Space

We Saw One of the Most Powerful Magnets in the Universe Come to Life

After a decade of silence, one of the most powerful magnets in the universe suddenly burst back to life in late 2018. The reawakening of this “magnetar,” a city-sized star named XTE J1810-197, born from a supernova explosion, was an incredibly violent affair. The snapping and untwisting of the tangled magnetic field released enormous amounts ...

Troy Oakes

A magnetar.

Planet Cannibalism is Common, Says Cosmic ‘Twin Study’

How stable are planetary systems? Will Earth and its seven siblings always continue in their steady celestial paths, or might we one day be randomly ejected from our cosmic home? Physicists understand the rules that govern the orbits of two celestial bodies, but as soon as a third is added (let alone a fourth, fifth, ...

Troy Oakes

Planet cannibalism.

NASA Expedition 71 Astronauts to Conduct Research Aboard Space Station

Studies of neurological organoids, plant growth, and shifts in body fluids aboard the International Space Station as part of Expedition 71 are among the scientific investigations that NASA astronauts Matthew Dominick, Michael Barratt, Jeanette Epps, and Tracy C. Dyson will help support. The crew members are targeting launch to the space station in February and March. Work ...

Troy Oakes

The International Space Station.

NASA’s New Experimental Antenna Tracks Deep Space Laser

Capable of receiving both radio frequency and optical signals, the DSN’s hybrid antenna has tracked and decoded the downlink laser from DSOC aboard NASA’s Psyche mission. An experimental antenna has received both radio frequency and near-infrared laser signals from NASA’s Psyche spacecraft as it travels through deep space. This shows it’s possible for the giant dish antennas ...

Troy Oakes

Deep Space Station 13.