The most distant star ever seen has been observed by astronomers, who say the discovery could unlock secrets of a still-unknown era of the universe. The light from the star has taken some 12.9 billion years to reach Earth, much more than the nine billion light years of the farthest “supergiant” previously observed. Scientists said […]
Archive | Space
Space telescope’s image of star gets photobombed by galaxies
Nasa’s new space telescope has gazed into the distant universe and shown perfect vision: a spiky image of a faraway star photobombed by thousands of ancient galaxies. The image from the James Webb Space Telescope is a test shot – not an official science observation – to see how its 18 hexagonal mirrors worked together […]
No European Mars mission this year due to Russia’s war in Ukraine
Europe will no longer be attempting to send its first rover to Mars this year because of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. And if co-operation on the mission with Roscosmos, Russia’s state space corporation, cannot be resumed then it is likely to be 2026 or 2028 before the ExoMars rover is blasted off towards the […]
Comedian Pete Davidson secures seat on Blue Origin space flight
Comedian Pete Davidson will blast off to space in a rocket built by Jeff Bezos’ company. Blue Origin announced that the Saturday Night Live comic will be among the passengers on its 20th flight scheduled for March 23. He follows Star Trek actor William Shatner and former American football player and TV personality Michael Strahan […]
Latest research helps astronomers model how new stars and planets form
An Edinburgh scientist has been involved in publishing data that will help astronomers better understand what they see in space, and model how new stars and planets form.The data focuses on how interstellar ice evaporates and recondenses in space, depending on how close or far it is from a star, and the formation of snowlines […]
Space junk on 5,800-mph collision course with moon
The moon is about to be hit by three tons of space junk, a punch that will carve out a crater that could fit several huge lorries. The leftover rocket will smash into the far side of the moon at 5,800mph on Friday, away from telescopes’ prying eyes. It may take weeks, even months, to […]
Supermassive black hole caught hiding in a ring of cosmic dust
A supermassive black hole has been caught hiding in a ring of cosmic dust. The findings confirm predictions made around 30 years ago and give astronomers new insight into some of the brightest and most mysterious objects in the universe – active galactic nuclei (AGN). They could also help scientists gain a better understanding of […]
Billionaire who flew on Private SpaceX flight last year going back into orbit
The tech billionaire who launched on his own SpaceX flight last year is heading back up, aiming for an even higher orbit and the chance to take part in a spacewalk. Jared Isaacman announced he will make another private spaceflight launching from Nasa’s Kennedy Space Centre, alongside two SpaceX engineers and a former air force […]
Scientists unveil ‘most accurate virtual representation of the universe’
Researchers have created what they describe as the “largest and most accurate computer simulation to date” of our section of the universe. Scientists created the simulations, from the Big Bang to the present, using a supercomputer to recreate the entire evolution of the cosmos. By using advanced statistical techniques, the simulations are conditioned to reproduce […]
SpaceX satellites falling out of orbit after solar storm
SpaceX’s newest fleet of satellites is tumbling out of orbit after being struck by a solar storm. Up to 40 of the 49 small satellites launched last week have either re-entered the atmosphere and burned up, or are on the verge of doing so, the company said in an online update. SpaceX said a geomagnetic […]