Space news stories

Huge asteroid collisions that didn’t change Earth’s climate forever
4th December 2024 cosmosmagazine.com | Ancient, Earth, Space

The Earth was struck by 2 huge asteroids 35 million years ago – but it managed to shrug off the impacts, according to a new study. The study, published in Communications Earth & Environment finds that – other than 2 massive craters – there’s little evidence of long-term effects caused by the asteroids.

The Moons of Mars May Actually Be Fragments of Something Much Bigger
26th November 2024 | sciencealert.com | Ancient, Space

Earth and Mars are the only two rocky planets in the Solar System to have moons. Based on lunar rock samples and computer simulations, we are fairly certain that our Moon is the result of an early collision between Earth and a Mars-sized protoplanet called Theia.

This Meteorite Just Revealed an Ancient Signal of Water on Mars
23rd November 2024 | sciencealert.com | Ancient, Space

Evidence is growing that Mars was once sloshy and wet, draped with lakes and oceans, which lapped at shorelines and deposited sediments that are, even as you read these words, being scrutinized by robots rolling across the now dry and dusty surface.

Scientists analyze largest map of the universe ever created — and it proves Einstein right yet again
20th November 2024 | livescience.com | Ancient, Humans, Space, Tech

The analysis, which looked at nearly 6 million galaxies and quasars spanning 11 billion years of cosmic time, found that even at colossal scales, the force of gravity behaves as predicted by Albert Einstein’s theory of general relativity.

A Giant Structure in Space Challenges Our Understanding of The Universe
31st October 2024 | sciencealert.com | Humans, Space, Weird

The discovery, led by astronomer Alexia Lopez of the University of Central Lancashire, was presented at the 243rd meeting of the American Astronomical Society in January, and has been published in the Journal of Cosmology and Astroparticle Physics.

Scientists have dated the moon’s oldest, and largest, impact site
27th October 2024 | livescience.com | Ancient, Space

The largest and oldest-known impact site on the moon is the South Pole-Aitken basin. Thanks to new research, scientists have dated the basin to the period between 4.32 and 4.33 billion years ago.

First black hole triple system discovered
24th October 2024 cosmosmagazine.com | Ancient, Space

For the first time, a black hole has been discovered with two orbiting stars, leading astrophysicists to suggest a surprising way such systems could form. The first triple system is described in a paper published in Nature…

Betelgeuse Betelgeuse? Bright star Betelgeuse likely has a ‘Betelbuddy’ stellar companion
22nd October 2024 phys.org | Ancient, Space

One of the brightest stars in the night sky, Betelgeuse, may not be on the brink of exploding as a supernova, according to a new study of the star’s brightening and dimming. Instead, recent research shows that the observed pulsing of the starlight is probably caused by an unseen companion star orbiting Betelgeuse.

The Milky Way could be part of a much larger ‘cosmic neighborhood’ than we realized, challenging our understanding of the universe
21st October 2024 | livescience.com | Ancient, Space

A probabilistic new map of the universe surrounding the Milky Way reveals that our galaxy is likely part of an even larger “basin of attraction” than we previously assumed. See the study here.

We Finally Know Where Most Meteorites on Earth Actually Came From
18th October 2024 | sciencealert.com | Ancient, Earth, Space

Until now, only a small fraction of meteorites that land on Earth had been firmly linked back to their parent body out in space – but a set of new studies has just given us compelling origin stories for more than 90 percent of meteorites today. The research has been published in Nature, here and here, and Astronomy and Astrophysics.

Orionid meteor shower 2024: When to see ‘shooting stars’ from Halley’s comet next week
17th October 2024 | livescience.com | Humans, Space

Active from Sept. 26 through Nov. 22, the Orionids will peak in the early hours of Monday, Oct. 21, when around 23 “shooting stars” are expected per hour, according to the American Meteor Society. The precise peak is predicted to occur at 1 a.m. EDT (0500 GMT).

New study eases concerns over possible ‘doomsday’ asteroid swarm
9th October 2024 phys.org | Ancient, Earth, Humans, Space, Tech

Using the Zwicky Transient Facility (ZTF) telescope to survey large expanses of sky, a team of researchers led by the University of Maryland investigated a stream of space debris known to drift near Earth called the Taurid swarm.

Our Galaxy Could Be Falling Into a Colossal ‘Basin of Attraction’ That’s as Old as Time
8th October 2024 | sciencealert.com | Ancient, Space

If you want to pinpoint your place in the Universe, start with your cosmic address. You live on Earth->Solar System->Milky Way Galaxy->Local Cluster->Virgo Cluster->Virgo Supercluster->Laniakea.

The asteroid that killed the dinosaurs was not alone
4th October 2024 | bbc.co.uk | Ancient, Animal Life, Earth, Space

The huge asteroid that hit Earth and wiped out the dinosaurs 66 million years ago was not alone, scientists have confirmed. A second, smaller space rock smashed into the sea off the coast of West Africa creating a large crater during the same era.

Comet last seen in stone age to make closest approach to Earth
2nd October 2024 | theguardian.com | Ancient, Humans, Space

A comet that has not been seen from Earth since Neanderthals were alive and kicking has reappeared in the sky, with astronomers saying it might be visible to the naked eye.

The asteroid hunters: how new technology will help save Earth from a catastrophic collision
1st October 2024 | theguardian.com | Humans, Space, Tech

The existential threat from a large meteor is real, but two next-generation telescopes are about to make us safer.

News stories covering Space, from the macro to the micro, including Space exploration, quantum physics and quantum weirdness.