Space
We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.
- Planetary Science
Hayabusa2 just tried to collect asteroid dust for the first time
The Japanese Hayabusa2 spacecraft touched down on asteroid Ryugu and attempted to gather a sample of its rock to bring back to Earth.
- Astronomy
Colliding neutron stars shot a light-speed jet through space
A stream of particles created in a neutron star crash, detected in 2017 using gravitational waves, could explain certain mysterious flashes of light.
- Physics
Supernovas show the universe expands at the same rate in all directions
Analyzing supernovas indicates that expansion rates agree within 1 percent across large regions of sky.
- Planetary Science
Neptune’s smallest moon may be a chip off another moon
Neptune’s tiniest moon probably formed when a comet hit a larger moon.
- Planetary Science
Mars’ lake may need an underground volcano to exist
If a lake under Martian ice is real, there must be a subsurface magma pool to keep conditions warm enough for water to remain liquid, scientists say.
- Quantum Physics
LIGO will be getting a quantum upgrade
Quantum squeezing of light will help scientists make better gravitational wave detectors.
- Planetary Science
After 15 years on Mars, it’s the end of the road for Opportunity
After 15 years of exploring Mars, a dust storm led to the demise of NASA’s longest-lived rover.
- Artificial Intelligence
Readers marvel at AI, space missions and wombat poop
Readers had comments and questions about defining artificial intelligence, the New Horizons space mission and more.
- Astronomy
Ultima Thule is shaped like two lumpy pancakes
Scientists are rethinking the shape of the space rock, once thought to be a snowman.
- Planetary Science
A basketball-sized rock hit the moon during the last lunar eclipse
Professional and amateur astronomers joined forces to analyze the impact.
- Astronomy
A space rock collision may explain how this exoplanet was born
Simulations suggest a planet roughly 2,000 light-years away formed when two space rocks collided, supporting the idea that such events are universal.
- Planetary Science
Titan’s oddly thick atmosphere may come from cooked organic compounds
Saturn’s moon Titan might get some of its hazy atmosphere by baking organic molecules in a warm core.
