What Makes Brown Dwarfs So Weird? December 19, 2024 by Paul M. Sutter Meet the brown dwarf: bigger than a planet, and smaller than a star. A category of its own, it’s one of the strangest objects in the universe. Brown dwarfs typically are defined to have masses anywhere

Archaeology On Mars: Preserving Artifacts of Our Expansion Into the Solar System By Evan Gough. Published: December 19, 2024. In 1971, the Soviet Mars 3 lander became the first spacecraft to land on Mars, though it only lasted a couple of minutes before failing. More than 50 years later, it’

A recent study conducted by researchers from Rice University explores the hypothesis that ancient Mars possessed a significantly thicker crust than previously thought. This study, published in the journal Earth and Planetary Science Letters, suggests that such a crust could have supported hidden water reservoirs and even rare magmas on

In December 2024, Elon Musk's SpaceX announced their intention to embark on additional private crew missions to the International Space Station (ISS), marking a significant stride towards enhancing private participation in space exploration. This initiative is set to transpire in collaboration with a California-based startup, Vast, which is

In 2019, astronomers observed an unusual gravitational chirp. Known as GW190521, it was the last scream of gravitational waves as a black hole of 66 solar masses merged with a black hole of 85 solar masses to become a 142 solar mass black hole. The data were consistent with all

As the year draws to a close, China is on the cusp of achieving a historic milestone in its space exploration endeavors. The country, known for its ambitious space program, is poised to establish a new record for orbital launches in 2024, spurred by a series of successful missions including

Recent research by scientists at the University of Houston has significantly advanced our understanding of the climate and weather patterns on Mars. This groundbreaking study, spearheaded by graduate student Larry Guan and involving esteemed faculty members like Professors Liming Li and Xun Jiang, has produced the first-ever meridional profile of

Need to Accurately Measure Time in Space? Use a COMPASSO Author: Andy Tomaswick | Published on: December 19, 2024 Telling time in space is difficult, but it is absolutely critical for applications ranging from testing relativity to navigating down the road. Atomic clocks, such as those used on the Global Navigation

As NASA's Europa Clipper embarks on its historic journey to Jupiter's icy moon, Europa, Dr. Matt Powell-Palm, a faculty member at Texas A&M University's Department of Mechanical Engineering, has unveiled research that could transform our understanding of icy ocean worlds across the