• Space Stories: More on Planet 9, A Collision with Pluto, and Explaining Free-Floating Planets

    Here are some recent stories of interest. —IFLScience: “Astronomers Find Evidence Of A Massive Object Beyond The Orbit Of Neptune“ A team of researchers say they have found the “strongest statistical evidence yet that Planet 9 is really out there” in the solar system after studying a population of distant, unstable objects that cross Neptune’s orbit…In…

  • Juno Views Lava Lake on Io

    The Juno spacecraft is still hard a work in the vicinity of Jupiter, with its latest mission being a flyby of the moon Io earlier this month (shown above). Two recent flybys of the moon were also combined to create an image of a lake of cooling lava (shown below and via the video here).…

  • In Case You Missed It: One Way to Get Kids into Planetariums

    It may be an unusual way to encourage children to visit a planetarium, but it seems to be working. Taylor Swift light shows appear to be the new rage at planetariums across the country. The image above comes from the light show at the Saint Louis planetarium, though you can find similar shows at planetariums…

  • Study Findings: Genomic, Functional, and Metabolic Enhancements in Multidrug-Resistant Enterobacter Bugandensis Facilitating its Persistence and Succession in the International Space Station

    PubMed  abstract of the study findings: Distinct from their Earth counterparts, ISS E. bugandensis strains have exhibited resistance mechanisms that categorise them within the ESKAPE pathogen group, a collection of pathogens recognised for their formidable resistance to antimicrobial treatments. During the 2-year Microbial Tracking 1 mission, 13 strains of multidrug-resistant E. bugandensis were isolated from various locations within…

  • Pic of the Week: Pa 30 – The Temporary Star

    This week’s image is a circular nebula that first appears more than 800 years ago, shocking those observing it on Earth at the time and lasting for about 185 days. The circular nebula, called Pa 30, is shown above as a composite of multiple telescopes, including the Chandar X-ray Observatory, which is now facing a…

  • Movie: Rebel Moon, Part Two: The Scargiver

    If you enjoyed part one of Netflix’s Rebel Moon, then you will be happy to hear that part two will premiere this Friday (April 19). If you are not a fan, then you can simply ignore this announcement. The full name, Rebel Moon – Part Two: The Scargiver, follows last year’s Rebel Moon – Part…

  • Space Stories: Protests to Save Chandra, Problems Retrieving Martian Sample, and TESS is Getting Testy

    Here are some recent stories related to NASA missions. —PhysicsWorld: “US Astronomers Slam Cuts to the Chandra X-ray Observatory“ X-ray astronomers in the US have begun a campaign to save the Chandra X-ray Observatory from budget cuts that would effectively end the mission. They assert that the craft, which was launched in 1999, has plenty of life left in…

  • Movie/Book Review: Mickey 17

    I recently read the book Mickey7 and thought to myself how it would make a great movie. I guess I was not alone since the movie was already in production. It is the story of a crew member on a spacecraft who was literally dying to do his job. He performed the most dangerous tasks…

  • Free E-book From NASA on Dark Matter & Dark Energy

    NASA has released a free e-book titled Hubble Focus: The Dark Universe. You can download the book at the NASA site in one of two formats – PDF or EPUB. This is the fifth edition of this book. You cannot argue with the price, while the content is an impressive story about how the Hubble…

  • Space Quote: Japanese Prime Minister Channels Star Trek

    “We are now standing at a turning point in history, embarking on a new frontier, and elevate this unshakable Japan-US relationship to even greater heights and hand it to the next generation. Finally, let me be conclude with a line from Star Trek, which you all know: To boldly go where no one has gone…