Corey S Powell

Writer, editor, magazine maker, podcaster, procrastinator.

Former editor of Discover and American Scientist magazines. Co-host of #ScienceRules podcast. Invisible Universe on Substack: https://invisibleuniverse.substack.com/

Co-founder of OpenMind magazine.

#science #nature #space #scicomm

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Last Notes

2026-10-22 16:22:00 UTC

A major event just passed without notice: the 180th anniversary of the discovery of dark matter.
You hadn't heard that we discovered dark matter 180 years ago? Well, have I got a story to share with you.
My latest Invisible Universe column, here:
https://invisibleuniverse.substack.com/p/what-we-see-in-the-shadows #space #science #nature #history
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/117/485/476/187/306/369/original/36a402799c27f10e.jpg

2026-10-21 04:05:58 UTC

On its way to Jupiter, the European JUICE mission recently flew by the Earth & Moon, viewing them as we would explore another planetary system.
It's fun to step back and think how strange we'd seem if studied up close for the first time.
https://www.dlr.de/en/latest/news/2026/say-cheese-juice-snaps-flyby-photos-of-earth-and-moon #space #science #tech #nature
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/117/476/917/245/872/986/original/a6ea1f63e103985c.jpg
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/117/476/917/488/122/375/original/e3766ffcaf385f2d.jpg

2026-10-19 04:32:34 UTC

Tomorrow afternoon (EDT), Japan is set to launch the remarkable MMX mission. It will study Mars's tiny moon Phobos, drop a rover on its surface, and bring samples back to Earth. We'll learn a lot: about Mars, the history of the solar system, and about new ways to explore.
https://www.mmx.jaxa.jp/en/mission/ #space #science #astronomy #tech
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/117/465/699/162/304/449/original/2a939885373379c7.jpg

2026-10-06 11:36:08 UTC

The Nobel Prize in physics goes to Francis Halzen, who figured out how to turn a cubic kilometer of Antarctic ice into an enormous neutrino detector. The resulting IceCube experiment is now studying extreme events across the universe.
Remarkable, mind-expanding research.
https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/physics/2026/press-release/ #science #tech #nature #Nobel
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2026-09-06 03:46:29 UTC

The BepiColombo spacecraft just broke in two. In December, the remainder will split in two again.
It's all part of the elaborate preparations for making the best-ever observations of the enigmatic planet Mercury.
https://www.esa.int/Science_Exploration/Space_Science/BepiColombo/Latest_updates_BepiColombo_s_arrival_at_Mercury #space #science #tech
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/117/222/037/583/782/036/original/433c8e5a3cffb5df.jpg
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2026-08-25 04:00:22 UTC

The historic first Earthrise photo from the Moon was received 60 years ago today. It was shot on film, developed onboard the Lunar Orbiter 1 spacecraft, scanned, transmitted home...and then meticulously restored decades later.
https://www.lpi.usra.edu/features/lunarOrbiter/ #space #science #history #tech
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/117/154/145/050/394/639/original/97d00e71e8588912.jpg

2026-08-21 12:21:27 UTC

Life may have originated more than once on Earth...and today's living cells might have two separate origins.
Fascinating new research traces life's likely beginnings to a hydrothermal vent environment.
https://www.hhu.de/en/news/two-origins-of-life #science #nature #history
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/117/133/464/940/140/894/original/8612b67562e84fa8.jpg

2026-08-20 18:49:59 UTC

The mission to rescue NASA’s Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory has failed; the observatory will probably burn up in Earth's atmosphere later this year.
This was a high-risk effort, and will aid future rescue missions. A bitter disappointment all the same.
https://www.nasa.gov/news-release/nasa-updates-next-steps-for-commercial-swift-boost-mission/ #space #science #tech
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2026-08-17 23:04:31 UTC

I needed something spectacular, and here it is: a view of the August 12 solar eclipse as seen from South Korea's Danuri satellite, in orbit around the Moon.
That's the limb of the Moon in the foreground, and the lunar shadow sweeping across Greenland.
https://www.mt.co.kr/amp/tech/2026/08/13/2026081314245392530
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/117/113/346/516/334/506/original/2205f3bccb951bab.jpg

2026-08-15 12:51:02 UTC

By chance, an extraordinary new telescope captured an extraordinary step in evolution: the moment when a dying star donates its remains to the galaxy, seeding the next generation of stars.
https://news.northwestern.edu/stories/2026/08-2/astronomers-witness-cosmic-recycling-system-in-action #space #science #nature
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2026-08-13 17:34:06 UTC

A particle made of force?
Chinese researchers claim they've definitively detected a "glueball"--a particle of intertwined gluons, which carry the strong force. Gluons bind together protons & neutrons, but they can also stick to each other. No ordinary matter required.
https://www.science.org/content/article/behold-glueball-strange-new-form-matter #science #physics #nature
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2026-08-12 23:26:46 UTC

