earth

Abandoned SpaceX Rocket Will Crash Into The Moon Within Weeks, Scientists Say

by

A chunk of a SpaceX rocket that blasted off seven years ago and was abandoned in space after completing its mission will crash into the Moon in March, experts say. The rocket was deployed in 2015 to put into orbit a NASA satellite called the Deep Space Climate Observatory (DSCOVR).   Since then, the second … Read more

Wild New Paper Suggests Earth’s Tectonic Activity Has an Unseen Source

by

Earth is far from a solid mass of rock. The outer layer of our planet – known as the lithosphere – is made up of more than 20 tectonic plates; as these gargantuan slates glide about the face of the planet, we get the movement of continents, and interaction at the boundaries, not least of which is … Read more

Webb Telescope Reaches Its Final Destination Far from Earth

by

NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope has just reached its final destination—around a gravitationally special spot in space known as the second Lagrange point, or L2. The US$10-billion observatory could spend 20 or more years there, gathering unprecedented insights about the Universe as it stares into deep space. Webb, which is the most complex telescope ever … Read more

Watch the James Webb Space Telescope last days on Earth in under 3 minutes in this time-lapse video

by

It’s been a month since the James Webb Space Telescope launched to space and you can revisit its last days on Earth in a stunning new time-lapse video. On Dec. 25, the James Webb Space Telescope lifted off from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana aboard an Arianespace Ariane 5 rocket. In the month since its … Read more

James Webb Space Telescope Reaches Its Destination in Huge Mission Milestone

by

The James Webb Space Telescope has fired its thrusters and reached its orbital destination around a million miles (1.5 million kilometers) away from our planet, NASA said Monday, a key milestone on its mission to study cosmic history.   At around 2:00 pm Eastern Time (1900 GMT), the observatory fired its thrusters for 5 minutes … Read more

SpaceX Dragon cargo ship undocks from space station for trip back to Earth

by

A SpaceX Dragon cargo ship is headed back to Earth.  The uncrewed Dragon CRS-24 resupply ship undocked from the International Space Station on Sunday (Dec. 23) after just over a month linked to the orbiting laboratory. The spacecraft, laden with more than 2 tons of gear, cast off from the station at 10:40 a.m. EST … Read more

Earth inhales and exhales carbon in mesmerizing animation

by

Earth breathes in this cool animation by Markus Reichstein. (Image credit: Markus Reichstein / Creative Commons license) The Earth seems to inhale and exhale in a new animation that shows how carbon is taken up and released as the seasons change.  The animated continents seem to deflate during summertimes, indicating times and places where vegetation … Read more

Could the Earth ever stop spinning, and what would happen if it did?

by

This article was originally published at The Conversation. The publication contributed the article to Space.com’s Expert Voices: Op-Ed & Insights. Jacco van Loon, Astronomer, Keele University Could the Earth stop spinning, and if it did, what would happen? – Paul, aged 12, Aberdeen, Scotland The Earth has been spinning since its birth, four and a half billion years … Read more

This New Record in Laser Beam Stability Could Help Answer Physics’ Biggest Questions

by

Scientists are on a mission to create a global network of atomic clocks that will enable us to, among other things, better understand the fundamental laws of physics, investigate dark matter, and navigate across Earth and space more precisely.   However, to be at their most effective, these clocks will need to be reliably and … Read more