Universe Today

Universe Today

• U.S. Space Force is Looking For a Place to Put its Headquarters

  The US Space Force has announced that it is looking for a place to establish its new HQ, and is encouraging communities across the US to nominate themselves based on a set of criteria.

  The post U.S. Space Force is Looking For a Place to Put its Headquarters appeared first on Universe Today.

• Maybe a Fleet of Tiny Spacecraft Could Help Detect a Primordial Black Hole Planet 9

  There are eight classical planets in our solar system, from speedy Mercury to distant Neptune. There are also numerous dwarf planets, such as Pluto and Ceres. While we continue to find more dwarf planets, there are some hints that another large planet could lurk far beyond Neptune. This Planet Nine is thought to be a …

  Continue reading "Maybe a Fleet of Tiny Spacecraft Could Help Detect a Primordial Black Hole Planet 9"

  The post Maybe a Fleet of Tiny Spacecraft Could Help Detect a Primordial Black Hole Planet 9 appeared first on Universe Today.

• WFIRST Will be Named After Nancy Grace Roman, NASA’s First Chief Astronomer

  In honor of NASA's first Chief Astronomer and the "mother of Hubble," the WFIRST has been officially named the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope (Roman Space Telescope for short)

  The post WFIRST Will be Named After Nancy Grace Roman, NASA’s First Chief Astronomer appeared first on Universe Today.

• The SpaceX Starship Could Fly This Summer!

  Despite an unexpected fire during the latest static fire test, SpaceX's Starship prototype is alive and well and closer to flight-testing.

  The post The SpaceX Starship Could Fly This Summer! appeared first on Universe Today.

• OSIRIS-REx Will Collect a Sample from Bennu on October 20th

  The date is finally set for OSIRIS-REx’s sampling maneuver. The spacecraft has been at asteroid Bennu since the end of December 2018. During that time, it’s found a few surprises, and mapped the surface in great detail. Now, we can circle October 20th on our calendars, as the date OSIRIS-Rex will collect its sample. OSIRIS-REx …

  Continue reading "OSIRIS-REx Will Collect a Sample from Bennu on October 20th"

  The post OSIRIS-REx Will Collect a Sample from Bennu on October 20th appeared first on Universe Today.

• Ocean Circulation Might Be the Key to Finding Habitable Exoplanets

  We’ve found thousands and thousands of exoplanets now. And spacecraft like TESS will likely find thousands and thousands more of them. But most exoplanets are gassy giants, molten hell-holes, or frozen wastes. How can we find those needles-in-the-haystack habitable worlds that may be out there? How can we narrow our search? Well, first of all, …

  Continue reading "Ocean Circulation Might Be the Key to Finding Habitable Exoplanets"

  The post Ocean Circulation Might Be the Key to Finding Habitable Exoplanets appeared first on Universe Today.

• Magnetic north is migrating towards Siberia. Here’s why

  The North Pole ain’t what it used to be. Well, the geographic North Pole stays fixed over time (mostly because we define it to stay fixed over time) but the magnetic north pole constantly moves. And over the past decade it’s been moving out of Canada towards Siberia four times faster than it has in …

  Continue reading "Magnetic north is migrating towards Siberia. Here’s why"

  The post Magnetic north is migrating towards Siberia. Here’s why appeared first on Universe Today.

• Space Force is Starting to Train its Soldiers to Fight… in Space?

  The US Space Force just announced that they will begin training so its new officers can become specialists in specific fields, like orbital warfare, electronic warfare, and space battle management.

  The post Space Force is Starting to Train its Soldiers to Fight… in Space? appeared first on Universe Today.

• Astronomers Are Sure These Are Two Newborn Planets Orbiting a Distant Star

  Planet formation is a notoriously difficult thing to observe. Nascent planets are ensconced inside dusty wombs that resist our best observation efforts. But recently, astronomers have made progress in imaging these planetary newborns. A new study presents the first-ever direct images of twin baby planets forming around their star. The study is titled “Keck/NIRC2 L’-band …

  Continue reading "Astronomers Are Sure These Are Two Newborn Planets Orbiting a Distant Star"

  The post Astronomers Are Sure These Are Two Newborn Planets Orbiting a Distant Star appeared first on Universe Today.

• Jupiter is so Big that our Solar System almost had two Suns

  About half of all the star systems in the galaxy are made of pairs or triplets of stars. Our solar system features just one star, the Sun, and a host of (relatively) small planets. But it was almost not the case, and Jupiter got right on the edge of becoming the Sun’s smaller sibling. Jupiter, …

  Continue reading "Jupiter is so Big that our Solar System almost had two Suns"

  The post Jupiter is so Big that our Solar System almost had two Suns appeared first on Universe Today.