NASA Returns to the Moon in 2026

NASA’s Artemis II mission will get the year off to an early start with current plans for an early-February launch for the first crewed lunar flyby since the Apollo program ended in 1972. Over the course of 10 days, it will bring astronauts around the Moon and back. During that time, Artemis II will test essential systems ahead of future moon landings under the Artemis program. These include the Orion life support system and optical communications between Earth and the Moon. Additionally, the mission will deploy cubesats from several countries, including Argentina, Saudi Arabia, and South Korea.

Through NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative, the space agency will send essential materials to the lunar surface this year through two missions with private commercial partners. These missions will serve as important steps toward a crewed Artemis III Moon landing and, eventually, a permanent lunar base.

Intuitive Machines IM-3

The Intuitive Machines IM-3 mission builds on the IM-2 mission, which was cut short in 2025 due to touchdown errors, leaving the Athena lander unable to generate sufficient power. IM-3 will include multiple landers, a rover, robotic explorers, and an environmental monitor, with a particular focus on investigating the Reiner Gamma lunar swirl. The strange spiraling features known as lunar swirls are linked to magnetic anomalies that have long been observed on the Moon. IM-3 will investigate their nature and, ideally, provide scientists with new insights into how they form. 

Meanwhile, Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost Mission 2, set for late 2026, and its Elytra Dark orbital vehicle will deploy both Blue Ghost and the ESA’s Lunar Pathfinder satellite. After Blue Ghost sets down on the far side of the moon, Elyta will stay in orbit to provide communications relay and radio frequency calibration support for five years. The mission will lay the groundwork for permanent habitation by identifying helpful resources, testing lunar power network technologies, and improving lunar communications.

This year, SpaceX hopes to make Starship’s first orbital flight

(Credit: SpaceX)

From the Moon to Mars with SpaceX

SpaceX plans to continue operations with its twelfth Starship launch, which is expected to reach suborbital altitude. The booster stack for the launch has already been assembled, keeping the mission on track for February or March. Following that, flight thirteen may achieve Starship’s first orbital flight, proving the vehicle’s spaceworthiness. 

Later in the year, SpaceX has even more ambitious plans for Starship, including testing and demonstrating its Human Landing System for a crewed Artemis III mission and possibly launching uncrewed upper stages to Mars. From October to December, the 2026 Mars launch window will be open, a period when the two planets are optimally positioned for the shortest, most fuel-efficient journey between them every 26 months.

In 2024, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk outlined a plan to send five Starships loaded with Optimus robots to scout resources and prepare infrastructure for crewed missions scheduled for later windows. By May 2025, Musk estimated a 50% chance of meeting this goal. Later in the year, he admitted it was looking increasingly unlikely, but there was still a chance. Notably, the SpaceX website still states that the next launch window is in 2026, with no clear indication whether this goal will be met.

Another American aerospace company, Vast, is targeting a 2026 launch for the first-ever commercial space station. They will turn to SpaceX to launch the Haven-1 space station in May with a Falcon 9 rocket, followed by a 14-day crewed mission in June, arriving via a SpaceX Crew Dragon. Haven-1 will host a 10-slot microgravity research and manufacturing platform, along with amenities for a crew of four, available to paying customers

NASA Launches in 2026

Musk isn’t the only one taking advantage of the 2026 Mars window. In November, NASA launched the ESCAPADE mission into Earth orbit. Once the launch window opens, ESCAPADE, using Earth’s gravity, will slingshot to the red planet, where its two identical satellites will study how space weather affects the strange Martian magnetosphere.

To establish long-term habitability, the mission will explore how space weather, the planet’s thin atmosphere, and its magnetic crust interact. Scientists hope this new data will conclusively reveal how Mars lost its thick atmosphere. Data from the project will be essential to long-term safe habitation on the Red Planet, as it will enable mission planners to mitigate the effects of dangerous space weather in an environment that depends on artificial life support systems.

Several other NASA missions will make progress this year. The Discovery Program’s Psyche spacecraft will use a Mars gravity assist this summer to catapult it on its journey to the metallic asteroid 16 Psyche. The Europa Clipper Mission will use another gravity assist from Earth in December to fling it on its way to its final destination. In 2030, once it arrives at Europa, one of Jupiter’s moons, it will assess whether the moon is habitable.

Over the summer, NASA will launch a group of small cubesats about the size of toasters as part of its SunRISE (Sun Radio Interferometer Space Experiment) mission. Focused on space weather, the mission will monitor solar radio bursts and map the Sun’s magnetic field. As NASA extends human missions to the Moon and beyond to Mars, a better understanding of how the Sun’s charged particles can affect spacecraft will be essential to mission safety.

China’s previous lunar mission, Chang’e-6, returned samples from the far side of the Moon.

Credit: CNSA

Chinese Space Exploration in 2026

America is not the only country with grand space ambitions for 2026. China’s Chang’e 7 is anticipated to launch toward the end of the year. Named for the Chinese moon goddess, the Chang’e series has focused on investigating the lunar surface, which will continue with Chang’e 7’s exploration of the lunar south pole.

This area is particularly interesting for its cold traps: the shadowy craters that never receive enough direct sunlight to become illuminated. Their perpetual darkness leaves them with stores of frozen water and other minerals that could make them an essential supply for future permanent bases. The mission includes an orbiter, a relay satellite, a lander, a rover, and a mini-flying probe. While NASA has already sent missions such as LRCROSS to the area, future missions, including Artemis III, will revisit it.

To investigate another rocky body in space, the Chinese Tianwen-2 sample-return mission will rendezvous with the asteroid 469219 Kamo’oalewa in July for exploration and sample collection.

China’s Space Telescope

In addition to another lunar mission, China will add a new companion to its Tiangong space station, which launched in three sections between 2021 and 2022. Tiangong is China’s first long-term space station and has been used to host numerous experiments in low Earth orbit. The new addition is a space telescope named Xuntian, expected to capture 40% of the sky during its mission, with a field of view approaching 350 times that of the Hubble Space Telescope.

Initially, the telescope was to be part of the Tiangong itself, but concerns about light pollution, vibration, and the space station obstructing the view led China to decide to launch Xuntian as a free-standing object in the same orbit as the space station. The mission is planned to last 10 years. It will utilize five onboard instruments: a survey camera, a terahertz receiver, a multichannel imager, an integral-field spectrograph, and a cool-planet imaging coronagraph.

These images will allow researchers to measure the positions, shapes, and brightnesses of nearly one billion galaxies, providing new context for their growth and evolution. To capture them, Xuntian features a two-meter-wide aperture, which enables a field of view 350 times that of NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope.

JAXA’s Hayabusa-2 will continue its mission to investigate asteroids in 2026.

Credit: ESO/M. Kornmesser. Asteroid: T. Santana-Ros et al. Hayabusa2 model: SuperTKG (CC-BY-SA).

International Missions in 2026

The European Space Agency (ESA) and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) also have major plans for the year. Working together, the ESA-JAXA BepiColombo mission will enter Mercury orbit in November 2026, after which it will split into the Mercury Planetary Orbiter and the Mercury Magnetic Orbiter.

As the closest planet to the Sun, the mission will provide new insights into how hot planets near their stars evolve, with particular attention to their magnetic fields and magnetospheres. Additionally, mission measurements of Mercury’s motion will provide essential new data to evaluate Einstein’s general theory of relativity within the post-Newtonian formalism.

On its own, JAXA has two notable events planned. In July, Japan’s Haybusa-2 will conduct a flyby of the asteroid 98943 Torifune as part of its extended mission. More importantly, the Martian Moons eXploration (MMX) will launch in 2026 to perform a sample-return mission on the Martian moon Phobos and a flyby of the Martian moon Deimos. The return sample should reach Earth for study sometime in 2031.

Planetary defense will receive some significant attention in 2026 with the ESA HERA mission’s arrival at the asteroid Didymos in November. HERA will follow up on the 2022 NASA DART mission. DART was a practical planetary defense test that used a kinetic impactor to alter the course of an asteroid. With its two cubists, HERA will rendezvous with the binary asteroid Didymos to observe the aftermath of DART’s impact up close.

2026 will not just be a year of beginnings but also of endings. The ESA’s Solar Orbiter mission is scheduled to conclude in 2026, with a possible 2030 extension under consideration.

