Live and recent posts from across the Fediverse tagged #universetoday, aggregated by home.social.
Starship drops off satellites during its first orbital flight
SpaceX sent its Starship super-rocket on its first orbital flight — a shorter-than-planned test mission that put operational Starlink satellites into orbit for the first time.
The 407-foot-tall rocket rose from its launch pad at SpaceX's Starbase complex on the Texas c
https://cosmiclog.com/2026/09/28/starship-drops-off-satellites-during-its-first-orbital-flight/
#UniverseToday #Satellites #Space #SpaceX #Starlink #Starship
Scientists make an intriguing find in dark-matter hunt
Dark matter is the invisible stuff that accounts for roughly 85% of the mass in the universe, and for decades, physicists have been trying to figure out what it's made of. Now an experimental facility located nearly a mile below ground in South Dakota has recorded a single interaction be
https://cosmiclog.com/2026/09/01/scientists-make-an-intriguing-find-in-dark-matter-hunt/
#UniverseToday #DarkMatter #ParticlePhysics #Physics #Space
Roman rises! Get to know NASA’s newest space telescope
NASA's newest eye on the sky, the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, has begun its journey to unravel the secrets of dark matter, dark energy and Earthlike planets — months ahead of schedule.
The 9-ton telescope rode to space today aboard a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket that was launched
https://cosmiclog.com/2026/08/30/roman-rises-get-to-know-nasas-newest-space-telescope/
#UniverseToday #Astronomy #NASA #RomanSpaceTelescope #Space
Lucky 13! Starship sends out satellites and stays intact
SpaceX's Starship super-rocket deployed operational next-generation Starlink satellites for the first time during its 13th flight test, which addressed snags that arose in the previous test.
The 407-foot-tall, two-stage rocket rose from its Starbase launch pad in Texas at 5:51 p.m. CT (3:51 p.m. PT) t
https://cosmiclog.com/2026/07/24/lucky-13-starship-sends-out-satellites-and-stays-intact/
#UniverseToday #Space #SpaceX #Starship
Large Hadron Collider shuts down for a smashing upgrade
After nearly 18 years of operation, highlighted by the detection of the elusive Higgs boson, Europe's CERN physics research center says it's bidding "Farewell" to the Large Hadron Collider. But it's actually more like "See You Later, Accelerator!"
The new, improved High-L
https://cosmiclog.com/2026/06/29/large-hadron-collider-shuts-down-for-a-smashing-upgrade/
#UniverseToday #LargeHadronCollider #ParticlePhysics #Physics #Science
#UniverseToday:
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Plutonium in Earth Rocks Signals Long-ago Cosmic Collision
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"A small lump of rock pulled up from the Pacific Ocean seafloor in 1976 is giving scientists new clues about an ancient cosmic event. More than a hundred million years ago, two neutron stars collided. .."
https://www.universetoday.com/articles/plutonium-in-earth-rocks-signals-long-ago-cosmic-collision
18.6.2026
#ANSTO #Astrophysik #Cm247 #Curium247 #Eisen60 #Elementsynthese #Ferromangankruste #HZDR #Isotop
#Mangankruste #Plutonium244 #Pu244 #rProzess #Supernova #Tiefsee #Universum
SETI experts update their protocols for ‘Disclosure Day’
An international committee of experts says it has updated its rules for evaluating and revealing the detection of extraterrestrial intelligence.
The revisions in the decades-old Declaration of Principles, created and maintained by the International Academy of Astronautics' SETI Commi
https://cosmiclog.com/2026/06/05/seti-experts-update-their-protocols-for-disclosure-day/
#UniverseToday #Aliens #Astrobiology #IAA #SETI #Space
Next-gen Starship passes its first flight test despite snags
SpaceX's next-generation Starship V3 rocket got off to a glorious start for its first test flight, and although not all of its engines fired fully according to plan, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk said the mission "scored a goal for humanity."
