In episode 117 of This Week In Space, Rod Pyle and guest co-host Isaac Arthur chat with ICON Build’s Evan Jensen about 3D printing habitats on the Moon and one day on Mars. For decades we’ve seen images of huge glass domes on the Moon and Mars, but the reality of building settlements outside of … Read more
Some 2D materials such as graphene, silicene (different from silicon), black phosphorus and transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) are electrically and mechanically superior to others. These materials could create high-speed photodetectors, advanced sensors, high-tech flexible electronics, and solar cells far more efficient than what we use today. However, currently, scientists do not have the perfect technique … Read more
Some 6,500 light years away, an epic race is drawing to a close. This ground-based, wide-field image of the Eagle Nebula shows the star-forming region in all its glory, with young stars, the blue glow of reflected starlight, and the red ionized glow all present. . Dusty and light-blocking features are also visible. The reddish … Read more
New research into ripples in the fabric of space-time suggests that a nearly 2,000-year-old cosmic calculator followed the lunar calendar instead of the solar one. The hand-powered Antikythera Mechanism was recovered in pieces from a shipwreck in the Aegean Sea in 1901, sparking more than a century of research into how the device came to … Read more
(NEXSTAR) – Skywatchers across the country have had the chance to see stunning celestial displays already this year, from the total solar eclipse, the return of the “devil’s comet” and numerous nights colored by the northern lights. There’s also a chance we’ll see a “once-in-a-lifetime” explosive event bring a “new” star into the night sky … Read more
About 10,000 years ago, a small population of woolly mammoths was isolated on Wrangel Island off the coast of Siberia. This isolation was the result of sea level rise, a phenomenon that is well known today. Within just two generations, the woolly mammoth population on Wrangel Island exploded from just eight individuals to as many … Read more
(The Hill) – An asteroid the size of a football stadium zipped between Earth and the Moon Saturday morning – the second of two astronomical close-ups in three days. In this case, it’s a relative term: Saturday’s asteroid, 2024 MK, came within 180,000 miles of Earth. Meanwhile, on Thursday, asteroid 2011 UL21 flew within 4 … Read more
On July 9, Anne-Sophie Chassagnou will judge whether the skies are clear enough for Europe to launch its first new rocket in almost 30 years. At just 26 years old, the lead weather forecaster for Ariane 6’s maiden flight is having a major impact on the continent’s space ambitions. Last year, just minutes before ignition, … Read more
If you’ve ever wanted to take a walk in deep space, this might be as close as you’ll ever get. In this stunning animation, NASA lets the viewer wander through the trunks of the ‘Pillars of Creation’ in a nebula 6,500 light years from Earth. This is the most detailed and comprehensive video ever made … Read more
A print depicting Cervus alces in the collection of 19th century zoological prints entitled Iconographia Zoologica. (University of Amsterdam Special Collections via Wikimedia Commons) Part of a continuum weekly series on Alaska history by local historian David Reamer. Have a question about Anchorage or Alaska history or an idea for a future article? Go to … Read more