Science

We have often heard and read about giant stars dying violently in deep space. Ever imagined what kind of a sight it would be? How would a star appear as it nears its end from Earth? We may finally have an answer. In a first for astronomy, researchers were able to see in real time

Through the past week, NASA engineers have been working diligently to deploy major equipment and tools aboard James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), including its sunshield and secondary mirror. On Saturday, January 8,  the primary camera of the $10-billion (roughly Rs. 74,340 crore) space observatory will be deployed, which will study the origin of the Universe

James Webb Space Telescope, a day after fully tensioning the sunshield, has now completed another complex procedure. The space observatory’s secondary mirror was deployed using what a Webb engineer described as the “world’s most sophisticated tripod.” The 2.4-feet-wide mirror is located on the tips of three carbon fibre tubes which extend out from the large

China’s first independent interplanetary mission, Tianwen-1, pulled a new year’s surprise by clicking incredible selfies on Mars above its north pole. The images showed the mission’s solar arrays and antennas as well as a partial closeup of the orbiter. It also showed the Red Planet’s northern ice cap. Tianwen-1 released a small camera to fly

China is experimenting with an “artificial sun,” dubbed Experiential Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST), to make way for clean energy in the future. The device setup is a fusion reactor which ran successfully for almost 20 minutes at a stunning 70 million degrees Celsius in a recent test. The machine strives to utilise the power of nuclear

James Webb Space Telescope has completed the complex process of deploying its kite-shaped sunshield. The sunshield, about the size of a tennis court, has five layers. The first three were deployed initially and the last two were done late last night. Deploying all five layers was crucial for the $10-billion (roughly Rs. 74,525 crore) space

Mars has long been a sort of an enigma to astronomers. An image released recently by the European Space Agency (ESA) reinforces the mystery around the Red Planet. The image, captured by the Trace Gas Orbiter (TGO), showed Mars as a stunningly delightful cake. The ESA said the image made the Earth’s neighbour appear “like

NASA engineers have begun a crucial phase in deploying the James Webb Space Telescope. The engineers have started to tighten the tension in its tennis court-sized sunshield. The stretching of the first three layers of the five-layer sunshield was successful and the final two layers will be deployed today, January 4, the space agency said.

Finding signs of alien lives on other planets has been one of the significant preoccupations of explorers and scientists. Yet, not much has been achieved so far. But scientists are not giving up their quest and appear determined to unravel the mysteries surrounding our solar system. Promisingly trying to answer the most puzzling questions of

Capturing great bird photographs has its own set of challenges. Many beginners wanting to try their hand in bird photography may have a perception that they need to buy an expensive camera and lenses to match. While it is true that the top-of-the-line cameras and premium lenses produce superior results in challenging conditions, still don’t

The Korean government is planning to develop a technology for Korea’s first artificial sun KSTAR to maintain 100 million degrees for 300 seconds by 2026. The 300 seconds is the minimum time required for the commercialisation of nuclear fusion technology. The Ministry of Science and ICT announced on December 30 that it held the 16th National

Aerospace engineers are always looking for newer ways to support their experiments on extra-terrestrial bodies like the Moon and asteroids. One of the main impediments to their work is the lack of energy sources to continue using an equipment for a longer duration. So, MIT researchers are trying a new concept to harness the Moon’s

Are there rainbows on Mars? NASA decided to answer this questions in the latest episode of its ‘Ask The Expert’ series. Shared on Instagram, the video features the US space agency’s planetary scientist and Mars expert Mark Lemmon. The answer is “no.” But several other conditions on Mars are similar to Earth. Lemmon explained that

NASA has picked two astronauts for its sixth full-fledged crew mission to be launched by SpaceX aboard its Dragon spacecraft to the International Space Station (ISS). Stephen Bowen and Woody Hoburg have received the required permission for the mission due to launch in 2023 on a Falcon 9 rocket. Bowen has been assigned the role

NASA’s James Webb Telescope is going through some critical manoeuvre phases which will determine its success as a mission to shed light on the origin of the universe. The powerful space observatory, which was launched into orbit on Christmas Day, is heading for a “make or break” moment when it attempts to unpack its five-layered

Shares of Biogen surged Wednesday following a report that South Korean giant Samsung Group is in talks to acquire the US biotech company for more than $40 billion (roughly Rs. 2,98,170 crore). Biogen, which is known for its Alzheimer’s drug Aduhelm and a neurology-focused medication pipeline, approached Samsung on a potential deal that could be

Billionaire Elon Musk’s SpaceX has raised $337.4 million (roughly Rs. 2,515 crore) in equity financing, the rocket company disclosed in a regulatory filing on Wednesday. SpaceX, which counts Alphabet and Fidelity Investments among its investors, hit $100 billion (roughly Rs. 7,60,140 crore) in valuation following a secondary share sale in October, according to CNBC. It

Israeli foodtech firm SavorEat on Tuesday launched a plant-based burger system personalized to each customer, one of the first companies to use 3D printing technology to cook food. Typically, vegan burgers from companies like Impossible Foods and Beyond Meat are frozen and later cooked on a grill. SavorEat’s technology, however, are made on site by

Astronomers frequently produce images and make discoveries that take us by surprise and leave us wondering what else the universe could be hiding. Black holes are an example of an object with a lot of promise for astronomical discoveries. Scientists have now created the most detailed image of radio emission from the closest supermassive black

Egypt has “digitally unwrapped” the mummy of famed Pharaoh Amenhotep I, revealing its secrets for the first time since it was discovered in 1881 without disturbing his funerary mask. Thanks to the advanced digital 3D imagery, researchers unearthed new mummification techniques used for the pharaoh whose rule dates back more than 1,500 BC. The research was