Space

Over 14,000 pieces of junk are clogging up low Earth orbit, but this number could be reduced by a new invention that involves a satellite using the plasma exhaust of its ion engine to knock dangerous chunks of space junk into the atmosphere where they can burn up safely. The huge amounts of space junk in orbit, ranging from nuts and bolts to rocket fairings and dead satellites, pose a serious…

At a double observatory atop Mount Teide on the Spanish island of Tenerife, a powerful laser is being deployed to track fragments of space debris in orbit and warn when these fragments threaten satellites. Soon, it could even be used to push space debris away from a collision course with a satellite. The Izaña-1 and Izaña-2 laser-ranging stations are operated by the European Space Agency (ESA)…

A colossal butterfly-shaped coronal hole has opened in the sun’s atmosphere and is currently spewing a fast-moving stream of solar wind toward Earth that could trigger a moderate geomagnetic storm and dazzling auroras this weekend. The high-speed solar wind from this striking feature, spanning some 310,000 miles (500,000 kilometers) across, is expected to reach Earth around Sept. 14. Space…

Stargazing is a wonderful pursuit that appeals to both the casual and dedicated observer, but views outside of cities are often much clearer and brighter thanks to different levels of light pollution. Excessive and misdirected use of artificial light is more common in cities and can have a huge effect on the visibility of the night sky, particularly for those stargazers who are looking to observe…