Astronomy

A newly discovered asteroid has a higher impact probability than most tracked space rocks! Key Takeaways: Astronomers have identified asteroid 2024 YR4, which has a 1-in-83 chance of impacting Earth in December 2032. The 196-foot-wide asteroid is currently ranked high on risk assessment lists by both NASA and ESA. If it hits, the impact could…

On January 28, the Voyager 1 probe crossed a symbolic milestone, reaching a distance of 25 billion kilometers from Earth. This was confirmed by tracker data on NASA’s website, which monitors the spacecraft’s position and velocity. The Farthest Spacecraft in History Launched in 1977, Voyager 1 was designed to explore the Solar System’s giant planets….

Throughout February, the night sky will showcase a stunning alignment of the five brightest planets—Venus, Jupiter, Mars, Mercury, and Saturn—alongside the more elusive Uranus and Neptune. As the month progresses, observers with an unobstructed horizon may witness all five bright planets stretching across the sky at once. A particularly noteworthy event occurs on Monday, February…

Venus’s surface is so extreme that the longest any lander has survived is just 127 minutes. Key Takeaways: The Soviet Venera missions in the 1970s and 1980s captured the only images ever taken from Venus’s surface. Venus’s intense heat (up to 900°F/482°C) and crushing pressure (over 75 times Earth’s) make survival nearly impossible. While NASA…

Clyde Tombaugh discovered Pluto in 1930—85 years later, his ashes finally reached it. Key Takeaways: A Cosmic Tribute – Clyde Tombaugh, Pluto’s discoverer, symbolically visited the dwarf planet as his ashes traveled aboard NASA’s New Horizons probe. A Journey Decades in the Making – The spacecraft took over nine years to reach Pluto, passing within…

“China’s ‘artificial sun’ ran for 1,066 seconds—2x longer than previous records!” Key Takeaways: The EAST fusion reactor maintained plasma stability for 1,066 seconds, smashing its previous 403-second record from 2023. This achievement represents a significant leap in realizing clean, limitless energy. Key upgrades, including doubling heating power, made this scientific feat possible. As part of…

Earth’s underground fungal networks might hint at a hidden planetary-level intelligence. Key Takeaways: Researchers propose that Earth itself might possess a form of “planetary intelligence.” This groundbreaking idea could reshape our understanding of life and intelligence on a cosmic scale. Fungal networks and global systems may act as the planet’s interconnected cognitive processes. The concept…

Cosmic filaments, stretching hundreds of millions of light-years, rotate like cosmic corkscrews. Key Takeaways Cosmic filaments, the largest structures in the Universe, have been observed spinning. These massive tendrils channel matter into galaxy clusters and are hundreds of millions of light-years long. Filaments contain over 60% of hydrogen from the Big Bang, fueling galaxy and…

Gliese 12b: An Earth-sized planet with a 12-day orbit, just 40 light years away! Key Takeaways Gliese 12b, a potentially habitable Earth-sized planet, lies only 40 light years away. Its surface temperature, around 42°C, makes it a contender for liquid water. The planet orbits a cool red dwarf star in the Pisces constellation every 12…

The Vela pulsar, 1,000 light-years away, briefly slowed before speeding up during a glitch! Key Takeaways Astronomers observed a rare pulsar glitch, where the star sped up after a brief slowdown. The Vela pulsar’s 2016 glitch offered unprecedented insights into the behavior of neutron stars. Pulsar glitches are thought to occur when a star’s inner…