space-and-spaceflight16.64 min read
Sun's 19-Day Radio Burst Traced to Helmet Streamer, NASA Study Finds
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Ancient Lake Agassiz Leaves Fertile Footprint on Canadian Farmland
NASA's Earth Observatory explains that the ancient glacial Lake Agassiz deposited nutrient-rich sediments along the southern shore of Lake Winnipeg, creating the fertile farmland that persists today, shaped by the Dominion Land Survey grid; an April 2026 ISS photo shows snow-covered fields and crops like wheat, barley, oats, and canola in southeastern Manitoba.
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Antarctic ice captures stardust from ancient supernovas, revealing our solar system’s past
Scientists analyzed 40,000–80,000-year-old Antarctic ice and found iron-60, a radioactive byproduct of ancient supernovas, embedded in stardust likely carried through the Local Interstellar Cloud before reaching Earth. The results suggest interstellar dust from stellar explosions can penetrate the solar system, linking our solar neighborhood’s history to past supernovae and offering clues about how interstellar material interacts with our planet.
APOE2 Lets Neurons Fight DNA Damage, Slowing Brain Aging
Buck Institute researchers show that APOE2 helps neurons repair DNA and resist aging by reducing DNA damage and cellular senescence; studies in human iPSC-derived neurons and aged mice reveal APOE2–driven DNA repair activation and better nuclear integrity, offering a potential mechanism for APOE2's lower Alzheimer’s risk and longer lifespan and suggesting therapies that boost DNA repair for APOE4 carriers.
Vega C Delivers EU–China SMILE Space Weather Satellite Into Orbit
A European-Chinese space weather mission SMILE (Solar wind Magnetosphere Ionosphere Link Explorer) launched on May 18 atop a Vega C rocket from Kourou, deploying into a 707 km circular orbit about 56 minutes after liftoff. Over the next ~25 days SMILE will perform 11 engine burns to place the spacecraft into a highly elliptical orbit up to roughly 121,000 km above the North Pole and 5,000 km above the South Pole. SMILE’s four instruments (UVI, LIA, MAG on the platform and SXI on the payload) will study how the solar wind affects Earth’s magnetosphere to improve understanding of solar storms and space weather. The Chinese Academy of Sciences leads the satellite platform and three instruments, while ESA provides the payload module and will assist with orbit operations. The mission is planned for three years. Vega C, ESA’s 115-foot-tall rocket debuting in 2022, now has seven flights; Avio operates this first Vega C mission.
Venera 13 Survived Venus's Inferno for 127 Minutes, Returning Basaltic Panoramas
In March 1982, the Soviet Venera 13 lander survived 127 minutes on Venus—nearly four times its 32-minute design life—enduring 457°C heat and 89 atm pressure to return two color panoramas of flat basaltic rock under an orange sky and gather surface and atmospheric data; this long-lived surface mission remains one of humanity’s clearest records of Venus, and no surface mission has succeeded since Vega 1985.
Ancient tooth proteins reveal Homo erectus left a genetic fingerprint in today’s humans
Proteomic analysis of 400,000-year-old Homo erectus teeth uncovers a unique amino‑acid variant shared with Denisovans and present in modern SE Asian and Oceanian populations (about 21% in the Philippines, ~1% in India), suggesting interbreeding and a mosaic ancestry rather than a single lineage. The study highlights how paleoproteomics can reveal genetic connections from old hominin lineages and points to a broader pattern of admixture among ancient humans.
Starship Flight 12: Upgraded Hardware Heads for High-Stakes May 19 Test
SpaceX is set to launch Starship Flight 12 from Starbase, Texas, featuring redesigned Starship upper stage and Super Heavy booster. The launch window opens at 6:30 p.m. EDT on Tuesday, May 19, with live streams on SpaceX.com, YouTube and X. The mission will test the new hardware, including a 33-engine Raptor burn, and, unlike some past flights, the booster will perform an offshore landing in the Gulf of Mexico rather than returning to the launch site. In space, the Starship upper stage is expected to deploy 22 Starlink simulators and conduct heat-shield experiments, with some tiles painted white to aid visual inspections. This test advances SpaceX’s Artemis program goals, as NASA plans Artemis 3 to rendezvous with a lunar lander in the future. Weather and technical checks may still cause delays.
Manhattanhenge 2026: Four Sunset Alignments Across NYC's Grid
Manhattanhenge 2026 offers four opportunities to see the sunset align with Manhattan's cross streets: May 28 (half sun, 8:14 p.m. EDT), May 29 (full sun, 8:13 p.m. EDT), July 11 (full sun, 8:20 p.m. EDT), and July 12 (half sun, 8:21 p.m. EDT). Best viewing spots are the east–west cross streets at 14th, 23rd, 34th, 42nd and 57th Streets looking west toward New Jersey, with the Empire State Building and Chrysler Building providing striking backdrops. The effect arises from Manhattan’s 1811 grid tilted about 30 degrees east of true north, so the alignments occur in late May and early July. A separate morning Manhattanhenge occurs around December 9–10 and January 1, though visibility is more hindered by buildings and colder air. Arrive about 30 minutes early to secure a good view.
JWST discovers surprisingly mature galaxies early, fueling debate on cosmic age
NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope has detected bright, massive galaxies at redshifts around 11–14 (within ~300 million years after the Big Bang) that contain heavy elements like oxygen, challenging standard galaxy-formation timelines. A minority peer‑reviewed paper even suggests a universe age of 26.7 billion years by combining ideas like tired light and time‑varying constants, but the mainstream view remains ~13.8 billion years; the JWST findings continue to test and possibly reshape our cosmological models.
SpaceX Preps Starship V3 for May 21 Flight 12 Megarocket Test
SpaceX plans to launch the Starship Flight 12 test of the V3 design from Starbase on May 21 within a 90‑minute window opening at 6:30 p.m. EDT. Flight 12 will be the first Starship V3 test from Pad 2 and features a redesigned booster that will water‑land off the Gulf of Mexico, while the Ship upper stage conducts a long suborbital flight and deploys 22 dummy Starlink satellites before reentry. The mission is expected to last a little over an hour, with a backup launch date possible on May 22 if weather or technical issues delay the start.
Live Flyby: House-Sized Asteroid 2026 JH2 Skims Past Earth
Asteroid 2026 JH2, roughly 14–30 meters across, will pass within about 57,000 miles (92,000 km) of Earth today—closer than a quarter of the Moon’s distance. It poses no threat, but scientists will use the Virtual Telescope Project 2.0 livestream to study its orbit and physical properties as it whizzes by, with closest approach around 5:58 p.m. ET. The rock completes an orbit around the Sun every 3.76 years; the next close pass won’t occur until 2090.