If Aliens Exist, Would They Have Sex?
Humans love to ponder whether alien life is out there, and what it might look like. So here’s a burning question: Would extraterrestrials have sex? The question isn’t entirely prurient. The evolution of sex is a tricky subject. Sexual reproduction is costly. It requires finding a mate, convincing that mate to mingle DNA with you, and […]
20 Years On, Future Bright for Exoplanet Science
This year we celebrate the discovery of 51 Pegasi b in October, 1995. This giant planet is about half the size of Jupiter and orbits its star in about four days. ’51 Peg’ helped launch a whole new field of exploration.Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech Humanity’s understanding of its place in the universe began changing in a big […]
How Do You Spot an Alien Planet from Earth? (Infographic)
By Karl Tate, Infographics Artist | October 15, 2015 07:00am ET Detecting tiny planets amid a star’s glare, from many light-years across the galaxy, is very challenging. Direct imaging, or resolving planets as pixels in a photograph, is only possible today for large, Jupiter-class and above, planets. 7 Ways to Discover Alien Planets Here are […]
Planet Hunter Geoff Marcy Resigns Following Sexual Harassment Investigation
Famed planet hunter Geoff Marcy has resigned from his position at the University of California, Berkeley in the aftermath of a sexual harassment investigation.Credit: NASA Geoff Marcy, a leader in the field of exoplanet research, has resigned from his position as a professor of astronomy at the University of California, Berkeley, following an investigation that […]
'The Martian' Might Be the Most Realistic Space Movie Ever Made
[unable to retrieve full-text content]”The Martian” captures the humor and culture of real scientists, breaks stereotypes and avoids two of the most common missteps of space-related cinema. To source
Sentinel-3A shows off
Before the latest satellite for Copernicus is packed up and shipped to the Plesetsk cosmodrome in Russia for launch at the end of the year, the media and specialists were given the chance to see this next-generation mission centre-stage in the cleanroom. To source
Rover school
Technology image of the week: prototype rovers and landers in ESA’s test environment ‘Mars Yard’ To source
Flash floods in Mangala Valles
Catastrophic flooding triggered by ice melting from the heat of volcanic activity is thought to be responsible for the chaotic scenery depicted in this region of the Mangala Valles channel network. To source
Space on your mobile
Access our top news stories, videos and images, as well as news in your language, via our new mobile ESA website To source
Planets Galore: How to See Uranus, Mercury, Jupiter and Mars
Sometimes a whole bunch of different sky events happen over a very short period, giving skywatchers a chance to witness many unusual events in a few days. The next week or two is a case in point, with Uranus, Mercury, Jupiter and Mars are making notable appearances in the night sky. First, the planet Uranus […]
China's Space Station Planners Put Out Welcome Mat
JERUSALEM — China is soliciting international participation in its future manned space station in the form of foreign modules that would attach to the three-module core system, visits by foreign crew-transport vehicles for short stays and the involvement of non-Chinese researchers in placing experiments on the complex, the chief designer of China’s manned space program […]
Did Comets Spark Alien Life in Europa's Oceans?
Artist’s impression of an impact event on Jupiter’s moon Europa.Credit: NASA/JPL-CALTECH If alien life swims in the ocean beneath Europa’s icy surface, it might have got its start from comets cracking the icy shell to deliver vital pre-life ingredients, say researchers. New simulations show that a specific family of comets have the mass, velocity and […]
Amazing Jupiter Video Shows Slowing Shrinkage of the Great Red Spot
Jupiter’s trademark Great Red Spot may be shrinking, but it’s not going down without a fight. Amazing new maps of the Jupiter by the Hubble Space Telescope reveal that the Great Red Spot, a massive storm about twice the diameter of Earth, is slowing the speed at which it shrinks. The Jupiter maps, first in […]