Earth had two moons that collided to form one: study

two moons

This diagram shows a simulation of four stages of a collision between the Moon and a companion moon.

There may have been a tiny second moon that had once orbited Earth before catastrophically slamming into the other one.  The clash of the two moons could explain why the two sides of the surviving lunar satellite are so different from each other, according to a new study.

 

Continue reading… “Earth had two moons that collided to form one: study”

Russians hail the end of the space shuttle era

russian spacecraft

A Russian Soyuz craft leaves the International Space Station.

Space officials in Russia are hailing the end of the space shuttle era as the beginning of the “Soyuz epoch.” Russian Soyuz craft will serve as the only way to get back and forth from the International Space Station, and NASA will be paying up to $63 million a seat for the ride for at least the next few years.

 

Continue reading… “Russians hail the end of the space shuttle era”

Father and son recreate shuttle launch photo taken 30 years earlier

bray photos

These two photos were taken thirty years apart at the first and last space shuttle launches.

The first space shuttle launched into space thirty years ago. Chris Bray and his father Kenneth were theye to watch the first launch — and took a picture. Then the shuttle Atlantis took its final trip last Friday. Again, the father and son were there. And again, the two snapped a photo to capture the moment. (Pics)

 

Continue reading… “Father and son recreate shuttle launch photo taken 30 years earlier”

Breathtaking photos of the night sky seen with the naked eye

milkyway1

Photographer Alex Cherney has dedicated his life’s work to capturing the night sky.

A star-gazer with just an ordinary digital camera has come a little bit closer to the final frontier.   – Alex Cherney spent 18 months photographing the night sky and turned thousands of snaps into incredible time-lapse video of the cosmos. (Pics)

 

Continue reading… “Breathtaking photos of the night sky seen with the naked eye”

DIY energy drink – Astronauts drink their own urine

astronauts-drink-urine

Converts urine to an energy drink.

The internet is full of stories that astronauts on the current shuttle mission will be testing a new system for recycling their own pee and sweat into a sugary energy drink.  But the pee-to-water converter that enables the recycling of human, or even animal, urine into drinkable water is not science fiction.

 

Continue reading… “DIY energy drink – Astronauts drink their own urine”

China breaks ground on world’s largest radio telescope

FAST

3D model of FAST

Puerto Rico’s Arecibo Observatory has the world’s largest radio telescope but not for long.  China has broken ground on the Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical radio Telescope (FAST), a massive bowl-shaped radio signal collector that will be the world’s most sensitive when it opens for business in 2016.

 

Continue reading… “China breaks ground on world’s largest radio telescope”

22 Year Old College Student Finds ‘Missing Mass’ of the Universe

 

dwarf starburst galaxy

This NASA illustration photo shows stars that are forming in a dwarf starburst galaxy.

A 22-year-old  university student from Australia has solved a problem which has puzzled astrophysicists for decades, discovering part of the so-called “missing mass” of the universe during her summer break.

 

Continue reading… “22 Year Old College Student Finds ‘Missing Mass’ of the Universe”

New Class of Planets Discovered that Have No Stars

planetsthath

Artist’s conception illustrates a Jupiter-like planet alone in the dark of space, floating freely without a parent star.

David Bennett, University of Notre Dame astronomer, is co-author of a new paper describing the discovery of a new class of planets.  The new class of planets are dark, isolated Jupiter-mass bodies floating alone in space, far from any host star. The team of astronomers involved in the discovery believe that the planets were most likely ejected from developing planetary systems.

 

Continue reading… “New Class of Planets Discovered that Have No Stars”

First Potentially Habitable Exoplanet Found

planet

Gliese 581 and its exoplanets are only 20 light years away.

One of our own solar system’s closest neighboring stars and a regular point of exoplanetary interest, the red dwarf Gliese 581, can finally claim the title of owning the first confirmed potentially-habitable expolanet. French researchers running complex computer models have demonstrated that the planet Gliese 581d–once thought too cold to sustain life–indeed could possess the proper ingredients to sustain liquid water and an atmosphere.

 

Continue reading… “First Potentially Habitable Exoplanet Found”

Discover the Hidden Patterns of Tomorrow with Futurist Thomas Frey
Unlock Your Potential, Ignite Your Success.

By delving into the futuring techniques of Futurist Thomas Frey, you’ll embark on an enlightening journey.

Learn More about this exciting program.