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☆ The Earth has tilted on its axis differently over the last few decades due to melting ice caps
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-21 | by ( Aylin Woodward | Marianne Guenot | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Earth's axis — the invisible line around which it spins — is bookended by the north and south poles. But their geographic locations aren't fixed: As the Earth's axis moves, so do the poles. If you average out thousands of years of observation the Earth's axis points in a single direction — toward the North Star, also known as Polaris. The recent change to Earth's axis won't affect our everyday lives, but it could slightly tweak the length of our days. But let's be clear that this would be a tiny, tiny, tiny effect," he said.

☆ Image from NASA's James Webb Space Telescope reveals a rare star preparing to explode and die in a supernova
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-14 | by ( Morgan Mcfall-Johnsen | Jessica Orwig | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

NASA's James Webb Space Telescope captured a star getting ready to die in stunning detail. The image shows a rare Wolf-Rayet star, expelling its outer layers in the phase before a supernova. A Wolf-Rayet star is "among the most luminous, most massive, and most briefly-detectable stars known," according to NASA. Webb helps investigate a dusty cosmic mysteryThat cosmic dust is of great interest to astronomers. An artist's conception of the James Webb Space Telescope.

☆ How to see the Venus and Jupiter conjunction, when the two brightest planets align in the sky
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-01 | by ( Morgan Mcfall-Johnsen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Jupiter and Venus will appear to almost touch in the night sky on Wednesday and Thursday. They're the brightest objects in the sky after the sun and moon, so they're visible to the naked eye. In fact, Venus is the third brightest object in the sky after the sun and moon. How to spot Jupiter and Venus in the skyJupiter (left) and Venus (right) are two of the brightest objects in the sky. They'll creep away from each other night after night, Venus rising and Jupiter dropping toward the horizon and the sun.

☆ NASA imagery reveals China's Mars rover hasn't moved in months as Chinese scientists scramble to save the mission
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-01 | by ( Chris Panella | Morgan Mcfall-Johnsen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

NASA imagery from Mars shows that China's rover hasn't moved in months. Chinese scientists are scrambling to make contact, according to the South China Morning Post. China's rover, Zhurong, could be covered in dust and drained of energy, like NASA's InSight lander. Arrows highlight the location of China's Zhurong rover in March 2022, September 2022, and February 2023. A photo showing the back of China's Zhurong rover from its landing spot on Mars' Utopia Planitia following a May 15, 2021 landing.

☆ 5 times scientists thought they'd maybe discovered signs of extraterrestrial life but sadly didn't
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-23 | by ( Morgan Mcfall-Johnsen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Extraterrestrial life could exist, but mysterious objects in the sky aren't evidence of aliens. Scientists have thought they were close to discovering alien life a few times — none of it via UFOs. As the US discovered a flurry of UFOs — officially called "unidentified anomalous phenomena," or UAPs — in early February, Google searches for "extraterrestrial life" and "are aliens real" spiked. There have been incidents in the past where some researchers thought they'd come close to discovering signs of alien life — or even extraterrestrial intelligence — but none were UFOs. They dubbed the first interstellar object 'Oumuamua, which is a Hawaiian term meaning "a messenger from afar arriving first."

☆ The UFO shoot-downs show the hardest part of discovering alien life may be announcing it. Here's how NASA might break the news.
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-18 | by ( Morgan Mcfall-Johnsen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

Extraterrestrial life likely wouldn't show up as flying objects, but finding it could cause similar chaos. An illustration of the CoLD scale for determining confidence in a detection of alien life. The president or other countries could be involved in announcing extraterrestrial life existsPresident Joe Biden speaks at Delaware State University. Anna Moneymaker/Getty ImagesAnnouncing the existence of alien life would be an "administration-level" affair, Glaze said, referring to the US presidency. Needless to say, any discovery of alien life would likely lead to chaos — at least in public discourse.

