Astronomers using the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) have imaged a planet that is, relatively speaking, in our galactic backyard — and that fresh data has led to new details about this massive “cold” Jupiter. The gas giant exoplanet has the unceremonious name of Epsilon Ind Ab. Epsilon (or “Eps”) is the fifth letter in the Greek … Read more
Astronomer David Lane, who created the world’s first telescope controlled by social media at Saint Mary’s University in Halifax, died late last month following a nine-month battle with brain cancer. Lane was born in Germany in 1963 before moving to Hebbville, N.S., where he grew up, according to his obituary. He worked at Saint Mary’s University for 29 years, starting … Read more
The citizen science program Active Asteroids is looking for volunteers from the public to sift through astronomical photographs of asteroids to look for signs of tails which may indicate the presence of water. Active asteroids are rare small bodies in our solar system with an asteroid-like orbit and comet-like tail. Spotting them is a bit … Read more
Scientists surround the fine guidance sensor for the James Webb Space Telescope at the David Florida Laboratory in 2009. (Canadian Space Agency) The Canadian Space Agency has confirmed a west Ottawa spacecraft laboratory it calls “Canada’s national facility for spacecraft assembly [and] integration” is closing at the end of March 2025. The David Florida Laboratory officially … Read more
Odysseus, the first U.S. spacecraft to land on the moon in half a century, was expected to go dark on Wednesday, six days after an off-kilter touchdown that hindered its communications and solar-charging capability, NASA and the company that flew the vehicle said. Despite persistent difficulties in communicating with the lander and keeping it charged, … Read more
On Tuesday, India introduced four crew members for its maiden Gaganyaan space voyage, as it aims to become the world’s fourth country to send a crewed mission into space, just months after a historic landing on the south pole of the moon. Gaganyaan, or “sky craft” in Hindi, is the first mission of its kind for … Read more
The first private spacecraft to softly land on the moon carries a Canadian instrument that will test the possibility of building an observatory at the Lunar south pole. The phone booth-sized lander by Intuitive Machines, named Odysseus, launched on Feb. 15 and touched down on Thursday near a small impact crater about 300 kilometers from the moon’s south … Read more
At 30 years old, Michelle Kunimoto already has more than 3,000 planet candidates under her belt. Inspired by science fiction and curiosity, the University of British Columbia astronomy graduate is passionate about searching for exoplanets — bodies orbiting stars outside our own solar system. She’s currently leading a team at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) hunting for them. … Read more
2023 was a busy year in science. Here are 10 stories worth revisiting as we wind up the year. 1. Canadian Jeremy Hansen chosen to fly to the moon A Canadian astronaut was selected as part of the crew for NASA’s Artemis II mission to the moon. Jeremy Hansen and three crew mates will fly … Read more
Christmas lights might not be the only thing lighting up these dark December nights, as a solar storm is expected to bring bright northern lights to the Prairies this weekend. Aurora borealis is considered among the greatest natural wonders and scientists say it starts with the sun. “The sun is sort of spewing off protons and electrons as a … Read more
