DART Changed the Shape of Asteroid Dimorphos, not Just its Orbit
Reported by Universe Today
On September 26th, 2022, NASA’s Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) collided with the asteroid Dimorphos, a moonlet that orbits the larger asteroid Didymos. The purpose of this test was to evaluate a potential strategy for planetary defense. The ...
- By: Universe Today
- On: Thu, 28 Mar 2024 03:50 +0000
Cosmochemistry: Why study it? What can it teach us about finding life beyond Earth?
Reported by Universe Today
Universe Today has had some fantastic discussions with researchers on the importance of studying impact craters, planetary surfaces, exoplanets, astrobiology, solar physics, comets, planetary atmospheres, and planetary geophysics, and how these diverse sci...
- By: Universe Today
- On: Thu, 28 Mar 2024 03:48 +0000
Webb Finds Deep Space Alcohol and Chemicals in Newly Forming Planetary
Reported by Universe Today
Since its launch in 2021, the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has made some amazing discoveries. Recent observations have found a number of key ingredients required for life in young proto-stars where planetary formation is imminent. Chemicals like metha...
- By: Universe Today
- On: Thu, 28 Mar 2024 01:13 +0000
Mercury is the Perfect Destination for a Solar Sail
Reported by Universe Today
Solar sails rely upon pressure exerted by sunlight on large surfaces. Get the sail closer to the Sun and not surprisingly efficiency increases. A proposed new mission called Mercury Scout aims to take advantage of this to explore Mercury. The mission will ...
- By: Universe Today
- On: Thu, 28 Mar 2024 00:26 +0000
Phew, De-Icing Euclid’s Instruments Worked. It’s Seeing Better Now
Reported by Universe Today
From its vantage point at the Sun-Earth L2 point, the ESA’s Euclid spacecraft is measuring the redshift of galaxies with its sensitive instruments. Its first science images showed us what we can expect from the spacecraft. But the ESA noticed a probl...
- By: Universe Today
- On: Wed, 27 Mar 2024 21:23 +0000
New View Reveals Magnetic Fields Around Our Galaxy’s Giant Black Hole
Reported by Universe Today
Fresh imagery from the Event Horizon Telescope traces the lines of powerful magnetic fields spiraling out from the edge of the supermassive black hole at the center of our Milky Way galaxy, and suggests that strong magnetism may be common to all supermassi...
- By: Universe Today
- On: Wed, 27 Mar 2024 21:20 +0000