space

Skywatchers: A once in a lifetime cosmic event, NASA says this summer

A conceptual image of how to find Hercules and the “Northern Crown” in the night sky, created using planetarium software. Look up after sunset during summer months to find Hercules, then scan between Vega and Arcturus, where the distinct pattern of Corona Borealis may be identified. NASA Heads up sky gazers, this summer, a rare once in a lifetime event is anticipated to occur, resultin

The 1st ‘major lunar standstill’ in more than 18 years is about to occur. Here’s how to see it.

A major lunar standstill is about to occur. The phenomenon happens every 18.6 years when the moon rises and sets at its most extreme points on the horizon, while also climbing to its highest and lowest point in the sky. Where the moon rises and sets on the horizon changes constantly. (Image credit: Alan Dyer/Stocktrek Images via Getty Images) In addition to the April 8 to

‘At least 150,000 tons’ of water frost discovered atop Mars’ tallest volcanoes

Once thought impossible to exist, water frost found atop Mars' Tharsis region volcanoes could come in handy for future human exploration missions, new research suggests. An illustration of Olympus Mons, the largest known volcano in the solar system. Mars may have a mantle plume that's fueling its earthquakes and recent volcanism. (Image credit: SEBASTIAN KAULITZKI/SCIENCE PHOTO L

Water ice buried at Mars’ equator is over 2 miles thick

The Mars Express orbiter has detected enough water ice buried beneath the Red Planet's equator to cover the entire planet in a shallow ocean if melted. This map shows the estimated amount of ice within the mounds that form the Medusae Fossae Formation (MFF) consists of a series of wind-sculpted deposits measuring hundreds of kilometers across and several kilometers high, indicating that

Earth Itself May Be an Intelligent Being, Suggests New Theory

An artist's depiction of a planet progressing through four stages of intelligence. (Image credit: University of Rochester illustration/Michael Osadciw) How about planets? Can they have minds? This idea, that planets are also conscious beings, seems to be at the heart of a new theory put forth by astrobiologists. The premise of this thought experiment is that bacteria and plants working together

This Striking Planet Was Found By A 17-Year-Old, Just 3 Days Into His NASA Internship

Have you ever worked as an intern in your life? If yes, you might know the hectic work that you have got to do. You might have done all the jobs that were ignored by everyone. Perhaps, making coffee and hauling around boxes full of documents. But, it's not the same with this 17-year-old Wolf Cukier, a NASA intern from New York. This teenager ended up discovering something amazing just 3 days into

It’s Official: Researchers Have Discovered A Second Earth

Researchers have confirmed the existence of a SECOND Earth located in the Proxima Centauri System. The planet is believed to have oceans just like Earth and may hay host alien life. In the past, thousands of exoplanets have been discovered in the universe, but none of them is like Proxima B. Proxima b, as has been baptized, has very ‘promising characteristics’: it is probably rocky, slig

NASA Scientists Present Theory About Why We Haven’t Met Other Intelligent Life. It’s Crushing.

NASA scientists have explained in a new paper why they believe it’s likely we haven’t ever encountered intelligent extraterrestrial life — and it’s heartbreaking. All intelligent life, they argue, has likely destroyed itself before reaching a sophisticated enough point in evolution to support such an encounter. And the same fate likely awaits humans unless we take action, t

A ‘Devil Comet’ twice the size of Everest will pass over Earth. Here’s how to see it

A comet known as the "Devil Comet," twice the size of Mount Everest, is currently approaching Earth. This comet, scientifically labeled as 12P/Pons-Brooks, is a periodic comet with an orbital period of approximately 71 years and is one of only about 20 comets known to have an active ice volcano. The comet will reach its peak brightness for skywatchers next year when it will be about 144 mil

Earth-Sized Planet Made of Solid Iron Found Orbiting a Nearby Star

We can't understand nature without understanding its range. That's apparent in exoplanet science and in our theories of planetary formation. Nature's outliers and oddballs put pressure on our models and motivate scientists to dig deeper. Gliese 367 b (or Tahay) is certainly an oddball. It's an Ultrashort Period (USP) planet that orbits its star in only 7.7 hours. There are almost 200 o