Moon Habitats May Use Layered Mylar to Block Extreme Heat

Living on the Moon, with either trained astronauts or regular civilians, could become a regular occurrence in the near future. However, it’s easier said than done, as scientists and engineers continue developing new and advanced ways for protecting humans in the harsh lunar environment, which contrasts the mild and habitable temperatures of the Earth. The most important aspect is focusing on keeping humans alive, and this includes temperature regulation within the habitats. However, how can you maintain temperature regulation while being flexible enough to withstand physical changes like moving, handling, and compression and expansion?

NASA's New UV Space Telescope Will Launch in 2031

NASA has committed to launching a new, more powerful UV space telescope. Named UVEX, the UltraViolet EXplorer, it will launch in 2031. It's about 100 times more powerful than its predecessor, GALEX, whose mission ended in 2013. UVEX will perform a survey in UV that will complement infrared surveys by other telescopes.

Betelgeuse Is Disturbed By Its Companion Star

Betelgeuse has a close-orbiting companion that disturbs the red supergiant into an egg-like shape. New observations show how the two stars interact and how this could help explain the varying brightness of Betelgeuse.

Ancient Comets Carried Organic Compounds, But They Didn't Survive Crashing Into Earth

Perhaps the biggest mystery we face is life on Earth started. One hypothesis says that comets, which are known to carry important chemicals in abiogenesis, delivered these compounds to Earth, leading to the appearance of life. But new research concludes that that is highly unlikely.

NASA Systems Engineering Team Details HWO Mission Architecture

Finding an Earth-like world beyond the solar system is the Holy Grail of exoplanet research, and the field has experienced incredible technological advancements in searching for and identifying exoplanets since the first exoplanet was discovered in 1995. This includes both ground- and space-based telescopes, specifically the powerful James Webb Space Telescope. However, directly imaging exoplanets remains elusive, primarily due to the enormous technological challenge of imaging a point of light so far away.

Unveiling Starbirth Mysteries

In 1985, the physicist Heinz R. Pagels wrote, "Stars are like animals in the wild. We may see the youung, but never the actual birth, which is a veiled and secret event." In the decades since then, astronomers have drawn closer and closer to figuring out what actually goes in the veiled stellar nurseries throughout the Universe. The tale of starbirth we know today invokes collapse of clouds of gas and dust into prestellar cores, but it still has many unknowns, such as the role of magnetic fields in the clouds where stars are born.

Dead Planets Orbiting a Dead Star

When a star like our Sun reaches its end, it becomes a kind of zombie star called a white dwarf. These bodies have left fusion behind and will radiate only remnant heat for a long, long time. Before they become white dwarfs, they expand, engulf, and destroy any nearby planets. Astronomers have spotted a debris disk around a white dwarf, made from the dust of destroyed planets. Observations show that two new resurrected planets have formed in this disk, creating dead planets orbiting a dead star.