It is an opportunity to study an interstellar object without having to travel interstellar distances.Mentions not only the proposed Lyra mission to 'Oumuamua, but also an ESA 'rapid response' mission.
Scientists are racing to design spacecraft to reach the enigmatic ‘Oumuamua — or be ready for the next one
Several groups of researchers have been working to find ways of reaching this increasingly distant object.www.astronomy.com
In the news
NASA has a new database to predict meteoroid hazards for spaceflight
There are plenty of problems that spacecraft designers have to consider. Getting smacked in the sensitive parts by a rock is just one of them, but it is a very important one.
A strange intermittent radio signal from space has astronomers puzzled
When astronomers turn our radio telescopes out towards space, we sometimes detect sporadic bursts of radio waves originating from across the vast expanse of the universe. We call them "radio transients": some erupt only once, never to be seen again, and others flicker on and off in predictable...
Astronomers have a new way to bypass Earth's atmosphere
Radio telescopes have an advantage over optical telescopes, in that radio telescopes can be used even in cloudy conditions here on Earth. That's because the longer wavelengths of radio waves can pass through clouds unhindered.
Researcher suggests that gravity can exist without mass, mitigating the need for hypothetical dark matter
Dark matter is a hypothetical form of matter that is implied by gravitational effects that can't be explained by general relativity unless more matter is present in the universe than can be seen. It remains virtually as mysterious as it was nearly a century ago when first suggested by Dutch...
Gravitational waves and the geometry of spacetime
When speaking of our universe, it's often said that "matter tells spacetime how to curve, and curved spacetime tells matter how to move." This is the essence of Albert Einstein's famous general theory of relativity, and describes how planets, stars, and galaxies move and influence the space...
Exotic black holes could be a byproduct of dark matter
For every kilogram of matter that we can see—from the computer on your desk to distant stars and galaxies—there are 5 kilograms of invisible matter that suffuse our surroundings. This "dark matter" is a mysterious entity that evades all forms of direct observation yet makes its presence felt...
The JWST is rewriting astronomy textbooks
When the James Webb Space Telescope was launched at the end of 2021, we expected stunning images and illuminating scientific results. So far, the powerful space telescope has lived up to our expectations. The JWST has shown us things about the early universe we never anticipated.
New approach leverages planetary magnetospheres to detect high-frequency gravitational waves
A new method of detecting high-frequency gravitational waves (HFGWs) has been proposed by a research team led by Prof. Tao Liu, Associate Professor from the Department of Physics at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST).
Swarm satellites help aurora chasers discover Steve's long-lost twin
Ever since aurora chasers discovered Steve, a mysterious ribbon of purple light in the night sky, scientists have wondered whether it might have a secret twin. Now, thanks to a photographer's keen eye, and data from ESA's Swarm satellites, we may have found it.
'Weird' new planet retains atmosphere despite nearby star's relentless radiation
A rare exoplanet that should have been stripped down to bare rock by its nearby host star's intense radiation somehow grew a puffy atmosphere instead—the latest in a string of discoveries forcing scientists to rethink theories about how planets age and die in extreme environments.
Most collapsed stars fully rotate in seconds: This one takes nearly an hour
Australian scientists from the University of Sydney and Australia's national science agency, CSIRO, have detected what is likely a neutron star spinning slower than any other ever measured.
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