With a plethora of launches, gravity slingshots, tests, landings, flybys, and sample return missions slated for the upcoming year, don’t expect the space news to slow down in 2026.

• Ryan Whalen covers science and technology for The Debrief. He holds an MA in History and a Master of Library and Information Science with a certificate in Data Science. He can be contacted at ryan@thedebrief.org, and follow him on Twitter @mdntwvlf.

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01-01-2026 om 18:12 geschreven door peter  

Scientists discover the strangest planet ever found in our universe

©The Daily Digest

What did researchers discover now?
The universe is packed with strange cosmic secrets that are often hard for researchers to explain. However, that isn’t the case with the latest bizarre discovery that a group of scientists made while scanning data from the night sky.

©The Daily Digest

A planet full of diamonds
Scientists using the James Webb Space Telescope observed what they described as a ‘lemon-shaped planet’ that could be overflowing with diamonds in its core. How this very strange planet came to be is still a mystery.

©The Daily Digest

Photo Credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, Ralf Crawford (STScI)

Meet PSR J2322-2650b
PSR J2322-2650b, the official name given to the lemon-shaped diamond world, is what astronomers call an exoplanet, or a planet outside of our solar system. This weird world has about the same mass as Jupiter, but it’s very different.

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Photo Credit: Unsplash by Jan Huber

A very exotic atmosphere
NASA noted that PSR J2322-2650b has a very exotic atmosphere that is dominated by helium and carbon. Soot clouds could conceivably be floating through the air across the planet, which in turn could condense near the planet’s core and form diamonds.

©Provided by The Daily Digest

The planet was a surprise
"This was an absolute surprise," Peter Gao, a staff scientist at the Carnegie Earth and Planets Laboratory in Washington, and co-author of a paper about PSR J2322-2650b published in ‘The Astrophysical Journal Letters’ in early December.

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“What the heck is this?”
"I remember after we got the data down, our collective reaction was 'What the heck is this?'" Gao explained. His reaction makes a lot of sense since the strange makeup of PSR J2322-2650b is one of the least bizarre things about the planet.

©The Daily Digest

Photo Credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, Ralf Crawford (STScI)

Orbiting a pulsar star
PSR J2322-2650b is orbiting what is known as a pulsar star, which NASA noted is a type of rapidly spinning neutron star. Pulsars shoot out a beam of electromagnetic radiation at regular intervals, which will prove to be a big benefit for researchers.

©The Daily Digest

Studying the planet
According to a press release from the University of Chicago, researchers will be able to study the strange lemon-shaped planet across its whole orbit, something that would be very difficult since stars generally outshine their planets.

©Provided by The Daily Digest

A unique system
“This system is unique because we are able to view the planet illuminated by its host star, but not see the host star at all,” explained Maya Beleznay, a graduate student at Stanford University who worked on modelling PSR J2322-2650b’s orbit.

©The Daily Digest

Photo Credit: Wiki Commons By NASA/JPL-Caltech, Public Domain

Learning about planet formation
“We get a really pristine spectrum. And we can better study this system in more detail than normal exoplanets,” Beleznay added. Further study of PSR J2322-2650b is very important since it challenges much of what we know about planet formation.

©The Daily Digest

A mystery for now
How the weird lemon-shaped planet came to be is reportedly a mystery. University of Chicago researcher Michael Zhang, the principal author on the recently released study about PSR J2322-2650b, noted that the planet could not have formed normally because of its strange compositon.

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The mass of the Sun
“The planet orbits a star that's completely bizarre — the mass of the Sun, but the size of a city,” Zhang explained. “This is a new type of planet atmosphere that nobody has ever seen before.”

©The Daily Digest

The planet is unlike any other
Zhang added that the data showed the planet did not have the normal molecules they expected to see on an exoplanet like water, methane, and carbon dioxide, but rather molecular carbon like C3 and C2.

©Provided by The Daily Digest

Not formed normally
“It's very hard to imagine how you get this extremely carbon-enriched composition. It seems to rule out every known formation mechanism,” Zhang said. However, despite not understanding how this strange planet formed, we do have an idea about how the planet came to take a similar shape to a lemon.

©The Daily Digest

Photo Credit: Unsplash by Eléonore Bommart

How did it get its weird shape?

PSR J2322-2650b is abnormally close to its star. According to the scientists, the planet sits just one million miles away from the pulsar it orbits. Earth, for reference, is roughly 100 million miles away from our Sun. This close distance results in PSR J2322-2650b having a tight 7.8-hour orbit and puts the planet under a lot of gravitational stress.

©Provided by The Daily Digest

Gravity is twisting the planet
The gravitational pressure from being so close to its heavier pulsar star is what has pulled the Jupiter-mass planet into its strange lemon shape that has become the feature of this bizarre exoplanet. The press release from the University of Chicago reported that PSR J2322-2650b and its pulsar are what is known as a “black widow” system

©The Daily Digest

What is a Black Widow system?
“Black widows are a rare type of system where a rapidly spinning pulsar is paired with a small, low-mass companion,” the University of Chicago press release explained.

©The Daily Digest

Photo Credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, Ralf Crawford (STScI)

PSR J2322-2650b is strange indeed
“In the past, material from the companion would have streamed onto the pulsar, causing it to spin faster over time, which powers a strong wind. That wind and radiation then bombard and evaporate the smaller and less massive star,” the press release added.

 

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01-01-2026 om 15:37 geschreven door peter  

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30-12-2025 om 22:12 geschreven door peter  

Activist and researcher Amanda Nguyen, who flew on Blue Origin’s all-female spaceflight in April 2025, has admitted to suffering from severe psychological distress after the mission. After months of battling depression, she has reported feeling better and shared her experience of overcoming severe trauma.

Dream that turned into a challenge

In her Instagram post, Amanda revealed the deep depression that overwhelmed her after returning to Earth.

“Another dream turned into a nightmare,” she wrote. Nguyen described feeling that all her achievements – her scientific work, her historic status as the first Vietnamese woman in space – were “buried under an avalanche of misogyny” and hostile comments in the media.

A 34-year-old woman, the child of refugees who fled Vietnam by boat, felt like a “collateral victim.” She couldn’t get out of bed for weeks, and a month after the flight, she couldn’t speak through her tears during a call from a Blue Origin employee.

Despite her experiences, Amanda emphasized the positive outcomes of the mission. The flight drew attention to her breast cancer research and helped achieve the goal of using science as a tool for diplomacy. She recalled the symbolism: when Neil Armstrong was on the moon, bombs were falling on Vietnam, and now her family had seen a Vietnamese woman in space.

“We arrived in boats, and now we are in spaceships,” she wrote.

The road to recovery

Eight months later, Nguyen felt that “the fog of grief had begun to lift.” In her diary, she wrote, “I am happy to report that my depression is gone.” She concluded that the past never completely leaves us, but she is proud that she kept her promise to fight for her dreams and focus on kindness.

“The best gift this season is that I feel the fog lifting. I can say that it won’t take years,” Amanda Nguyen summed up.

Earlier, we reported on how a space tourist “saw death” after flying on New Shepard.

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30-12-2025 om 21:56 geschreven door peter  

The star described in the Gospels, which heralded the appearance of Jesus Christ in Bethlehem, behaves extremely strangely for a celestial body. However, scientists have calculated that under certain conditions, a comet could exhibit similar behavior. They even found a possible candidate.

The Star of Bethlehem

Recently, the Journal of the British Astronomical Association published an article in which scientists attempted to explain the nature of the star that, according to the Bible, heralded the birth of Jesus Christ in Bethlehem and guided the three wise men from the East to him. Surprisingly, they found a completely rational explanation for it.

This is not the first time scientists have tried to understand whether there is any real astronomical event behind the Gospel myth. And it is clear that the word “star” can actually mean any celestial body. However, in the Gospel of Matthias, where it is described in the most detail, its behavior seems too strange.

Based on the text, the star of Bethlehem was initially somewhere in the east, then, overtaking the Magi, it flew west and hovered somewhere at the zenith above the city where Jesus was born. And it is precisely its stopping in one place that seems most strange. Whether it is a planet, a comet, or something else in space, its rotation should be affected by the rotation of our planet; that is, one way or another, it should rise and set during the day.

But in reality, there is one object that truly seems to hover above one place – a satellite in geostationary orbit. Of course, it actually moves, but its linear velocity is such that its angular velocity coincides with the Earth’s rotation.

