Earth’s changing spin is threatening to toy with our sense of time, clocks and computerized society in an unprecedented way — but only for a second. For the first time in history, world timekeepers may have to consider subtracting a second from our clocks in a few years because the planet is rotating a tad … Read more
A new study argues that a real-life “Jurassic World” could currently exist, just on another planet. Planets far away from Earth could be harboring species that resemble Earth’s dinosaurs and humans may currently have the ability to find them, according to a new study published in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society journal. … Read more
That purple-ish glow in the night sky? That’s STEVE. STEVE, or Strong Thermal Emission Velocity Enhancement, is an atmospheric phenomenon that accompanies auroras, such as an aurora borealis, more commonly known as the Northern Lights, which have been spotted this week across the US. The purple light streak, often bordered by patches of green, is … Read more
Stargazers should enjoy Saturn’s rings while they can. NASA reports that the gas planet’s signature interstellar hula hoops are going to vanish from view in 18 months — but thankfully it’s just an optical illusion. Come March 2025, Saturn’s iconic rings — which extend from 43,500 to 87,000 miles, or the equivalent of 30 Earths … Read more
Scientists at the California Institute of Technology have announced they believe the planet that collided with Earth billions of years ago could still be inside and led to the formation of the Moon. The study recently published in the journal Nature said the theory has stemmed from the discovery of material from the 1980s that was detected under … Read more
Here’s your chance to see some drops of Jupiter. The planet will be highly visible this week as it reaches its closest point to our planet — a state known as perigee. Sky and Telescope reports a good time Wednesday to spot the gallantly bright Jupiter and its well-known exterior region called the Great Red … Read more
A recent image taken in space is turning heads and sparking questions. On Sept. 7, 2023, NASA’s Juno mission captured an image of an area in one of Jupiter’s northern regions called Jet N7, according to NASA. The image, which is of clouds and storms, caught the attention of scientists as they were studying the features. NASA said that … Read more
They’re just going through a phase. The moon and Venus will visibly “snuggle,” as Space.com puts it, in the pre-dawn sky Tuesday morning. The two celestial bodies will share the same right ascension — which astronomers call a conjunction, the site reports. This special event is for early risers, as the spectacle will likely unfold … Read more
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) dropped never-before-seen photos of one of Saturn’s moons while comparing them to well-known food dishes. “Ravioli, pierogi, empanada… What do you see? No wrong answers,” NASA posted on its Instagram account Monday, accompanied by pictures of Pan, the innermost of Saturn’s moons. The photos, which were taken from the Cassini … Read more
NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope might have made what one expert is hailing as the “discovery of the century” — about 744 trillion miles from Earth. A team of international astronomers have “found potential evidence of life in the atmosphere of another world,” Robert Zubrin, an American aerospace engineer and advocate for human exploration of … Read more
There may be another world lurking between the orbital lines of our solar system. Astronomers in Japan have published their theory of an “Earth-like planet,” dubbed Planet Nine, that’s hiding in plain sight just a few billion miles behind Neptune. Published last month in the Astronomical Journal, researchers Patryk Sofia Lykawka and Takashi Ito, of Japan’s … Read more
This solar event will rock all your worlds. A rare parade of five planets will be visible in the night sky on Tuesday evening, so keep your eyes on the sky. Mercury, Jupiter, Venus, Uranus and Mars will all line up near the moon, giving stargazers a chance to spot an extraordinary sight. The five … Read more
There’s love in the night sky. Jupiter and Venus are set to share a “cosmic kiss” Thursday night as they appear side by side. The two planets crossed paths shortly after sunset Wednesday night as Jupiter moved west and Venus slowly passed in the other direction. Sky-watchers will be able to see the Jupiter and … Read more
They’re shooting for the stars. Scientists have developed a laser that could detect extraterrestrial life in outer space, which could speed up the decades-long quest to find other beings “on faraway moons and planets.” The NASA-backed research conducted at the University of Maryland shows that the laser technology could potentially identify signs of life and … Read more
Our galaxy may have acquired some new real estate. NASA has discovered an Earth-size planet orbiting around a faraway star — and it could be habitable. Dubbed TOI 700 e, the exoplanet is the fourth discovered in the TOI 700 system, at 100 light-years away. The research team presented the result at the 241st meeting … Read more