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Dyson Spheres
In 2015, astronomer Tabeta Boyajian and her colleagues reported that a star at a distance of 1400 light-years from us sometimes dims quite a lot, which initially seemed extremely unusual. One explanation was the assumption that the luminary is surrounded by a Dyson sphere. The idea, proposed many years ago by physicist Freeman Dyson, is…
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A “hellish” planet has been discovered, the surface of which is hotter than some stars
The new planet was named TOY-1431 b and has quite impressive dimensions. It is about three times more massive than Jupiter and is located near a bright star that heats its atmosphere during the daytime to 2,700 °C. During the night, TOI-1431b cools down only to 2,300 °C. The author of the study, Dr. Brenn…
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Is it possible in the near future to launch a payload into space without using rockets?
In the near future, i.e. in 10-30 years, most likely nothing will change. The old grandfather’s method of using chemical-fueled rocket engines to detach from the Earth’s surface has proven itself perfectly, and fundamentally new methods are not being worked out yet. Perhaps the rocket method has only one drawback – the cost, a huge…
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China plans to launch the world’s most powerful telescope by the end of 2023
In terms of power, it surpasses the famous Hubble by 350 times. The new heavy-duty telescope was named “Xuntian”. Experts expect that in 10 years of work he will explore 40% of the celestial surface. As explained by Liu Jifeng, deputy director of the National Astronomical Observatory of China, in an interview with Xinhua, Hubble…
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What are the real chances of an alien invasion of bacteria?
In the early 2030s, NASA plans to deliver pieces of Mars to Earth. This decade will see missions to Titan and Europa, the moons of Saturn and Jupiter, where life may well exist. Anthony Ricardi, professor of invasive ecology and aquatic ecosystems, suggests that without technical analysis it will be difficult to distinguish alien organisms…
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What are space explorers most afraid of?
One of the most terrifying scenarios for NASA and other space agencies is the unexpected spread of an alien virus on Earth. With each mission, the agency is making more and more efforts to ensure that none of these scenarios become a reality. However, some researchers believe that the current threat prevention standards are not…
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There is silence in space, everyone knows that, but what does space smell like?
What is a smell? Or rather, how the human sense of smell works – in the process of breathing through the nose, together with the air, the molecules of substances contained in it enter the human body, to which olfactory receptors react. In space (or rather in outer space) there are no conditions for the…
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Lunar soil is capable of producing oxygen and fuel
After analyzing the lunar soil brought by the Chinese Chang’e-5 spacecraft, their team found that the sample contains compounds rich in iron and titanium substances that can work as a catalyst to produce desired products, such as oxygen, using sunlight and carbon dioxide. Based on these observations, the team proposed a strategy for “extraterrestrial photosynthesis…
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A mysterious system has been discovered three thousand light-years from Earth
One of the stars in it changes brightness once in 62 minutes. This is probably due to the fact that one of its sides is much brighter than the opposite. And the reason for this is the radiation of the pulsar tearing it. It probably represents the pulsar “black widow”, which is slowly absorbing its…
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On May 6, asteroid 2009 JF1 will approach the Earth.
According to NASA experts, asteroid 2009 JF1 will fly by the Earth at a minimum distance tomorrow. Scientists said that if a celestial body collides with our planet, the force of the explosion will reach 230 kilotons in TNT equivalent, which is ten times more than in the explosion in Hiroshima in 1945. However, the…