Comet from Chinese sources

And now scientists have calculated that the same suspension effect could have occurred when a comet flew close to Earth. Of course, it did not enter geosynchronous orbit. But it moved much faster than a satellite in geostationary orbit. This means that at some point, it could have actually hovered over Bethlehem for a couple of hours.

And the most interesting thing is that the authors have already found a good candidate for the role of the Star of Bethlehem – a comet mentioned in the Chinese chronicle “Han Shu,” also known as the History of the Former Han Dynasty. According to this document, the comet appeared in the second month of the second year and was visible for 70 days. This means that it was indeed very bright.

The specified time period is March-April 5 BC. And this coincides perfectly with assumptions about the true date of Jesus’ birth. After all, King Herod, the same one who is credited with the mass murder of infants, ruled Judea from 37 to 4 BC. So, from this point of view, everything is indeed reliable.

However, opponents of the “comet” theory have another argument. In the tradition of Eastern mystics, which theoretically included the three wise kings, the comet was associated with something bad. However, researchers have recently discovered that this is not entirely true, as its appearance could also be linked to events in the royal family. So it could indeed have been perceived as a sign of the birth of a new king.

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30-12-2025 om 21:30 geschreven door peter  

NASA scientists have proposed a new, unexpected source of energy that could sustain life in the deep ocean of Jupiter’s moon Europa. It may not be deep heat, but radioactive elements seeping from the ocean floor.

A revolutionary model was presented at the annual conference of the American Geophysical Union. It suggests that the key to life may lie not in the moon’s interior, but in the rocks at the bottom of its ocean. Radioactive decay of uranium and potassium in these rocks could provide the energy necessary for biology.

The scale of the possible biosphere

Researchers were inspired by terrestrial ecosystems in deep-sea hydrothermal vents, where microorganisms exist thanks to chemosynthesis – the process of obtaining energy from chemical reactions. A similar process may occur on Europa. Radioactive decay splits water molecules into hydrogen and oxygen ions, which can become “fuel” for microbes.

A team led by planetary scientist Ngoc Tuan Truong has modeled the concentration of radioactive isotopes in Europa’s ocean. Calculations showed that the energy released is sufficient to sustain biomass equivalent to a thousand blue whales. This discovery is particularly important in light of new data on Europa’s thick ice crust, which may insulate the ocean from the heat of the core.

Checking the theory

Evidence for this theory may be found by NASA’s Europa Clipper mission, which will reach Jupiter’s system in 2030. The spacecraft will study the composition of the ice and the deep processes of the moon. If the hypothesis is confirmed, Europa will be revealed as a world where life can feed on the energy of radioactive decay – a rather original scenario for the search for extraterrestrial intelligence.

Earlier, we explained whether Europa will be habitable when the Sun becomes old and red.

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30-12-2025 om 21:22 geschreven door peter  

It is quite possible that Mars was the first planet in the solar system where life originated. And only later did microorganisms from Mars reach Earth. So, from a certain point of view, we may be all Martians.

A bold hypothesis

How did life begin on Earth? While scientists have theories, they don’t yet fully understand the precise chemical steps that led to biology, or when the first primitive life forms appeared.

But what if Earth’s life did not originate here, instead arriving on meteorites from Mars? It’s not the most favored theory for life’s origins, but it remains an intriguing hypothesis. Here, we’ll examine the evidence for and against.

Timing is a key factor. Mars formed around 4.6 billion years ago, while Earth is slightly younger at 4.54 billion years old. The surfaces of both planets were initially molten, before gradually cooling and hardening.

Life could, in theory, have arisen independently on both Earth and Mars shortly after formation. While the surface of Mars today is probably uninhabitable for life as we know it, early Mars probably had similar conditions to early Earth.

The possibility of life forming on Mars

Early Mars seems to have had a protective atmosphere and liquid water in the form of oceans, rivers, and lakes. It may also have been geothermally active, with plenty of hydrothermal vents and hot springs to provide the necessary conditions for the emergence of life.

However, about 4.51 billion years ago, a Mars-sized, rocky planet called Theia crashed into proto-Earth. This impact caused both bodies to melt together and then separate into Earth and its moon. If life had begun before this event, it certainly would not have survived it.

Mars, on the other hand, probably didn’t experience a global remelting event. The red planet had its fair share of impacts in the violent early solar system, but evidence suggests that none of these would have been large enough to destroy the planet, and some areas could have remained relatively stable.

So if life arose on Mars shortly after the formation of the planet 4.6 billion years ago, it could have continued evolving without major interruptions for at least half a billion years. After this time, Mars’ magnetic field collapsed, marking the beginning of the end for Martian habitability. The protective atmosphere disappeared, leaving the planet’s surface exposed to freezing temperatures and ionizing radiation from space.

The time required for life to emerge

But what of Earth: how soon did life appear after the impact that formed the moon? Tracing the tree of life back to its root leads to a microorganism called Luca – the last universal common ancestor. This is the microbial species from which all life today is descended. A recent study reconstructed Luca’s characteristics using genetics and the fossil record of early life on Earth. It is inferred that Luca lived 4.2 billion years ago – earlier than some previous estimates.

Luca was not the earliest organism on Earth, but one of multiple species of microbe existing in tandem on our planet at this time. They were competing, cooperating, and surviving the elements, as well as fending off attacks from viruses.

If small but fairly complex ecosystems were present on Earth around 4.2 billion years ago, life must have originated earlier. But how much earlier? The new estimate for the age of Luca is 360 million years after the formation of Earth and 290 million years after the moon-forming impact. All we know is that in these 290 million years, chemistry somehow became biology. Was this enough time for life to originate on Earth and then diversify into the ecosystems present when Luca was alive?

A Martian origin for terrestrial life circumvents this question. According to the hypothesis, species of Martian microorganism could have traveled to Earth on meteorites just in time to take advantage of the clement conditions following the moon’s formation.

The timing may be convenient for this idea. However, as someone who works in the field, my hunch would be that 290 million years is plenty of time for chemical reactions to produce the first living organisms on Earth, and for biology to subsequently diversify and become more complex.

Surviving the journey

Luca’s reconstructed genome suggests that it could live off molecular hydrogen or simple organic molecules as food sources. Along with other evidence, this suggests that Luca’s habitat was either a shallow marine hydrothermal vent system or a geothermal hot spring. Current thought in the origin of life field is that these kinds of environments on early Earth had the necessary conditions for life to emerge from non-living chemistry.

Luca also contained biochemical machinery that could protect it from high temperatures and UV radiation – real dangers in these early Earth environments. However, it’s far from certain that early life forms could have survived the journey from Mars to Earth. And there’s nothing in Luca’s genome to suggest that it was particularly well adapted to space flight.

To have made it to Earth, microorganisms would need to have survived the initial impact on Mars’ surface, a high-speed ejection from the Martian atmosphere, and travel through the vacuum of space while being bombarded by cosmic rays for at least the best part of a year.

They would then have needed to survive the high-temperature entry through Earth’s atmosphere and another impact onto the surface. This last event may or may not have deposited it in an environment to which it was even remotely adapted.

The chances of all of this seem pretty slim to me. However difficult the transition from chemistry to biology may appear, it seems far easier to me than the idea that this transition would occur on Mars, with life forms surviving the journey to Earth, and then adapting to a completely new planet.

The resilience of microorganisms in space

It’s useful to look at studies of whether microorganisms could survive the journey between planets. So far, it looks like only the hardiest microorganisms could survive the journey between Mars and Earth. These are species adapted to preventing damage from radiation and capable of surviving desiccation through the formation of spores.

But maybe, just maybe, if a population of microorganisms were trapped in the interior of a sufficiently large meteorite, they could be protected from most of the harsh conditions of space. Some computer simulations even support this idea. Further simulations and laboratory experiments to test this are ongoing.

This raises another question – if life made it from Mars to Earth within the first 500 million years of our solar system’s existence, why hasn’t it spread from Earth to the rest of the solar system in the following four billion years? Maybe we’re not the Martians after all.

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30-12-2025 om 21:08 geschreven door peter  

A snapshot of the universe at work: Incredible image shows 'star-making factory' inside a Large Magellanic Cloud

By JAKE HOLDEN, UK NEWS REPORTER

A new picture from NASA's Hubble Space Telescope has revealed a beautiful 'star-making factory' deep in the universe this week.