It amazes me every time that pinhole projection really works. We got just a 9% eclipse in Brooklyn, but that was enough to put an obvious dent in the Sun.
I made my "camera" in 10 seconds, using a needle and two pieces of card stock. #science #nature #eclipse
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/117/085/118/178/439/792/original/dad52db0f70728cc.webp

2026-08-12 15:53:21 UTC

Today is Peak Perseid: The best night of the year's best meteor shower, especially easy to view because of a new Moon.
I love Marcin Rosadziński's fish-eye photo of the 2024 Perseids, which captures the feeling of us all sitting on a little rock in space.
https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap260812.html #space #science #nature #perseids
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/117/083/339/657/456/197/original/ed7bf5f124b8b671.jpg

2026-08-04 21:25:05 UTC

When and how did Earth get its oxygen? The answer used to seem simple...but the more we learn, the more complicated it looks.
The path to breathable air may have been twisted by shifting continents & runaway glaciers.
https://www.science.org/content/article/what-triggered-one-most-dramatic-changes-earth-s-history #science #nature #history
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/117/039/346/347/874/278/original/3f2166e275b87d5c.webp

2026-08-01 04:24:22 UTC

The inner moons of Neptune look like they were turned inside out, with deep-interior minerals spattered across their surfaces.
Probably these moons are the shattered remains of earlier satellites that were shredded when a Pluto-like object came barreling in.
https://www.caltech.edu/about/news/neptunes-inner-moons-may-be-shattered-remains-of-ancient-icy-worlds #space #science #nature
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/117/018/344/086/299/879/original/1d0ad1316e1e7fe3.jpg
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2026-07-20 22:41:44 UTC

The very first image from the surface of Mars, transmitted to Earth from NASA's Viking 1 lander, 50 years ago today.
https://www.nasa.gov/image-article/our-first-view-of-the-surface-of-mars/ #science #nature #history #tech
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/116/954/712/059/386/690/original/ef804a4fcd0d8129.webp

2026-07-16 23:16:06 UTC

Very exciting! First clear detection of an atmosphere around an Earth-size planet in the habitable zone of another star.
This is a big step forward in figuring out if "potentially habitable" planets are actually habitable & if red dwarf stars could sustain life.
https://www.science.org/content/article/astronomers-spot-first-atmosphere-around-potentially-habitable-alien-world #space #science #nature #life
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2026-07-15 14:41:58 UTC

For the first time, astronomers have detected sugar molecules (erythrulose, to be precise) in deep space, floating near the center of our galaxy. It adds to the evidence for complex prebiotic carbon chemistry in interstellar clouds, even before planets form.
https://cen.acs.org/physical-chemistry/astrochemistry/astronomers-detect-first-sugar-in-interstellar-molecular-clouds/104/web/2026/07 #space #science #nature
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2026-07-07 20:10:38 UTC

Centaurus A is the quintessential "peculiar" galaxy. It's a powerful source of radio & x-rays. It looks like two galaxies that smashed into each other. I stared at photos of it for years, wondering what was going on.
Now observations from JWST are providing some answers.
https://esawebb.org/news/weic2615/ #space #science #nature
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/116/880/507/122/255/584/original/7133941bd11e5137.jpg

2026-07-05 14:12:25 UTC

NASA & Katalyst Space are attempting to rescue the Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory, a powerful gamma-ray telescope that's on a death-spiral toward Earth.
A booster spacecraft, called Link, is now on its way. It will attempt to grab Swift & lift it to safety. If successful, the same technique could be applied to the Hubble telescope.
https://spacenews.com/pegasus-launches-swift-reboost-mission/ #space #science #technology
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/116/867/772/081/381/839/original/4dbfb6099a216e62.jpg

2026-07-04 15:04:22 UTC

Somehow, planet WD 1856b survived the death of its star intact, and then migrated into a tight, stable orbit around the star's collapsed remains.
Astronomers have found that planets are remarkably resilient, forming & persisting in the most unlikely places.
https://science.nasa.gov/missions/webb/nasas-webb-studies-how-planet-survived-death-of-its-star/ #space #science #nature
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/116/862/317/025/768/943/original/a0373ea154fda142.jpg

2026-06-17 13:09:56 UTC

For the first time, scientists have detected the wind from a black hole.
New images show the supermassive one at the center of our galaxy is puffing away, clearing out a void about 20 trillion miles wide.
https://www.almaobservatory.org/en/press-releases/alma-finally-catches-the-milky-ways-black-hole-breathing/ #space #science #astronomy
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/116/765/603/667/285/880/original/3acab3127d3fc425.png

2026-06-12 15:40:58 UTC

David Hockney used his art to experiment with our perception of space and time. In 1994 he delivered a beautiful lecture at Caltech describing his process.
[PDF link]
https://calteches.library.caltech.edu/3762/1/Hockney.pdf #science #art #davidhockney
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2026-06-07 21:24:41 UTC

