StarBurst, a satellite the size of a washing machine, aims to detect the initial blast of gamma-rays, the most powerful bursts of energy in the universe. These huge explosions can occur when dense neutron stars collide, forging metals like gold and platinum. These metals are some of the building blocks of planets — like Earth.
The Hubble Space Telescope has changed humanity’s understanding of the universe. Now in orbit for 35 years, it remains a remarkable feat of engineering.
NASA’s SPHEREx Observatory will use 102 color filters to collect data on more than 450 million galaxies along with more than 100 million stars in the Milky Way in order to explore the origins of the universe. It will also study the abundance of water ice and organic molecules throughout the galaxy.
What can the auroras tell us about our planet’s relationship with the Sun? NASA’s EZIE mission looks into it.