The image focuses in on a piece of space 160,000 light years from Earth in the Large Magellanic Cloud.

That means it takes light 160,000 years to travel the distance to this 'star factor', so this is actually what it looked like 160,000 years ago.

Here on Earth, Neanderthals were extinct only 40,000 years ago, so would still be roaming our planet for another 120,000 years after this light was emitted from the factory.

This is an unfathomably gigantic scale the telescope has revealed, with the full width of this factory being 150 light years across too.

Thick clouds of cold hydrogen - star fuel - twist over the giant area, glowing deep red where baby stars are forming, burning.

Some erratic stars have blasted their surroundings with powerful stellar winds which carve out giant bubbles in the gas.

The Large Magellanic Cloud is a nearby dwarf irregular galaxy which is a satellite of our Milky Way, slowly orbiting our galaxy. The Milky Way itself is 100,000 light years across.

It is visible in the southern hemisphere of Earth in the constellations of Dorado and Mensa, showing as a large misty cloud, easily seen by the naked eye in dark skies.

The Hubble Space Telescope has been in a low Earth orbit for the past three decades and has been revealing far away pieces of space for all that time. It is a joint project between NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA).

This new picture from the Hubble Space Telescope shows a 'star factory' at work in the Large Magellanic Cloud

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30-12-2025 om 18:04 geschreven door peter  

They’re some of the most sterile places on Earth – but scientists have discovered dozens of new bacterial species inside NASA’s cleanrooms.

These facilities are ultra-sanitised, highly controlled spaces where spacecraft and sensitive instruments are built and tested.

They are designed to prevent any form of contamination and to stop unwanted microbes from hitching a ride to other planets.

So experts were left stunned after finding 26 tiny living organisms – all previously unknown bacterial species – in the Kennedy Space Center cleanrooms in Florida.

Despite stringent measures including filtering air, the strict regulation of temperature and humidity and the use of harsh chemical detergents, these microbes have somehow managed to survive.

‘It was a genuine “stop and re-check everything” moment,’ Alexandre Rosado, a professor of Bioscience at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) in Saudi Arabia, told Live Science.

Recent analysis of these microbes has shed light on how they can live – and even thrive – in one of the harshest man-made environments on Earth.

And it turns out they have genes that help them resist the effects of radiation and even repair their own DNA.

A selection of the 26 new bacterial species discovered in the cleanroom, despite the facility being ultra-sanitised and highly controlled

The Phoenix Mars Lander in the cleanroom at the Kennedy Space Center. This photograph was taken in 2007, when bacterial samples were collected from the floor

The main goal of cleanrooms is to stop Earth’s organisms contaminating other planets that could potentially contain life.

They also play a crucial role in protecting Earth from potential alien hitchhikers in returned samples.

However, ‘cleanrooms don’t contain “no” life’, Professor Rosado said. ‘Our results show these new species are usually rare but can be found.’

The new species were identified lurking in cleanrooms where NASA assembled its Phoenix Mars Lander in 2007.

They were collected and preserved at the time, and recent advances in DNA technology has allowed scientists to properly analyse them.

The findings, published in the journal Microbiome, read: ‘Maintaining the biological cleanliness of NASA’s mission-associated cleanrooms, where spacecraft are assembled and tested, is critical for planetary protection.

‘Even with stringent controls such as regulated airflow, temperature management and rigorous cleaning, resilient microorganisms can persist in these environments, posing potential risks for space missions.’

The next step, experts said, is to figure out whether any of these tiny organisms could have potentially tolerated conditions during a journey to Mars’ northern polar cap, where Phoenix landed in 2008.

This image shows Phoenix hanging from its parachute as it descended to the Martian surface in 2008

Experts said the next step is to work out whether any of these microorganisms could have survived the trip to the Red Planet. Pictured: The Phoenix Lander on Mars

Professor Rosado said several species do carry genes that may help them adapt to the stresses of spaceflight.

Read More

• A celestial oasis? NASA's Perseverance Rover discovers evidence of tropical rainfall on Mars
  

But their survival would depend on how they handle the harsh conditions of the journey and on the Red Planet itself, including exposure to vacuum, deep cold and high levels of UV.

To explore this further, the team plan to test the microbes inside a ‘planetary simulation chamber’ that could reveal whether they could survive a trip through space.

One is currently being built at JAUST, with its first experiments expected to commence in early 2026.

The team said that beyond space exploration, these microbes hold ‘immense promise’ for biotechnology as their resistance to radiation and chemical stressors could drive innovations in medicine, pharmaceuticals and the food industry.

MARS: THE BASICS

Mars is the fourth planet from the sun, with a 'near-dead' dusty, cold, desert world with a very thin atmosphere. 

Mars is also a dynamic planet with seasons, polar ice caps, canyons, extinct volcanoes, and evidence that it was even more active in the past. 

It is one of the most explored planets in the solar system and the only planet humans have sent rovers to explore.

One day on Mars takes a little over 24 hours and a year is 687 Earth days.

Facts and Figures 

Orbital period: 687 days

Surface area: 55.91 million mi²

Distance from Sun: 145 million miles

Gravity: 3.721 m/s²

Radius: 2,106 miles

Moons: Phobos, Deimos

{ https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/index.html }

30-12-2025 om 17:54 geschreven door peter  

The usual annual highlights include eclipses, full moons, and meteor showers. But let’s look a little further into the future. Here are the most spectacular cosmic events expected to occur before the end of 2100.

The flight of the asteroid Apophis

The first major spectacle, which previously gained notoriety due to distorted media reports, awaits us on April 13, 2029. The asteroid Apophis, with a diameter of 370 m, will fly by at a distance of only 32,000 km from Earth – closer than satellites in geostationary orbit.

Its discovery caused concern. However, more accurate calculations have almost completely ruled out a collision with Earth in this century. Nevertheless, the 2029 flyby is a unique opportunity for science, as such a close approach occurs only about once every 800 years.

The return of Halley’s Comet

The last perihelion of the famous Halley’s Comet took place in 1986. The next return of the tailed guest is expected in 2061. Moreover, next time there will be the most favorable conditions for its observation, because it will be 9 times brighter. It will be a wonderful object for observation. In addition, the comet is expected to meet with Venus, which promises an additional spectacle.

V Sagittae

This faint star in the constellation Sagitta has been slowly but steadily brightening since the early 20th century. Astronomers believe it is a binary system, where two stars are gradually moving closer together. The most popular theory says that towards the end of the century, around 2083±10 years, these stars may merge. This will cause a powerful explosion – the birth of a new or even supernova star. V Sagittae may shine brighter than Sirius in the sky and be visible even during the day for weeks or months.

The Great Conjunctions of Jupiter and Saturn

These two giant planets come together in the sky every 20 years. But not every conjunction is clearly visible. In 2040, the phenomenon will be moderate, but in September of that year, all visible planets will line up in a row, creating a beautiful sight.

But the most important conjunction will be in 2080. That is when Jupiter and Saturn will come extremely close together – at a distance similar to the record set in 2020. They will also be far from the blinding glare of the Sun, providing ideal conditions for observation around the world.

Unpredictable events

The century also promises surprises that cannot be accurately dated at this time:

• Flashes of new meteor showers, more powerful than the famous Leonids.
• The explosion of a supernova in our Milky Way galaxy, the first in many centuries.
• Bright comets that are currently located far away in the outer Solar System.
• Interstellar objects, which were first officially confirmed only in the last decade, and since 2017, three such “guests” have been officially detected.

Despite the forecasts, the main thing is to remain attentive to the sky. The most memorable astronomical events often come unexpectedly.

Earlier, we talked about the TOP 10 astronomical discoveries of 2025.

• Provided by iflscience.com

• Posted in News, Science

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29-12-2025 om 17:56 geschreven door peter  

Deep inside the Earth, at the boundary between the mantle and the outer core, there are so-called ultra-low velocity zones – areas that seem to be unaffected by the fiery chaos raging in the depths. Now, scientists claim to have unraveled their mystery.

Ultra-low speed zones

At the very center of our planet is a solid inner core. Between it and the crust, matter is in a very hot and liquid state and is divided into two layers: the outer core and the mantle above it. Recently, the journal Nature Communications published a study by scientists from the Institute of Earth Sciences of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, in which they attempted to unravel one of the mysteries lurking at the point of their collision.