Planets form in swirling disks of gas and dust around newborn stars. It's not just a theory--we can watch it happening!
These images show the rotating disk around young star AB Aurigae, 520 light years from Earth. They were taking over 4 years at Paranal Observatory.
https://www.eso.org/public/videos/potw2622a/ #space #science #nature
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/116/710/929/493/783/452/original/cb69e368a52dfe89.mp4

2026-05-29 14:20:40 UTC

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The failure of the New Glenn rocket is going to have big implications. It thoroughly scrambles NASA's Moon plans, and greatly increases US dependence on SpaceX.
https://arstechnica.com/space/2026/05/heres-why-the-failure-of-blue-origins-new-glenn-rocket-is-so-catastrophic/ #space #science #tech
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/116/658/301/096/391/148/original/02d4a537307ccef5.jpg

2026-05-29 14:18:20 UTC

The scale of the New Glenn explosion is a reminder of the staggering amount of energy locked up within a rocket, and the extreme engineering it takes to release that energy in a precisely controlled way.
https://spaceflightnow.com/2026/05/29/blue-origins-new-glenn-rocket-explodes-during-prelaunch-testing-at-cape-canaveral/ #space #technology
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/116/658/291/579/282/041/original/b9b08edb36a6757e.mp4

2026-05-25 14:09:03 UTC

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If you could see our planet's inner magnetism, it would look like this geodynamo simulation. Turbulence in the outer core (red/blue) influences the resulting field (orange).
Abrupt changes down there lead to noticeable "jerks" in the magnetic field that we experience up top.
https://www.esa.int/Applications/Observing_the_Earth/FutureEO/Swarm/Swarm_helps_explain_Earth_s_magnetic_jerks #space #science #technology #esa
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/116/635/607/195/520/991/original/b52039a651d58a6c.jpg

2026-05-25 14:07:25 UTC

I'm flat-out amazed that we can monitor the currents of molten metal in Earth's outer core, 2200 kilometers underground--but we can. Lately, part of that flow has reversed direction, for reasons unknown.
There's a whole other dynamic world inside the world we see.
https://www.esa.int/Applications/Observing_the_Earth/FutureEO/Swarm/Insights_into_Earth_s_molten_outer_core_from_space #space #science #tech
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/116/635/600/105/623/916/original/b6cca79e32bf10da.mp4

2026-05-24 19:06:08 UTC

The word "telescope" was coined at the Lincean Academy in Rome on April 14, 1611, at a dinner party honoring Galileo. But Galileo did not name it!
The telescope was named by Greek poet/priest/mathematician Giovanni Demisiani. He called it "teleskopos"--far-seeing.
https://www.jstor.org/stable/24009629?seq=4 #science #history #technology
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2026-05-23 18:02:09 UTC

Using novel computing techniques, researchers have managed to simulate complex quantum systems on a classical computer.
It's an advance in quantum modeling, and a refutation of claims that only quantum computers could perform such simulations.
https://www.simonsfoundation.org/2026/05/21/quantum-dynamics-breakthrough-overturns-claim-of-quantum-supremacy-opens-new-research-directions/ #science #tech #technology
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/116/625/198/685/190/486/original/693eb26de69339b3.jpg

2026-05-21 15:37:36 UTC

The growth curve of space debris leveled off for a while. Now it's on a steep upward trajectory: There are 33,269 tracked objects, and counting.
It's still a manageable problem. But we need to manage it.
https://www.accu.co.uk/p/525-the-space-debris-report #space #tech #technology
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/116/613/305/303/237/787/original/a4e0ff565df7c56d.webp

2026-05-17 20:01:19 UTC

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ESA's long-running Mars Express orbiter captured an exceptional view of clouds & atmospheric haze on Mars. A lot of weather happening in that thin air.
(Processing by Andrea Luck.)
https://www.flickr.com/photos/andrealuck/55274343929/ #space #science #astronomy
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2026-05-17 19:58:47 UTC

Some magical new images of Mars have just come in from our interplanetary robots.
The Psyche probe, en route to a metal asteroid, got this startling view of crescent Mars during its flyby. (Processing by Kevin Gill.)
https://www.flickr.com/photos/kevinmgill/55271374755/ #space #science #nature
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2026-05-10 22:18:07 UTC

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Instruments aboard Ramses will measure what happens as asteroid Apophis passes through Earth's radiation belts.
The Ramses spacecraft may also land a cubesat on the asteroid & study its properties from the ground!
https://www.dlr.de/en/blog/archive/2026/ramses-mission-rps-and-marie-to-investigate-asteroid-apophis-passage-through-earth-s-magnetosphere #space #science #nature #astronomy
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/116/552/593/357/916/516/original/5ff86e28ef5deac0.jpeg
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2026-05-10 22:16:39 UTC

