Crystals used in applications as varied as lasers, LEDs and the semiconductors used in sensors found in astronomical instruments could someday be ‘drawn’ rather than ‘grown’, leading to higher performance and lower costs.
A team led by Elad Harel of Michigan State University has used a laser to heat a gold nanoparticle, which then triggers crystal formation within a…
Can we dim the sun to fight climate change? Not without risking weather patterns, scientists suggest
October 23, 2025
Some think it’s a no brainer: Scattering microscopic particles of sulfur into Earth’s atmosphere would reduce the amount of sunlight that reaches the ground, thereby cooling the planet. Indeed, this cooling might temporarily offset the progressing climate change…
The Smithsonian might have to cut space shuttle Discovery into pieces to get it to Texas
October 23, 2025
The tug-of-war over space shuttle Discovery is becoming more volatile.
Discovery — the crown jewel of the Smithsonian Institution’s Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Virginia — is the subject of a political battle over whether the shuttle should remain part of the…
Volcanic explosions on Mars may have left massive ice deposits at the Red Planet's equator
October 23, 2025
Ancient explosive volcanic eruptions on Mars could help explain mysterious hints of buried ice from the Red Planet’s equator, a new study finds.
Previous research has found that the surface of Mars is rich in ice. Most of these deposits are located at its poles, just as seen on Earth. However, recently the Mars Odyssey and the ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter spacecraft detected elevated levels of…
This article was originally published at The Conversation. The publication contributed the article to Space.com’s Expert Voices: Op-Ed & Insights.
Beyond the race for scientific, commercial and military purposes, there is another space race of a more curious sort.
NASA stacks Artemis 2 moon mission's Orion capsule atop SLS rocket ahead of 2026 launch
October 22, 2025
The towering rocket tasked with launching NASA’s next moon astronauts on their historic lunar journey has come together.
The Space Launch System (SLS) rocket being stacked for the Artemis 2 mission has its final piece. Integrity, the Orion spacecraft that will fly…
This company's plan to launch 4,000 massive space mirrors has scientists alarmed: 'From an astronomical perspective, that's pretty catastrophic'
October 22, 2025
California-based start-up Reflect Orbital has applied for a government license to launch a giant mirror to space next year. The mission is meant to be the first step in the company’s ambitious plan to operate a constellation of more than 4,000 solar reflectors to boost solar power production in twilight hours on Earth.
According to the company’s application with the Federal…
Space-based shenanigans are increasing in Earth’s orbit.
Anti-satellite technologies (ASATs) are becoming the new military “must-have” for spacefaring nations — like China, Russia, India, as well as the United States. U.S. military leaders have openly…
The new moon will see dark skies for the peak of the Orionid meteor shower, while three days later the young moon will pass in front of the red star Antares for observers in South America and the Falklands.
A new moon phase happens when the sun and moon are on the same line…
Don't miss the Orionid meteor shower peak begin overnight tonight under a moonless sky
October 21, 2025
Get ready stargazers! The Orionid meteor shower peak begins tonight, welcoming a spectacular natural light show that could see a flurry of shooting stars spawned by Halley’s Comet brighten the dark, moonless sky.
The 2025 Orionid meteor shower peak begins overnight on Oct. 20-21, when 10-20 shooting stars may be visible streaking across the night sky from a point of origin known as a…
