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Paul M. Sutter is an astrophysicist at SUNY Stony Brook and the Flatiron Institute, host of “Ask a Spaceman” and “Space Radio,” and author of “How to Die in Space.” Globular clusters are like astronomical coelacanths — mysterious living fossils. These densely packed collections of ancient stars may hold the ultimate secrets to the formation of … Read more
A deposit of hundreds of embalming tools uncovered in Abusir, Egypt – probably the largest ever found – offers clues into a lavish funeral that likely took place about 2,600 years ago. The deposit of at least 370 ceramic jars – some of which carried heads to represent sacred animal deities – could provide … Read more
Some of the first James Webb Space Telescope investigations will focus on a variety of planet very different from what’s found in our cosmic neighborhood. Once Webb finishes its six-month commissioning period around June, it is scheduled to start a series of studies in exoplanets. One such project will study 11 “super-Earths,” which are worlds … Read more
By Penny Sarchet Darwin hybrid red tulips, primroses f o g a a s/Tom Meaker/Shutterstock Hello, and welcome to January’s Wild Wild Life, the monthly newsletter that celebrates the biodiversity of our planet’s animals plants and other organisms. To receive this free, monthly newsletter in your inbox, sign up here. I spent much of late … Read more
ASTROPHYSICS Webb telescope embarks on new era in astronomy The $10 billion James Webb Space Telescope—NASA’s most expensive science mission ever—is already more than halfway to its new post 1.5 million kilometers from Earth. Launched on 25 December 2021 from French Guiana, the 6.5-meter telescope is considered the successor to the Hubble Space Telescope; it … Read more
This article was originally published at The Conversation. The publication contributed the article to Space.com’s Expert Voices: Op-Ed & Insights. Martin Barstow, Professor of Astrophysics and Space Science, University of Leicester If everything goes according to plan, we will soon enter a new era of astronomy. The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), the largest and … Read more
It hurts to keep secrets. Secrecy is associated with lower well-being, worse health, and less satisfying relationships. Research has linked secrecy to increased anxiety, depression, symptoms of poor health, and even the more rapid progression of disease. There is a seemingly obvious explanation for these harms: Hiding secrets is hard work. You have to watch … Read more
By Michael Allen flafabri/Alamy YOU dip a plastic wand into a mixture of water and washing up liquid and raise it to your lips. With a gentle blow, you unleash a stream of bubbles that bob about in the air, winking a swirling rainbow of colours back at you as they reflect the light. This … Read more
NASA Administrator Bill Nelson is excited to see the James Webb Space Telescope open up the “secrets of the universe,” he told Space.com. “This is a one of a kind,” Nelson said about the James Webb Space Telescope, which is set to launch this Saturday (Dec. 25) at 7:20 a.m. EDT (1220 GMT) from the … Read more
Tigers can indeed change their stripes—and in the Similipal Tiger Reserve in India, many have done just that. So-called black tigers, genetic mutants that sport unusually wide and merged stripes, were extremely rare even when tigers were plentiful centuries ago. But in Similipal today, one in three are black. A new study in the Proceedings … Read more