For those of us who grew up in large cities, the experience of visiting a place with low light pollution where the sky is full of stars is fascinating. In case you are not familiar with the concept, let me explain. In large cities, the bright lights from buildings, cars, billboards, etc. illuminate the night sky. As a result, our eyes can perceive fewer stars than we normally would... Source ..read more

Finding a meteorite is very exciting. You just found a rock that has been traveling through space probably since the early days of the Solar system 4.5 billion years ago and it just happened to land near your hometown or even in your property. How cool is that? But after looking at it for a few minutes and appreciating its beauty, you stop and ask yourself. “Hey, this thing just came from space. Source ..read more

On July 30, 2020, the Perseverance Rover was launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida. Its mission was to get to Mars and help us get a better understanding of the red planet as well as search for signs of ancient Martian life. But the Perseverance was not alone on this trip. It had a small partner called the Ingenuity. The Ingenuity, often referred to at NASA as simply “Ginny”... Source ..read more

There are many types of objects in space with similar names and understanding the difference between them can get difficult. One of such cases is words that contain “planet” in them. You have planets, dwarf planets, planetoids, protoplanets…you get the idea. Today, we will be taking a look at planetesimals. We will establish a clear and easy-to-understand definition so you can easily tell them... Source ..read more

Mars is going to be the first planet that humans will try to colonize. As such, it is the planet that astronomers and scientists have studied the most. They have found that the red planet has some interesting characteristics and it might be viable to build a colony and in the future, maybe even terraform it. However, there is still a long way to go. A human hasn’t even landed on Mars yet. Still... Source ..read more

Neptune is the farthest planet in the Solar system. As such, it is one of the hardest planets to study and there is still much that we don’t know about it. Neptune wasn’t discovered until 1846. The discovery is attributed to Johann Galle, Urbain, LeVerrier, and John Couch Adams although some other astronomers like Galileo had observed centuries before but mistook it for a star. To give you an idea... Source ..read more

“A point of no return” – how many times have we heard this phrase used in conversations, movies, or books? It is often used to talk about arguably the most intriguing and mysterious entities in the cosmos: Black holes. The concept of black holes has managed to maintain its enigma over the centuries since the British astronomer, John Michell, theorized their existence in 1784. Later... Source ..read more

In our Solar System, there are objects of all kinds of sizes. Making classifications for them can be challenging and the lines between categories can be sometimes a bit blurry. This is especially true when it comes to planetoids, the most controversial category of objects. The reason why they are so controversial is that they sit somewhere in the middle of other categories so scientists are... Source ..read more

Saturn, the beloved gas giant of our solar system, has long been known for its magnificent rings. However, recent observations have shown that these iconic features are slowly disappearing. Yes, you heard it right. Saturn is losing its rings. This discovery has left scientists puzzled and intrigued. How can such a prominent planetary feature simply vanish? In this article, we will delve into the... Source ..read more

The International Space Station (ISS) is a multinational space laboratory and habitable artificial satellite that orbits around Earth. Since its launch in 1998, the ISS has been a symbol of international cooperation in space exploration. But who exactly owns this remarkable feat of engineering and scientific collaboration? The ISS is jointly owned by five space agencies: NASA, Roscosmos, JAXA, ESA... Source ..read more