☆ Explainer: What to expect during the green comet's encounter with Earth
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-30 | by ( Joey Roulette | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Nicknamed "dirty snowballs" by astronomers, comets are balls of ice, dust and rocks that typically hail from the ring of icy material called the Oort cloud at our solar system's outer edge. One known comet actually originated outside the solar system - 2I/Borisov. Comets are composed of a solid core of rock, ice and dust and are blanketed by a thin and gassy atmosphere of more ice and dust, called a coma. Its greenish, emerald hue reflects the comet's chemical composition - it is the result of a clash between sunlight and carbon-based molecules in the comet's coma. NASA plans to observe the comet with its James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), which could provide clues about the solar system's formation.

☆ We could be the last humans to see the green comet passing Earth for the first time since the Ice Age. Here's how, where, and when to watch it.
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-28 | by ( Morgan Mcfall-Johnsen | Kenneth Niemeyer | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Astronomers recently discovered a green comet approaching Earth for the first time in 50,000 years. Here's how, where, and when to see Comet ZTF as it passes Earth in late January and early February. When to see the green cometYou may need a small telescope to spot Comet ZTF, but binoculars could be enough. Amateur astronomers have already begun photographing the green comet to show what you could see. Where to look in the night sky for comet ZTFLook to the right stars to see the green comet.

☆ Why we love to anthropomorphize space-faring robots
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-22 | by ( Paola Rosa-Aquino | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

We know Mars rovers are robots, but they feel like friends, or pets. "It's the way the rovers are designed," Abigail Freeman, the deputy project scientist of the Curiosity rover, told Insider. The first selfie NASA's Opportunity Mars rover snapped. Their ability to snap selfies on the Martian surface make them seem self-awareNASA's Curiosity Mars rover created this selfie in front of Mont Mercou. On February 12, 2019, mission controllers at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, sent the last commands to ask NASA’s Opportunity rover on Mars to call home.

☆ I pilot NASA's first and only Mars helicopter. My job can be like a video game, but not the kind with a joystick.
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-21 | by ( Morgan Mcfall-Johnsen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

Håvard Grip pilots NASA's Ingenuity helicopter, which has flown 40 times on Mars. I'm the chief pilot for NASA's Ingenuity helicopter, which landed on Mars with the Perseverance rover in February 2021. NASA's Ingenuity helicopter on Mars, in a close-up from the Perseverance rover's cameras. Members of NASA's Ingenuity Mars Helicopter team stand next to the Collier Trophy. How we fly a helicopter on MarsMembers of NASA's Ingenuity Mars Helicopter team at the agency's Jet Propulsion Laboratory react to data showing that the helicopter completed its second flight.

U.S. District Judge Rodney Gilstrap said halting the lawsuit until the Patent Trial and Appeal Board reviews the patents would unnecessarily delay the court case and prejudice Caltech. Representatives for Samsung and Caltech did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The school's 2021 lawsuit alleges Samsung's Galaxy phones, tablets, watches and Wi-Fi-enabled Samsung products like televisions and refrigerators infringe its data-transmission patents. The Texas case is scheduled to go to trial in September. The case is California Institute of Technology v. Samsung Electronics Co, U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas, No.

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☆ Now's the best time to see the green comet passing Earth for the first time since the Ice Age. Here's how, where, and when to see it.
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-18 | by ( Morgan Mcfall-Johnsen | Kenneth Niemeyer | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Astronomers recently discovered a green comet approaching Earth for the first time in 50,000 years. Comet ZTF may never return, so we could be the last humans to see it. C/2022 E3 (ZTF), or Comet ZTF for short — the name astronomers gave this space snowball after the Zwicky Transient Facility discovered it in March — hasn't been in our cosmic neighborhood since the last Ice Age. When to see the green cometYou may need a small telescope to spot Comet ZTF, but binoculars could be enough. Where to look in the night sky for comet ZTFLook to the right stars to see the green comet.

[1/3] The sun sets on the U.S. Supreme Court building after a stormy day in Washington, U.S., November 11, 2022. Solicitor General's input on a lower court decision that prevented Apple and Broadcom from arguing the patents were invalid at trial. Apple and Broadcom also told the Federal Circuit that they should have been allowed to challenge the patents' validity at trial. The companies appealed that decision to the Supreme Court last September. The case is Apple Inc v. California Institute of Technology, U.S. Supreme Court, No.

