Science

BENGALURU: More than a year after the most disruptive solar event in more than two decades, Indian scientists have pieced together why the May 2024 storm, now known as Gannon’s storm, struck Earth with such force. A new study in the journal Astrophysical Journal Letters draws on observations from India’s Aditya-L1 satellite and six US…

Old airport security used Rapiscan backscatter scanners that showed fully detailed body images/ image:X If you’ve ever shuffled through an airport body scanner wondering how much the machine can actually see, you’re not alone. For a while, the answer was: far more than most travellers realised. And that’s exactly why the technology had to change….

BENGALURU: Fresh analysis of data from the Chandrayaan-3 lander has revealed that the plasma environment near the Moon’s southern high latitudes is far more active than earlier believed. The results, based on measurements collected between Aug 23, 2023 and Sept 3, 2023, mark the first direct observations of near-surface plasma at such low altitudes in…

Black holes capture the imagination of scientists and space enthusiasts because they represent the most extreme gravitational forces in the universe. NASA explains that anything approaching a black hole encounters enormous tidal forces that stretch and distort matter, and that time itself slows dramatically due to gravitational time dilation. According to NASA, if an object…

Menstruation in space is a topic that has long been overlooked, yet it is becoming an essential part of astronaut health research as more women travel beyond Earth and missions grow longer. Spaceflight changes how the human body functions. Microgravity affects circulation, fluid movement, bone density, muscle strength, and immune response. These physiological shifts can…

Stunning images of mysterious red lights appearing to fall from space have captured global attention, sparking widespread speculation online. Many social media users suggested these ghostly flashes could be linked to alien signals, but scientists and space agencies have confirmed a more down-to-earth explanation. These striking phenomena are known as red sprites, a rare and…

Billions of years ago, Mars was not the arid, desolate planet we know today. Evidence suggests that rainfall once flowed across its surface, carving valleys, filling craters, and forming river networks that may have emptied into a vast ocean. Understanding these ancient waterways is crucial for scientists searching for signs of past life, as water…

Comet 3I/ATLAS reveals glowing coma, plasma and dust tails from ESA’s Juice mission/ Image: European Space Agency Harvard astrophysicist Avi Loeb has made a kind of second career out of being the person in the room who refuses to leave “aliens” off the table. With 3I/ATLAS, only the third confirmed interstellar object ever spotted passing…

Sentinel-6B, which was launched on November 17, is the latest satellite in a series of spacecraft used by NASA and its partners to record sea levels since 1992. Their data has aided meteorologists in storm forecasting, infrastructure protection, and coastal community planning.After launch, Sentinel-6B began data cross-calibration with its predecessor, Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich, to give…

NEW DELHI: Former Nasa astronaut Mike Massimino, known for his work on the Hubble Space Telescope and who flew on two space missions, has weighed in on one of humanity’s biggest questions: Are we alone in the universe?The veteran astronaut–who flew on two space missions, conducted four spacewalks, and spent an astonishing 30 hours and…