Space

Darryl Z. Seligman is an Assistant Professor of Physics and Astronomy at Michigan State University. Comet 3I/ATLAS is the third large interstellar visitor that we have ever discovered —- an asteroid or comet that originated outside of our solar system and was discovered passing through. Astronomers can glean information about celestial bodies by observing the light reflected off them with…

Rapidly growing swarms of satellites around Earth are no longer just a nuisance for ground-based observatories — the reflections they cause are now intruding on space-based telescopes as well, according to new research. Roughly 15,000 satellites currently circle the planet in vast internet-providing fleets, more than half of them belonging to SpaceX’s Starlink network, which has more than…

Astronomers have used the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) to discover that a distant “hot Jupiter” planet has two staggeringly long tails composed of helium that currently defy explanation. The observations represent the first study of gases leaking from a planet beyond the solar system during one of its complete orbits, and help paint the most complete picture of atmospheric escape…

NASA just released striking new video and audio that reveal the sounds of dust storms on Mars crackling with tiny lightning-like sparks. The footage, which NASA released on Dec. 3, was captured by the Perseverance rover inside Jezero Crater on Sept. 6, as Martian dust devils swept across the surface. Meanwhile, the rover’s SuperCam microphone also picked up the sounds of faint crackles and…