Space

Scientists have been gifted with a clearer picture of the expansion of the universe and dark energy, the mysterious force driving the acceleration of this expansion, than ever before. This comes courtesy of the analysis of six years’ worth of data collected by the Dark Energy Camera (DECam) mounted on the U.S. National Science Foundation Víctor M. Blanco 4-meter telescope. The data analysed…

Jupiter’s icy moon Europa may have a previously unrecognized way of delivering life-supporting chemicals to its vast subsurface ocean, according to new research. Europa, one of the dozens of moons orbiting Jupiter, has long intrigued scientists as one of the most promising places in the solar system to search for extraterrestrial life, thanks to a hidden global ocean beneath its fractured…

A gas giant planet beyond the solar that wobbles as it circles its star, hinting to astronomers that it is orbited by its own moon. To make this suspected discovery even more remarkable, if this moon exists it would be absolutely massive, comparable to around half the mass of Jupiter. That would make it thousands of times more massive than any moon orbiting a solar system plane  — so massive…

Update for 11 a.m. EST on Jan. 21: Isar Aerospace has canceled the planned Jan. 21 launch attempt of its Spectrum rocket due to an issue with a pressurization valve. A new target date has not yet been announced. A German company will attempt to make spaceflight history today (Jan. 21), and you can watch the action live. Isar Aerospace plans to launch its Spectrum rocket from Andøya Spaceport in…