It is ON! Japan & Europe are collaborating on Ramses, a mission to asteroid Apophis as it makes a rare, unusually close pass by the Earth in April 2029.
The Ramses spacecraft will study Apophis & see how it changes under the pull of Earth's gravity.
https://www.esa.int/Space_Safety/Planetary_Defence/Ramses_ESA_s_mission_to_asteroid_Apophis #space #science #nature #tech
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/116/552/589/937/706/474/original/cc738db194330cc2.jpg

2026-04-26 22:18:03 UTC

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Zoom in, and the Sombrero Galaxy looks like a starry hat.
Switch to infrared vision (via JWST) and you can make most of the stars disappear, revealing the galaxy's unusually smooth, dusty ring -- less a hat than an enormous space Aerobie.
https://esawebb.org/news/weic2427/ #space #science #astronomy
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/116/473/323/087/390/570/original/be6ee26f9fff36b4.jpeg

2026-04-26 22:17:14 UTC

For your weekend enjoyment, here's a beautiful, expansive new view of the Sombrero Galaxy, courtesy of the 570-megapixel Dark Energy Camera on the Blanco Telescope in Chile.
The galaxy's dark "brim" is a ring of dust and cold gas encircling a vast ball of stars.
https://noirlab.edu/public/news/noirlab2612/ #space #science #nature
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/116/473/319/798/919/156/original/f646984b629aeac1.jpg

2026-04-23 20:32:10 UTC

This story is amazing.
Giant octopuses of the Cretaceous were up to 19 meters (60 feet) long.
They were the apex ocean predators of their day, eating up plesiosaurs and mosasaurs.
And they were apparently quite intelligent.
Sorry we missed you!
https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.aea6285 #science #nature #history
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2026-04-12 20:14:00 UTC

Among Orbán's many corrosive effects in Hungary, he politically strangled universities and research funding. His defeat offers the possibility of a better, more open future for Hungarian science.
https://www.statnews.com/2025/09/02/hungary-us-science-universities-democracy-protests-freedom-knowledge/ #science #hungary
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/116/393/563/003/934/115/original/2cfb435fd7037bc4.jpg

2026-04-11 18:00:31 UTC

A new study confirms the "Hubble tension": measurements of the local expansion of the universe do not line up with measurements of how the universe was expanding after the Big Bang.
It's no simple experimental error. 11 different techniques agree.
https://noirlab.edu/public/news/noirlab2611/?lang #space #science #science
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2026-04-08 16:47:11 UTC

One is Pluto's moon Charon.
One is Earth's moon, the Moon (aka Luna)
A little shift in perspective, and even the most familiar objects in space look surprising and new.
#space #science #artemis #nature
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/116/370/098/053/668/654/original/ac5a042027b02d0b.jpg
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2026-04-06 15:16:08 UTC

Beautiful shot & beautiful metaphor. The "Man in the Moon" drifting off at right. The lunar farside coming into view at left. (Processing: Damian Peach)
From the evolution of the eye, ~500 million years ago, until October 7, 1959, no creature on Earth had ever seen the far side of the Moon. #space #science #artemis #technology
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/116/358/416/970/997/840/original/31290fcc000e7744.jpg

2026-04-05 22:45:57 UTC

The Moon is a major destination, a complex world in its own right. It is larger than any of the dwarf planets of the solar system! (All shown to scale here.)
https://science.nasa.gov/moon/ #space #science #artemis #moon
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/116/354/524/031/003/977/original/b09535d6aa772a76.jpg

2026-04-05 16:22:04 UTC

The Artemis II crew is closing in on the Moon, getting an unearthly view: south at the top, lunar farside on the right.
This is the first time humans have had a complete, direct view of the huge Orientale impact basin, visible at far right.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/nasa2explore/55187348577/ #space #science #artemis #nature
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/116/353/014/236/556/301/original/f7f0dc846b287c2a.jpg

2026-04-03 18:00:34 UTC

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Here is another version of the marvelous new Artemis II view of Earth, taken just minutes later.
This shot uses a shorter exposure, emphasizing the night side of our planet as it eclipses the Sun.
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/116/342/049/192/183/523/original/5378124838d8855f.jpg

2026-04-03 17:23:54 UTC

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To be clear: We're basically looking at an eclipse of the Sun, by the Earth.
This is the night side of our planet, illuminated by the light of the full Moon, seen in a long exposure. Wow!

