Because the planet’s orbit is just seven days long, the gravitational forces from this orbital path tug at the star until plasma erupts from the surface...Heat causes the air to swell, increasing the cross‑section that stellar ultraviolet rays can hit, and leading to a vicious cycle that accelerates mass loss.
Listen to the ESA/JAXA BepiColombo spacecraft as it flew past Mercury on 8 January 2025. This sixth and final flyby used the little planet's gravity to steer the spacecraft on course for entering orbit around Mercury in 2026.
The Curiosity rover was sent up the Mount Sharp, the biggest sediments stack on Mars. On the way, it collected samples that indicated a portion of carbon dioxide in the Martian atmosphere might have been sequestered in the sedimentary rocks, just as it happens with limestone on Earth. This would have drawn carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere, reducing the greenhouse effect that warmed the planet.
The burgeoning space industry and the technologies society increasingly relies on – electric grids, aviation and telecommunications – are all vulnerable to the same threat: space weather.
Scientists used an Earth system model to test how radiation from a nearby supernova would affect life on our planet. They found that the atmosphere shields us against most of the immediate damage.
A picture snapped from the International Space Station (ISS) by NASA astronaut Nichole Ayers has captured a lesser-seen view of an extraordinary atmospheric phenomenon known as a red sprite.
The UK Space Agency has launched a major new procurement process to tackle the growing threat of space debris, initiating a £75.6 million tender for the nation’s first mission to actively remove defunct satellites from orbit. This marks a pivotal step in the UK’s efforts to protect vital space infrastructure and ensure the long-term safety of the orbital environment.
“The mid-latitudes offer the perfect compromise – they get enough sunlight for power, but they’re still cold enough to preserve ice near the surface,” Luzzi said. “That makes them ideal for future landing sites.”
Sedna, this reddish dwarf planet follows such an extreme orbit that it takes more than 11,000 years to complete a single journey around the sun. Now, scientists are proposing a new mission to reach this distant world using a revolutionary propulsion technology.
...With an estimated mass of around 100 times that of Earth or 0.3 times the mass of Jupiter, TWA 7b is ten times lighter than any exoplanet previously directly imaged.
This portrait from the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope puts the nearby galaxy NGC 4449 in the spotlight. The galaxy is situated just 12.5 million light-years away in the constellation Canes Venatici (the Hunting Dogs). It is a member of the M94 galaxy group, which is near the Local Group of galaxies that the Milky Way is part of.
JollyPieFed
Pro
cm0002
Pro
Lee Duna
jballs
misk
Gsus4
tal
Mars360
Otter Raft
gandalf_der_12te
Nemeski
Nemeski
Sunshine (she/her)
