All articles tagged with #science and exploration
ESA has been conducting a 20-year study at Concordia station in Antarctica, where a medical doctor lives for 13 months to research the psychological and physiological effects of extreme isolation and environment, providing insights relevant to space missions beyond Earth.
ESA's Mars Express has captured an image of a unique crater on Mars that resembles a butterfly, formed by a low-angle impact that created irregular wings and a central oval body, with evidence suggesting interaction with water or ice during formation. The region also features volcanic mesas and signs of past volcanic activity, providing insights into Mars's geological history.
The ESA/NASA Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) has celebrated 30 years of continuous solar observation, overcoming challenges and revolutionizing solar science, space weather monitoring, and comet discovery, while inspiring future missions and international collaboration.
Astronomers have confirmed the first observation of a coronal mass ejection (CME) from a star other than the Sun, using ESA's XMM-Newton and LOFAR telescopes. The CME, originating from a red dwarf star 130 light-years away, was extremely fast and dense, capable of stripping away planetary atmospheres, which has significant implications for the habitability of planets orbiting active stars.
New images from ESA's Mars Express reveal signs of an ancient ice age on Mars, including glacial flow patterns and features like Coloe Fossae, indicating that the planet experienced significant climate changes and ice coverage during its history, even at mid-latitudes.
A European experiment on the ISS studies how condensation behaves in microgravity using fin-shaped metal surfaces to improve understanding of heat transfer, with potential applications in space technology and Earth-based cooling systems.
The European Space Agency's Plato spacecraft has completed its construction, including mounting its sunshield and solar panels, and is now preparing for final tests before a planned December 2026 launch to search for Earth-like exoplanets.
Scientists analyzed 20 years of images from ESA's Mars Express and ExoMars TGO to track 1039 dust devils on Mars, revealing that wind speeds are faster than previously thought and providing new insights into the planet's weather and climate, which will aid future missions and climate models.
Scientists analyzing data from the Cassini spacecraft have discovered complex organic molecules in the fresh ice grains ejected from Saturn's moon Enceladus, indicating active chemical reactions in its subsurface ocean that could support life, prompting plans for a dedicated ESA mission to explore the moon further.
Gaia telescope data reveals a giant wave rippling through the Milky Way's outer disc, caused by large-scale vertical motions of stars, possibly due to past galactic interactions, offering new insights into our galaxy's dynamic structure.
The XRISM mission has discovered that the winds from a neutron star system are unexpectedly dense and slower than those from supermassive black holes, challenging current understanding of how such winds form and influence their environments. The findings suggest that differences in accretion disc temperature and size may explain the variations, providing new insights into cosmic feedback mechanisms and galaxy evolution.
Scientists have created the most accurate 3D map of star-forming regions in the Milky Way using data from the Gaia space telescope, revealing detailed structures of stellar nurseries up to 4000 light-years away and providing new insights into how massive stars influence their surrounding interstellar medium.
The Solar Orbiter mission has identified two distinct sources of energetic electrons from the Sun—solar flares and coronal mass ejections—by observing over 300 events, which enhances understanding of space weather and helps improve forecasting to protect spacecraft and astronauts.
The European Space Agency's Gaia mission has revolutionized our understanding of the Milky Way by mapping billions of stars with unprecedented precision, revealing complex structures, interconnected star clusters, and the dynamic processes shaping our galaxy, including the discovery of star families, tidal tails, and the large-scale interconnectedness of star-forming regions.
The European Space Agency's Mars Express has provided new detailed images of the Acheron Fossae region on Mars, revealing a complex landscape of deep cracks, valleys filled with ice-rich rock, and transitional plains, offering insights into the planet's geological history and climate fluctuations over billions of years.