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Make no mistake: we are currently living in the Golden Age of space exploration. Right now, as you read these words, we have robots on the Moon, autonomous rovers on Mars, and roughly a half dozen asteroid mining companies prospecting for precious metals in space. What will happen tomorrow? Tune in to DT’s space coverage to get all the latest news and commentary on everything from SpaceX to space junk, and keep pace with all the most important things happening in the final frontier.

NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover captured this mosaic of a hill nicknamed “Pinestand.” Scientists think the tall sedimentary layers stacked on top of one another here could have been formed by a deep, fast-moving river.

Perseverance rover finds evidence of an ancient river on Mars

The Perseverance rover has identified evidence of what was once one of the deepest and fast-flowing rivers yet discovered on the planet.
Artist’s impression of a black hole accretion.

Astronomers just spotted the largest cosmic explosion ever seen

Axiom Space's Ax-2 crew.

NASA readies for its second all-private mission to ISS

This image shows the IRAS 11051-7706 object in the Chamaeleon constellation. New stars are born in the colourful clouds of gas and dust seen here. The infrared observations underlying the image reveal new details in the star-forming regions that are usually obscured by the clouds of dust. The image was produced with data collected by the VIRCAM instrument, which is attached to the VISTA telescope at ESO’s Paranal Observatory in Chile. The observations were done as part of the VISIONS survey, which will allow astronomers to better understand how stars form in these dust-enshrouded regions.

1 million images get stitched together to form an atlas of star birth

This artist’s concept depicts the planet GJ 1214 b, a “mini-Neptune” with what is likely a steamy, hazy atmosphere. A new study based on observations by NASA’s Webb telescope provides insight into this type of planet, the most common in the galaxy.

James Webb telescope gets a view of the ‘white whale’ of exoplanet research

This image of the dusty debris disk surrounding the young star Fomalhaut is from Webb’s Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI). It reveals three nested belts extending out to 14 billion miles (23 billion kilometers) from the star. The inner belts – which had never been seen before – were revealed by Webb for the first time.

James Webb gets a stunning view of a far-off planetary system

How Vast's space station will look in orbit.

SpaceX and Vast aim to be first to deploy a private space station

ClearSpace's debris-catching spacecraft.

Space junk cleanup mission secures a ride to space

JPL's EELS robot.

Check out the latest version of NASA’s slithering snake robot

Virgin Galactic's space plane heading to the edge of space.

Virgin Galactic announces first fully crewed flight since 2021

SpaceX's Crew Dragon Endeavour spacecraft.

Four space station astronauts just took Crew Dragon ‘for a spin’

Rocket Lab's Electron rocket on the launchpad.

Watch Rocket Lab launch storm-monitoring satellites

Uranus is surrounded by its four major rings and 10 of its 27 known moons in this color-added view that uses data taken by the Hubble Space Telescope in 1998. A study featuring new modeling shows that four of Uranus’ large moons likely contain internal oceans.

4 of Uranus’s icy moons could have liquid water oceans

4 of Uranus’s icy moons could have liquid water oceans

Using data from the Voyager mission, researchers found that four of Uranus's moons likely have liquid water oceans beneath icy crusts.
First image of the full Earth disc from the Meteosat Third Generation Imager. The first image from Meteosat Third Generation – Imager 1 (MTG-I1) reveals a level of detail about the weather over Europe and Africa not previously possible from 36 000 km above Earth. The higher-resolution images provided by the instruments on board give weather forecasters more information about the clouds cloaking much of Europe and visible in the equatorial region of Africa and the Atlantic Ocean. Sand and sediment in the waters off Italy are also visible, as well as dust or smog being carried from south Asia. This degree of detail is not possible from the instruments on the Meteosat Second Generation satellites. The image was captured at 11:50 UTC on 18 March 2023 by the Flexible Combined Imager on MTG-I1.

See the first image of Earth from a new weather-monitoring satellite

See the first image of Earth from a new weather-monitoring satellite

A recently launched weather satellite has sent back its first image of Earth, showing our planet in gorgeous detail.
Proteus, an undersea laboratory aiming for deployment in 2026.

