Mark Draper
3,931 Added | 5 Magazines | 26 Following | 42,275 Followers | @drapermk | Based in Copenhagen, Denmark.
There might be a fast radio burst every second
Fast radio bursts (FRBs) are one of the hottest topics in astronomy right now. These short but extremely powerful bursts last only milliseconds, but …
AstronomyNew Space Telescope, 40 Times The Power Of Hubble, To Unlock Astronomy's Future
Since humanity first turned our gaze skyward, we’ve realized that the cosmic story of our existence — our origins, all that exists today, and what our ultimate fate is — is literally written across the Universe. Our understanding of what our Universe truly is, what it’s made up of, and how it came …
UniverseAstronomers Have Spotted a Strange Hybrid Asteroid in Our Solar System
Like nothing we've seen before.<p>The Hubble space telescope has seen a lot of weird things that defy easy definition. Here's one more for the list – a …
AstronomySun on the sky’s equator
Another great explanation of Friday’s equinox – plus beautiful graphics – from astronomer Guy Ottewell.<p>The equinox will strike, like a bell, on …
AstronomyMore evidence of water on Mars
Planetary researchers say a large sedimentary basin, named Aeolis Dorsa, contains some of the planet’s most spectacular and densely packed river …
Planets2 Monster Black Holes Spotted at Galaxy's Heart
Not one but two gigantic black holes lurk at the heart of the distant spiral galaxy NGC 7674, a new study suggests.<p>These two supermassive black holes …
AstrophysicsAre We About To See A Black Hole?
If there is one thing science is good for, it's going to extremes.<p>A lot of science's history is just one story after another of people figuring out how to do something that, just a few years before, was thought to be impossible.<p>The impossible was heavy on my mind last Wednesday as I found out just …
AstrophysicsThe Media Has A Probability Problem
The media’s demand for certainty — and its lack of statistical rigor — is a bad match for our complex world.<p><i>This is the 11th and final article in a</i></i> …
ElectionsIs our galaxy normal?
Our home galaxy, the Milky Way, has been a jumping-off point to our understanding of galaxies throughout the universe. And though our picture of that …
UniverseAstronomers just discovered the smallest star ever
A team of astronomers at the University of Cambridge was on the lookout for new exoplanets when they came across an exciting accidental discovery: …
AstronomyExploring the solar system graveyard
Where spacecraft go to die<p>Research: Giorgia Guglielmi<p>14 September 2017<p>On 15 September, NASA's Cassini spacecraft will conclude a nearly 20-year-long …
Space ExplorationThe plan to send 50 small spacecraft to tour 300 asteroids
Asteroids have a lot to teach us about the early days of the Solar System, but their nomadic nature makes them hard to study. To observe a wide range …
Space ExplorationNASA is about to sling a spacecraft onto an asteroid
When it comes to studying samples of otherworldly material, scientists on Earth are in a bit of a bind. We’ve brought rocks back from the moon and …
Space ExplorationScorching hot Mercury looks icier than previously thought
With blistering daytime temperatures of up to 800° F (427° C), Mercury isn't the first planet in the solar system you'd think to look for ice. But …
PlanetsA Peek at the Glowing Red Shell Around an Aging Star
The latest picture of a distant star shows more detail than ever before.<p>About 2,700 years ago, a distant star in our galaxy expelled a bunch of material at high speed, creating a thin shell around itself. Now, thanks to powerful telescopes, astronomers can take a picture of it.<p>U Antliae, one of the …
AstronomyDoes self-interacting dark matter explain galactic diversity?
Simulation predicts rotation curves of 30 galaxies
Dark MatterNew Map of Water in Moon Dust - Sky & Telescope
<b>A new analysis maps out water across the lunar surface, revealing how its abundance changes with latitude.</b><p>Water is the most abundant chemical …
AstronomyEarth dodges a cosmic bullet -- for now
<b>(CNN) —</b> Mother Nature has had a hectic past couple of weeks of hurricanes, an earthquake, wildfires and flooding. But while our attention has been turned to these humanitarian crises, Earth ducked a cosmic bullet the likes of which could have crippled human technological civilization.<p>Over the last …
Large Hadron ColliderInsight Astronomy Photographer of the Year 2017 winners – in pictures
Awe-inspiring views of the universe were celebrated at the Insight Astronomy Photographer of the Year 2017 awards ceremony, held at the Royal Greenwich Observatory
AstronomyProof Of 'God Playing Dice With The Universe' Found In The Sun's Interior
Deep inside the Sun’s interior, the fusion of lighter nuclei into heavier ones causes a tiny amount of mass to be lost, converted into energy via the famous <i>E = mc2</i>. At temperatures of 4,000,000 K or above, all the way up to 15,000,000 K in the Sun’s very center, hydrogen and helium isotopes build …
PhysicsCassini Took One Last Look at a Mysterious Glitch in Saturn's Rings Before It Died
Peggy is something along the edge of Saturn’s ring, a glitch whose source we’ve never seen. Cassini took a last peek at Peggy during its Grand Finale …
AstronomyThree Planets Will Slide Behind the Moon in an Occultation
At the start of this week, the moon will play a game of planetary peek-a-boo as it momentarily blocks Venus, then Mars and then Mercury in the sky. Although it will be difficult to see this disappearing act in much of the world, it’s a vivid reminder of the cosmic clockwork at play in our solar …
PlanetsAn Atmosphere of Heavy Metals
<i>Researchers have found strong evidence of titanium oxide in the atmosphere of a hot giant planet, adding new insights to the complex motions of these</i> …
ExoplanetsCanada to study how solar storms impact power grids, banks, satellites
It's the first step to better understanding the threat space weather poses to Canada, expert says<p>Solar storms may sound like a piece of science …
Space WeatherNew Study Indicates that Planet 9 Likely Formed in the Solar System
In January of 2016, astronomers Mike Brown and Konstantin Batygin published the first evidence that there might be another planet in our Solar …
UniverseCassini is gone. What comes next?
Europa, the outer solar system, and a lot of questions.<p>It sent back data until the last possible moment, struggling against the atmospheric forces that would soon vaporize the spacecraft into dust. Then, it was gone. Cassini’s perfectly executed dive last week shuttered one of our few windows to …
Space ExplorationThe mysterious light-eating, super-hot, pitch-black exoplanet
A new study of a mysterious hot exoplanet called WASP-12b has revealed it to be a pitch-black, light-eating oddity. The revelation surprised …
ExoplanetsWhat Earth looks like to far-out celestial bodies
Glance at the stars, glance back in time.<p>When we look at stars in the night sky, we’re actually looking back in time. Since it takes a while for light to cross the vast emptiness of the universe—even at a blistering 186,000 miles per second—we’re seeing each celestial object as it looked eons ago. …
UniverseAstronomers Just Found a Surprise Hidden on The Mysterious Night Side of Venus
We only come out at night.<p>With its scorching heat and corrosive atmosphere, the toxic hellhole that is Venus isn't the most inviting place in the …
Astronomy