New Atlas

Space Audio available

Could we – and should we – build a laser lighthouse to make first contact with aliens?

Michael Irving November 6, 2018

Whether there’s life beyond Earth is one of the most profound questions we can ask. Making ourselves easier to find could be part of our first contact strategy. A new MIT study outlines a way to use existing or near-future tech to build a kind of laser lighthouse to signal to our cosmic neighbors.

An MIT study proposes building a laser lighthouse to signal to alien astronomers up to 20,000 ...

Space

Australian observatory hunts Earth-like planets by watching for wobbling stars

Michael Irving November 1, 2018

A new exoplanet hunting tool has been installed onto an Australian telescope. Dubbed Veloce, the instrument looks out for the wobble of a star caused by the gravitational tug of orbiting planets, and it specializes in red dwarfs, the most common type of star in the universe.

The Anglo-Australian Telescope in Siding Spring Observatory is home to a new planet-hunting instrument

Space

Dusty pseudo-satellites spotted orbiting Earth

Michael Irving October 28, 2018

Hungarian astronomers have spotted two new pseudo-satellites – in the form of clouds of dust – caught in the gravitational tug-of-war between the Earth and the Moon.

An artist's rendition of the dusty pseudo-moon spotted in orbit around Earth

Space

Hubble troubleshooting seems to have shaken the problem loose

Michael Irving October 23, 2018

After about 28 years of diligently studying the skies, Hubble’s future was thrown into question a few weeks ago when one of its gyroscopes failed. NASA has been working to return the telescope to working order, and now it looks like all systems are go for normal science operations to resume.

After weeks of troubleshooting a malfunctioning gyroscope, Hubble appears to be almost ready to resume regular ...

Space

20 new deep-space radio signals detected by Outback telescopes

Michael Irving October 14, 2018

A huge radio telescope array spread across the Australian Outback is helping identify the mysterious fast radio bursts. Astronomers have now announced the discovery of 20 new FRBs in a bit over a year, including the brightest and closest events yet seen.

An artist's rendition of fast radio bursts, being detected by the ASKAP telescope in Western Australia

Space

Hubble operations suspended after technical failure

Michael Irving October 8, 2018

A technical fault has led NASA to suspend science operations for the hardworking Hubble Space Telescope. The craft entered safe mode on Friday when one of its gyroscopes failed, and while the problem may or may not be fixable, Hubble is expected to continue science operations regardless.

NASA has suspended science operations for the Hubble Space Telescope after a technical fault

Space Audio available

New moon rising? Astronomers spot evidence of first exomoon

Michael Irving October 3, 2018

Although it’s basically a sure thing that exomoons are out there, astronomers haven’t been able to spot any – until now. Scientists using NASA’s Hubble and Kepler space telescopes have found evidence of a large moon orbiting a gas giant planet some 8,000 light-years away.

An artist's impression of the exomoon which may have been discovered orbiting the distant planet Kepler ...

Automotive Audio available

Nissan's rugged truck/trailer concept tows high-powered telescope in search of dark skies

C.C. Weiss September 19, 2018

The all-new Nissan Navara Dark Sky Concept is a ruggedized pickup pulling a heavy-duty trailer, but it's not going fishing or camping – it's there to take astronomers far away from the light pollution of civilization. It's essentially a tough, no-nonsense observatory on wheels.

The enhanced sensor set helps the Navara driver find the best spot for setting the trailer ...

Space

Water discovered hidden deep beneath Jupiter's Great Red Spot

Anthony Wood September 5, 2018

Scientists may have discovered large amounts of water hidden deep beneath the surface of Jupiter’s famous Great Red Spot. The discovery, which was made using ground-based telescopes, opens up the possibility that extremophile lifeforms could exist in the atmosphere of the enigmatic gas giant.

Space

Stunning new Hubble panorama spies 15,000 galaxies

Michael Irving August 22, 2018

Astronomers have released one of the most comprehensive photos snapped by the Hubble Space Telescope, combining ultraviolet, infrared and visible light into one image that shows thousands of galaxies spread across space and time.

Hubble has captured an incredible new image of the universe