Artist’s impression of NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft, en route to a January 2019 encounter with Kuiper Belt object 2014 MU69. NASA/JHUAPL/SwRI A NASA probe which was the first spacecraft to explore Pluto is continuing its journey out into the solar system, where it is now almost 5 billion miles from home. New Horizons was launched in 2006 and traveled out to the edge of the … [Read more...] about New Horizons is now 50 times as far from the sun as Earth
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How to watch SpaceX launch four astronauts on a journey to the ISS this week
This week, NASA and SpaceX will once again be working together to launch four astronauts on a journey to the International Space Station. NASA will be livestreaming the event, so you can follow along with all the action from home, and we’ve got the details on how to watch. What to expect from the launch The crew for the second long-duration SpaceX Crew Dragon mission to the … [Read more...] about How to watch SpaceX launch four astronauts on a journey to the ISS this week
These five binary star systems could potentially host habitable planets
This artist’s concept shows a hypothetical planet covered in water around the binary star system of Kepler-35A and B. NASA/JPL-Caltech If you’ve ever dreamed of living on an alien world with two suns, like Tatooine from Star Wars, then we have good news for you: Researchers have identified no less than five double star systems which could potentially host habitable worlds. The … [Read more...] about These five binary star systems could potentially host habitable planets
Trippy NASA video shows two black holes interacting
Black holes are so dense that their gravity pulls in everything around them, even light. But that doesn’t mean that they are invisible to view. They collect clouds of dust and gas which form a structure around the black hole called an accretion disk, from which matter is pulled into the black hole over time. These accretion disks give off light and form the distinctive humped … [Read more...] about Trippy NASA video shows two black holes interacting
Hubble captures a spectacular face-on Starburst galaxy
The luminous heart of the galaxy M61 dominates this image, framed by its winding spiral arms threaded with dark tendrils of dust. As well as the usual bright bands of stars, the spiral arms of M61 are studded with ruby-red patches of light. Tell-tale signs of recent star formation, these glowing regions lead to M61’s classification as a starburst galaxy. ESA/Hubble & NASA, … [Read more...] about Hubble captures a spectacular face-on Starburst galaxy