The fact is that the 300-kilometer layer at the boundary between the outer core and the mantle, i.e., at a depth of 2,900 km, has a complex structure. Complex processes of mass and heat exchange take place there, but at the same time, there are relatively small areas of up to 100 km in size that are characterized by extremely low seismic activity and high density.

They are called ultra-low velocity zones. It is believed that they have a significant impact on the processes occurring in this boundary layer, but scientists still do not understand where they come from.

Thermal insulation materials

Researchers have tackled this mystery in their latest work. They used ultra-fast optical spectroscopy in combination with diamond cells with a high-pressure and high-temperature anvil. This allowed them to study the properties of the iron-rich magnesiowüstite, which may make up the low-velocity zones.

Usually, minerals rich in metal have high thermal conductivity; they are like natural radiators for heating systems, but in magnesiowüstite, this indicator turned out to be extremely low. Simply put, it is a good heat insulator.

Scientists now understand that ultra-low velocity zones are actually pieces of heavy thermal insulation floating in viscous, molten material and altering the flows within it. Further research will reveal how this occurs.

• Provided by: phys.org

• Posted in News, Science

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29-12-2025 om 17:42 geschreven door peter  

2026 will be the year NASA astronauts fly around the moon again — if all goes to plan

28-12-2025 om 22:09 geschreven door peter  

Stunning photos of Mars that will blow your mind - PART I

©Reuters

Stunning photos of Mars that will blow your mind
Mars has always fascinated scientists, and it is believed to be the planet with the closest conditions to Earth for life in our solar system. Various projects with rovers have been sent looking for traces of bioactivity, among other experiments and data collection efforts.

In this gallery, you can explore the beautiful landscapes of our neighboring planet in breathtaking images. Click through to get started.

©Reuters

Mount Sharp, 2012
This picture displays the bottom of Mount Sharp, also known as Aeolis Mons, on Mars. The mountain stands at a height of 5.5 km (3.4 miles) above the surrounding valley.

©Reuters

Ophir Chasma, 2015
This image captures a canyon on Mars, specifically in the northern part of the planet's extensive canyon system.

©Reuters

Nili Patera, 2014
Nili Patera, situated atop a lava bed on the grounds of an ancient volcano, stands as one of Mars' most active dune fields.

©Reuters

Gullies, 2017
These flow features, resembling moraines on Earth, are located in the mid-latitudes of Mars. This indicates that the deposits may contain ice or have had ice in the past.

©Reuters

Yellowknife Bay, 2013
These spherical shapes in Yellowknife Bay are believed to be concretions, suggesting that water seeped through sediment pores to create them.

©Reuters

Crater, 2014
An orbiter captured this image of an impact crater on Mars.

©Reuters

Link, 2012
This rock outcrop, known as Link, displays rounded gravel fragments, or clasts, ranging in size up to a few centimeters.

©Reuters

Sandy hill, 2014
These are the sand dunes of Mars' northernmost region, visible as they appear after being covered by seasonal carbon dioxide (dry) ice during winter.

©Reuters

Acidalia Plain, 2015
This plain is depicted as the fictional touchdown location for a crewed mission called Ares 3 in the popular novel and film 'The Martian.'

©Reuters

Hellas Planitia, 2011
The width of the channels in the Hellas Planitia basin varies from 1 to 10 meters (3.3 feet to 33 feet).

©Reuters

Noctis Labyrinthus, 2013
Located on the Tharsis rise in the upper part of Valles Marineris, this area is recognized for its intricate network of deep valleys with steep walls.

©Reuters

Gale crater, 2013
This crater, thought to be around 3.5 to 3.8 billion years old, is likely a dry lake located near the northwestern region of the Aeolis quadrangle.

©Reuters

Gale crater, 2013
The rover designed to explore Gale crater, which is about the size of a car, can be seen as a blue dot in the lower right corner of the image.

©Reuters

Gale crater, 2012
This photo shows a section of the wall of Gale crater, where a system of valleys, thought to be created by water, enters the crater from the surrounding area.

©Reuters

Shaler, 2013
This rock formation's name is Shaler.

©Reuters

Trenches, 2008
The Robotic Arm of the Phoenix lander dug these two trenches.

©Reuters

Victoria Crater, 2006
This impact crater found in the Meridiani Planum plain has a width of approximately 730 meters (2,395 feet)and is named after a ship from Ferdinand Magellan's fleet, the first to sail around the world.

©Reuters

Meteorite, 2005
NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity took this photo of an iron meteorite on Mars.

©Reuters

Columbia Hills, 2004
This photograph shows the Columbia Hills, a collection of small hills situated in Gusev crater.

©Reuters

Water, 2015
This picture displays narrow streaks approximately 100 meters (328 feet) long that are believed to be created by flowing water.

©Reuters

Garni crater, 2015
These dark, narrow streaks emerging out of the walls of Garni crater are called recurring slope lineae.

©Reuters

Round depression, 2015
NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter captured this circular depression on the surface of Mars in February 2015.

©Reuters

Color Photos, 2008
This is one of the initial color photographs of the surface of Mars captured after the Phoenix Mars lander spacecraft safely touched down on May 25, 2008. It marked the historic first landing near Mars's northern pole.

©Reuters

Mars
This is the percussion drill located at the tip of the Curiosity Robotic Arm, as it contacts the rock surface on January 27, 2013.

©Reuters

Hellas Planitia, 2008
This image displays a view from a different angle of a mountain located in eastern Hellas Planitia. The mountain harbors sizable glaciers beneath rocks.

©Reuters

Hellas Planitia, 2008
This is an alternative view of the mountain in the eastern Hellas Planitia, which revealed the presence of sizable glaciers concealed beneath fragmented rocks.

©Reuters

Mound, 2017
This mound appears to have blocked the path of dunes as they move south (to the right of this image).

 { starsinsider.com }

28-12-2025 om 18:14 geschreven door peter  

Stunning photos of Mars that will blow your mind - PART II

©Reuters

Cliff, 2017
NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter has captured an intriguing rugged cliff edge in this image.

©Reuters

Southern hemisphere, 2017
Small pits are visible in the bright residual layer of carbon dioxide ice near a larger, circular feature that extends through the ice and dust. This may be an impact crater or a pit created by collapse.

©Reuters

Mars, 2016
The NASA Hubble Space Telescope captured this remarkable image of the Red Planet.

©Reuters

Nili Fossae, 2016
Nili Fossae, situated on the northwest edge of Isidis Planitia crater, is a vibrant area on Mars.

©Reuters

Impressive view, 2015
A plane is visible flying by, while the crescent moon and planets Venus and Mars can be seen close by.

©Reuters

Outcrop, 2004
The Opportunity rover captured an intriguing rock formation in this photograph.

©Reuters

Frost, 2015
This photo taken by NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter displays frost covering Mars's surface.

©Reuters

Rock geology, 2014
This evenly-layered rock formation displays a pattern typical of a lake-floor sedimentary deposit, suggesting a lake once filled this crater.

©Reuters

Cumberland, 2014
The Curiosity rover bored into a rock nicknamed Cumberland.

©Reuters

Mast Camera, 2012
The Martian landscape serves as the backdrop for the Alpha Particle X-Ray Spectrometer in this image.

©Reuters

Cape Verde, 2006
Cape Verde, a landscape with rocky cliffs, stands on the edge of Victoria crater. These cliffs were named after the country, as a tribute to Ferdinand Magellan who had explored Cape Verde during his round-the-world journey.

©Reuters

Bathurst Inlet, 2012
This marks the highest point of Bathurst Inlet, a rock situated on the surface of Aeolis Palus within the Gale crater.

©Reuters

Newton crater, 2011
These water flows are observed during the spring and summer on a slope within the Newton crater.

©Reuters

Sheepbed, 2013
This is a rock formation found at the Sheepbed, a deposit of mudstone located in the Yellowknife Bay region within Gale crater.

©Reuters

Marquette Island, 2010
Marquette Island is a rock about the size of a basketball whose texture and composition suggest it came from deep inside the Martian crust.

©Reuters

Becquerel crater, 2008
The pattern in this sedimentary bedrock within Becquerel crater suggests rhythmic bedding.

©Reuters

Phoenix, 2008
The descent of NASA's Phoenix lander to the Martian surface with the attached parachute is visible.

©Getty Images

Valles Marineris, 2006
Valles Marineris serves as Mars's counterpart to the Grand Canyon.

