On Earth, a compass can be a vital tool. Compasses have provided a constant point of reference for humans for over 800 years, enabling us to successfully navigate to the far reaches of the planet. But our species has started to journey farther, into the cold abyss of space. Is the compass still useful outside … Read more
An advanced alien civilization may want to cruise around the galaxy, and the best way to do that is by steering their binary star system, a researcher proposes in a new paper. Long-lived civilizations may have many motivations for wanting to move somewhere else in the galaxy. They may need to escape an impending supernova, … Read more
Earth’s total fresh water has plummeted to an alarming new low, and it could be a sign that climate change is pushing the world into a dangerous phase of global drying, according to a new study. Since 2015, our planet’s lakes, rivers and aquifers have lost 290 cubic miles (1,200 cubic km) of fresh water, … Read more
The first analysis of lava samples from the moon’s far side reveals that volcanoes were erupting there 2.8 billion years ago. The moon is tidally locked with Earth, meaning the same side always faces our planet. The far side is less explored than the near side. Only two landers, both from China, have made it … Read more
Last October, an asteroid impacted Earth’s atmosphere just hours after being detected — somehow, it managed to circumvent impact monitoring systems during its approach to our planet. However, on the bright side, the object measured just 3 feet (1 meter) in diameter and posed very little threat to anything on Earth’s surface. This asteroid, designated … Read more
Earth’s surface is a turbulent place. Mountains rise, continents merge and split, and earthquakes shake the ground. All of these processes result from plate tectonics, the movement of enormous chunks of Earth’s crust. This movement may be why life exists here. Earth is the only known planet with plate tectonics and the only known planet … Read more
This new spaceflight tech has a very retro feel. The world’s first wooden satellite, a tiny Japanese spacecraft called LignoSat, arrived at the International Space Station (ISS) on Tuesday (Nov. 5) aboard a SpaceX Dragon cargo capsule. LignoSat measures just 4 inches (10 centimeters) on each side, but it could end up having a big … Read more
Scientists have discovered that the icy shell of Saturn’s largest moon, Titan, could possess an insulated, six-mile-thick (9.7-kilometer-thick) layer of methane ice beneath its surface. Ironically, this layer may make signs of life from the subsurface ocean of Titan easier to detect. And, down the line, the discovery could benefit the fight against human-driven climate … Read more
You don’t need a telescope to see that the moon is riddled with craters. For billions of years, our celestial neighbor has been absolutely bombarded by asteroids and comets, and the assault has left behind a heavily pockmarked lunar surface. The largest and oldest-known impact site on the moon is the South Pole-Aitken (SPA) basin, … Read more
Miniature livers will fly aboard the International Space Station in an upcoming study on whether microgravity can encourage the growth of healthy tissue with an ample blood supply. It’s an effort that could potentially lead to personalized, space-grown tissues and organs for use in transplant surgeries, scientists say. In two upcoming experiments, researchers plan to … Read more
