A new collaborative study has shown that nuclear explosions could be used to deflect asteroids, protecting Earth from cataclysmic impacts.

The post If you Want to Move an Asteroid, you Need the Right Kind of Nuclear Explosion appeared first on Universe Today.

Oxygen could indicate presence of life on another world, but for red dwarf planets finding oxygen isn't enough.

The post Finding Oxygen on an Alien World Doesn't Always Mean There's Life There appeared first on Universe Today.

The effects of ancient asteroid impacts on Earth are still evident from the variety of impact craters across our planet. And from the Chelyabinsk event back in 2013, where an asteroid exploded in the air above a Russian town, we know how devastating an “airburst” event can be. Now, researchers in Antarctica have discovered evidence …

Continue reading "100-meter Asteroid Created a Strange Impact Event in Antarctica 430,000 Years Ago"

The post 100-meter Asteroid Created a Strange Impact Event in Antarctica 430,000 Years Ago appeared first on Universe Today.

A new study turns modern 'deep learning' techniques on Galileo's early sketches of the Sun.

The post Galileo Sunspot Sketches Versus Modern ‘Deep Learning’ AI appeared first on Universe Today.

Whenever I wipe the dust off my coffee table or catch a glimpse of dust motes floating in sunlight, my spacey mind always wonders, is any of that cosmic dust? It just might be. But the amount of space dust that lands on our planet every year might surprise you. Scientists have long known that …

Continue reading "Earth Gains 5,200 Tons of Dust From Space Every Year"

The post Earth Gains 5,200 Tons of Dust From Space Every Year appeared first on Universe Today.

NASA's SHERLOC and WATSON, two spectrometers designed to look for biosignatures, could answer if there's life on Mars on inside the Solar System's icy moons.

The post The Same Technology Could Search for Microbes in Mars Rocks or Under the ice on Europa appeared first on Universe Today.

Space missions often have to go where the sun don't shine. Or at least where it shines very faintly.  That is particularly important if the mission draws its power from the sun.  Luckily, engineers have a way of dealing with that problem – just make really really big solar panels.  That is exactly what they …

Continue reading "Trojan Mission Lucy Tested its Solar Panels for the First Time. Those Things are Huge"

The post Trojan Mission Lucy Tested its Solar Panels for the First Time. Those Things are Huge appeared first on Universe Today.

After examining data from the Gaia Observatory, a team of researchers found 12 more examples of the rare phenomenon known as "Einstein Crosses."

The post Gaia Finds 12 Examples of Einstein Crosses; Galaxies Being Gravitationally Lensed so we see Them Repeated 4 Times appeared first on Universe Today.