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…
Discovery of a Celestial Visitor Astronomers have announced the discovery of a new comet, glowing green as it moves across the night sky. The comet, officially named C/2025 R2 (SWAN) or SWAN25B, was first observed on September 11 by Vladimir Bezugly. He detected it in images from the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory, a spacecraft primarily used to study the Sun.…
Cassini’s Hidden Data Unlocks New Clues Nearly two decades after NASA’s Cassini spacecraft completed its mission, scientists continue to extract groundbreaking discoveries from its vast dataset. The latest revelation comes from Saturn’s icy moon Enceladus, where researchers have identified new complex organic molecules spewing from its subsurface ocean. The finding, published in Nature Astronomy, strengthens the case for a dedicated…
Falcon 9 Lights Up Southern California Sky A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from Vandenberg Space Force Base on Sunday evening, streaking across the skies of southern California as it carried 28 new Starlink satellites into low Earth orbit. The launch took place at 10:04 p.m. EDT (7:04 p.m. local time) and marked another step in the expansion of…
A Fossil Reinterpreted A million-year-old skull discovered in China is rewriting what scientists know about the origins of modern humans. The fossil, known as Yunxian 2, was originally classified as belonging to Homo erectus, a species considered to be a direct ancestor of Homo sapiens. However, new research using advanced digital reconstruction techniques suggests that the skull may instead belong…
Veteran of Polaris Dawn NASA’s newest class of astronaut candidates includes a trailblazer with previous spaceflight experience. Biomedical engineer Anna Menon, 39, has already been to orbit as part of SpaceX’s Polaris Dawn mission, making her one of the rare NASA astronaut candidates who had traveled to space before selection. In September 2024, Menon and three crewmates flew aboard SpaceX’s…
What Scientists Found Astronomers have identified a supermassive black hole, RACS J0320 35, that appears to be growing far faster than theory says it should. Located about 12.8 billion light years from Earth, this object weighs roughly a billion solar masses. Fresh data from NASA’s Chandra X ray Observatory indicate it is accreting material at about 2.4 times the Eddington…