‘Undersea space station’ takes big step toward deployment

‘Undersea space station’ takes big step toward deployment

The plan to build a new underwater research habitat has taken a significant step forward after NOAA inked a deal with the team behind the facility.
This illustration is based on Hubble Space Telescope images of gas and dust discs encircling the young star TW Hydrae. We have an oblique view of three concentric rings of dust and gas. At the centre is the bright white glow of the central star. The reddish-coloured rings are inclined to each other and are therefore casting dark shadows across the outermost ring.

Hubble observes weird star system with three off-kilter, planet-forming disks

Hubble observes weird star system with three off-kilter, planet-forming disks

There's something odd about the TW Hydrae system, and it took astronomers some time to figure it out.
Illustration of the black hole Sagittarius A* at the center of the Milky Way.

See the terrifying scale of a supermassive black hole in NASA visualization

See the terrifying scale of a supermassive black hole in NASA visualization

NASA is celebrating black hole week by sharing a frankly disturbing visualization to help you picture just how large a supermassive black hole is.
nasa announces breakthrough in search for iss air leak space station

Watch a cosmonaut hurl a piece of ISS garbage into the abyss

Watch a cosmonaut hurl a piece of ISS garbage into the abyss

Watch as Roscosmos cosmonaut Sergey Prokopyev launches a 5-kilogram piece of redundant ISS hardware into the abyss during a spacewalk on Wednesday.
Astronomers using the Gemini South telescope in Chile, operated by NSF’s NOIRLab, have observed the first compelling evidence of a dying Sun-like star engulfing an exoplanet. The “smoking gun” of this event was seen in a long and low-energy outburst from the star — the telltale signature of a planet skimming along a star’s surface. This never-before-seen process may herald the ultimate fate of Earth when our own Sun nears the end of its life in about five billion years.

Astronomers watch a preview of the destruction of the Earth

Astronomers watch a preview of the destruction of the Earth

Astronomers recently caught the grisly sight of an exoplanet being devoured by its star, in a preview of what will eventually happen to the Earth.
A SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft docked at the ISS.

How to watch SpaceX’s spacecraft take a very short trip on Saturday

How to watch SpaceX’s spacecraft take a very short trip on Saturday

NASA is live streaming a 43-minute spacecraft ride between two docking ports at the International Space Station on Saturday, May 6.
A Falcon Heavy fairing reentering Earth's atmosphere.

SpaceX shares surreal footage of Falcon Heavy fairing reentry

SpaceX shares surreal footage of Falcon Heavy fairing reentry

SpaceX has shared some surreal footage of a plasma trail created by its Falcon Heavy rocket fairing as it fell to Earth at high speed during a recent mission.
NASA's Ingenuity helicopter.

Watch a replica of NASA’s Mars helicopter take flight on Earth

Watch a replica of NASA’s Mars helicopter take flight on Earth

Visitors to NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California got to see a life-sized replica of the Ingenuity Mars helicopter take flight.
This artist concept represents the rocky exoplanet GJ 486 b, which orbits a red dwarf star that is only 26 light-years away in the constellation Virgo. By observing GJ 486 b transit in front of its star, astronomers sought signs of an atmosphere. They detected hints of water vapor. However, they caution that while this might be a sign of a planetary atmosphere, the water could be on the star itself – specifically, in cool starspots – and not from the planet at all.

James Webb detects water vapor in rocky planet’s atmosphere — maybe

James Webb detects water vapor in rocky planet’s atmosphere — maybe

Water vapor was spotted near the rocky exoplanet GJ 486 b. That could indicate the presence of water in its atmosphere, or it could also be from another source.
A night time sky on the Nokia G60.

See the moon and Jupiter get cozy in May’s skywatching highlights

See the moon and Jupiter get cozy in May’s skywatching highlights

NASA’s sky-watching update for May features some wonderful views of Saturn, Jupiter, Venus, and Mars, as well as of our lunar neighbor.
The Ingenuity helicopter on the surface of Mars, in an image taken by the Perseverance rover. Ingenuity recently made its 50th flight.

