Latest Articles - Page: 2
What happens to a star when it stops fusing iron?
The moment a massive star ceases to fuse iron in its core is not a gradual dimming, but the immediate prelude to cosmic ...
What is the rock thing in space?
When we talk about a "rock thing in space," we are usually referring to any small celestial body orbiting the Sun that i...
What is a rock that falls from space?
The object that completes its fiery voyage from the vacuum of space to the surface of our planet has several names depen...
Why don't we use ion thrusters?
The idea of an ion thruster seems, on the surface, like a nearly perfect solution for space travel. These devices operat...
What are the gases in a nebula?
The cosmic canvas, often called a nebula, is far from empty space; it is an immense, diffuse cloud of gas and cosmic dus...
What watch do NASA astronauts wear today?
The question of what adorns the wrists of modern space explorers is often tied to nostalgia for the Omega Speedmaster, t...
What was the worst NASA disaster?
The history of human spaceflight, while marked by incredible achievements, is perpetually shadowed by the inherent dange...
What do stellar cycles mean?
The progression of a star through its lifespan, often referred to as its stellar cycle or evolutionary path, describes t...
What are the two most abundant gases in a nebula?
The vast, luminous clouds scattered across the night sky that we call nebulae are fundamental components of our galaxy, ...
What force causes the nebula to contract?
The vast, luminous clouds scattered across the cosmos, known as nebulae, represent the stellar nurseries of the universe...
What did they find on the far side of the Moon?
The other side of the Moon, perpetually turned away from Earth, has long been a zone of mystery, scarred by a vastly dif...
Are red stars dead?
Staring up at the night sky, it is easy to accept the pinpricks of light as eternal fixtures. Yet, every star we observe...
What is that bright light in the sky after sunset?
That persistent, brilliant point of light low in the western sky shortly after the sun dips below the horizon is a commo...
Are O-type stars the hottest?
The short answer to whether O-type stars are the hottest is an emphatic yes. Within the primary sequence of stellar clas...
What causes blue meteors?
The fleeting streak we call a meteor, or shooting star, paints the night sky with light, and the color of that light is ...
How did we figure out where the center of the Milky Way is?
The challenge of pinpointing the precise location of the Milky Way's center seems almost paradoxical. We are inside the ...
Is astronomy a hard or soft science?
The designation of a scientific field as either "hard" or "soft" often sparks more debate among academics and the public...
Are all galaxies moving apart?
The simple answer to whether all galaxies are moving apart is a definitive no, although the vast majority are receding f...
Who is the biggest contractor for NASA?
The question of who holds the title of NASA’s largest contractor isn't answered with a single, static name; it depends e...
What is the bright star in the west after sunset?
That brilliant pinpoint of light dominating the western horizon shortly after the Sun dips below the edge of the world i...
What is the bright star by Orion?
The constellation Orion stands out in the night sky, instantly recognizable even to novice stargazers, largely because o...
What is the brightest object in the sky after the Sun?
The most brilliant beacon in our night sky, shining steadfastly once the Sun has dipped below the horizon or before it m...
Where is Christine Mcauliffe buried?
Christa McAuliffe held a unique place in American history, selected from thousands of applicants to become the first civ...
What are the requirements to live on Mars?
The initial hurdle for settling Mars is confronting a world intrinsically hostile to human biology. We cannot simply ste...