This was the 12th Starship launch, but the first one since
https://cosmiclog.com/2026/05/22/next-gen-starship-passes-its-first-flight-test-despite-snags/
#UniverseToday #Space #SpaceX #Starship
Crypto investor plans to ride Starship around Mars
Chinese-born cryptocurrency investor Chun Wang has become the latest deep-pocketed space enthusiast to set his sights on a trip around Mars. But first, he wants to take a ride around the moon on SpaceX's Starship. And SpaceX is willing to work with him.
https://cosmiclog.com/2026/05/21/crypto-investor-plans-to-ride-starship-around-mars/
#UniverseToday #ChunWang #CommercialSpaceflight #Cryptocurrency #Mars #Moon #Space #SpaceX #Starship
Pluto-like world’s thin atmosphere poses a mystery
Scientists are puzzling over another oddball on the edge of the solar system: This time, it's an icy object less than a quarter of Pluto's size with a thin atmosphere – a layer of gas that's not typically found around objects so small.
A Japanese team of researchers — including an amate
https://cosmiclog.com/2026/05/08/pluto-like-worlds-thin-atmosphere-poses-a-mystery/
#UniverseToday #Astronomy #KuiperBelt #Pluto #SolarSystem #Space
Pentagon releases UFO files from moon trips and more
The Department of Defense has released a fresh batch of images and transcripts relating to reports of unidentified anomalous phenomena, formerly known as UFOs, including pictures and descriptions from NASA's Apollo missions to the moon.
Today's release on the War.gov website was the first in a series plan
https://cosmiclog.com/2026/05/08/pentagon-releases-ufo-files-from-moon-trips-and-more/
#UniverseToday #Military #Moon #NASA #UFOs
Two space telescopes see Saturn in a different light
NASA is serving up a double scoop of delicious Saturn imagery in two flavors — near-infrared and visible light. The subtle differences between the James Webb Space Telescope's infrared view and the Hubble Space Telescope's visible-light view can h
https://cosmiclog.com/2026/03/25/two-space-telescopes-see-saturn-in-a-different-light/
#UniverseToday #HubbleSpaceTelescope #JamesWebbSpaceTelescope #NASA #planets #Saturn #SolarSystem #Space
NASA pivots to moon base and nuclear Mars mission
NASA's leaders today laid out an ambitious multibillion-dollar space exploration plan that calls for building a moon base over the next decade and launching a nuclear-powered probe to Mars by 2028.
The space agency is also pressing the p
https://cosmiclog.com/2026/03/24/nasa-pivots-to-moon-base-and-nuclear-mars-mission/
#UniverseToday #Artemis #DeepSpaceGateway #InternationalSpaceStation #Mars #Moon #NASA #Nuclear #Space #SpaceStations
CERN adds a new particle to subatomic menagerie
The Large Hadron Collider's subatomic discoveries didn't stop with the Higgs boson: This week, scientists at Europe's CERN research center announced that the collider's LHCb experiment has detected a doubly charmed particle that's like a proton, but four times as weighty.
The parti
https://cosmiclog.com/2026/03/17/cern-adds-a-new-particle-to-subatomic-menagerie/
#UniverseToday #CERN #LargeHadronCollider #ParticlePhysics #Physics #Science
Scientists find evidence of faraway worlds colliding
Astronomers say unusual readings from a star system 11,000 light-years away suggest that two of the planets circling the star crashed into each other, creating a huge, light-obscuring cloud of rocks and dust.
The analysis, laid out this week in a paper published
https://cosmiclog.com/2026/03/12/scientists-find-evidence-of-faraway-worlds-colliding/
#UniverseToday #Earth #Exoplanets #Gaia #Moon #planets #Space #UniversityOfWashington
Phew! NASA rules out asteroid smashup on the moon
Here's one less thing to worry about — or to look forward to: NASA has ruled out any chance that an asteroid called 2024 YR4 will hit the moon in 2032. Last year, the uncertainty surrounding the space rock's orbital path held out a slight chance of impact, but fresh observations from NASA's James Webb Space Telescope confirm that it'll be a
https://cosmiclog.com/2026/03/05/phew-nasa-rules-out-asteroid-smashup-on-the-moon/
#UniverseToday
#UniverseToday:
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Report blames NASA and Boeing for Starliner screw-ups
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"Nearly two years after Boeing’s botched Starliner mission to the International Space Station, NASA put the mishap in the same category as the Challenger and Columbia space shuttle disasters — and said the spacecraft wouldn’t carry another crew until dozens of corrective actions are taken."
https://cosmiclog.com/2026/02/19/nasa-blames-itself-and-boeing-for-starliner-screw-ups/
19.2.2026
#UniverseToday:
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Occupy Mars? Or the Moon? Get a Reality Check on Elon Musk's Plans
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"Solomon thinks it’s possible to “have boots on the ground” on the moon within a few years, and on Mars within a decade. But that’s different from building a self-sustaining city."
