Science

NASA is piloting a new form of onboard artificial intelligence that may significantly change how Earth-observing satellites collect and prioritize data. In a recent test, a satellite was able to autonomously detect clouds in its path, process the information onboard, and decide in less than 90 seconds whether to capture or skip a ground image — without any help from …

A large asteroid once considered the greatest known risk to Earth may now be on track for a direct hit — not on our planet, but on the moon. The object, named asteroid 2024 YR4, has drawn intense interest from the astronomy community as its trajectory evolves, raising questions about potential consequences for lunar infrastructure and even Earth-orbiting satellites. From …

Facebook Tweet Email Link Astronomers have observed what they believe to be a never-before-seen companion star orbiting Betelgeuse, a pulsating red supergiant star in the shoulder of the Orion constellation. One of the best known and most luminous stars in the night sky, Betelgeuse has long intrigued anyone who has gazed up and seen its reddish tint, which is visible …

A once-overlooked fault line beneath North America may pose a far greater threat than previously realized. Canadian geologists have raised the alarm over the Tintina Fault, a hidden seismic hazard stretching from Yukon Territory into interior Alaska, that could potentially unleash a magnitude 7.5 earthquake or greater without warning. The newly spotlighted fault could impact communities across Alaska, British Columbia, …

Archaeologists in Galicia, Spain, have uncovered a significant discovery: a trilobite fossil, millions of years old, transformed into a Roman-era amulet. The fossil, believed to have been used as a protective object, is an example of how ancient remains were repurposed by the Romans. Trilobites, now-extinct marine arthropods, lived long before the rise of the Roman Empire. According to Popular …

Atomic Space Batteries! – Dr. Robert O’Brien of USRA – YouTube Watch On On Episode 170 of This Week In Space, Rod Pyle and Tariq Malik are joined by are joined by Dr. Robert O’Brien, director of the Center for Space Nuclear Research for the Universities Space Research Association, to discuss powering spacecraft by radioisotope thermoelectric generators (RTGs). Powering spacecraft, …

Most exoplanets are discovered as they transit, or move across, their parent stars. But a new study details the opposite scenario: As a giant planet crossed its host star, peculiarities in its transit signature revealed a new discovery about the star itself — in particular, a spot that occupies an enormous 7% of the star’s surface and has lasted at …

Caught on Camera: Rare Footage Reveals How a Giant Earthquake Tore the Earth in Seconds  SciTechDaily CCTV Footage Captures the First-Ever Video of an Earthquake Fault in Motion, Shining a Rare Light on Seismic Dynamics  Smithsonian Magazine Watch the Earth split in real time: Stunning footage reveals a 2.5-meter fault slip in seconds  ScienceDaily The first video of Earth’s surface lurching sideways in …

The next four people to launch to the International Space Station have arrived at their launch site. NASA astronauts Zena Cardman and Mike Fincke, together with JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Kimiya Yui and Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Platonov flew on a NASA aircraft from Ellington Field in Houston, Texas to Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Florida on Saturday (July …

Update (9:31 p.m.) – According to base officials, the Falcon 9 rocket successfully launched at 9:31 p.m. Saturday from SLC-4E._________________________________________________________________________ Update (09:05 p.m.): – According to base officials, the Falcon 9 rocket launch was pushed back Saturday evening and is set to take off from SLC-4E at 9:31 p.m._________________________________________________________________________ Original story: SpaceX is targeting Saturday evening for the launch of …