The Closest ‘Black Hole’ to Earth Isn’t What We Thought at All

What astronomers had concluded to be a black hole a mere 1,120 light-years from Earth instead appears to be something quite different: a two-star system where one of the stars is sucking the life out of the other.   Far from disappointing, though, the conclusion gives astronomers an exciting opportunity to explore how these ‘vampiric’ stars … Read more

What Freezing Ants Can Tell Us About How Their Memory Works

We humans are versatile and accomplished navigators, but insects might have navigation skills that are even better. For them, it’s literally a matter of life and death – and that’s why we decided to freeze some ants and beetles (don’t worry, they still survived) to learn more about how they remember their way home after … Read more

Mars rover Perseverance sets distance record on the Red Planet

The Perseverance rover’s self-driving function is working just great on Mars, according to NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. The mission, not quite at one Earth year on Mars, has topped a new distance record for Red Planet rovers. On Friday (Feb. 4) Perseverance made the longest drive completed in a single Martian day, or sol, traveling … Read more

Distance to Mars: How far away is the Red Planet?

The distance to Mars from Earth varies considerably depending on their orbits around the sun.  In theory, the closest Mars and Earth would get  is when Mars reaches its closest point to the sun (perihelion) and Earth is at its farthest (aphelion). This would bring the two planets within 33.9 million miles (54.6 million kilometers) … Read more

Arctic hare hops the distance from Washington, D.C., to New York City | Science

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A Giant Asteroid Bigger Than The Empire State Building Is About to Zip Past Earth

A large, rocky asteroid is going to fly by Earth next week. At 1 kilometer (3,280 feet) long, it’s roughly two and a half times the height of the Empire State Building, and it’s been classed a “Potentially Hazardous Asteroid” due to its size and its regular close visits to our planet.   But don’t … Read more