Astronomical objects

The Tarantula Nebula gets its name from its appearance, which is similar to that of a burrowing tarantula’s hole covered in spider silk. Image: NASA, ESA, CSA, and STScIThe latest wonder from the Webb Space Telescope is a new look at the Tarantula Nebula, a swirling mass of infantile and yet-to-be conceived stars. What looks like spider silk surrounds a hollowed-out center, where material has been blasted away by radiation, according to a NASA release. A nebula is a massive cloud of dust occupying the interstellar medium…

An illustration of the small spacecraft that Rocket Lab is currently developing to cruise through Venus’ clouds.Illustration: Rocket LabSpaceX might have its sights set on Mars, but Rocket Lab is seeking to become the first private company to reach Venus and explore its clouds for signs of potential habitability. Rocket Lab revealed new details about its self-funded mission to the Venusian clouds in a recent paper published in the journal Aerospace. The California-basedcompany is building a small probe that’s designed to…

A map of hydrated mineral deposits on Mars. Green represents hydrated sulphates; red is hydrous clays; orange is carbonate salts; and blue is hydrated silica and aluminosilicate clays.The history of water on Mars flows a lot deeper than scientists once believed. A new project has mapped hundreds of thousands of rock formations on the Red Planet that may have been altered by large amounts of water in the past. Data from two Mars orbiters was used to create a detailed global map of mineral deposits on Mars, pinpointing…

Lunar Glass is the proposed project that will simulate gravity through centrifugal force. Gif: Kajima Corporation/GizmodoInterest in the Moon has been reignited recently, and Japan is looking to get in on the fun. Researchers and engineers from Kyoto University and the Kajima Corporation have released their joint proposal for a three-pronged approach to sustainable human life on the Moon and beyond.The future of space exploration will likely include longer stays in low gravity environments, whether in orbit or on the…

NASA’s DAVINCI mission to Venus is scheduled for launch in 2029. A new paper details this upcoming journey, a daring mission that could shed new light on the scorching hot planet’s mysterious, and potentially habitable, past.Upon its arrival at the second planet from the Sun, the probe will plunge through Venus’ atmosphere, ingesting its gases for approximately one hour before landing on the planet’s surface, according to the paper published in The Planetary Science Journal. DAVINCI is designed to act as a flying…