Oct 12 Two comets from the spooky Oort Cloud are passing by our planet as Halloween approaches By James Wray, The Conversation The Oort Cloud’s residents may be a reason why life ignited on Earth; crashing on our planet eons ago, these ice bodies may have supplied at least some of the water that all life requires. At the same time, these… Continue reading
Oct 11 Wondering why the aurora borealis was visible so far south last night? Here’s why it’s all thanks to the sun By Amoré Elsje Nel, The Conversation During the peak of the cycle, called solar maximum, more sunspots and solar flares occur, increasing the likelihood of solar storms. Continue reading
Sep 29 Watch 1:59 News Wrap: Russia strikes Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia with guided bombs In our news wrap Sunday, the remnants of Hurricane Helene continue to wreak havoc across the Southeast, Midwest and parts of the Appalachians, more than 100 Ukrainian drones were shot down over Russia after Russian guided bombs pummeled the Ukrainian… Continue watching
Sep 18 Catch the supermoon lunar eclipse? Here’s what you saw By Vivian Hoang If you happened to notice the supermoon looking especially large as it was rising, you may have fallen victim to a “well-known, poorly studied optical illusion,” said NASA’s Noah Petro. Here’s the scientific explanation of what you were seeing, plus… Continue reading
Sep 15 SpaceX’s Polaris Dawn crew returns to Earth after completing first private spacewalk By Marcia Dunn, Associated Press A tech entrepreneur, two SpaceX engineers and a former Air Force Thunderbird pilot returned to Earth on Sunday, ending a five-day trip that lifted them higher than anyone has traveled since NASA’s moonwalkers. Continue reading
Sep 12 First private spacewalk pulled off high above Earth By Marcia Dunn, Associated Press It was a high-risk endeavor reserved for professional astronauts — until now. Tech entrepreneur Jared Isaacman teamed up with SpaceX to test the company’s brand new spacesuits on his chartered flight. Continue reading
Aug 26 Watch 6:35 Why NASA is turning to SpaceX to bring Boeing Starliner astronauts home By Amna Nawaz, Azhar Merchant NASA's initial launch with the Boeing Starliner capsule has not worked out well. The space agency announced this weekend it has finally decided the two astronauts stuck at the International Space Station will come back on a SpaceX Dragon capsule… Continue watching
Aug 24 A nova explosion may soon be visible in the night sky. Here’s where and when to look By Vahe Peroomian, The Conversation Keep an eye on the sky for the second half of 2024 and you might be able to witness a rare astronomical event. A space scientist explains how nova events work and where to look. Continue reading
Aug 14 Watch 5:21 NASA weighs options for bringing stranded astronauts home amid Boeing spacecraft problems By Geoff Bennett, Courtney Norris, Azhar Merchant, Miles O'Brien NASA and Boeing are grappling with how best to bring two U.S. astronauts back to Earth. Originally planned to last just eight days, leaks and other technical issues suffered by Boeing's Starliner spacecraft on its way to the International Space… Continue watching
Aug 14 LISTEN: NASA still deciding whether 2 Starliner astronauts will stay at ISS until 2025 By Marcia Dunn, Associated Press Rather than flying Boeing’s Starliner back to Earth, Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams would catch a ride on SpaceX’s next flight. That option would keep them at the space station until next February. Continue reading