Space

Space and science coverage including asteroids, galaxies, planets, NASA and SpaceX launches.

Why didn’t scientists photograph the black hole at the center of the Milky Way?

April 11th, 2019

After years of work and a whole lot of hype, researchers working with the Event Horizon Telescope project finally unveiled the very first image ever captured of an actual black hole this week. The relatively low-res image was nonetheless fantastic, and the fact that scientists were able to capture an image of the black hole …

Science

SpaceX is going to try to launch its Falcon Heavy yet again – watch it live here

April 11th, 2019

Mike Wehner

It’s been a rough week for the folks at SpaceX. The second-ever launch of the Falcon Heavy rocket was supposed to happen on Sunday, and then again on Tuesday, and yet again on Wednesday. Needless to say, none of those dates fit the bill, with most of the delays related to poor weather conditions. Now, …

Science

Watch Israel’s first-ever Moon landing live

April 11th, 2019

Mike Wehner

It’s been a number of weeks since Israel launched a privately-funded mission orbit and then land on Earth’s Moon. Things got off to a bit of a rough start, with the spacecraft experiencing a strange computer glitch that prevented it from completing traveling all the way to lunar orbit on schedule, but it quickly got …

Science

Watch scientists reveal the first-ever image of a black hole live

April 10th, 2019

Mike Wehner

Well, the day is finally here. After centuries of wondering and developing technology capable of actually spotting a black hole, the international group of researchers that make up the Event Horizon Telescope project are ready to unveil their findings to the world. Thankfully, the scientists know how big of a deal this is and have …

Science

The International Space Station is disgusting

April 8th, 2019

Mike Wehner

The International Space Station has been home to space travelers for nearly two decades now, and with the current crew of six, there’s been a total of 59 expeditions — or, teams of astronauts from the U.S., Russia, and other countries — since it was put into service. With so many human bodies moving in …

Science

We may be just days away from seeing a black hole for the first time ever

April 8th, 2019

Mike Wehner

For how much astronomers know about black holes — it’s a lot, trust me — it’s a bit of a shock that mankind has never actually seen one. Everything science knows about black holes is based on inference rather than actually witnessing one with our own eyes (electronic or otherwise), but that may be about …

Science

NASA’s Curiosity rover just witnessed two solar eclipses on Mars

April 8th, 2019

Mike Wehner

When a solar eclipse is expected here on Earth, it can be a pretty big deal. Back in August of 2017, a total solar eclipse occurred over much of the United States, and people traveled from huge distances just to catch a glimpse of the awe-inspiring sight. For NASA, sending robots to other planets is …

Science

Japan’s asteroid probe just blew another hole in the space rock Ryugu

April 5th, 2019

Mike Wehner

Japan’s Hayabusa2 asteroid probe has been in orbit around the space rock known as Ryugu for months now, and in February it attempted its most complicated maneuver yet. The spacecraft fired a projectile into the surface of the asteroid and snagged some samples which it will eventually attempt to deliver to Earth, but it mission …

Science

Watch the International Space Station receive its massive shipment of new supplies

April 4th, 2019

Mike Wehner

The International Space Station is like its own little self-contained hostel for astronauts. It’s a weird combination of laboratory, recreational area, and gathering space for the folks who are lucky enough to spend some time in space. That being said, it can’t sustain itself without regular shipments of supplies, and since Amazon doesn’t deliver to …

Science

SpaceX is going to launch the massive Falcon Heavy rocket this weekend… maybe

April 4th, 2019

Mike Wehner

With all the hype surrounding the successful launch, docking, and return of the Crew Dragon capsule, and the upcoming tests of the Starhopper, you’d be forgiven for forgetting that SpaceX has other projects in the works as well. The Falcon Heavy, which originally launched just over a year ago, is just about ready for its …