Space Science
We Might Finally Know Where All Those Mysterious Cosmic Rays Are Coming From
They're not from this galaxy.<p>The highest energy cosmic rays hitting Earth have finally had their point of origin pinned down. And it isn't from …
UniverseLockheed Martin's laser weapon takes down 5 drones in live-fire demonstration
It was 5-0 at the US Army's White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico as a Lockheed Martin prototype laser weapon system shot down five unmanned drones …
Science5 Things You Didn't Know About the Autumnal Equinox
September 22 usually marks the autumnal equinox, the first day of fall in the Northern Hemisphere. It's the day when the earth is perfectly angled …
AstronomyHappy Equinox! Here’s how quickly the days are getting shorter where you live.
Sept. 22 marks the fall equinox, ushering in the year's best season on a day that lasts almost exactly 12 hours no matter where you are on the globe.<p>Many of us in the Northern Hemisphere start noticing the days get shorter right about now, although in truth this has been happening for months — ever …
Arctic CircleMysterious Fast Radio Bursts May Be Occurring Every Second
And we still don't know what they are.<p>Fast radio bursts are quite the ongoing space mystery. We don't know what they are, and only a couple of dozen …
ScienceClosest ever supermassive binary black hole system discovered by 2 Indian scientists: All you need to know
Situated in an active spiral galaxy dubbed NGC 7674 (Mrk 533), this binary supermassive black hole system is located 400 million light years away …
Black HolesNASA will pay you $100,000 to help astronauts breathe
It’s not often that the incredibly bright minds at NASA are forced to look for solutions from the general public, but the agency just launched a new …
ScienceAutumn Equinox 2017: How is today important astronomically and why is it depressing?
It's the autumn equinox, both the beginnings and end of some of the most important times of the year. As such, it's astronomically important – and …
AstronomyThe fall equinox comes once a year but when is it and what does it mean?
September 22 marks the 2017 fall equinox in the United States and the start of autumn across the northern hemisphere—at the same time in the southern …
AstronomyCan you balance an egg on the equinox? Truth behind bizarre theory revealed
It's time to dig out your scarf and start complaining that the days are getting shorter, because Autumn is officially here.<p>The autumnal equinox takes …
AstronomyScience-in-progress: Did the Bullet Cluster withstand scrutiny? | Ars Technica
The bullet cluster made dark matter apparent: Has it stood the test of time?<p>Dark matter was first proposed to explain the speed at which stars orbit …
Dark MatterNASA releases image from the final observations of the Yin-Yang moon Iapetus by Cassini
The <b>Cassini spacecraft</b> has ended its mission by diving into the Saturnian atmosphere and <b>becoming a part of the planet</b> it has studied so long, but the …
Space ExplorationDiscovering our Common Humanity through Space Archaeology - Citizen Science Salon
By Kristin Butler | September 21, 2017 12:56 pm<p>Like many people, I was first introduced to the world of archaeology by Indiana Jones, that …
CultureNASA creates first 3D-printed rocket part made of two metals
NASA has taken another step forward in 3D printed rocket engines by manufacturing and testing an igniter prototype using two distinct metal allows. …
ScienceGravitational waves may oscillate, just like neutrinos
(Phys.org)—Using data from the first-ever gravitational waves detected last year, along with a theoretical analysis, physicists have shown that …
Physics2017 September 22 - Solar Eclipse Solargraph
<b>Solar Eclipse Solargraph</b> <b><br>Image Credit & Copyright:</b> Chuck Bueter (Nightwise.org)<p><b>Explanation:</b> Today is the September equinox. Heading south, the Sun's …
AstronomyVitamin super-cocktail to combat 60 days of lying in bed
This week will see the second ESA bedrest study investigating a mix of antioxidants and vitamins that could help astronauts to combat the side …
Solar SystemHerschel image of Fomalhaut and its debris disc
This image shows the thermal emission from the young star Fomalhaut and the debris disc surrounding it, as recorded with ESA's Herschel Space …
AstronomyThe Big Bang Wasn't The Beginning, After All
The Universe began not with a whimper, but with a bang! At least, that’s what you’re commonly told: the Universe and everything in it came into existence at the moment of the Big Bang. Space, time, and all the matter and energy within began from a singular point, and then expanded and cooled, …
SpaceHubble spots a strange new type of celestial object
Astronomers have discovered a brand new type of object in our solar system: an active binary asteroid. That means the object, named Body 288P, is the …
AstronomyAre 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 …
AstrophysicsNew Horizons Probe Wakes from 5-Month Slumber
NASA's New Horizons spacecraft is zooming through the outer solar system with its eyes open once again.<p>New Horizons woke from a five-month …
Space ExplorationJaw-dropping pictures of Jupiter from Juno space probe
New photos by NASA's Juno spacecraft capture the solar system's largest planet in all its complex glory.<p>The four photos — which Juno took over an 8-minute span on Sept. 1, during its most recent close flyby of Jupiter — show the gas giant's many cloud bands and countless swirling storms (but not …
ScienceCassini captured mysterious 'glitch' on Saturn's rings before death dive
Cassini sent home one last batch of photos from Saturn before plunging to its death Friday and among them was an attempt to record a mysterious object embedded in the planet's rings, otherwise known as "Peggy."<p>Peggy lives along the edge of Saturn and is an anomaly from which researchers have been …
Space ExplorationIs there a way to be productive while I sleep?
And other amazing stuff we wish someone would invent.<p><i>Want to know if your idea could become reality? Tweet @PopSci, email letters@popsci.com, or tell us on Facebook.</i><p>I wish someone would invent...a way to be productive while you sleep<p>It would be the ultimate life hack: Instead of wasting one third …
ScienceBest telescope 2017: The best astronomy and travel telescopes from £67
Want a better look at the wonders of the cosmos? Even a low-cost telescope can get you closer to the stars<p>The last few years have seen a huge …
AstronomyAstronomy Picture of the Week – Cassini’s Impact Site on Saturn
I know I’m late. I got about 30 minutes of sleep last night and I had work at 12pm, so… sorry. But at least I got it in on Wednesday this time! …
AstronomyHubble Captures Blistering Pitch-Black Planet
Think of it as a kind of Vantablack planet<p>A pitch black planet that traps at least 94 percent of starlight entering its atmosphere has been …
ExoplanetsMake it so, Alexa: Amazon adds a few Star Trek skills to AI assistant’s repertoire
Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos has said the Alexa voice-activated AI assistant was inspired by the talking computer on “Star Trek,” so it only makes sense …
AmazonIdaho May Soon Be Home to the U.S's First Dark Sky Reserve
If approved, Idaho will have the twelfth reserve worldwide.<p>Pure, unobstructed stargazing in the U.S. is a rare treat—nearly 80 percent of North Americans live in areas where light pollution obscures most of the night sky. However, tourists may soon find themselves flocking to central Idaho to see …
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