Turns out the moon is not made of cheese, though it would have been a popular appetizer at your next dinner party. A thorough investigation revealed that Earth’s satellite has an inner core with a density similar to iron, which appears to settle the longstanding debate over it being solid or molten. There’s more in this Science Alert article, including how astronomers made the discovery and why it could lead to a better understanding of the solar system. https://flip.it/0nP7A1 #Science#Earth#Moon#Solar System #Space
Astronomers have found a magnetic star for the first time beyond the Milky Way after an incredibly brief, ultrabright explosion in the so-called Cigar Galaxy. Will this be the first of many other extragalactic magnetar discoveries? Live Science has more. https://flip.it/iHsynr #Science#Space#Stars#MilkyWay#Astronomy
The most surprising revelation from NASA’s Curiosity Mars Rover — that methane is seeping from the surface of Gale Crater — has scientists scratching their heads.
The idea that matter is mostly empty space is mostly wrong.
From Big Think: "Practically all of the matter we see and interact with is made of atoms, which are mostly empty space. Then why is reality so... solid?"
Is life capable of spreading from planet to planet? A pair of astronomers recently proposed a detection strategy based on the concept of panspermia, the idea that life can start on one planet and spread to others by hitching rides on meteorites. More from Live Science: https://flip.it/ef13Z0 #Science#Life#Aliens#Space#Meteorites
There is something seriously wrong with our understanding of the universe. Scientists using the James Webb and Hubble space telescopes have triple-checked and confirmed that depending on where we look, the universe is expanding at bafflingly different rates. Live Science explains more, including how scientists are ruling out a measurement error as the cause of the “Hubble Tension.” https://flip.it/VDvM6g #Science#Space#Hubble#HubbleTension#Universe#JWST
Planets directly influence one another, and the more massive they are, the larger their gravitational pull. Mars is a lot smaller than Earth, but new research says it has enough clout to create swirling vortices in our planet's oceans. Atlas Obscura explains: https://flip.it/R.5Vmk #Science#Space#Earth#Mars#Gravity
The universe is a vast, wondrous and strange place. What would happen if you traveled through it in a straight line forever? Could you return to your starting point? The key lies in understanding the expanding universe. Simple, right? Big Think unpacks it all in this head-spinning article by Ethan Siegel that will have you asking what the original question was. https://flip.it/8r3P1l #Science#Space#Universe#TimeTravel#SpaceExploration
Astronomers think they’ve detected an extremely rare, luminous phenomenon known as “glory” in the hellish atmosphere of a distant exoplanet. The discovery would be the first time one of these rainbow-colored light shows has been seen outside of our solar system. Live Science reports: https://flip.it/RiSqJN#Science#Space#SolarSystem#Planets#SpaceExploration
Save the date: The next full solar eclipse is scheduled for 2026 and will pass over the northern fringes of Greenland, Iceland and Spain. The Associated Press has more, including other celestial events on the horizon. https://flip.it/tC9xhx #Science#Space#Eclipse#Sun#Moon
After the retirement of NASA's space shuttle in 2011, the Delta IV Heavy became the most powerful operational rocket in the world, with a lift capacity of nearly 29 metric tons to low-Earth orbit. Only a handful of government-developed vehicles, including NASA's Saturn V lunar rocket and Russia's Energia vehicle, had more lift capacity, Ars Technica reports: https://arstechnica.com/space/2024/04/the-most-metal-of-rockets-has-gone-into-the-great-mosh-pit-in-the-sky/
Russia aborts planned test launch of new heavy-lift space rocket.
AP reports: "The Angara-A5 rocket was scheduled to lift off from the Vostochny space launch facility at 0900 GMT Tuesday, but the launch was aborted two minutes before."
Millions of viewers across North America are witnessing a historic total solar eclipse, and images and videos are coming in. Check out some of the best at Live Science: https://flip.it/42UTWX #Science#Space#Eclipse#Sun#Moon
The same moon that will block the sun over large swaths of North America today also turned inside out billions of years ago, scientists reveal. Science Alert explains: https://flip.it/uV9LkM #Science#Sun#Moon#Eclipse#Space
Scientists discovered dark energy over two decades ago and since then have been studying what they thought was an invisible substance that appeared to be pulling the universe apart. But a large 3D map may have highlighted a major flaw — dark energy might not even be a substance. "If this is true,” one scientist said, “this just turns cosmology upside down." And quell some of those fears about the destruction of the universe. Space.com has more: https://flip.it/-xfySS #Science#Universe#Space#DarkMatter