©Getty Images

Reull Vallis, 2004
The Reull Vallis was likely formed by water. The valley got its name from the Gaelic word for planet.

©Getty Images

Echus Chasma, 2008
This aerial photograph displays the Echus Chasma, which is among the largest water source regions on Mars.

©Getty Images

Sleepy Hollow, 2004
This circular topographic view, known as Sleepy Hollow, was discovered in the Gusev Crater on Mars.

©Getty Images

Mars Pathfinder, 1997
This photo depicts NASA's Mars Pathfinder probe surveying the planet's landscape in 1997.

©Getty Images

Echus Chasma, 2008
Waterfalls may have cascaded down these towering cliffs in the past, which stand at a staggering 4,000 meters (13,123 feet). The remarkably even valley floor indicates that it was subsequently submerged by basaltic lava.

©Getty Images

Phoenix, 2008
This image depicts the Phoenix lander arriving on the Red Planet, as envisioned by an artist.

©Getty Images

Mars, 1997
This high-definition image captures the detailed features of Mars, while it was positioned approximately 100 million km (60 million miles) away from Earth.

See also:

• Space tourism and the otherworldly future of travel

 { starsinsider.com }

28-12-2025 om 18:13 geschreven door peter  

Top Astronomical Events to Watch For in 2026

{ https://www.universetoday.com/ }

26-12-2025 om 23:14 geschreven door peter  

The James Webb Space Telescope observes galaxies in the early universe. In one of them, it saw a bright spot – a supernova explosion.

Explosion from the early universe

An international team of astronomers has achieved a first in probing the early universe, using the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), detecting a supernova – the explosive death of a massive star – at an unprecedented cosmic distance.

The explosion, designated SN in GRB 250314A, occurred when the universe was only about 730 million years old, placing it deep in the era of reionization. This remarkable discovery provides a direct look at the final moments of a massive star from a time when the first stars and galaxies were just beginning to form.

Credit: Artwork - NASA, ESA, NSF's NOIRLab, Mark Garlick, Mahdi Zamani

This event, reported in a recently published scientific article, was first noted by a bright burst of high-energy radiation known as a long gamma-ray burst (GRB), detected by the Space-based Multiband Variable Object Monitor (SVOM) on March 14, 2025. Follow-up observations with the European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope (ESO/VLT) confirmed the extreme distance.

The connection between supernovae and gamma-ray bursts

The key finding came from targeted observations with JWST’s Near-Infrared Camera (NIRCAM) approximately 110 days after the burst. Scientists were able to separate the light of the explosion from its faint, underlying host galaxy.

Astronomers now have a new measuring stick to peek into the universe in its early stages. NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope has captured the earliest known supernova on camera, a mind-blowing stellar explosion that lit up the universe some 730 million years ago. At the time, galaxies were still finding their feet, and stars were burning with an unrestrained ferocity. This discovery pushes the timing for such massive events back more than a billion years, providing a better understanding of how the early cosmos formed its first heavy elements.

Co-author and astrophysicist at UCD School of Physics, Dr. Antonio Martin-Carrillo said, “The key observation, or smoking gun, that connects the death of massive stars with gamma-ray bursts is the discovery of a supernova emerging at the same sky location. Almost every supernova ever studied has been relatively nearby to us, with just a handful of exceptions to date. When we confirmed the age of this one, we saw a unique opportunity to probe how the universe was there and what type of stars existed and died back then.”

“Using models based on the population of supernovae associated with GRBs in our local universe, we made some predictions of what the emission should be and used it to propose a new observation with the James Webb Space Telescope. To our surprise, our model worked remarkably well and the observed supernova seems to match really well the death of stars that we see regularly. We were also able to get a glimpse of the galaxy that hosted this dying star.”

Similarities between supernovae from the early universe and modern supernovae

The data indicate that the distant supernova is surprisingly similar in brightness and spectral properties to the prototype GRB-associated supernova, SN 1998bw, which exploded in the local universe.

This similarity suggests that the massive star that collapsed to create GRB 250314A was not significantly different from the progenitors of GRBs observed locally, despite the vastly different physical conditions (such as lower metallicity) in the early universe. The observations also ruled out a much more luminous event, such as a superluminous supernova (SLSN).

The findings challenge the assumption that the stars of the early universe, formed under extremely low-metallicity conditions, would lead to markedly different, perhaps brighter or bluer, stellar explosions than those seen today.

While this discovery provides a powerful anchor point for understanding stellar evolution in the early universe, it also opens new questions about the observed uniformity.

• Provided by: phys.org

• Posted in News, Science

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26-12-2025 om 22:30 geschreven door peter  

The Vera C. Rubin Observatory

The long-anticipated Vera C. Rubin Observatory is poised to fundamentally change how humanity observes the dynamic universe. Equipped with the world’s largest digital camera, the observatory will soon begin the Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST), a decade-long project that will repeatedly image the entire southern sky, capturing everything from exploding stars and near-Earth asteroids to subtle changes in distant galaxies.

Earlier this year, the public got a first look at just how powerful Rubin’s contributions to astronomy will be in the years to come. Beyond its technical achievements, Rubin represents a shift toward time-domain astronomy at an unprecedented scale. Rather than static snapshots of the cosmos, astronomers will receive a continuous, living record of how the universe evolves—opening the door to discoveries no one has yet imagined.

JWST Discoveries Are Pushing the Boundaries on Our Understanding of the Cosmos

Since entering full science operations, the James Webb Space Telescope has continued to redefine what astronomers thought was possible. Webb’s observations have revealed surprisingly mature galaxies in the early universe, detailed atmospheric chemistry on distant exoplanets, and new insights into star formation hidden within dense cosmic dust.

(Image Credit: NASA)

From Milky-Way-like galaxies that technically shouldn’t exist, to planetary curiosities that include an “impossible” atmosphere surrounding a magma-covered world, JWST’s findings have forced scientists to revisit long-standing assumptions about how lingering questions about our universe, including fundamental ideas about how galaxies formed after the Big Bang, and how complex planetary systems can become.

Rather than neatly confirming existing models, Webb has repeatedly challenged them, and if 2025 has been any indication, the years ahead will only continue to further expand our knowledge of the cosmos through the powerful eye of NASA’s premier space observatory.

Planetary Discoveries Are Inching Closer to Finding Earth-like Planets

Exoplanet science continued its steady march toward one of astronomy’s most profound goals: identifying worlds that resemble Earth. Observations combining Webb data with ground-based telescopes have refined measurements of planetary atmospheres, surface temperatures, and potential habitability across dozens of star systems.

While no true Earth twin has yet been confirmed, astronomers are now narrowing the search to rocky planets orbiting within their stars’ habitable zones, and this year brought us the discovery of a rare “Super Earth” in its star’s habitable zone, all within just 20 light years of Earth.

Each incremental discovery in this exciting area of astronomy brings researchers closer to answering whether Earth-like conditions—and possibly life—could indeed be more common in our galaxy than we currently expect.

Hubble Tension Controversy Continues

One of modern cosmology’s most persistent puzzles, known as the “Hubble tension,” remained unresolved this year. Measurements of the universe’s expansion rate derived from early-universe observations continue to conflict with values obtained from nearby galaxies, raising the possibility that something fundamental may be missing from current cosmological models.

Despite increasingly precise data from the Hubble Space Telescope and other observatories, the discrepancy has only grown sharper this year. Whether the solution lies in unknown physics, hidden systematic errors, or a deeper revision of cosmology itself remains one of the most closely watched questions in astrophysics.

The Discovery of 3I/ATLAS

Finally, no serious roundup of astronomy stories from 2025 would be complete without mentioning the enigmatic interstellar visitor 3I/ATLAS. Discovered in July of this year, astronomers confirmed the comet, which is only the third known interstellar object ever observed passing through our solar system.

Gemini South observation of 3I/ATLAS from August, 2025

(Credit: Gemini Observatory Archive).

Like its predecessors, 1I/‘Oumuamua and 2I/Borisov, the comet originated beyond our stellar neighborhood, offering a rare opportunity to study material formed around another star. Although public speculation quickly followed, scientists emphasized that 3I/ATLAS is a natural comet composed of ice, dust, and rock. Its brief passage provided invaluable data about the chemistry and behavior of interstellar objects—glimpses of the raw building blocks that may be common throughout the Milky Way.

