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NASA launches powerful new Roman Space Telescope from Florida

NASA launches powerful new Roman Space Telescope from Florida

By Joey Roulette and Will Dunham CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida, Aug 30 (Reuters) - NASA's new flagship astronomical observatory was launched into space from Florida on Sunday on a mission to probe some of the biggest mysteries in astrophysics and cosmology.
Reuters Reuters
NASA launches powerful Roman Space Telescope, a spy satellite turned to the stars

NASA launches powerful Roman Space Telescope, a spy satellite turned to the stars

By Joey Roulette and Will Dunham CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida, Aug 30 (Reuters) - NASA began a new mission to probe some of the biggest mysteries in astrophysics and cosmology with the launch on Sunday of the U.S. space agency's new flagship astronomical observatory, a repurposed spy satellite that will
AP News AP News
NASA's newest space telescope launches on a quest to explore the hidden universe

NASA's newest space telescope launches on a quest to explore the hidden universe

NASA’s newest space telescope has blasted off on a quest to find planets around other stars and explore the hidden universe
Rapid Read Rapid Read
Astronomers Discover First Kuiper Belt Object Beyond Pluto, Reshaping Solar System Understanding

Astronomers Discover First Kuiper Belt Object Beyond Pluto, Reshaping Solar System Understanding

On August 30, 1992, astronomers made a significant discovery by spotting the first Kuiper Belt object (KBO) beyond Pluto, officially designated 1992 QB1. This 100-mile-wide object, thousands of times fainter than Pluto, was detected using new digital imaging techniques, marking a pivotal moment in solar system exploration. Before this discovery, Pluto was considered the most distant planetary body, and the region beyond Neptune was largely unknown due to the faintness of objects there. The Kuiper Belt, a doughnut-shaped region theorized by Dutch astronomer Gerard Kuiper, begins about 30 AU from the sun and extends to 1,000 AU, making it one of the largest structures in the solar system. The identification of 1992 QB1 confirmed the existence of this vast region and opened the door to discovering over 2,000 more KBOs.
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NASA Team Proposes Artificial Eclipse in Space to Discover Earth-like Exoplanets

NASA Team Proposes Artificial Eclipse in Space to Discover Earth-like Exoplanets

A NASA-led team is advancing a concept called the Hybrid Observatory for Earth-like Exoplanets (HOEE), which proposes creating an artificial eclipse in space to directly image exoplanets. The plan involves deploying a large, flower-shaped 'starshade,' approximately 100 meters across, 175,000 kilometers from Earth. This starshade would precisely align with ground-based telescopes, blocking the intense light from distant stars. By doing so, it would allow the faint light from orbiting exoplanets, which are typically a billion times dimmer than their host stars, to be detected. The primary goal is to identify rocky, Earth-sized planets within the habitable zones of other star systems. This approach aims to enhance existing observatories rather than building entirely new, multi-billion dollar space telescopes, with the starshade itself estimated to cost around one billion dollars.
AP News AP News
SpaceX recovers Starship from the Indian Ocean a month after launch and is shipping it back to Texas

SpaceX recovers Starship from the Indian Ocean a month after launch and is shipping it back to Texas

SpaceX has pulled off its biggest salvage operation yet, recovering its most recently launched Starship from the Indian Ocean
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James Webb Space Telescope Debunks Dyson Sphere Candidates Around Dwarf Stars

James Webb Space Telescope Debunks Dyson Sphere Candidates Around Dwarf Stars

Project Hephaistos, an ongoing cosmic survey at Uppsala University in Sweden, has utilized the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) to investigate potential Dyson spheres around two faint M-dwarf stars. Dyson spheres are hypothetical megastructures built by advanced alien civilizations to harness the energy of an entire star. Researchers, including Uppsala University astrophysicist Andreas Korn, had previously identified these dwarf stars using the European Space Agency’s Gaia satellite and NASA’s Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) due to their 'unusual infrared properties'—specifically, unexpectedly low optical fluxes and higher infrared fluxes, which could indicate waste heat from a Dyson sphere. However, the more focused observations by the JWST revealed that these stars are not surrounded by such structures but are instead standard M dwarfs whose energy signatures were blended with background galaxies in earlier, less precise observations.
USA Today USA Today
What is the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope? NASA's new observatory

What is the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope? NASA's new observatory

Roman space telescope could transform our understanding of dark matter, dark energy, and exoplanets
Palm Beach Post Palm Beach Post
SpaceX launch with sonic boom. Where to watch from Palm Beach County

SpaceX launch with sonic boom. Where to watch from Palm Beach County

SpaceX plans to launch the newest NASA telescope from Florida this weekend. Here's where to watch liftoff from Palm Beach County.
Florida Times-Union Florida Times-Union
SpaceX launch with sonic boom. Where to watch liftoff from Jacksonville

SpaceX launch with sonic boom. Where to watch liftoff from Jacksonville

SpaceX plans to launch the newest NASA telescope from Florida this weekend. Here's where to watch liftoff from Jacksonville.
Sarasota Herald-Tribune Sarasota Herald-Tribune
SpaceX launch at Kennedy Space Center: Will Falcon Heavy be seen in Sarasota?

SpaceX launch at Kennedy Space Center: Will Falcon Heavy be seen in Sarasota?

What time is SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket launch from Kennedy Space Center? NASA to launch Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope from Cape Canaveral, Florida.