Capturing spectacular images of deep-space objects revealed in unimaginable clarity and scope, theJames Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has been a $10 billion triumph of ingenuity and indomitable spirit. This summer celebrates the one-year anniversary of JWST‘s first science observations. The huge observatory has been peering back in time toward the origins of our universe and providing astrophysicists and amateur stargazers across the planet stunning data to dissect. The final installment of Netflix’s four-part “Unknown” docuseries, titled “Cosmic Time Machine,” unveils details of how the biggest-ever space telescope was conceived, developed…
Read MoreMonth: July 2023
The US government is holding a historic UFO hearing this week. Here’s how to watch
If the truth really is out there when it comes to what the U.S. government knows about UFOs, we may get a little closer to it this week. On Wednesday (July 26), the United States House of Representatives will hear testimony from three witnesses regarding unidentified anomalous phenomena, or UAP, a new term that encompasses not just unidentified flying objects (UFOs) in the air, but also any craft or phenomena that are seen in space or underwater that can’t be identified. The hearing will be held by the House’s Subcommittee…
Read MoreA satellite will fall to Earth this week in a 1st-of-its-kind reentry. Here’s what you need to know
This week will see a first-of-its-kind operation to guide a dead and disused satellite back to Earth safely. The mission will pave the way for the safe return of other space-based equipment in the future. The European Space Agency (ESA) plans to help its Aeolus spacecraft officially reenter Earth’s atmosphere during the evening of Friday (July 28). The procedure to bring it back down to our planet, however, begins on Monday (July 24). Aeolus has been orbiting Earth since 2018, when it became the first spacecraft to measure our planet’s…
Read MoreA Wildflower Close-Up
Elaborate Passiflora incarnata, or purple passionflower, sit pretty in a field at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on June 13, 2023.
Read MoreScience in Space: Week of July 17, 2023 – Genetic Analysis
Crew members aboard the International Space Station conducted a variety of scientific investigations during the week of July 17, 2023, including setting up the Genes in Space-10 experiment.
Read MoreChina is sending zebrafish to the Tiangong space station
China is planning to send zebrafish to its space station in the future. The small fish species will be sent into orbit on China’s Tiangong space station as part of research into the interaction between fish and microorganisms in a small closed ecosystem, Shanghai-based Guancha.cn reported. The experiment will also aid research into bone loss in astronauts. Zhang Wei, assistant to the commander-in-chief of China’s manned space engineering space application system, told Chinese media of the plan during a Space Station Science and Application Project Solicitation Seminar in Beijing on…
Read MoreJames Webb Space Telescope stars in breathtaking new IMAX documentary
Salutes to the miraculous achievements of NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope are pouring in from around the world. The sophisticated observatory marks its one-year anniversary this summer as a groundbreaking astronomical platform orbiting the sun some 1 million miles (1.6 million km) from Earth. Joining the celebration with a new James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) documentary is “Deep Sky,” a passion project uniting the IMAX Corporation with Crazy Boat Pictures Ltd. and Academy Award-nominated filmmaker Nathaniel Kahn. News of the 40-minute film’s completion was announced this past week during events…
Read MoreMassive galaxy with no dark matter is a cosmic puzzle
Our picture of cosmic evolution could be thrown into doubt by the discovery of a massive galaxy that seems to lack dark matter. Dark matter, which accounts for around 85% of the matter in the universe, seems to be absent from the galaxy NGC 1277, part of the Perseus Cluster of galaxies. The galaxy, located 240 million light-years from Earth, is the first Milky Way-sized conglomeration of stars, planets, dust and gas found to be missing dark matter. “This result does not fit in with the currently accepted cosmological models,…
Read MoreWatch astronauts play new ‘Space Dart’ game on the ISS (video)
What games could you create with tie-down straps, a few circular rings and the magic of microgravity? The International Space Station (ISS) crew recently came up with one called “Space Dart,” which engaged the multinational crew in feats of flexibility. Judging from the video available on social media, the newly invented game looks like a great way to spend a weekend in orbit. “During the weekends, we sometimes spend our time playing games,” United Arab Emirates astronaut Sultan Al-Neyadi, who posted the video, said on Twitter. “It is one of…
Read MoreIndia’s Chandrayaan-3 moon rover mission aces orbit-raising maneuvers around Earth
India’s Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft is continuing its circuitous journey to the moon with a series of burns to raise its orbit. Chandrayaan-3 launched on July 14 into an orbit around Earth and has been slowly boosting its orbit ahead of a final shot toward the moon. The lunar spacecraft’s propulsion module completed a fourth orbit-raising maneuver on Thursday (July 20), the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) stated. The engines fired at the spacecraft’s closest approach to Earth, raising its apogee, or the farthest point from Earth of its orbit. Related: Chandrayaan-3: A…
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