News about PaperPanda, Open Access, and Research
A star-charting spacecraft spotted NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope while both were working in deep space. The European Space Agency’s Gaia mission and the James Webb Space Telescope both orbit around Earth-sun Lagrange point 2, or L2, a gravitationally stable point between the sun and Earth that is roughly 930,000 miles (1.5 million kilometers) from Earth. … Read more
A space rock that exploded in the atmosphere near Iceland was only the fifth asteroid that has been observed before an impact with Earth Space 15 March 2022 By Will Gater Artwork showing an asteroid approaching Earth Andrzej Wojcicki/Science Photo Library/Getty Images A small asteroid harmlessly collided with Earth on 11 March, creating an explosion … Read more
This weekend, an astronomer spotted a small asteroid just hours before the space rock crashed into Earth’s atmosphere and met its fiery demise. On Friday (March 11), astronomer Krisztián Sárneczky was observing the sky at the Piszkésteto Mountain Station, which is part of the Konkoly Observatory near Budapest in Hungary. During his observations, he spotted … Read more
On 11 March 2022, at around 9:20 pm UTC, a small asteroid entered Earth’s atmosphere. This is not unusual. Space rocks enter Earth’s atmosphere all the time. What makes this asteroid so amazing is that an astronomer spotted it before it made its rendezvous with atmospheric entry. It’s named 2022 EB5, and it’s only the … Read more
NASA has released a stunning image of Portugal’s coastline showing the immense power of massive, seven-story-high waves as they crashed toward the shore. The image, taken in 2020, was captured on the same day that an 18-year-old surfer reportedly rode a record-breaking 101.4-foot-high (30.9 meters) wave in the area. The photo, which was captured by … Read more
A ground-based telescope’s detection of a known Tatooine-like planet could herald new discoveries of similar planets, researchers say. Observers spotted Kepler-16b — an exoplanet that orbits two stars, similar to a world portrayed in the original series of “Star Wars” — using a relatively modest 75-inch (193-centimeter) telescope. The telescope is situated at Observatoire de … Read more
Helicopters in Belgorod in Russia, as seen on Feb. 13, 2022. (Image credit: Satellite image ©2022 Maxar Technologies) Satellites can see military activity in Russia from space. Russia’s military activity continues to spark international concern and conversation. Russia has now sent military troops into Ukraine for “peacekeeping” operations, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced on Monday … Read more
An artist’s impression of the hot Jupiter exoplanet WASP-121 b. In a new study, researchers explored the exoplanet’s nightside. (Image credit: Patricia Klein and MPIA) Imagine a world where the clouds are made of metal and liquid rubies and sapphires rain down from the sky. A new study shows that, on the hot Jupiter exoplanet … Read more
A star system just 4.2 light years away called Proxima Centauri is already known to contain two exoplanets, and now astronomers have spotted a third Space 10 February 2022 By Chen Ly An artist’s impression of Proxima d ESO/L. Calada Source: European Southern Observatory A third planet has been detected orbiting the closest star to … Read more
The sun’s nearest neighbor may actually host three planets, a new study reports. Astronomers have found evidence of a third planet circling Proxima Centauri, a red dwarf star that lies a mere 4.2 light-years from our solar system. The candidate world, known as Proxima d, is estimated to be just 25% as massive as Earth, … Read more