AvatarPopular ScienceAvatarAvatar10 hours agoJapan’s SLIM moon lander survives a second brutal lunar nightverified_publisherPopular Science - Andrew PaulIt's still upside down, but it's showing signs of life. SLIM, Japan’s first successful lunar lander, isn’t going down without a fight. After making history—albeit upside down—in January, the Smart Lander for Investigating Moon continues to surprise mission control at Japan Aerospace Exploration …
AvatarPopular ScienceAvatarAvatar1 day agoThis is the most cosmically perfect time in historyverified_publisherPopular Science - PopSci StaffPlus other weird things we learned this week. What’s the weirdest thing you learned this week? Well, whatever it is, we promise you’ll have an even weirder answer if you listen to PopSci’s hit podcast. The Weirdest Thing I Learned This Week hits Apple, Spotify, YouTube, and everywhere else you listen …
AvatarPopular ScienceAvatarAvatar2 days agoHow to photograph the eclipse, according to NASAverified_publisherPopular Science - Andrew PaulYou're gonna need some protection for your smartphone and camera lenses. It’s hard to think of anyone as excited about the upcoming North American total solar eclipse as NASA. From citizen research projects to hosted events within the path of totality, the agency is ready to make the most of next …
AvatarPopular ScienceAvatarAvatar2 days agoDon’t miss your chance to see the cryovolcanic ‘devil comet’verified_publisherPopular Science - Laura BaisasComet 12P/Pons-Brooks won’t be visible again until 2097. Skygazers have the chance to view more than just a bright planet Mercury or April’s total solar eclipse over the next few days. An unusual “devil comet” or Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks will be visible across the night sky over the next several days …
AvatarPopular ScienceAvatarAvatar3 days agoCarl Sagan in 1986: ‘Voyager has become a new kind of intelligent being—part robot, part human’verified_publisherPopular Science - Bill GourgeyThe renowned scientist reflected on the lesser-known triumphs and lofty ambitions of Voyager in Popular Science's October 1986 issue. One of the worries that kept legendary astronomer Carl Sagan up at night was whether aliens would understand us. In the mid-1970s, Sagan led a committee formed by …
AvatarPopular ScienceAvatarAvatar4 days agoThe buried treasure that helped take us to the moonverified_publisherPopular Science - PopSci StaffThe space race, Cold War, and moon landing all connect back to an obscure silver iron mining operation in Germany. One of the most valuable caches in human history was found buried in an old mine in Lower Saxony. It wasn’t a precious mineral or ancient artifact—no, it was paper. In the latest video …
AvatarPopular ScienceAvatarAvatarNASA needs your smartphone during April’s solar eclipseverified_publisherPopular Science - Andrew PaulThe free SunSketcher app will use your phone’s camera to record the event and help study the sun’s ‘oblateness.’ Listening for crickets isn’t the only way you can help NASA conduct research during the total solar eclipse passing across much of North America on April 8—you can also lend your …
AvatarPopular ScienceAvatarAvatarNASA’s asteroid blaster turned a space rock into an ‘oblong watermelon’verified_publisherPopular Science - Laura BaisasThe successful DART mission likely made Dimorphos' shape more 'askew' and eccentric. In a “picture perfect” test, NASA’s Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) successfully smashed a car-sized spacecraft into an asteroid in September 2022. The mission showed that a spacecraft could successfully …
AvatarPopular ScienceAvatarAvatarFor nearly $500,000, you too can have dinner in the ‘SpaceBalloon’ above Earthverified_publisherPopular Science - Andrew Paul'Space is for everybody.' A luxury space tourism company called SpaceVIP is currently taking reservations for its Stratospheric Dining Experience. For $495,000, six participants will enjoy a Michelin Star restaurant-catered jaunt into suborbit, sans rockets or zero gravity. Scheduled to launch as …
AvatarPopular ScienceAvatarAvatarWhy do solar eclipses happen?verified_publisherPopular Science - Christopher Palma/The ConversationSolar eclipses result from a fantastic celestial coincidence of scale and distance. This article was originally featured on The Conversation. On April 8, 2024, millions across the U.S. will have the once-in-a-lifetime chance to view a total solar eclipse. Cities including Austin, Texas; Buffalo, New …
AvatarPopular ScienceAvatarAvatarUranus is a grizzly bear: Understanding planet mass using animalsverified_publisherPopular Science - PopSci StaffAww, Mercury is a kitten. The vastness of space can make trying to understand the relative mass of celestial bodies brain boggling. Sure, you know the sun dwarfs the planets orbiting it, but how much more mass does the hot ball of hydrogen and helium at the center of our solar system actually have? If …
AvatarPopular ScienceAvatarAvatarCrypto scammers flooded YouTube with sham SpaceX Starship livestreamsverified_publisherPopular Science - Andrew PaulA fake Elon Musk hawked an ‘amazing opportunity’ during this morning’s big launch. YouTube is flooded with fake livestream accounts airing looped videos of “Elon Musk” supposedly promoting crypto schemes. Although not the first time to happen, the website’s layout, verification qualifications, and …