2026-04-03 17:22:16 UTC

What an amazing view of Earth from Artemis II.
The Sun is behind the Earth, illuminating a thin crescent. This low-light shot, taken by Reid Wiseman using a Nikon D5, shows auroras over the poles, city lights, and the glow of the atmosphere.
And yes, there are stars!
https://www.nasa.gov/image-article/hello-world/ #space #science #nature #technology
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2026-04-02 20:35:38 UTC

Even before beginning formal science operations, the remarkable Rubin Observatory has already discovered 12,700 new asteroids.
It found 11,000 asteroids in just 6 weeks during an "optimization" shakedown.
https://noirlab.edu/public/news/noirlab2608/ #space #science #technology
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/116/337/023/900/892/987/original/6b78d077ce052d93.jpg

2026-03-24 16:35:26 UTC

A new 225-meter (740-foot) crater appeared on the Moon while nobody was looking. NASA's lunar orbiter imaged the dramatic aftermath.
Such large impacts are once-in-a-century events. This one happened in the spring of 2024.
https://www.sciencenews.org/article/moon-new-crater-nasa-orbiter #space #science #nature #nasa
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/116/285/119/051/006/531/original/906ec2c565bb52f2.png

2026-03-23 03:31:37 UTC

Good art makes me long for great art. So I enjoyed "Project Hail Mary," but I couldn't help wishing for the great, science-inspired movie it could have been.
My review for American Scientist (warning: contains mild spoilers if you haven't seen the trailer).
https://www.americanscientist.org/blog/science-culture/a-mission-to-rescue-earth #science #culture #projecthailmary
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/116/276/369/528/750/874/original/033f8b07e789830c.jpg

2026-03-22 03:47:19 UTC

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I've also seen smart people tie themselves into knots trying to defend the original claim.
"He just means big science is expensive."
"He just means that AI can help with data analysis."
"He just means that string theory is a dead end."
But that is not the claim, and the efforts to justify it only make the argument even stranger.

2026-03-22 03:44:46 UTC

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I also have to point out that the most expensive space telescope (JWST) cost about $500 million/year. We spent 1000x that much on AI development in 2025.
Data collection is essential for discovery...and it's remarkably cheap compared to many other things we do routinely.
#science #nature #history #tech
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2026-03-22 03:43:28 UTC

I keep seeing versions of this post, which imply a bizarre misunderstanding of how we know the world.
Do people imagine that if we'd never observed galaxies or neutrinos or exoplanets or the cosmic microwave background, we could have *imagined* these things & that would be just as real?
Or that we've magically reached the point, just now, where we no longer need to observe the world?
#science #nature #technology
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2026-03-03 00:20:58 UTC

There's a lunar eclipse happening early tomorrow morning for people across North America.
I find many of the graphs confusing. Key idea: East coasters will see the eclipsed Moon setting at sunrise. West coasters can watch the full eclipse high in the west.
https://www.timeanddate.com/eclipse/lunar/2026-march-3 #space #science #sky #astronomy #nature
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2026-02-24 16:07:36 UTC

During thunderstorms, electric discharges in the air cause trees to glow with an ultraviolet aura. You can't see it with your eyes, but researchers have finally managed to measure it & recreate it in the lab.
https://news.agu.org/press-release/thunderstorms-conjure-ghostly-coronae-in-treetops-observed-outdoors-for-the-first-time/ #science #nature
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/116/126/463/826/615/971/original/7d888018edd8f6bc.jpg
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2026-02-23 20:22:17 UTC

If you scale each entry on the periodic table to show the relative abundance of elements, this is what the composition of the universe looks like: hydrogen, helium, and a pinch of everything else.
(This simple graphic was created in the early days of the web. I miss that madly creative era.) #space #science #art
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2026-02-22 22:32:00 UTC

No matter how bad the weather is here, it's nothing compared to conditions on Uranus. There, winter means 40 years of darkness & auroras that follow the planet's tilted, twisted magnetic field.
JWST just provided the best look yet at those Uranian aurora displays.
https://esawebb.org/news/weic2602/ #space #science #nature #weather
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2026-02-22 12:10:08 UTC

First a hydrogen leak. Now a separate *helium* leak is causing a delay in NASA's Artemis 2 mission around the Moon.
The giant rocket is rolling off the launch pad, with the flight delayed to April 1 at the earliest.
https://spaceflightnow.com/2026/02/21/nasas-artemis-2-rocket-hit-by-new-problem-expected-to-bump-moonshot-into-early-april/ #space #science #tech
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2026-02-08 19:46:15 UTC

My nomination for today's #SuperbOwl.
The Cosmic Owl is two galaxies that crashed into each other, creating overlapping ring-shaped splashes of stars. It measures 150,000 light years from side to side, or about 10^20 times the size of a Great Grey Owl on Earth.
https://arxiv.org/abs/2506.10058 #space #science #nature #sports
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2026-02-06 21:30:31 UTC

News from the edge of the visible universe:
JWST has confirmed this galaxy, MoM-z14, as the most distant one yet studied. We're seeing it as it was 13.5 billion years ago, 98% of the way back to the beginning of time.
(MoM stands for "miracle or mirage," to give you a sense of where the researchers' heads are at.)
https://science.nasa.gov/missions/webb/nasa-webb-pushes-boundaries-of-observable-universe-closer-to-big-bang/ #space #science #nature
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2026-01-31 15:29:57 UTC