☆ How exoplanet hunters find alien worlds hundreds of light-years away and figure out if they have water
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-12 | by ( Paola Rosa-Aquino | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

In the journal Nature Astronomy, astronomers announced that the two exoplanets — Kepler-138 c and Kepler-138 d — could be made up of mostly water. NASA AmesSince the first worlds outside our solar system were discovered in 1992, astronomers have searched for other planets orbiting sun-like stars. Astronomers have already captured direct evidence of 5,241 planets beyond our solar system, according to NASA's Exoplanet Archive. Water worlds beyond our solar system could be abundant in the universeWorlds rich in liquid water might not be as rare as astronomers previously thought, Piaulet said. But by discovering and studying new worlds, astronomers can hone in on what makes a world habitable beyond a sample size of one — Earth.

☆ It should take another 300 years for NASA's Voyager 1 probe to reach the most distant region of our solar system. Until then, it's cruising through the void between the stars.
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-30 | by ( Paola Rosa-Aquino | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Voyager 1 and 2 are exploring the mysterious region between stars, called interstellar space. Both plucky spacecraft continue to send data back from beyond the solar system — and their cosmic journeys are far from over. A diagram showing both of NASA's Voyager probes in interstellar space as of November 2018. An illustration of the Kuiper Belt and Oort Cloud in relation to our solar system. NASA/JPL-CaltechFor the last decade, Voyager 1 has been exploring interstellar space, which is full of gas, dust, and charged energetic particles.

☆ NASA hasn't heard from its InSight lander in 5 days. It may have run out of power and died on Mars.
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-20 | by ( Morgan Mcfall-Johnsen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

NASA's InSight lander on Mars isn't responding to communications from Earth, likely due to low power levels. The solar arrays on NASA's InSight lander are deployed for a test at Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Denver, on April 30, 2015. An illustration of the InSight Mars lander. An artist illustration of the InSight lander on Mars. Then they instructed the robot to scoop up dirt and slowly trickle it next to the solar panels.

A NASA spacecraft is set to swing past one of Jupiter’s moons on Thursday, giving astronomers a close-up view of one of the most volcanic spots in the solar system. The Juno probe, which has been orbiting Jupiter since July 2016, is set to conduct a flyby of Io, one of the 80 known moons in Jupiter’s system. Over the course of the next year and a half, the Juno spacecraft will carry out a total of nine flybys of Io. NASA / JPL-CaltechEarlier this year, Juno captured a dramatic view of Io from a distance of around 50,000 miles. Last year, NASA extended the Juno mission through September 2025.

☆ NASA spacecraft heads for the most volcanic place in the solar system
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-14 | by ( Ashley Strickland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —A NASA spacecraft is gearing up for the first of a series of close encounters with the most volcanic place in the solar system. The Juno spacecraft will fly by Jupiter’s moon Io on Thursday, December 15. Juno captured a glowing infrared view of Io on July 5 from 50,000 miles (80,000 kilometers) away. “The team is really excited to have Juno’s extended mission include the study of Jupiter’s moons. Juno flew by Jupiter’s moon Ganymede in 2021, followed by Europa earlier this year.

☆ NASA fixed a glitch on Voyager 1 after consulting 45-year-old manuals. The spacecraft was beaming information through a dead computer.
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-13 | by ( Paola Rosa-Aquino | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

In May, NASA reported its Voyager 1 spacecraft was sending strange data back to Earth. An engineer works on an instrument for one of NASA's Voyager spacecraft, on November 18, 1976. NASA/JPL-CaltechDuring the first 12 years of the Voyager mission, thousands of engineers worked on the project, Dodd said. In late August, Voyager engineers located the source of the garbled data: the spacecraft's attitude-control system was routing information through a dead computer. NASA/JPLFrom discovering unknown moons and rings to the first direct evidence of the heliopause, the Voyager mission has helped scientists understand the cosmos.

