By peering through thick veils of gas and dust, radio astronomers have been able to watch young binary stars orbit around one another in the heart of star-forming clouds – and, in the process, have revealed the stars’ masses.
Stars are born in vast clouds of molecular hydrogen gas laced with heavy elements. When one of these clouds fragments into parts, gravity causes pockets within…
Could the moon ever be blockaded? Experts predict cislunar space could be the next Strait of Hormuz
April 29, 2026
The ongoing military conflict regarding Iran and the Strait of Hormuz may well mirror a future situation off-Earth — the use of cislunar space, the region between the moon and our planet. Think blockades, seizing of ships, impacts on the global economy, repercussions in…
Astrobotic fires next-generation 'rotating detonation rocket engine' in record-breaking test (video)
April 28, 2026
Pittsburgh-based Astrobotic has completed a successful series of hot-fire tests of its rotating detonation rocket engine prototype Chakram, marking a key milestone toward bringing the experimental propulsion technology to flight readiness.
Rotating detonation rocket…
AI image processing has sped up analysis of data from NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope from years to mere days or less, ushering in an avalanche of ground-breaking discoveries that may otherwise never have been made.
And now, the technology will be used to enhance the quality of images taken by the Chile-based Vera C. Rubin Observatory, the newest astronomy power house, to make them appear…
NASA wants to use a fleet of MoonFall drones to scout the lunar south pole: 'We believe we can do it'
April 28, 2026
Last month, NASA chief Jared Isaacman ripped off the Band-Aid on the space agency’s back-to-the-moon agenda, calling for a large overhaul of NASA’s Artemis Program. One of his announcements was a speedy series of robotic missions to scout, conduct experiments and…
Hubble Telescope celebrates 36th anniversary with gorgeous new image of famous Trifid Nebula
April 27, 2026
NASA celebrates Hubble’s 36th anniversary with a new image of the Trifid Nebula, a star-forming region it first captured in 1997. (Image credit: NASA, ESA, STScI; Image Processing: Joseph DePasquale (STScI))
The Hubble Space Telescope is celebrating its 36th…
Sun unleashes 2 colossal X-flares within 7 hours of each other, knocking out radio signals on Earth
April 27, 2026
The first X-flare peaked at 9:07 p.m. EDT on April 23 (0107 GMT April 24) (Image credit: NOAA GOES-19)
The sun has certainly woken up! It has fired off not one but two powerful X2.5 solar flares within just 7 hours.
Both eruptions came from a sunspot region on the sun’s western limb, AR4419. The first solar flare peaked at 9:07 p.m. EDT on April 23 (0107 GMT April 24), followed by the…
HOUSTON — The Trump administration’s latest budget proposal once again calls for steep cuts to NASA, and has set up a familiar clash with Congress over how the space agency should be funded.
The White House released its fiscal year (FY) 2027 federal budget request…
We may already be signaling other intelligences beyond our solar system, without even trying. Kunyu City, in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region of northwest China, hosts huge sprinklers that are irrigating over 1,317 acres (533 hectares) of winter wheat fields on the…
'That's just not a winning strategy': Congress objects (again) to Trump's planned NASA budget cuts
April 24, 2026
President Trump’s big NASA budget cuts appear to be dead on arrival, again.
Earlier this month, the White House released its fiscal year (FY) 2027 federal budget request, which slashes NASA’s total budget by 23% and its science funding by 47%.
Trump proposed the same basic reductions for FY 2026 but was denied by Congress, which has the power of the purse in Washington. And it looks…