NASA's Juno spacecraft detected the largest volcanic hotspot ever seen in our solar system. It appeared on Jupiter's moon Io, it covers 100,000 square kilometers (bigger than Lake Superior), and it radiates 80 trillion watts of heat.
https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/nasa-juno-mission-spots-most-powerful-volcanic-activity-on-io-to-date/ #space #science #nature #nasa
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2026-01-25 06:26:49 UTC

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It's sad to see the decay of science information online.
For the 30th anniversary, NASA posted hi-res Voyager images and in-depth details.
For the 35th, lo-res images and in-depth details.
For the 40th, a cartoon and a short blurb, along with a dead link.
#tech #history #nasa

2026-01-25 06:26:10 UTC

40 years ago today, Voyager 2 became the first (and, so far, only) spacecraft to visit to Uranus, sending back astonishing images of the planet, its thin rings, and its peculiar set of moons.
https://www.nasa.gov/history/35-years-ago-voyager-2-explores-uranus/ #space #science #nature #history
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2026-01-21 19:56:58 UTC

A breathtaking look at a dying star. This new image of the Helix Nebula is just in from JWST.
We've never seen this level of detail, as the star's remains stream back out to interstellar space. Our Sun will look something like this 7 billion years from now.
https://science.nasa.gov/missions/webb/intricacies-of-helix-nebula-revealed-with-nasas-webb/ #science #nature #art
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2026-01-19 05:48:37 UTC

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To give you a sense of how powerful a supermassive black hole is: This one blew out a structure 30 times the size of our Milky Way.
The galaxy where the action started looks like a dot in this image. The black hole itself is an invisibly tiny dot within that dot.
https://academic.oup.com/mnras/article/545/4/staf2038/8424076?login=false #space #science #nature
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2026-01-19 05:47:23 UTC

Written in the sky: A history of unrest, then rest, then even more unrest happening in deep space.
New radio observations show that a supermassive black hole shot out plasma jets at a large fraction of the speed of light, paused for 100 million years, then roared back to life.
https://ras.ac.uk/news-and-press/research-highlights/reborn-black-hole-spotted-erupting-cosmic-volcano #science #nature #astronomy
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2026-01-06 17:53:16 UTC

The universe is still full of surprises! This is Cloud-9, a starless blob held together by dark matter--a "failed galaxy."
Astronomers have long speculated that such hidden objects formed the building blocks of bright galaxies like our own. Now we've found one.
https://esahubble.org/news/heic2601/ #space #astronomy #nature
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2025-12-31 03:39:35 UTC

So cool. If you zoom in on the upper right, you see a little crescent. That's the Martian moon Phobos.
Zoom in again and you'll see a star next to Phobos. That's Earth! That's home.
Seen from Mars by NASA's Curiosity rover.
https://science.nasa.gov/photojournal/curiosity-views-earth-setting-phobos-rising/ #science #space #astronomy
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2025-12-29 19:17:08 UTC

It's happening! ESA & JAXA are teaming up to visit Apophis, the 400-meter (1300-foot) asteroid that will skim close by Earth in April, 2029.
The RAMSES mission will study this potentially hazardous object & watch how Earth's gravity reshapes it as it passes.
https://cosmos.isas.jaxa.jp/look-up-esa-and-jaxa-to-launch-the-ramses-mission-to-observe-apophis/ #space #science #nature
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2025-12-27 03:46:02 UTC

The visible universe contains about a trillion galaxies, in a dizzying variety of styles.
The blue scatter at bottom is Leo P, a nearby dwarf galaxy that is just one-millionth the mass of our Milky Way. It's almost pure hydrogen & helium--much like the galaxies of long ago.
https://www.stsci.edu/contents/news-releases/2025/news-2025-401 #space #science #nature
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2025-12-26 21:19:22 UTC

Looking for a good science book to give as a gift, or a good science read for yourself?
Check out this 2025 reading list from the editors at American Scientist (including me). Not trying to be a formal a best-of--just books that we all genuinely enjoyed.
https://www.americanscientist.org/blog/science-culture/science-book-gift-guide-2025 #science #books #christmas
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2025-12-25 19:09:16 UTC

Three ways of looking at the iconic Christmas Tree Cluster, 2700 light years from Earth.
What the universe looks like depends on how we look at it. These views highlight infrared (left), x-rays (middle), and red emission from hydrogen gas. Beautiful in three different ways. #space #science #art
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2025-12-23 15:33:25 UTC

Many stars shine. Some explode. And, in very rare cases, a star can HALF-explode.
The nebula Pa 30 is the result of a half-exploded star. Its zombie corpse keeps energizing it, creating a firework shape that closely resembles a high-altitude nuclear explosion (right).
https://arxiv.org/abs/2512.03140 #space #science #nature
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2025-12-15 22:15:24 UTC