• Micah Hanks is the Editor-in-Chief and Co-Founder of The Debrief. A longtime reporter on science, defense, and technology with a focus on space and astronomy, he can be reached at micah@thedebrief.org. Follow him on X @MicahHanks, and at micahhanks.com.

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25-12-2025 om 23:18 geschreven door peter  

Story by Talia Roepel

Mars in outer space

© Eyeem Mobile Gmbh/Getty Images

The Mars Perseverance rover has been investigating the Jezero Crater and came across something that is not native to Mars at all. It is a meteorite that collided with the red planet. Though various rovers have found meteorites on Mars before, this is the first time NASA's Perseverance rover has found one on its journey to look for signs of life on Mars — though it might be worth mentioning that the chance for life on Mars might not be as high as we hoped.

Perseverance has been exploring Mars since it landed in February 2021, and the rover has collected 30 out of an expected 38 samples during its mission.. The fact that it hadn't yet found any meteorites within the crater was puzzling to scientists, so this find is an exciting one.

It is still being confirmed that what Perseverance found is a meteorite, but based on initial imaging and scans, it fits the bill. This is an important discovery, because finding and analyzing meteorites that have crashed on Mars helps us better understand our neighboring planet and the way meteorites behave on it.

Read more: 

• What Happened To NASA's Voyager 1 Probe?

Details on the Perseverance meteorite discovery

NASA rover on Mars

© Triff/Shutterstock

Perseverance has been doing good work the last few years, including taking a stunning panoramic photo of Mars. But as Perseverance was investigating the Jezero Crater, it came upon a rock that stood out from the others. Measured at about 2.5 feet across, it had a unique appearance compared to the rocks that surrounded it. The rock was referred to as Phippsaksla. It was decided this rock needed further analysis to determine what it was.

• Related video: NASA Releases Photos of 'Vegetation' on Mars? (Today In The Space World)

Perseverance used the laser component of its SuperCam to get readings on the composition of the rock. SuperCam showed that Phippsaksla had a high nickel and iron content, which is a trademark of meteorites that come from asteroids. This informed scientists that Phippsaksla was not native to Mars at all, and had traveled there from elsewhere within the solar system. 

Interestingly, Phippsaksla was actually found in September 2025; due to the government shutdown halting many operations, NASA did not make this finding public until November 2025. But this isn't the first time meteorites have been discovered on the red planet. The Curiosity rover found a meteorite called Cacao in 2023 and one called Lebanon in 2014. Other Mars rovers have found more meteorites on their own missions. Now, the Perseverance rover can proudly claim a meteorite finding of its own.

Why meteorites on Mars are important

a meteorite on display

© Chris Jackson/Getty Images

Finding meteorites on Mars helps scientists to further understand the planet and the solar system itself. It is theorized that on Mars, iron-based meteorites can resist erosion, a theory supported by the condition in which these meteorites are found. More samples will only help to determine whether this theory is true or not. 

NASA scientists also study meteorites to learn more about the solar system and where they originated from. For example, meteorites can contain dust from a time before our own solar system was developed. Others contain materials that are billions of years old, assisting scientists in learning about the history of our solar system. 

Not everything found on Mars is as easily identified as meteorites, though. The Perseverance rover itself stumbled across a rock that NASA has not been able to fully understand quite yet. As rovers continue to find interesting discoveries and more meteorites, scientists can use them in ongoing research efforts to try and answer these strange questions. For now, NASA will look into Phippsaksla to confirm that is, indeed, a meteorite, and to see what else can be learned from it. 

Enjoyed this article? Sign up to BGR's free newsletter and add us as a preferred search source for the latest in tech and entertainment, plus tips and advice you'll actually use.

• Read the original article on BGR.

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24-12-2025 om 22:09 geschreven door peter  

Story by Cassian Holt

NASA STRIDE targets next-gen robotic mobility for Mar

Instead of treating mobility as an afterthought, STRIDE puts it at the center of mission design, asking industry to rethink how instruments, samples and even infrastructure are moved across hostile terrain. That shift aligns with NASA’s broader push to prepare for Future Mars missions in the 2030s, where robotic systems will have to operate as partners rather than distant proxies.

STRIDE’s origins inside NASA’s Mars playbook

The STRIDE concept did not appear in a vacuum. For more than a decade, NASA has framed Mars as the next major destination for human exploration, setting a course to send astronauts to an asteroid by 2025 and to Mars in the 2030s as part of its long‑term roadmap for deep space. In that context, Future Mars missions are not just about planting flags, but about building a sustainable presence that can investigate fundamental mysteries of the cosmos while keeping crews alive and productive.

• Related video: Watch How Bits Of Mars Could Get Back To Earth In New NASA/ESA Animation (Space.com)

That ambition has forced NASA to confront a simple reality: human explorers will depend on robotic systems that can pre‑deploy infrastructure, scout landing zones and ferry equipment across rugged landscapes. The agency’s own planning documents describe how NASA is developing the capabilities needed to send humans to an asteroid by 2025 and Mars in the 2030s, and that Future Mars exploration will rely on a mix of human and robotic assets. STRIDE slots into that architecture as a focused effort to make those robotic assets far more capable in how they move and deliver science.

Eric Aguilar order 111211 Group photos in Mars Yard MER DTM, Marie Curie, MSL DTM, Matt and Wes photog: Dutch Slager

From Special Notice to strategy: how STRIDE is being framed

The formal launch of STRIDE inside NASA’s bureaucracy came through a Special Notice issued by NASA Headquarters, a procedural step that signals the agency’s intent to seek ideas from outside partners. In Dec, NASA Headquarters released Special Notice NNH25ZDA001N‑STRIDE, spelling out that the effort would focus on Science Transport and Robotic Innovation for deployment and exploration. That notice effectively put industry and research institutions on alert that NASA was ready to invest in new mobility concepts, not just incremental upgrades to existing rover designs.

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Buried in the procurement language is a clear statement of purpose: STRIDE is meant to advance the way science is moved, deployed and supported on other worlds. The Special Notice explains that NASA Headquarters issued Special Notice NNH25ZDA001N‑STRIDE for Science Transport & Robotic Innovation for deployment and exploration, with responses due in early March 2026. That timeline underscores how quickly NASA wants to move from concept to concrete design studies that can feed into its next wave of Mars and planetary missions.

What STRIDE actually asks industry to build

At the heart of STRIDE is a call for design studies of advanced robotic systems that can transform how science is conducted on planetary surfaces. The STRIDE program is described as a solicitation to U.S. industry for detailed concepts that rethink mobility, deployment and transport, rather than simply bolting new instruments onto familiar rover chassis. That means NASA is looking for ideas that could range from modular cargo haulers and autonomous scouts to systems that can deploy sensor networks or support sample return logistics.

In its own Description of the program, NASA’s Science Mission Directorate makes clear that The STRIDE initiative will solicit proposals from U.S. industry to conduct design studies of advanced robotic systems for Science Transport and Robotic Innovation for Deployment and Exploration. That framing, outlined in an advance notice of intent, signals that NASA is less interested in one‑off gadgets and more focused on families of systems that can be adapted across missions, including those aimed at Mars.

Multiple awards and a diversified mobility portfolio

NASA’s decision to structure STRIDE around multiple awards is a quiet but important signal about how it views the future of robotic mobility. Instead of betting on a single flagship concept, the agency anticipates selecting several winners, each exploring different approaches to transport and deployment. That diversification is a hedge against technical risk, but it is also a recognition that Mars and other destinations will likely require a mix of platforms, from heavy haulers to nimble scouts.

Procurement language tied to STRIDE notes that, based on the fact that NASA anticipates selecting multiple awards, the program aims to develop advanced robotic systems through a competitive process. One summary of the opportunity explains that, in Dec, NASA indicated that, However, based on the fact that NASA anticipates selecting multiple awards, the program aims to develop advanced robotic systems through U.S. industry under the direction of U.S. NASA Headquarters. That detail, captured in a bid overview, suggests STRIDE is being used to seed a portfolio of mobility options that can be matched to different mission profiles rather than a single, monolithic rover line.

How STRIDE fits NASA’s long‑term robotic Mars strategy

STRIDE is arriving just as NASA is rethinking how it buys and operates robotic missions to Mars. In its long‑term strategy for robotic Mars exploration, the agency has acknowledged that a simple fee‑for‑service model, where NASA pays only when services are delivered, is probably not a totally workable approach for the kind of complex, high‑risk missions Mars science demands. Instead, planners have argued for a more nuanced mix of partnerships, with NASA sharing development risk while still shaping the capabilities it needs.

