Content for Space

Space

Outer space, or simply space, is the expanse that exists beyond the Earth and between celestial bodies. Outer space is not completely empty—it is a hard vacuum containing a low density of particles, predominantly a plasma of hydrogen and helium, as well as electromagnetic radiation, magnetic fields, neutrinos, dust, and cosmic rays. The baseline temperature of outer space, as set by the background radiation from the Big Bang, is 2.7 kelvins (−270.45 °C; −454.81 °F).

NASA Data Reveals Possible Reason Some Exoplanets Are Shrinking

“A new study could explain the ‘missing’ exoplanets between super-Earths and sub-Neptunes. Some exoplanets seem to be losing their atmospheres and shrinking. In a new study using NASA’s retired Kepler Space Telescope, astronomers find evidence of a possible cause …

NASA’s 6-Pack of Mini-Satellites Ready for Their Moment in the Sun

“The satellites are part of the agency’s SunRISE mission, which will study the physics behind explosions that the Sun generates. Most NASA missions feature one spacecraft or, occasionally, a few. The agency’s Sun Radio Interferometer Space Experiment (SunRISE …

Webb Study Reveals Rocky Planets Can Form in Extreme Environments

“An international team of astronomers has used NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope to provide the first observation of water and other molecules in the highly irradiated inner, rocky-planet-forming regions of a disk in one of the most extreme environments …

NASA’s Voyager Team Focuses on Software Patch, Thrusters

“The efforts should help extend the lifetimes of the agency’s interstellar explorers. Engineers for NASA’s Voyager mission are taking steps to help make sure both spacecraft, launched in 1977, continue to explore interstellar space for years to come …

Chinese satellite company tests data transfer to ground station mounted on vehicle

“Jilin-based Chang Guang Satellite Technology has tested a transportable ground station in its latest space-to-ground ultra-high-speed laser communications trial in what it deems an important step towards the technology’s commercial application. CGST, which operates the world’s largest imaging …

New Map of Space Precisely Measures Nearly 400,000 Nearby Galaxies

“The Siena Galaxy Atlas will be an invaluable tool for research into how galaxies form and evolve, gravitational waves, dark matter, and the structure of our universe. Mapping the night sky is essential for understanding our universe. Both researchers and …

Webb Detects Tiny Quartz Crystals in Clouds of Hot Gas Giant

“The finding tells scientists about the variety of materials that shape planetary environments, based on data from the MIRI instrument, which JPL managed through launch. Researchers using NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope have detected evidence for quartz nanocrystals in …

NASA’s Webb Captures an Ethereal View of NGC 346

“The star-forming region is festooned with colorful filaments of dust captured by Webb’s MIRI instrument, which was managed through launch by JPL. One of the greatest strengths of NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope is its ability to give …

NASA Sets Coverage for Psyche Spacecraft Launch to Metal World

“The spacecraft will explore a metal-rich asteroid, also named Psyche, to learn how Earth and other rocky planets formed. NASA will provide coverage of the upcoming prelaunch and launch activities for its Psyche mission to a metal-rich asteroid. Launch is …

SpaceX launches 22 Starlink satellites on its 70th mission of the year

“SpaceX launched 22 more of its Starlink internet satellites to orbit early this morning (Oct. 5), on the company’s 70th orbital mission of the year. The Starlink spacecraft lifted off atop a Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral Space …