Why Can't the Universe Be Cyclic? Part 3: The Ekpyrotic Universe and Its Bouncing Branes
Reported by Universe Today
The ekpyrotic theory tries to beat inflation with bouncing higher-dimensional branes, no singularity, and a universe that has always existed. A tour of the prettiest version of the idea and how it claims to handle flatness, dark energy, and the entropy tha...
- By: Paul Sutter (https://www.universetoday.com/authors/pmsutter)
- On: Mon, 08 Jun 2026 19:06 +0000
Catch Comet 220P McNaught in Outburst
Reported by Universe Today
We witnessed a surprise outburst late last week, from a lesser known periodic comet. Posts flashed across message boards late last week, alerting comet watchers to a dramatic change in brightness for periodic comet 220P McNaught. Though it wasn’t on our ...
- By: David Dickinson (https://www.universetoday.com/authors/david-dickinson)
- On: Mon, 08 Jun 2026 18:04 +0000
Supersonic!
Reported by NASA
On June 5, 2026, NASA’s experimental X-59 aircraft flew faster than the speed of sound for the first time, setting the stage for demonstrating its quiet supersonic capabilities later this year. NASA test pilot Jim “Clue” Less took off and la...
- By: NASA
- On: Mon, 08 Jun 2026 15:28 +0000
NASA’s INCUS Satellites Progress Toward Launch
Reported by NASA
Description One of the three satellites that make up NASA’s INCUS (Investigation of Convective Updrafts) mission sits on a fixture at the facilities of Blue Canyon Technologies in Lafayette, Colorado. The satellite completed testing in preparation for la...
- By: NASA
- On: Mon, 08 Jun 2026 15:22 +0000
The Hidden Physics Complicating Interstellar Lightsails
Reported by Universe Today
If we’re to reach another star, chemical propulsion will not get us there in any reasonable time frame. We’re going to need a different propulsion technology, and one of the most promising seems to be a solar sail. These giant reflective surfaces form ...
- By: Andy Tomaswick (https://www.universetoday.com/authors/andy-tomaswick)
- On: Mon, 08 Jun 2026 15:15 +0000
Digging Back in Time in the UAE
Reported by NASA
Once below a shallow sea, Jabal al Fāyah now stands above the desert in the United Arab Emirates as a reminder of a watery past and early human survival....
- By: NASA
- On: Mon, 08 Jun 2026 04:01 +0000