th century. Astronomers say so-called conjunctions between the two largest planets in our solar system aren’t particularly rare. Jupiter passes its neighbor Saturn in their respective laps around the sun every 20…