Space

The Science Surprise When OSIRIS-REx Reached Asteroid Bennu

Telescopes and inference told scientists that the asteroid Bennu was covered in large swaths of fine regolith, smaller than a few centimeters. What they found when OSIRIS-REx arrived at Bennu was something else: A surface covered in boulders. The surprise ...

Article - News Staff - Oct 6 2021 - 3:12pm

Neutron stars with pasta

This video which appeared two weeks ago greatly surprised me, making me realize how little I know of what is known about these objects. ...

Blog Post - Robert H Olley - Oct 14 2021 - 7:07am

CW Leonis: A Cosmic Eye Of Sauron For Halloween

If there is an Eye of Sauron in space, ot at least a Marvel villain like Apocalypse, it might look a lot like CW Leonis, roughly 400 light-years away in the constellation Leo. ...

Article - News Staff - Oct 28 2021 - 12:56pm

Sharpless 2-302: The Snowman In The Southern Sky

Over 6,000 light-years away from earth, in the constellation Puppis in the southern sky, is an emission nebula. Emission nebulae are diffuse clouds of gas that have become so charged by the energy of nearby massive stars that they glow with their own light ...

Article - News Staff - Nov 12 2021 - 10:17am

No Realistic Possibility Of False Vacuum Decay- Your Questions Answered By An Expert- Dr Tommi Markkanen

Dr Tommi Markkanen, an expert on the False Vacuum has kindly answered these questions in an email interview: 1. Does a false vacuum decay due to quantum tunneling have a realistic chance happening in my lifetime or already be on its way? The answer is a r ...

Article - Robert Walker - Nov 16 2021 - 8:33pm

NASA Announces 10 New Astronaut Candidates Today. Four Women, and Six Men From Diverse Backgrounds.

N ASA will announce its 2021 crop of astronauts which was delayed at least twice due to COVID 19.  There were around 20,000 applicants for this arduous job.  Which is surprising since the requirements while not super common are not super uncommon either.  ...

Blog Post - Hontas Farmer - Dec 6 2021 - 1:59pm

Warp Bubble: Replication Not Publication Is Confirmation In Science.

N o one would like confirmation of the Alcubierre warp drive metric being realized in the real world more than me. However, this is a good time to remind the media and public that a publication does not mean confirmation of this or any other result. Publi ...

Blog Post - Hontas Farmer - Dec 9 2021 - 12:09am

Reflection On The James Webb Space Telescope. 30 Years From Concept To Reality.

The James Webb Space Telescope has taken longer to reach this point than it took to build a great Egyptian pyramid. A  pyramid had to be built in at most 20 years to be ready to act as a burial site for a Pharaoh of old Kingdom Egypt. At a time when forty ...

Blog Post - Hontas Farmer - Dec 25 2021 - 7:37am

Do Lunar And Solar Gravity Impact The Behavior Of Life On Earth?

It is well-known that the gravity from the moon impacts ocean tides, sailors knew it long before anyone knew what gravity even was.  A new literature review and small meta-analysis hopes to add to the body of work showing how much gravity impacts plants an ...

Article - News Staff - Jan 4 2022 - 2:56pm

A Picture Of The James Webb Space Telescope, Taken With An Earthbound Telescope.

  A t least one Astronomer has shared an image of the James Webb Space Telescope taken from an Earth-bound telescope.  This is what it looks like in all its glory but you may wonder why it is we cannot get a better image of it.  It is huge and made of ver ...

Blog Post - Hontas Farmer - Jan 11 2022 - 10:21am