I could use some light in this darkness right now, so I thought I'd share a gorgeous image from JWST.
This cosmic butterfly is a star being born. New planets are forming within the vertical dark line. Galaxies shine through the scene from the far distance.
https://esawebb.org/images/potm2508a/ #space #science #art #nature
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2025-12-05 00:52:38 UTC

Spiral galaxies like our own are rare in the early universe, because they require quiet, stable conditions.
But the discovery of "Alaknanda," a tidy spiral from 12.3 billion years ago, shows that there were pockets of calm even in the era of cosmic chaos.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/12/251203004729.htm #science #nature #philosophy
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2025-12-04 05:00:06 UTC

Early Earth may have rained down naturally produced sulfur-containing biomolecules, such as the amino acid cysteine.
It's an obscure-sounding result with big implications for the origin of life on Earth (and maybe many other planets).
https://www.colorado.edu/today/2025/12/01/new-possibility-life-study-suggests-ancient-skies-rained-down-ingredients #science #nature
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2025-12-01 22:36:01 UTC

China's huge JUNO neutrino detector turned on three months ago, and has already achieved new levels of sensitivity in studying these mysterious particles.
The detector weighs 20,000 tons & contains 45,000 sensors watching for rare neutrino interactions.
https://www.prisma.uni-mainz.de/outreach/press-releases/juno-experiment-delivers-first-physics-results-two-months-after-completion/ #science #tech #nature
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2025-11-26 15:44:04 UTC

Look at little Mercury transiting in front of the Sun! This scene wasn't visible from Earth, but NASA's STEREO A spacecraft caught it on April 7.
(The video is greatly sped up; the actual event took several hours.)
https://stereo.gsfc.nasa.gov/ #space #science #nature #nasa
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2025-11-24 16:48:38 UTC

A 6-year survey mapped the biggest structures in the universe. The results are beautiful...and, annoyingly, they fit nicely with the current model of cosmology.
We know there's something missing from that model, but figuring out *what* is not easy!
https://news.uchicago.edu/story/scientists-release-new-survey-biggest-objects-universe #space #science #nature
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2025-11-23 01:53:25 UTC

A metaphor for holiday family gatherings?
By studying relationships between distant objects, astronomers have reconstructed our solar system's early upbringing. Their conclusion: The Sun left its birthplace early, before its siblings could stir up much trouble.
https://aasnova.org/2025/11/14/the-sun-left-home-in-a-hurry/ #space #science #thanksgiving
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2025-11-23 00:11:37 UTC

One of the most exciting discoveries from JWST is "Little Red Dots": ultra-distant galaxies rapidly forming new stars & spawning a giant black hole
They tell us that galaxies grew up a lot faster than we thought. We don't know how--but new observations offer clues.
https://esawebb.org/news/weic2522/ #space #science #nature
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2025-11-16 21:27:24 UTC

Marvelous new image of interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS, taken by photographer Satoru Murata before dawn this morning. *
On the right you can also see galaxy NGC 4691. There should be a lot more pictures coming in soon.
(Yes, this one really is the interstellar comet.)
https://www.facebook.com/groups/227002358661288/permalink/1619658589395651/?mibextid=wwXIfr&rdid=Es101r7n2s2JTsMn #space #science #nature
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2025-11-15 00:00:50 UTC

NASA's just-launched ESCAPADE mission is trying out a novel trajectory to Mars, one that's slower but allows much more flexible launch dates. The flight path also provides a bonus science session at the L2 equilibrium point near Earth.
https://skyandtelescope.org/astronomy-news/escapade-mission-launches-for-a-long-trip-to-mars/ #space #science #astronomy
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2025-11-13 21:28:29 UTC

Interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS is fragmenting on its way back out from the Sun.
https://www.virtualtelescope.eu/2025/11/13/comet-c-2025-k1-atlas-fragmentation-13-nov-2025-image-and-animation/ #space #science #nature
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2025-11-11 01:12:10 UTC

Historians are still decoding the complex calendar system in the Dresden Codex. Who knows what information was in the many other, lost Mayan manuscripts.
All of these tables were created using centuries of carefully recorded, naked eye observations.
https://archaeologymag.com/2025/10/maya-astronomers-predicted-solar-eclipses/ #history #science #astronomy
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2025-11-11 01:08:37 UTC

I find this remarkable:
The Dresden Codex, one of the few surviving Mayan manuscripts, contains tables that give highly accurate timings of solar eclipses over more than 700 years, from 350 CE to the 12 century.
https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.adt9039 #history #science #astronomy
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2025-11-10 02:19:47 UTC

Wishing you all a happy Carl Sagan Day (born this day in 1934).
Fascinating to see his note summarizing the key topics he planned to discuss during his 1977 meeting with President Carter. ("Wonder"!)
https://www.loc.gov/collections/finding-our-place-in-the-cosmos-with-carl-sagan/articles-and-essays/carl-sagan-and-the-tradition-of-science/carl-sagan-researcher-educator-communicator-advocate-and-activist/ #science #history #nature
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2025-11-09 20:42:45 UTC

