Located in the Large Magellanic Cloud, WOH G64 is a red supergiant and one of the most luminous, dust-enshrouded stars in its galaxy. In recent years, its unusual dimming and changing spectral features led some astronomers to suggest it was shifting into a yellow hypergiant phase, a rare and unstable stage that can precede a
In a groundbreaking effort to study the Sun up close, NASA’s Parker Solar Probe has captured unprecedented data on the source of the solar wind. A research team led by the University of Arizona has now used these findings to reveal how this hot plasma behaves near the star’s surface. Published in Geophysical Research Letters,
We were talking on the podcast about rope. But not just any rope – especially non-stretchy rope for using in a mechanical context. The hack in question was a bicycle wheel that swapped out normal metal spokes for lighter and stronger high-density polypropylene weave, and if you can tension up a bike wheel and ride
You can forget your swifts, your peregrine falcons, and your grey-headed albatrosses. They may be fast, but when it comes to level flight, it’s not a bird, but a mammal that holds the record. Brazilian free-tailed bats (Tadarida brasiliensis) are nimble, sleight mammals, that weigh about the same as a walnut. They are known for their enormous
Two incredibly rare supernovas that erupted billions of years ago provide a unique opportunity to explain cosmology’s biggest mystery — How fast is the universe expanding? But there’s a twist: Even though astronomers have already observed these exploding stars, we will have to wait up to 60 years for their light to reach us again.
Scientists in Japan have discovered a previously unknown giant virus, offering new insight into this enigmatic category of viruses – and possibly also into the origins of multicellular life. The virus was found infecting an amoeba in a freshwater pond near Tokyo, the researchers report. They named it “ushikuvirus” after the pond, Ushiku-numa, located in
Refresh 2026-01-31T16:48:13.998Z Artemis 2 fueling test to begin preps tonight (Image credit: Space.com / Josh Dinner) Good morning, Space Fans! Today is Saturday, Jan. 31 and tonight NASA is gearing up to to begin its first fueling test for the the Artemis 2 Space Launch System moon rocket for a so-called “wet dress rehearsal.” That’s
Look to the sky this weekend for a chance to see February’s wintry full moon, which comes as four astronauts prepare to make a historic journey around the silvery orb. The full moon will peak at 5:09 p.m. ET Sunday, occurring near sunset and appearing fullest while low in the eastern sky, according to EarthSky.
The Webb space telescope has allowed us to peer farther back into the universe than ever before, providing a rare glimpse of the cosmos a mere 280 million years after its very existence began. Using Webb’s Near-Infrared Spectrograph, scientists have confirmed a new cosmic record of the most distant galaxy ever observed. Galaxy MoM-z14 existed
The Milky Way — and in fact our entire galactic neighborhood known as the Local Group — appear to be lodged in a vast, extended “sheet” of dark matter flanked on each side by cosmic voids, new research suggests. The findings, described in a new study published in Nature Astronomy, could help explain the puzzling