Here's what it would take to see a black hole's photon ring

Supermassive black holes are elusive creatures. Massive gravitational beasts that can power immensely bright quasars, or can lurk quietly among the bright stars of a galactic core. We mostly study them indirectly through ...

Solar sails could reach Mars in just 26 days

A recent study submitted to Acta Astronautica and currently available on the arXiv preprint server explores the potential for using aerographite solar sails for traveling to Mars and interstellar space, which could dramatically ...

Want to find UFOs? That's a job for machine learning

In 2017, humanity got its first glimpse of an interstellar object (ISO), known as 1I/"Oumuamua, which buzzed our planet on its way out of the solar system. Speculation abound as to what this object could be because, based ...

If rogue planets are everywhere, how could we explore them?

At one time, astronomers believed that the planets formed in their current orbits, which remained stable over time. But more recent observations, theory, and calculations have shown that planetary systems are subject to shake-ups ...

Reusable rockets could fly back to their launch sites with wings

Reusable launch vehicles have been a boon for the commercial space industry. By recovering and refurbishing the first stages of rockets, launch providers have dramatically reduced the cost of sending payloads and even crew ...

Detecting and estimating satellite maneuvers more accurately

Researchers from the Universidad Carlos III de Madrid (UC3M), Polytechnic University of Milan and the company GMV have developed a new methodology for detecting and estimating satellite maneuvers that improves the operation ...

What if Titan Dragonfly had a fusion engine?

In a little over four years, NASA's Dragonfly mission will launch into space and begin its long journey towards Titan, Saturn's largest moon. As part of the New Frontiers program, this quadcopter will explore Titan's atmosphere, ...

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