This is what the band of the Milky Way would look like at night if your eyes could see radio waves. A hidden beauty.
It's a new image created by the Murchison Widefield Array, which scanned the sky in 20 radio "colors" over frequencies from 72 to 231 megahertz.
https://www.icrar.org/gleam-x-galactic-plane/ #space #science #nature #tech
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2025-11-06 23:23:02 UTC

Meanwhile on Mars...
The planet is covered with odd gullies that look like they were carved by running water. A cool new experiment demonstrates that they were probably carved instead by sliding, spitting chunks of dry ice. (Sorry, still no signs of life.)
https://www.uu.nl/en/news/mysterious-gullies-on-mars-appear-to-have-been-dug-but-by-whom-or-what #space #science #tech #Mars
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2025-11-02 06:49:22 UTC

What a shot of Comet Lemmon! You can almost reach out and touch it.
Photo taken 3 days ago by Debra Ceravolo.
https://app.astrobin.com/u/debraceravolo?i=0614kk#gallery #space #science #art #photography
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2025-10-31 17:55:06 UTC

Astronomers sure do conjure up a lot of spooky images when they look out into deep space. A short Halloween thread:
Let's start with the Cosmic Bat Nebula (LDN 43).
https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap241027.html #space #science #art #halloween
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2025-10-29 16:32:49 UTC

I love this.
If you live anywhere in the dark blue areas, you are closer to outer space (defined by the Kármán line) than you are to the nearest seashore.
source: u/Many-Excitement3246
https://www.reddit.com/r/MapPorn/comments/1oizo2j/space_is_a_lot_closer_than_most_people_realize/ #space #science #maps #nature
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2025-10-28 22:36:04 UTC

Spectacular time-lapse image of Comet Lemmon (C/2025 A6), taken by astrophotographer Michael Jäger.
There might have been, um, a few satellites passing by during the long exposure.
https://forum.vdsastro.de/viewtopic.php?t=7600&start=50#p43988 #space #science #astronomy #art
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2025-10-28 15:57:52 UTC

More space beauty for your day: This new JWST image of Uranus shows exquisite detail in the rings, clouds, and huge polar cap. Imagine what it took to knock this planet on its side.
Processing by Andrea Luck.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/192271236@N03/54879990600/ #space #science #nature #art
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2025-10-20 18:18:02 UTC

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Something big is happening 3,000 kilometers underground, where Earth's inner ocean of molten, magnetic iron generates the global magnetic field.
The strong parts of the field near the poles are changing, too, getting weaker over Canada and stronger over Siberia.
https://www.esa.int/Applications/Observing_the_Earth/FutureEO/Swarm/Swarm_reveals_growing_weak_spot_in_Earth_s_magnetic_field #science #nature
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2025-10-20 18:15:32 UTC

Earth's magnetic field is changing, with its weak spot (the South Atlantic Anomaly) growing significantly over the past decade.
No, it's not doomsday...but it does affect the radiation doses hitting satellite that pass through that region.
https://www.esa.int/Applications/Observing_the_Earth/FutureEO/Swarm/Swarm_reveals_growing_weak_spot_in_Earth_s_magnetic_field #space #science #nature #tech
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2025-10-19 17:50:39 UTC

Wild! A meteorite may have struck the windshield of a 737 flying over Colorado, according to early reports.
Whatever the object was, it cut a pilot's arm but did not seriously damage the plane.
https://avbrief.com/united-max-hit-by-falling-object-at-36000-feet/ #science #tech #technology #space
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2025-10-17 21:58:53 UTC

A couple centuries ago, philosophers mused that we'd never know what stars are made of.
Today, JWST is measuring the detailed composition of a protoplanet & possible moons forming around it. The results show complex chemical reactions brewing around a newborn world.
https://science.nasa.gov/missions/webb/nasas-webb-telescope-studies-moon-forming-disk-around-massive-planet/ #space #science #tech #nature
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2025-10-16 17:47:02 UTC

It may look like CGI, but this is the real deal: It's an accurate 3D rendering of our galactic neighborhood, highlighting the locations where new stars are being born.
This animation is based on measurements of 44 million stars by the Gaia space telescope.
https://www.esa.int/Science_Exploration/Space_Science/Gaia/Fly_through_Gaia_s_3D_map_of_stellar_nurseries #space #science #astronomy #nature
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2025-10-09 19:43:16 UTC

China's Tianwen-2 is on its way to Kamoʻoalewa, an asteroid that currently doubles as a "quasi-moon" of Earth. The spacecraft will collect samples & bring them back home.
On its outward trajectory, Tianwen-2 looked back and got this lovely view of our planet.
https://english.news.cn/20251001/ef35fcb0ed1649c787045fd51547149b/c.html #space #science #nature
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