Category: Solar System

Our solar system

Ancient cosmic collisions may have birthed the universe’s most monstrous galaxies

NeRD

Astronomers have discovered that large flows of cold gas created by collisions between galaxies in the early universe may have forged some of the most monstrous star systems. The formation of ancient gigantic galaxies that bulge like footballs compared to our relatively flat spiral galaxy, the Milky Way, has confused astronomers for decades. Now, a team led by scientists from the University of Southampton may have scored a touchdown in this quest. They believe their research may finally solve this long-standing galactic puzzle. “Two disk galaxies smashing together caused gas…

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Kennedy Space Center viewing gantry gaining rocket engine test sim in 2025

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A countdown is underway at NASA’s Florida spaceport, ticking down the days until the public can experience a rocket engine test closer than ever before — by standing directly under the engine’s nozzle. The Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex has announced the upcoming opening of The Gantry at LC-39, a former launch pad viewing tower that has now been renovated to become an “innovative, interactive experience” that includes a simulated test fire of a rocket engine. The reimagined attraction is slated to debut in early 2025, returning as a regular…

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See the moon cozy up to Saturn during ‘conjunction’ today

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Saturn will cozy up next to the moon today (Dec. 8), as the pair make a close approach of each other in the cold night sky. This event, known as a conjunction, occurs when two celestial objects share the same right ascension — the astronomical equivalent of longitude — and appear close together in the night sky when viewed from Earth. The half moon will pass only 18 arcminutes to the north of Saturn today, officially reaching conjunction at 3:55 a.m. EST (0855 GMT), according to In-the-Sky.org. For viewers in…

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The yearning for Uranus: A far-out world with a tale to tell

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For sure, it was a far-reaching recommendation: The planet Uranus and its moons should be NASA’s highest-priority new flagship mission for startup in the decade 2023-2032. The proposed mission, known as Uranus Orbiter and Probe (UOP), would conduct a multiyear orbital tour to yield knowledge of ice giants in general and the Uranus system in particular, doing so through flybys and the delivery of an atmospheric probe. The payoff: “transformative, breakthrough science across a broad range of topics.” UOP was advocated within the pages of “Origins, Worlds, and Life —…

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Lilo & Stitch live-action remake: Release date, plot, & everything we know

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Prepare yourself, as a Lilo & Stitch live-action remake is crash-landing on Earth in 2025. “‘ohana means family. Family means nobody gets left behind or forgotten”… especially when it comes to live-action remakes of Disney classics, and next in line is 2002’s animated sci-fi romp Lilo & Stitch. Everyone’s favorite cheeky, koala-like alien is coming back to the big screen, with a few changes. What we do know is that Disney will be sticking to the original movie outline of “give us Steven Spielberg’s E.T. but make it Hawaii,” and…

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This Week In Space podcast: Episode 139 —Look to the Skies

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Look to the Skies – Leonard David, Jared Isaacman, UFOs & UAPs – YouTube Watch On On Episode 139 of This Week In Space, Rod Pyle and Tariq Malik talk with seasoned space reporter and journalist Leonard David to cover a broad swath, from the choice for the next NASA Administrator to new delays for the Artemis lunar program to UFOs/UAPs! President-Designate Donald Trump’s pick for NASA, billionaire and private astronaut Jared Isaacman, came as a surprise to space watchers, and his name was not just missing from the shortlist…

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Geminid meteor shower peaks Dec. 13 alongside a bright moon. Here’s how to see it

NeRD

This week brings us what usually is considered to be the most satisfying of all the annual meteor displays, even surpassing the famous Perseids of August: December’s Geminid meteor shower. But as was the case with last month’s Leonid Meteors, prospective sky watchers should be aware that once again you will be facing a major obstacle in your attempt to observe this year’s Geminid performance, namely, the moon. Unfortunately, as luck would have it, 2024 will see the moon turn full on Dec. 15 and as such will seriously hamper,…

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Dwarf planet Ceres could be rich in organics, defunct spacecraft data reveals

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Using data from NASA’s now-defunct Dawn spacecraft, scientists have discovered that the dwarf planet Ceres, the second wettest body in the solar system after Earth, could have an interior reserve rich in organic materials — the building blocks of life. The results hint that Ceres may have enough internal water, organic molecules, and the energy source needed for life to exist on the dwarf planet. Of course, that alone doesn’t suggest the dwarf planet is inhabited. Dawn was a mission that explored Ceres, the largest object in the main asteroid…

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Over 10,000 exploding stars catalogued by groundbreaking Zwicky Transient Facility

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The Zwicky Transient Facility has reached an incredible milestone: It has classified over 10,000 cosmic explosions that mark the deaths of massive stars and the feeding frenzies of vampire stellar remnants. These events, called supernovas, are undoubtedly some of the most fearsome and powerful events in the universe. Since 2012, humanity has discovered almost 16,000 supernovas. The Zwicky Transient Facility (ZTF), which began operations in 2017 using the 48-inch telescope at Palomar Observatory, is responsible for almost two-thirds of these detections. That makes it the largest and arguably most successful…

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‘Star Trek: Lower Decks’ season 5 episode 8 flips the script and visits the ‘Upper Decks’

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The latest “Lower Decks” episode, “Upper Decks”, reveals what the command crew gets up to when Mariner, Boimler, Tendi, Rutherford, and T’Lyn aren’t hogging all that main character energy. So, as the lead quintet gets busy “mutilating gourds” for Halloween — everyone but T’Lyn would describe it as carving pumpkins — “Upper Decks” shows that the bridge crew doesn’t just “fade into the background” when the junior officers are elsewhere. It turns out that alien invasions, potential engineering disasters, and metaphysical crises are all in an average day’s work, in…

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