April 20, 2017April 20, 2017 by Cody

Asteroid Day is June 30, 2017

Which Types of Civilizations Collapse and Which Can Endure? April 21, 2026
New research examines 10 different types of global technological civilizations, how they govern themselves, how they use resources, and other factors, to determine which types may endure and which may be doomed to collapse. Simulations show that resource use plays the key role. The simulations also show which types of detectable technosignatures each may generate.
China Unveils a Massive 5-Meter Composite Module for its Next-Generation Reusable Rocket April 21, 2026
So far, America has remained ahead in the new space race. But its biggest rival is making continual steps to catch up. China announced another step in that direction with the unveiling of its first ever reusable five-meter-wide composite propulsion module, announced in a press release on April 11th.
Behold, the Solar System in All its X-ray Glory April 21, 2026
Using the eROSITA space telescope, MPE researchers have successfully isolated the X-ray glow from our Solar System, revealing its impact on the soft X-ray sky. The findings, published in Science, underscore the importance of considering Solar System processes when analyzing X-ray data and highlight eROSITA’s role in advancing not only astrophysics but also heliophysics.
Exoplanets Without Lots of Water Can't Maintain Their Carbon Cycles April 20, 2026
Water is critical to life because cells need liquid to function. That's why scientists focus on finding and studying exoplanets in habitable zones. But even if they're in habitable zones, exoplanets need lots of water to support their carbon cycles. So without water, exoplanets become inhospitable greenhouse planets, regardless if they're in habitable zones or […]
NASA’s SPHEREx Telescope Just Mapped the Cosmic Ices That Will Someday Build Planets April 20, 2026
New missions mean new capabilities - and one particularly interesting new mission is finally up and running. Data is starting to come in from SPHEREx, the medium-class surveyor that is mapping the entire sky every six months. A paper based on some of that early data was recently published in The Astrophysical Journal, mapping ice […]