A ghostly “hand” reaching through the cosmos has just revealed new information about massive stars’ violent deaths. The spectacular structure is the ejecta from a core-collapse supernova, which astronomers have been able to observe as it blasts into space at … Read More
Satellite parts that melt away during reentry reduce the risk of space debris impacts on Earth. In a video from the European Space Agency (ESA), a plasma wind tunnel completely vaporizes a model of a satellite, demonstrating how the speed … Read More
Analysis of 260 million years of major geological events finds recurring clusters 27.5 million years apart. According to a new study published in the journal Geoscience Frontiers, geologic activity on Earth appears to follow a 27.5-million-year cycle, giving the planet … Read More
Your room can be instantly flooded with light with the flip of a switch. In fact, there’s no perceivable lag at all. Because emitted photons travel at a speed of 186,000 miles (300,000 kilometers) per second, light only takes 1/500,000th … Read More
Although Mars has a lot of wind and dust devils, it’s not really famous for its clouds like Earth is. This is one of the reasons why NASA’s Curiosity rover’s images of Martian clouds are so beautiful. Scientists had noticed … Read More
On Wednesday, NASA announced two new missions to Venus that will launch at the end of the decade to learn how Earth’s nearest planetary neighbor turned into a hellscape while our own thrived. “These two sister missions both aim to … Read More