☆ Listen to Martian weather, recorded by Perseverance rover
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-13 | by ( Ashley Strickland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Other missions have gathered images, weather data and dust measurements of these events, and the NASA InSight lander even recorded seismic and magnetic signals created by the dust devils. The Perseverance rover took a selfie over a rock nicknamed "Rochette" on September 10, 2021. While this sounds like a massive whirlwind, it’s the average size for Martian dust devils, Murdoch said. This figure shows the size of the dust devil in relation to the Perseverance rover. From its perch high on a ridge, Opportunity recorded this image of a Martian dust devil.

☆ NASA Mars Ingenuity helicopter broke its own record
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-07 | by ( Ashley Strickland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —More than a year and a half after its first flight on Mars, the Ingenuity helicopter has set a new record. “Ingenuity’s success has led to NASA’s decision to take two Ingenuity class helicopters on the Mars Sample Retrieval Lander scheduled for later in this decade,” wrote Bob Balaram, Ingenuity chief engineer emeritus, in a NASA blog update. A more capable Mars Science Helicopter with the ability to carry almost 5 kg of science payloads is also in early conceptual and design stages.”Mars sample collectionMeanwhile, the Perseverance rover continues to collect intriguing samples from Mars. The cache will be collected by future missions during the Mars Sample Return campaign and returned to Earth in the 2030s. The Perseverance rover recently used a specialized drill bit to collect its first samples of broken rock and dust.

☆ Scientists build 'baby' wormhole as sci-fi moves closer to fact
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-30 | by ( Will Dunham | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Scientists have long pursued a deeper understanding of wormholes and now appear to be making progress. It was a "baby wormhole," according to Caltech physicist Maria Spiropulu, a co-author of the research published in the journal Nature. But scientists are a long way from being able to send people or other living beings through such a portal, she said. The researchers observed the wormhole dynamics on a quantum device at Alphabet's Google (GOOGL.O) called the Sycamore quantum processor. A wormhole - a rupture in space and time - is considered a bridge between two remote regions in the universe.

☆ Idealab founder Bill Gross started selling solar energy kits in 1973 at 15 years old. Now he's leading solar tech company Heliogen
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-28 | by ( Catherine Clifford | In Catclifford | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +11 min

Idealab and Heliogen Founder Bill Gross speaks onstage during Vox Media's 2022 Code Conference on September 08, 2022 in Beverly Hills, California. "Because I was reading Popular Science magazine, I saw people used to take out little ads in the back," Gross told CNBC. One limiting factor for solar energy is its intermittency, which means it only delivers power when the sun is shining. But we're delivering the energy continuously because the energy is coming out of the rock bed," Gross told CNBC. The price of fossil fuels after Russia invaded Ukraine is a game changer," Gross told CNBC.

☆ The art of space: Imagining the unknown regions of our universe
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-26 | by ( Jeremy Schultz | ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

The planet Kepler-186f, the first validated Earth-size planet to orbit a distant star in the habitable zone, which is a range of distance from a star where liquid water might pool on the planet's surface. The discovery is the closest scientists have...moreThe planet Kepler-186f, the first validated Earth-size planet to orbit a distant star in the habitable zone, which is a range of distance from a star where liquid water might pool on the planet's surface. The discovery is the closest scientists have come so far to finding a true Earth twin. The star, known as Kepler-186 and located about 500 light years away in the constellation Cygnus, is smaller and redder than the sun. NASA/JPL-CaltechClose

☆ Listen to the Best Songs From the Opportunity Rover's Morning Playlist
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-20 | by ( Paola Rosa-Aquino | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

There's a new documentary about the Opportunity rover's life on Mars. For more than 15 years, NASA's Opportunity rover was a robot geologist on the Martian surface. From ABBA to George Michael, wake up with the stirring playlist NASA engineers made for the Opportunity Mars rover. While dusty storms can silence rovers, dust devils can blow away some of the dust that blankets the rover's solar panels. Months later, mission engineers hoped Opportunity would reboot once the weather cleared, as it had in the past.

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