That strategic pivot is directly relevant to STRIDE, which is structured as a design‑study program rather than a pure services contract. By funding early‑stage concepts, NASA can steer industry toward mobility systems that align with its science and exploration goals, while still leveraging commercial innovation. The agency’s own long‑range planning documents for Mars note that a simple fee‑for‑service model is probably not a totally workable approach for the level of support Mars science needs, which is precisely the gap STRIDE is designed to fill by shaping the next generation of robotic mobility before it is locked into fixed service contracts.

Why mobility is the bottleneck for Future Mars science

For all the spectacular images and discoveries delivered by past rovers, mobility has remained a stubborn bottleneck on Mars. Wheeled platforms like Curiosity and Perseverance can only traverse limited distances each day, must avoid steep slopes and loose sand, and cannot easily reposition heavy infrastructure once it is deployed. As NASA looks ahead to Future Mars missions that will support human crews, those constraints become even more severe, because crews will depend on pre‑positioned supplies, power systems and habitats that may need to be moved or serviced over time.

STRIDE’s focus on Science Transport is a direct response to that challenge. By treating transport as a primary mission objective, rather than a secondary capability, the program encourages designs that can carry larger payloads, operate in more varied terrain and work in concert with other systems. That could mean robotic “mules” that shuttle cargo between a landing site and a habitat, or autonomous platforms that deploy and maintain sensor networks across a wide area. In each case, the goal is to unlock more ambitious science and exploration by removing mobility as the limiting factor.

From design studies to hardware on the Martian ground

Design studies are only the first step, but they are a critical one. By funding detailed concepts through STRIDE, NASA can identify which mobility architectures are most promising for Mars and other destinations, then feed those findings into future mission calls. The agency’s standard pattern is to use such studies to refine requirements, understand cost and risk, and decide which technologies merit full development. For Mars, that could translate into new classes of robotic vehicles that are explicitly designed to work alongside human crews, rather than as stand‑alone science missions.

The timeline embedded in the STRIDE Special Notice, with responses due in early March 2026, suggests NASA wants those insights in hand as it finalizes the next wave of Mars and planetary mission concepts. If the program succeeds, the designs that emerge from STRIDE could inform everything from cargo landers and surface logistics to sample transport systems that bridge the gap between robotic collection and human analysis. In that sense, STRIDE is less a one‑off program than a feeder pipeline for the mobility infrastructure that Future Mars exploration will require.

What success would look like for STRIDE on Mars

Measuring the success of a design‑study program is always tricky, but for STRIDE the metrics are relatively clear. In the near term, success would mean a diverse set of credible concepts that expand NASA’s options for how to move science and infrastructure on Mars. Those concepts would need to demonstrate not just technical feasibility, but also how they integrate with existing mission architectures, from launch vehicles and entry systems to surface power and communications.

Over the longer term, the real test will be whether STRIDE‑inspired systems actually fly and operate on Mars, changing how missions are planned and executed. If, a decade from now, human crews on the Red Planet are relying on fleets of robotic haulers, scouts and deployment platforms that trace their lineage back to STRIDE design studies, the program will have achieved its purpose. It will have turned a bureaucratic Special Notice into tangible, next‑generation mobility that makes Mars a more accessible, scientifically rich and ultimately habitable world for human explorers.

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24-12-2025 om 21:41 geschreven door peter  

Earth's North Pole is moving... and could have huge consequences for your holiday travel

• MORE:  Travel nightmare as US airspace hits maximum capacity, triggering widespread flight delays

By SCOTT BRAME, CLEMSON UNIVERSITY and CHRIS MELORE, US ASSISTANT SCIENCE EDITOR

An expert on the inner workings of the Earth has revealed that the planet actually has two North Poles, and the movement of one of them could quietly disrupt global travel. 

Scott Brame of Clemson University explained that the shifting 'magnetic North Pole' changes the direction a compass points, so without regular updates to navigation systems, everyday tools like smartphone maps could give wrong directions. 

If the pole shifts faster than expected and models aren't updated in time, this could lead to bigger errors in phone or car GPS apps, potentially causing people to get lost, take longer routes, or even face safety risks in remote areas. 

Brame is a research professor who has studied geology and underground water sources hidden under the Earth's surface, also known as hydrogeology.

Although the world has a point that's called 'true north,' which sits at the top of the Earth's axis, Brame said there's also a 'magnetic north' which has been shifting across northern Canada for centuries.

Since the 1990s, however, that movement has accelerated dramatically, increasing from roughly six to nine miles per year to about 34 miles per year, according to scientists. 

A 2020 study in the journal Nature Geoscience has explained that this acceleration was mainly caused by changes in the flow of molten iron in Earth's outer core that alter the planet's magnetic field, but the exact trigger is still unclear. 

So, when Santa is done delivering presents on Christmas Eve, he could use a compass, but then he has a challenge: He has to be able to find the right North Pole, since the one on a map and the one a compass relies on aren’t the same.

The magnetic North Pole has wandered since the late 1500s, picking up speed in the recent century

Earth's magnetic North Pole has been in constant motion for centuries, but the speed accelerated dramatically in the 1990s (Stock Image)

The two North Poles

The geographic North Pole, also called true north, is the point at one end of the Earth’s axis of rotation.

Try taking a tennis ball in your right hand, putting your thumb on the bottom and your middle finger on the top, and rotating the ball with the fingers of your left hand. The place where the thumb and middle finger of your right hand contact the tennis ball as it spins define the axis of rotation. The axis extends from the south pole to the north pole as it passes through the center of the ball.

Earth’s magnetic North Pole is different.

Over 1,000 years ago, explorers began using compasses, typically made with a floating cork or piece of wood with a magnetized needle in it, to find their way. The Earth has a magnetic field that acts like a giant magnet, and the compass needle aligns with it.

The magnetic North Pole is used by devices such as smartphones for navigation – and that pole moves around over time.

Why the magnetic north pole moves around

The movement of the magnetic North Pole is the result of the Earth having an active core. The inner core, starting about 3,200 miles below your feet, is solid and under such immense pressure that it cannot melt. But the outer core is molten, consisting of melted iron and nickel.

Heat from the inner core makes the molten iron and nickel in the outer core move around, much like soup in a pot on a hot stove. The movement of the iron-rich liquid induces a magnetic field that covers the entire Earth.

As the molten iron in the outer core moves around, the magnetic North Pole wanders.

Although the world has a point that's called 'true north,' which sits at the top of the Earth's axis, the 'magnetic North Pole' continues to shift across Canada, moving at 34mph

Santa Claus is believed to live at the North Pole, but a researcher has revealed that there's actually two North Poles on Earth (Stock Image)

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EFor most of the past 600 years, the pole has been wandering around over northern Canada. It was moving relatively slowly, around six to nine miles per year, until around 1990, when its speed increased dramatically, up to 34 miles per year.

It started moving in the general direction of the geographic North Pole about a century ago. Earth scientists cannot say exactly why other than that it reflects a change in flow within the outer core.

Getting Santa home

So, if Santa’s home is the geographic North Pole - which, incidentally, is in the ice-covered middle of the Arctic Ocean - how does he correct his compass bearing if the two North Poles are in different locations?

No matter what device he might be using - compass or smartphone - both rely on magnetic north as a reference to determine the direction he needs to move.

While modern GPS systems can tell you precisely where you are as you make your way to grandma’s house, they cannot accurately tell which direction to go without your device knowing the direction of magnetic north. 

If Santa is using an old-fashioned compass, he’ll need to adjust it for the difference between true north and magnetic north. To do that, he needs to know the declination at his location - the angle between true north and magnetic north - and make the correction to his compass. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has an online calculator that can help.

If you are using a smartphone, your phone has a built-in magnetometer that does the work for you. It measures the Earth’s magnetic field at your location and then uses the World Magnetic Model to correct for precise navigation.

Whatever method Santa uses, he may be relying on magnetic north to find his way to your house and back home again. Or maybe the reindeer just know the way.

This article is adapted from The Conversation, a nonprofit news organization dedicated to sharing the knowledge of experts. It was written by Scott Brame, a research assistant professor of Earth Science at Clemson University.

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23-12-2025 om 22:55 geschreven door peter