17.2.2026
One of the best time-lapses. Haven't read the paper yet, but here's the dark matter angle:
#UniverseToday:
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Russia's Plans for a Space Station Includes "Recycling" its ISS Modules
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https://www.universetoday.com/articles/russias-plans-for-a-space-station-includes-recycling-its-iss-modules
22.12.2025
#ISS #Raumfahrt #Raumstation #ROS #ROSS #Russia #Russland #SpaceFlight #SpaceStation
Sea Lake Astro Fest: A Deep-Space Side Quest
Sea Lake Astro Fest 2025 turned into one of those deep-space side quests that takes over your whole weekend in the best way possible.
I was lucky enough to help out again this year, MC’ing the talks, running the science Q&A panel, hosting the pub quiz, and volunteering at the Lake Tyrrell public viewing night.
But the real highlight wasn’t the microphone or the schedule, it was watching people experience the night sky together. The curiosity, the first-time telescope reactions, the quiet “wow” moments… that’s what this festival is all about.
Somewhere in between all that, I squeezed in a final astrophotography session with Krista before she headed back to America, one last night of star chasing together after years of shared sky adventures.
Sea Lake Astro Fest isn’t about any one person. It’s about sharing the universe with anyone who shows up with a sense of wonder.
And this year delivered that and more.
#SeaLakeAstroFest #AstroFest #Astrophotography #Stars #NightSky #MilkyWay #DeepSky #DeepSpace #Astronomy #SpacePhotography #AstroPhotography #AstroCommunity #Cosmos #Galaxies #ScienceFestival #ScienceCommunication #STEM #SciComm #SpaceNerd #SpaceLovers #Telescopes #Stargazing #Nebula #AstroLife #ExploreTheUniverse #UniverseToday #Skywatching
NASA faces another shift in its leadership — and its vision
NASA is facing increasingly sharp challenges as it pursues its goal of landing astronauts on the moon again before this decade is out — and as the space agency braces for another leadership change, it's clear that the year ahead will also bring further challenges. How will NASA fare?
"There's a lot left up in the air,
https://cosmiclog.com/2025/11/14/nasa-faces-another-shift-in-its-leadership-and-its-vision/
#UniverseToday
Super-quiet X-59 supersonic jet makes first test flight
In partnership with NASA, Lockheed Martin Skunk Works has executed the first test flight of the X-59 quiet supersonic aircraft. This week's first flight was subsonic, but eventually the plane will demonstrate technologies aimed at reducing sonic booms to gentle thu
https://cosmiclog.com/2025/10/29/super-quiet-x-59-supersonic-jet-makes-first-test-flight/
#UniverseToday #Aerospace #LockheedMartin #NASA #SupersonicTransport #Technology
Impulse Space lays out its plan for deliveries to the moon
Impulse Space, the California-based venture founded by veteran SpaceX engineer Tom Mueller, today unveiled its proposed architecture for delivering medium-sized payloads to the moon by as early as 2028.
In a blog posting, Mueller said the plan would fill a "critical gap in lunar cargo delivery
https://cosmiclog.com/2025/10/14/impulse-space-lays-out-its-plan-for-deliveries-to-the-moon/
#UniverseToday #ImpulseSpace #Moon #Space
SpaceX flies Starship to get ready for the next generation
SpaceX closed out a dramatic chapter in the development of its super-heavy-lift Starship launch system today with a successful flight test that mostly followed the script for the previous flight test.
The 11th test flight began with the ascent of Starship's Super Heavy booster from SpaceX's Starbase lau
https://cosmiclog.com/2025/10/13/spacex-flies-starship-to-get-ready-for-the-next-generation/
#UniverseToday #SpaceX #Starship