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Smile mission set for May 19 launch to map Earth's response to solar wind
1 month ago•Source: European Space Agency
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5.49 min•1 month ago
Hubble celebrates 36 years with a refreshed look at the Trifid Nebula
On its 36th anniversary, the Hubble Space Telescope revisits the Trifid Nebula (Messier 20), a roughly 5,000-light-year-old star-forming region, with a newer wide-field camera to reveal changes on human timescales and features like protostellar jets and ultraviolet winds sculpting the gas—underscoring Hubble’s ongoing legacy of discovery and collaboration with Webb.
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Two Decades of Exploration in Antarctica
European Space Agency•5 months ago
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Stunning New Mars Images Reveal Surprising Details and True Colors
European Space Agency•5 months ago
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Celebrating Three Decades of SOHO's Solar Observations
The ESA/NASA Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) has celebrated 30 years of continuous solar observation, overcoming challenges and revolutionizing solar science, space weather monitoring, and comet discovery, while inspiring future missions and international collaboration.
Scientists Detect First Explosive Burst from Nearby Star
Astronomers have confirmed the first observation of a coronal mass ejection (CME) from a star other than the Sun, using ESA's XMM-Newton and LOFAR telescopes. The CME, originating from a red dwarf star 130 light-years away, was extremely fast and dense, capable of stripping away planetary atmospheres, which has significant implications for the habitability of planets orbiting active stars.
Legacy of a Martian Ice Age
New images from ESA's Mars Express reveal signs of an ancient ice age on Mars, including glacial flow patterns and features like Coloe Fossae, indicating that the planet experienced significant climate changes and ice coverage during its history, even at mid-latitudes.
Gravity-Defying Condensation
A European experiment on the ISS studies how condensation behaves in microgravity using fin-shaped metal surfaces to improve understanding of heat transfer, with potential applications in space technology and Earth-based cooling systems.
PLATO Spacecraft Ready for Final Tests After Arrival at ESTEC
The European Space Agency's Plato spacecraft has completed its construction, including mounting its sunshield and solar panels, and is now preparing for final tests before a planned December 2026 launch to search for Earth-like exoplanets.
Martian Dust Devils Unveil Faster Winds and Turbulent Surface Conditions
Scientists analyzed 20 years of images from ESA's Mars Express and ExoMars TGO to track 1039 dust devils on Mars, revealing that wind speeds are faster than previously thought and providing new insights into the planet's weather and climate, which will aid future missions and climate models.
Organic compounds found in Enceladus's ocean boost potential for life
Scientists analyzing data from the Cassini spacecraft have discovered complex organic molecules in the fresh ice grains ejected from Saturn's moon Enceladus, indicating active chemical reactions in its subsurface ocean that could support life, prompting plans for a dedicated ESA mission to explore the moon further.
Gaia Detects Massive Wave Rippling Through the Milky Way
Gaia telescope data reveals a giant wave rippling through the Milky Way's outer disc, caused by large-scale vertical motions of stars, possibly due to past galactic interactions, offering new insights into our galaxy's dynamic structure.
XRISM reveals unexpected speeds in cosmic wind from X-ray binary
The XRISM mission has discovered that the winds from a neutron star system are unexpectedly dense and slower than those from supermassive black holes, challenging current understanding of how such winds form and influence their environments. The findings suggest that differences in accretion disc temperature and size may explain the variations, providing new insights into cosmic feedback mechanisms and galaxy evolution.
Exploring Gaia's 3D Map of Stellar Nurseries
Scientists have created the most accurate 3D map of star-forming regions in the Milky Way using data from the Gaia space telescope, revealing detailed structures of stellar nurseries up to 4000 light-years away and providing new insights into how massive stars influence their surrounding interstellar medium.