Latest Articles - Page: 10
Has a satellite ever been hit by a meteor?
The question of whether satellites have been struck by natural space rocks—meteoroids—is one that often surfaces when we...
Do zodiac constellations lie along the ecliptic?
The apparent path the Sun traces across the celestial sphere over the course of a year is precisely what astronomers def...
Why does Io display more geological activity than Jupiter's other moons?
The innermost of Jupiter’s four massive Galilean moons, Io, is in a state of perpetual, violent turmoil, unlike its more...
Is the North Star stationery?
The star we call the North Star, formally known as **Polaris**, is often assumed to be fixed in the night sky, an unmovi...
How the star will become a red giant after the main sequence phase?
The transformation of a star from its stable main sequence existence into a swollen, luminous red giant marks one of the...
Are there any meteorites from Mercury?
Pieces of the solar system rain down on Earth constantly, but most fragments that survive the fiery descent and land in ...
Were any bodies recovered from the Challenger disaster?
The breakup of the Space Shuttle *Challenger* on January 28, 1986, resulted in the tragic loss of all seven crew members...
Do SpaceX rockets have self-destruct?
The concept of a self-destruct mechanism on a rocket, often framed dramatically in science fiction, translates in the re...
What is the most geologically active of Jupiter's moons?
Jupiter's collection of natural satellites is fascinating, featuring a diverse group of worlds ranging from icy shells t...
How many galaxies are there in the cosmos universe?
Trying to pin down the exact number of galaxies scattered across the cosmos is one of astronomy’s most humbling exercise...
What are the evidence of ancient shoreline on Mars?
The crimson dust that defines modern Mars belies a far more dynamic and wet past. For decades, scientists have debated t...
Who was the first to see the dark side of the moon?
The familiar, cratered face of the Moon that hangs in our night sky is only half the story. For millennia, the other hem...
Did they recover the bodies from Columbia?
The breakup of Space Shuttle *Columbia* upon re-entry on February 1, 2003, initiated one of the most extensive and sombe...
What is the evidence of the ocean on Mars?
The revelation that Mars harbors vast quantities of water today—though not in the surface rivers and seas we might easil...
What happened to the bodies of Columbia's crew?
The question of what became of the seven brave men and women aboard Space Shuttle *Columbia* when it broke apart during ...
What is the oldest evidence of water on Mars?
The question of when liquid water flowed freely on Mars has long fascinated planetary scientists, but recent findings ha...
How often do Starlink satellites fall to Earth?
The frequency with which SpaceX's Starlink satellites descend from orbit and burn up in the Earth's atmosphere is a topi...
Why do astronomers use AU instead of km?
Vast Distances Trying to describe the scale of space using everyday units like kilometers or miles quickly becomes an e...
Can life exist in globular clusters?
The ancient, tightly packed gatherings of stars known as globular clusters present one of the universe's most fascinatin...
Why is it highly unlikely that any of the stars in a globular cluster would have planets?
The very idea of a star system existing within a dense globular cluster often feels counterintuitive, given our familiar...
What is the mass of one star?
Stellar mass is the single most important characteristic defining a star’s life, dictating its temperature, its luminosi...
What is the best explanation for the close-in orbits of hot Jupiters?
The discovery of exoplanets radically reshaped our understanding of planetary systems, but few findings were as surprisi...
Is a nebula high or low-mass?
The question of whether a nebula is high or low mass finds its answer in a simple astronomical reality: the term "nebula...
Why don't meteors hit satellites?
It is easy to imagine a satellite, hanging silently in the black vacuum above, suddenly being vaporized by a stray rock ...