Astronomy / Space

Solar cells in orbit could permanently supply huge amounts of electricity around the clock, regardless of the weather and without using up land surface. Now it's all about the technical realization and financial feasibility of ele...

It will be the size of a three-room apartment, fits in a shoebox when folded and could speed up future missions enormously. Sailing with solar wind could break several speed records.

A surprising discovery made in the data retrieved by the European Space Agency’s Gaia mission is the BH3 stellar black hole, located just 2,000 light years from Earth. No less than 33 times the size of the sun, BH3 is the largest ...

The James Webb Telescope is the gift that keeps on giving for scientists. Rather than confirming what we already thought we understood about the universe, it is challenging everything at the heart of what is known and accepted as ...

A geostationary satellite at an altitude of 36,000 kilometers (22,000 miles) had the best view of the solar eclipse on April 8. No clouds blocked the view here. On the contrary.

The South Pole of the moon is about to be colonized. And just like in Fortnite, it works even better as a team. But beware: reduced gravity!

Photographing a golf ball from 24 kilometers away or searching the universe for dark matter: With over 3 billion pixels, a lot is possible, even if the camera has not become very handy.

The first real-time footage of a solar eclipse by a Starlink satellite in space has been recorded, and the total eclipse looks like a black dot moving across North America in the footage.

Thermonuclear explosions hurl sometimes exotic elements into space at high speed. This teaches us a lot about the physics behind them and the universe, except that observing them is difficult.

A shoebox-sized satellite is to investigate what it takes to deflect an asteroid on a collision course. It is ready for take-off to the test area.

The universe could be 27 billion years old if there is no dark matter. Then light would also behave differently than expected, and a few old theories would once again be valid.

Ethanol, formic acid and other organic compounds have been detected in a distant nebula. The discovery sharpens our view of the origin of life.

Methane has 80 times more impact on the greenhouse effect than CO2. Researchers, engineers and Google are searching for it with MethaneSAT - at just the right time.

Since neutrinos appeared worldwide in 1987 and a supernova in the neighborhood was registered shortly afterwards, observations, measurements and speculations have been ongoing. The latest ones not only show different elements, but...

NASA is accepting applications for the CHAPEA mission crew. A 4-man crew will live inside a 1,700 square foot, simulated Mars habitat for one year while challenges like equipment failure will test their ability to survive.

A whole arsenal of equipment has made its way to the surface of the moon. It is part of the new lunar missions that could turn our satellite into a valuable research station.

Surgeons at the headquarters of Virtual Incision have successfully remote-controlled the spaceMIRA surgical robot 250 miles afar on the International Space Station during mock surgery. This trial run simulated surgical tasks requi...

The weather forecast for plasma storms is to become more accurate. To this end, ESA is sending a satellite 100 million miles on a journey to provide much earlier and more reliable warnings of solar flares.

It is about 50 percent of the oxygen on earth and 90 percent of our sunlight. This is no small task for a spectacularly expensive satellite that is supposed to investigate many unanswered questions about the global climate.

Three years of observations show that water must be present on an exoplanet. This is the first time that the molecule has been detected on such a small planet. It is the starting signal for further investigations.

Three satellites with floating cubes of gold and laser light are to detect gravitational waves. The system is set up millions of miles away from Earth, is gigantic and can make the previously unknown visible.

CheckMag Since landing on Mars on August 5, 2012, NASA's Curiosity Mars rover has been investigating the planet's past ability to support life. In 2023, Curiosity captured 3 significant images and videos, crucial for future Mars exploratio...

CheckMag The portable Starlink dish is actually coming and the question of "why pay over half a grand for bizarrely low connection speeds" is the first to come to mind. With average 2023 cellular connection speeds close to 200 Mbit/s, will...

The Hubble Space Telescope has discovered a cyclone on a planet almost 1,000 light years away. An astonishing observation when you realize the dimensions.

Alchemists puzzled over it for centuries, physicists have now been able to calculate it precisely. A comprehensive model shows how gold and other precious, rare and heavy metals are formed. The only ingredients: Just two neutron s...

A rocket launch consumes a few hundred tons of fuel. Roughly speaking, the equivalent of 1 million liters of petrol. All the better that ESA wants to send its Ariane launch vehicles into space using solar energy in future.

NASA has streamed a high-definition video of a cat named Taters. The video was transmitted to Earth from 19 million miles away, nearly 80 times the distance from the Moon. But what's really interesting is that the video was beamed...

In the "Pulsar Seekers" project, anyone can search for pulsars using their own computer and brainpower. However, it is not necessary to have your own spaceship. The findings help to better understand Einstein's theories, including...

Indian space technology startup Agnikul has secured US$26.7 million in its series-B funding round. The company is developing its own launch vehicle propelled by the 3D-printed ‘Agnilet’ rocket engine. The rocket is unique in being...