From Earthquakes to Orbital Debris Instruments built to detect earthquakes are now helping scientists solve a growing problem far above Earth. Seismometers, normally used to pinpoint tremors deep underground, are being repurposed to track pieces of human made objects that fall from orbit back to the planet. These objects range from small fragments to large spacecraft components, some of which…
Launch Advances Amazon’s Satellite Network United Launch Alliance completed another major step in building Amazon’s satellite-internet system, sending 27 Amazon Leo spacecraft into low Earth orbit from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. The predawn launch used an Atlas V rocket, a trusted workhorse nearing the end of its operational life. Amazon Leo, previously known as Project Kuiper, aims to create…
Overview of the Upcoming Peak The annual Geminid meteor shower, one of the most reliable and energetic sky shows of the year, is reaching its peak this weekend, offering stargazers around the world an opportunity to witness dozens of bright meteors streaking across the night sky. The shower is expected to reach its maximum activity from late Saturday evening through…
New Modeling Challenges Assumptions A research team from the University of Zurich and the NCCR PlanetS has introduced a revised view of Uranus and Neptune, long known as the solar system’s ice giants. Their findings suggest that the two planets may contain far more rocky material than previously believed, challenging decades of classification and raising new questions about how these…
Multiple Early Hominins in East Africa New fossil evidence from Ethiopia is reshaping what scientists know about human origins. Researchers say they have finally solved the mystery of the Burtele foot, first discovered more than a decade ago. The unusual set of bones — including an opposable big toe — has now been linked to Australopithecus deyiremeda, a long-debated human…
What a Supermoon Is and Why It Looks Bigger As December evenings approach, skywatchers have a celestial treat: the last supermoon of the year. The phenomenon occurs because the moon’s orbit around Earth is elliptical — at certain points it comes closer to our planet. When a full moon aligns with that near-Earth point, the result is a “supermoon”: a…
SpaceX is preparing for another nighttime launch from Vandenberg Space Force Base in Santa Barbara County. The mission is scheduled for Monday evening and will send a Falcon 9 rocket into low Earth orbit. If conditions allow, residents across California, including San Diego, could catch a glimpse of the bright trail produced by the rocket shortly after liftoff. Space enthusiasts…
