Space

Will moon mining be BANNED?0
- From Around the Web, Space
- February 18, 2017
International space law could prevent billionaires from extracting precious metals from the lunar surface

By David Aragorn
A Little Cluster in the Big Dog 0
- From Around the Web, Space
- February 18, 2017
The constellation Canis Majoris, the ‘Big Dog’, is home to many fine open clusters of blue-white stars along the stubby Orion Arm of the Milky Way. There are some real gems here, including the modest but delightful open star cluster NGC 2362, a group that hosts some of the youngest-known stars. Centered on the bright star τ (tau) Canis Majoris, this cluster, in a telescope, looks like a large diamond set among many smaller blue-white gems.

By David Aragorn
NASA wants to send a life-detecting lander to Europa 0
- From Around the Web, Space
- February 17, 2017
It will look for life in the Jovian moon’s saltwater ocean.

By David Aragorn
We finally have a computer that can survive the surface of Venus 0
- From Around the Web, Space
- February 16, 2017
Sulphuric rain is easy; not being cremated by 500°C or crushed by 90 atmospheres is hard.

By David Aragorn
Mercury’s Water Ice Deposits Have a Mysterious Origin 0
- From Around the Web, Space
- February 16, 2017
New analysis of observations made by NASA’s MESSENGER mission reveal where the solar system’s innermost planet’s water ice is but not where it’s from.

By David Aragorn
Aliens are probably out there, according to Winston Churchill 0
- From Around the Web, Space
- February 16, 2017
A newly-investigated essay from 1939 reveals Churchill’s thoughts on E.T.

By David Aragorn
Saturn Could Be Defending Earth From Massive Asteroid Impacts 0
- From Around the Web, Space
- February 16, 2017
Jupiter is often cited as Earth’s protector — but Saturn may actually be hero of the day.

By David Aragorn
Mars Was Recently Hit by a Meteorite ‘Shotgun’ Blast 0
- From Around the Web, Space
- February 15, 2017
A cluster of recent meteorite impacts on Mars have been found, highlighting a deadly hazard for future Mars colonists.

By David Aragorn
The Hunt For Alien Megastructures Is On 0
- From Around the Web, Space
- February 15, 2017
Last year, a single star found fame. It consistently made headlines and even appeared on “Saturday Night Live” and “The Late Night Show with Stephen Colbert.” The star (often referred to as Tabby’s star) is located 1,200 light-years away toward the constellation Cygnus and has been inexplicably flickering and fading by such large amounts that it cannot be easily explained by natural causes.

By David Aragorn
A Star Just Ripped Comet Halley’s Massive Cousin to Shreds 0
- From Around the Web, Space
- February 15, 2017
The Hubble Space Telescope has found a white dwarf star consuming a huge comet, scattering its remains throughout its atmosphere.

By David Aragorn