Space

The Perseverance rover’s discovery of a potential biosignature found on a sedimentary rock on Mars is an exciting development in our search for life elsewhere in the universe, but how does it rank compared to other potential biosignatures that have previously been discovered on the Red Planet — and even beyond? “It’s arguably the best evidence that we have so far for microbial…

SpaceX’s Starship megarocket will fly again less than two weeks from now, if all goes according to plan. SpaceX announced on Monday (Sept. 29) that it’s targeting Oct. 13 for Starship Flight 11, which will be the final launch of the vehicle’s current “Version 2” iteration. Liftoff will occur from SpaceX’s Starbase site in South Texas. The window on Oct. 13 will…

The mystery behind Venus’ giant, crown-shaped geological features, known as coronae, may finally have an explanation: A “glass ceiling” in Venus’ mantle is trapping heat and driving slow, shifting currents that might lead to the formation of the crown-like surface features, scientists propose in a new study. “On Venus, there is a pattern that is telling us…

Heads up stargazers! The moon will shine close to the bright star Antares at sunset on Sept. 27, while some lucky viewers — and plenty of penguins — will witness the lunar disk pass directly in front of the red supergiant, hiding it from view. Look 15 degrees above the southwestern horizon at sunset on Sept. 27 to find the waxing crescent moon. Antares will glow less than 3 degrees to its…