Mars was a rainier, wetter place than planetary scientists previously thought, according to a new study of ancient, inverted river channels that span more than 9,000 miles (14,484 kilometers) in the Red Planet’s southern Noachis Terra region. “Our work is a new piece of evidence that suggests that Mars was once a much more complex … Read more
Our solar system has been around for 4.6 billion years. While that sounds like a long time, it’s just a blip in the 13.8 billion-year story of the universe. And one day, the solar system will cease to exist. But when will the solar system end? And how will it die out? The answers to … Read more
Tremendous tilts of Mars’ rotational axis during the past 20 million years may have dried out the planet, according to a new study. The findings may help solve the mystery of how Mars, which once contained lakes, rivers and possibly oceans, lost its water. Dry, dust-filled deserts cover much of Mars’ surface today. Astronomers think … Read more
Astronomers have captured the first evidence of a “planet with a death wish” — an alien world that’s orbiting so close to its star and so fast that it’s causing the star to cook it to death with stellar explosions. The planet, called HIP 67522 b, is a wispy, Jupiter-size planet bound on a tight, … Read more
“You operate as an autonomous agent controlling a pursuit spacecraft.” This is the first prompt researchers used to see how well ChatGPT could pilot a spacecraft. To their amazement, the large language model (LLM) performed admirably, coming in second place in an autonomous spacecraft simulation competition. Researchers have long been interested in developing autonomous systems … Read more
Despite being known as the Red Planet, Mars shows off its swirling yellows, oranges and browns in a new satellite photo from the European Space Agency (ESA). The Earth-toned surface also reveals an impact crater and four sneaky dust devils making their way across the region. The Rothko-like image was taken by a high-resolution camera … Read more
After decades of preparation, the Vera C. Rubin Observatory released its first images to the world in a live stream on Monday (June 23). The photos, taken by the world’s largest digital camera, are highly-detailed and show relatively large areas of the sky. In a televised news conference, scientists from the observatory revealed new details … Read more
Nowadays, the dark of night is interspersed with the light of stars. But before the stars were born, did light shine at the beginning of the universe? The short answer is “no.” But the long answer reveals light’s extraordinary journey. At first, the early universe’s light was “trapped,” and it took several hundred thousand years … Read more
People from cultures across the world have been looking at Mars since ancient times. Because it appears reddish, it has often been called the red planet. The English name for the planet comes from the Romans, who named it after their god of war because its color reminded them of blood. In reality, the reddish … Read more
New research suggests that the explosive death throes of massive stars, known as supernovas, may have had dramatic effects on our planet’s climate over its distant history. Investigating historic incidents of these events could help scientists predict similar events in the future and prepare for them. Supernovas occur when stars that are much more massive … Read more
