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Venus may have once had a moon, but new research suggests the planet’s incredibly slow rotation could have doomed it. Computer simulations showed that instead of gradually drifting away like Earth’s moon, a Venusian moon would likely spiral inward until it crashed into the planet, with larger moons falling even faster.
A new study suggests Earth formed almost entirely from material in the inner Solar System, challenging the idea that water-rich material from beyond Jupiter played a major role. If correct, Earth’s water may have been present much closer to the young Sun than scientists previously thought.
A pocket-sized, roughly $100 detector can reveal the invisible stream of cosmic particles constantly passing through Earth and even through our bodies. What began as a student physics project is now being used in major experiments, balloon missions, and potentially future spacecraft.
As the astronauts pass behind the Moon they will experience a moment of silence and solitude as communication with the Earth is blocked.
The US has confirmed it deployed a space weapon in Earth's orbit, the first time it has acknowledged such offensive capabilities.
The BBC's defence correspondent Jonathan Beale explains what an arms race in space might look like - and what it could mean for us on the ground.
The announcement by the US points to a developing field of modern warfare in the Earth's orbit.
Seasonal changes redistribute enough water around Earth to shift the planet’s center of mass back and forth by fractions of an inch relative to its geometric center. NASA scientists are on the case, tracking the oscillations because Earth’s center of mass is a crucial reference point for satellite navigation and elevation measurements. A team, led […]