Ingenuity and Perseverance snap photos of each other on Mars

Ingenuity and Perseverance snap photos of each other on Mars

Everyone's favorite Mars double act, the Ingenuity helicopter and the Perseverance rover, have been traveling together recently -- and there's photo evidence.
The European Space Agency's JUICE spacecraft.

JUICE spacecraft might have to shake loose its struck antenna

JUICE spacecraft might have to shake loose its struck antenna

The European Space Agency (ESA)'s JUICE spacecraft has run into a problem following its launch, as one of its antennae has not yet been deployed.
Falcon Heavy's 27 Merlin engines.

How to watch SpaceX launch mighty Falcon Heavy on Friday

How to watch SpaceX launch mighty Falcon Heavy on Friday

SpaceX is making final preparations for the next launch of the Falcon Heavy, one of the most powerful rockets in operation today.
The International Space Station’s solar arrays provide power for the orbiting laboratory. NASA will install a total of six new roll out solar arrays in front of the existing arrays at 1A, 2B, 3A, 3B, 4A, and 4B to augment the power. During the Aug. 24 spacewalk, NASA astronaut Mark Vande Hei and astronaut Akihiko Hoshide of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency will install the modification kit on the 4A power channel, where the next new roll out solar array will be installed in 2022.

NASA confirms ISS will host cosmonauts through 2028

NASA confirms ISS will host cosmonauts through 2028

Russia's long-term involvement in the ISS looked in doubt last year but NASA has confirmed cosmonauts will continue to visit the orbital outpost through 2028.
30 stunning spacewalk images to celebrate nasas 300th outing  26

How to watch Friday’s historic spacewalk at the ISS

How to watch Friday’s historic spacewalk at the ISS

An event at the ISS involves U.S. astronaut Steve Bowen and his UAE counterpart Sultan Alneyadi, who will become the first Arab to do a spacewalk.
SpaceX's Starship launching from Boca Chica, Texas, in April 2023.

SpaceX’s Starship launch sparked a fire in a Texas state park

SpaceX’s Starship launch sparked a fire in a Texas state park

Debris from SpaceX's first launch of Starship – the most powerful rocket ever developed – fell over a wide area and caused a fire in a Texas state park.
Scientists observing the compact radio core of M87 have discovered new details about the galaxy’s supermassive black hole. In this artist’s conception, the black hole’s massive jet is seen rising up from the centre of the black hole. The observations on which this illustration is based represent the first time that the jet and the black hole shadow have been imaged together, giving scientists new insights into how black holes can launch these powerful jets.

Supermassive black hole spews out jet of matter in first-of-its-kind image

Supermassive black hole spews out jet of matter in first-of-its-kind image

For the first time, astronomers have imaged a supermassive black hole expelling an enormous jet of matter at tremendous speed.
exoplanet discovered machine learning image png

Previously unknown exoplanet discovered using machine learning

Previously unknown exoplanet discovered using machine learning

Researchers used a machine learning model to search for exoplanets with protoplanetary disks, and found one that had previously been missed.
This artist’s concept shows a cutaway of Mars, along with the paths of seismic waves from two separate quakes in 2021. Detected by NASA’s InSight mission, these seismic waves were the first ever identified to enter another planet’s core.

NASA’s InSight lander looks into Mars to study the planet’s core

NASA’s InSight lander looks into Mars to study the planet’s core

NASA's Mars InSight may have come to the end of its mission last year, but data from the lander is still being used to contribute to science.
gskyer telescope az70400 deal amazon april 2023 product render

This bestselling Gskyer starter telescope is 34% off at Amazon

This bestselling Gskyer starter telescope is 34% off at Amazon

The Gskyer Telescope AZ70400, which is available from Amazon for a discounted price of $86, is the perfect starter telescope for stargazers new to the hobby.

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