Weird, newly theorized eggshell planets may be developing ultra-thin, ultra-smooth outer layers, according to a new study. Three of these worlds might even already have been detected. Over the past two decades, astronomers have confirmed the existence of more than 4,500 extrasolar planets. On this

Do you know how to build a nuclear fission reactor that can fit inside a four by six meter rocket fairing? If so, NASA and the US Department of Energy would love to hear from you. A nuclear reactor on the Moon NASA and its partners would like to establish themselves permanently on and around the Mo

According to an American mechanical engineering professor, our planet is about to have its own rings. The Earth could therefore look like Saturn, but with one difference:the rings will be made of scrap metal, and not of rocks and blocks of ice. The expert also offered a solution to control space was

A team of researchers recently determined that the solar wind (a stream of charged particles emitted by the Sun) drives the formation of water molecules on the surface of grains of dust carried by certain asteroids that have struck the early Earth. We know that the Earth is very rich in water compa

The Universe is still very mysterious. The existential question of its origin, in particular, still questions many people today, including many researchers. Was it created? And if this is indeed the case, has this Creator left us a message? To find out, astrophysicist Michael Hippke looked at the fo

In 2020, SpaceX founder and CEO Elon Musk said he was  very confident  about the possibility of a first manned mission to Mars in 2026. Concretely, how will these interplanetary journeys take place? When founding SpaceX in 2002, Elon Musk had a big dream:to make humans an interplanetary species. Wi

Currently posted on the far side of the Moon, Chinas Yutu 2 rover recently came across a strange, small, cube-shaped rock looming on the horizon. Analyzes will soon determine its origin. On January 3, 2019, China became the first country to land gently on the far side of the Moon as part of its Cha

A team of astronomers announces the discovery of the planet with the shortest known orbit. This gas giant completes one revolution of its star in just sixteen hours. And its only accelerating, to the point that she could soon be swallowed up. Hot Jupiters are gaseous planets with a mass equivalent

French Economy Minister Bruno Le Maire has just announced that ArianeGroup will invest to develop small reusable rockets. The objective will be to compete with SpaceX, a pioneer in this field. European Ariane vehicles once played a dominant role in launching geostationary satellites. However, they

A team of astronomers announces that they have observed a new type of binary star whose existence has long been theorized. This discovery concerns extremely low-mass white dwarfs. Details of the study are published in the Monthly Reports of the Royal Astronomical Society. A new type of star Nearly

A team of astronomers announces that they have identified a rocky exoplanet near the Earth evolving so close to its star that it completes its orbit in just eight hours. This type of planet with an ultra-short orbital period is still too little studied, hence the interest of this new discovery. Ult

Researchers recently identified what they call a highway network in the Solar System. If the term may seem surprising, it simply designates a way to travel faster than what is currently possible. A highway network for comets What if we could cross the Solar System faster ? In a study published in t

Mission team members have completed fueling the James Webb Telescope ahead of its scheduled launch on December 22 from French Guiana. The refueling lasted about ten days. After a long series of delays, some related to technical issues, others to budgetary concerns, the James Webb Telescope (JWT) is

In a few days, an asteroid with a diameter roughly similar to the size of the Eiffel Tower will approach Earth. However, the latter will be far, very far from representing any danger. Moreover, the passage of this object will be a good way to observe it and learn more about it. Near-Earth Asteroid

Researchers are warning us that extraterrestrial organisms could hitch a ride on our ships and contaminate Earth. They allude to our ever-expanding exploration of the Solar System, which may increase the risk of biological invasion. Risks of biological invasion Human-assisted biological invasions i

Astronomers using ESOs Very Large Telescope were able to directly image the presence of a giant planet around a massive star system and ultra-hot visible to the naked eye. Until now, we thought that worlds could not evolve around such objects. A giant among giants Located approximately 325 light-ye

In a few days, asteroid 4660 Nereus will approach Earth and cross its orbit. If this object will not represent any danger despite the fact that the agencies monitor it carefully, it represents a significant financial windfall due to the presence of numerous deposits. A regular in the neighborhood o

NASA has just ordered boosters from SLS for its future lunar missions until 2031. The contract, signed with Northrop Grumman, amounts to more than three billions of dollars. For the rest, the American agency will probably have to go through other service providers. The most powerful rocket built by

Astronomers from the University of Texas announce that they have isolated a massive black hole at the heart of Leo I, one of the satellite galaxies of the Milky Way. The object would be almost as massive as the one posted at the center of our own galaxy. Details of the study are published in The As

Rest assured, Didymos and Didymoon are not going to crash on Earth. On the other hand, they are the subject of a project aimed at diverting them. But to better understand their size, the European Space Agency (ESA) offers us some scale shots. Asteroids sometimes take us by surprise. In July 2019 fo