By pinpointing the ages and origins of stars in the Milky Way, astronomers can trace its history. (Credit: Koppelman, Villalobos and Helmi/NASA/ESA/Hubble)
Ten billion years ago, the Milky Way encountered another galaxy in the vast emptiness of space, and consumed it. Dubbed Gaia-Enceladus by astronomers, this stranger was roughly a quarter the Milky Way’s size, and it forever changed the makeup and shape of our home galaxy.
Scientists have had evidence for a while that the Milky Wa ...read more
a's GSLV MkIII-M1 rocket on the launch platform before the launch in India. (Credit: ISRO)
The Indian Space Research Organization’s (ISRO) second moon mission, Chandrayaan-2, launched successfully into Earth orbit on July 22 after a week long delay. The mission ultimately aims to place a lander and a rover on the lunar surface later this fall.
At about 5:18 a.m. EDT, India’s GSLV MkIII-M1 rocket lifted off from the launch platform at the nation’s Satish Dhawan Space ...read more
This week I came across a brain stimulation device called Humm that promises to improve your cognitive function and memory if you stick it to your forehead.
The Humm device. Image adapted from https://thinkhumm.com/preorder
There are several broadly similar devices on the market, which make use of the principle of transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS) - passing a current through the head (the front of the head, generally) in order to modulate brain activity.
In the case o ...read more
Buzz Aldrin's famous footprint. NASA.
Apollo was amazing. Footage moonwalking astronauts and breathtaking images of the Earth from space remain a source of inspiration, and on a personal level have been the driver behind my entire academic and professional career. Apollo's legacy, on the other hand, has crippled our progress in space. In short, I think Apollo sort of ruined spaceflight.
In the Very Beginning…
On July 29, 1955, White House Press Secretary James C. Hagert ...read more
An artist rendition of Starship on a future flight in space. (Credit: SpaceX)
In a series of Twitter responses, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk confirmed Starhopper, the prototype for the company’s next generation of spacecraft, survived what appeared to be an explosion during a recent test.
On Tuesday, July 16, Starhopper had undergone a “static fire test” to check recently added Raptor engines on a testing pad in Boca Chica, Texas. But about five seconds after the test, a fireball ...read more
Author Vishay SinghPosted on Categories Discover Magazine