Space

Sometimes science can seem really counter-intuitive. For example, occasionally in astronomy, you can see more with less light. Case in point: the emergence of a giant planet in observations made by the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), when astronomers found a way to block out light from the planet’s parent star. The extrasolar planet, or exoplanet, in question is 51 Eridani b (51 ERI b)…

The northern lights could put on an impressive display this weekend as a colossal coronal hole on the sun fires a stream of high-speed solar wind toward Earth. Minor (G1) geomagnetic storm conditions between Nov. 6 and Nov. 8, with a chance of moderate (G2) conditions on Nov. 7 and Nov. 8, according to NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC). If G2 conditions materialize, the…

NASA will host a first-of-its-kind air show and aerospace expo on Florida’s Space Coast this weekend. The show, called Max Power, will take place Saturday and Sunday (Nov. 7 and Nov. 8) at and around NASA’s Kennedy Space Center (KSC). That name should be familiar to “Simpsons” fans, by the way: Max Power is an alias that Homer uses in the 13th episode of the show’s…

NASA has revealed a glimpse of its next X-plane, known as the X-70 Fractal. Or at least what it thinks the X-70 will look like once built. The agency released a short statement on Wednesday (Nov. 4) announcing the X-plane, or experimental plane, declaring it to be a highly maneuverable test bed with a “rapidly reconfigurable flight-control technology,” allowing NASA to swap both…