space

Nasa is looking for private companies to help mine the moon 0
- From Around the Web, Space
- September 12, 2020
The agency announced it is buying lunar soil from a commercial provider as part of a technology development program

By David Aragorn
The weird space that lies outside our Solar System 0
- From Around the Web, Space
- September 12, 2020
The mysterious dark vacuum of interstellar space is finally being revealed by two intrepid spacecraft that have become the first human-made objects to leave our Solar System.

By David Aragorn
Dark matter models get most of the Universe right but fail in the details 0
- From Around the Web, Science & Technology, Space
- September 11, 2020
On a fine scale, the Universe seems lumpier than it should be.

By David Aragorn
NSO Astronomers to play key role in two new spacecraft mission concept studies 0
- From Around the Web, Space
- September 11, 2020
Astronomers from NSF’s National Solar Observatory (NSO) will play important roles in two of five concept studies recently announced by NASA. These five endeavors have each been granted $1.25 million by the Heliophysics division of NASA to investigate the feasibility of cutting-edge missions to study the Sun and its connection to Earth.

By David Aragorn
New Hubble data suggests there is an ingredient missing from current dark matter theories 0
- From Around the Web, Space
- September 11, 2020
Observations by the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope and the European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope (VLT) in Chile have found that something may be missing from the theories of how dark matter behaves. This missing ingredient may explain why researchers have uncovered an unexpected discrepancy between observations of the dark matter concentrations in a sample of massive galaxy clusters and theoretical computer simulations of how dark matter should be distributed in clusters. The new findings indicate that some small-scale concentrations of dark matter produce lensing effects that are 10 times stronger than expected.

By David Aragorn
Study indicates sand-sized meteoroids are peppering asteroid Bennu 0
- From Around the Web, Space
- September 10, 2020
A new study published this month in JGR Planets posits that the major particle ejections off the near-Earth asteroid Bennu may be the consequence of impacts by small, sand-sized particles called meteoroids onto its surface as the object nears the Sun. The study’s primary author is Southwest Research Institute scientist Dr. William Bottke, who used data from NASA’s OSIRIS-REx mission.

By David Aragorn
Has Earth’s oxygen rusted the Moon for billions of years?0
- From Around the Web, Space
- September 10, 2020
To the surprise of many planetary scientists, the oxidized iron mineral hematite has been discovered at high latitudes on the Moon.

By David Aragorn
Grains of dust revise Solar System history 0
- From Around the Web, Space
- September 9, 2020
Scientists study the chemical composition of meteorites.

By David Aragorn
Across 10 Million Stars, Not a Single Whisper of Alien Technology 0
- From Around the Web, Space
- September 9, 2020
In a comprehensive search of a patch of the Southern sky, not even a hint of alien technology has been detected at low radio frequencies.

By David Aragorn
Are aliens hiding in plain sight?0
- From Around the Web, Space
- September 8, 2020
Several missions this year are seeking out life on the red planet. But would we recognise extraterrestrials if we found them?

By David Aragorn