Fireworks shows are not just confined to Earth’s skies. NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope has captured a spectacular fireworks display in a small, nearby galaxy. A firestorm of star birth is lighting up one end of the diminutive galaxy Kiso 5639. The dwarf galaxy is shaped like a flattened pancake, but because it is tilted […]
Using combined data from NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory, the Hubble Space Telescope, and Spitzer Space Telescope, astronomers have found the best evidence yet for cosmic seeds in the early universe that should grow into supermassive black holes. “Our discovery, if confirmed, explains how these monster black holes were born,” said Fabio Pacucci of Scuola […]
The Sutherland-based robotic telescope, Kilodegree extremely little telescope (KELT)-South, spotted an extrasolar planet, KELT-10b, during its routine observations. KELT-South is dedicated to the search of transiting planets orbiting especially bright stars. Astronomers refer to these planets as “hot Jupiters” because of their composition and mass. They are gas giants similar to the planet Jupiter, except […]
When a SpaceX Falcon rocket flew itself back to its Florida launch site last December, the feat was hailed as a key step in Elon Musk’s quest to develop an inexpensive, reliable reusable rocket. But that was only half the story. On Friday 8 April a more challenging and potentially revolutionary step was accomplished […]
Africa can now rely on the services of a satellite constellation tailored for the continent to provide reliable data for a wide range of essential human activities and the protection of the environment. The constellation which combines the services of ten satellites with the capability of covering any part of the continent at least once […]
The first of two joint ESA–Roscosmos missions to Mars began on 14 March 2016 on a seven-month journey to the Red Planet, where it will address unsolved mysteries of the planet’s atmosphere that could indicate present-day geological – or even biological – activity. The Trace Gas Orbiter (TGO) and the Schiaparelli entry, descent and landing […]
2018 will see another giant telescope venture into Space to study the solar system, enabling scientists understand more about its formation and how Earth became capable of supporting life. Named the James Webb Space Telescope, it will look across vast distances to find the earliest stars and galaxies and study the atmospheres of mysterious […]
Science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) are today considered the area where most education systems make little impact. And yet STEM is one of the most important building blocks for young people to get into the mainstream of the economy. It is predicted that 80% of jobs require a STEM background; and only 10% […]
Recently the opportunity to take a trip into space became a lot closer when Richard Branson launched SpaceShipTwo – the first vehicle to be manufactured by the Spaceship Company, Virgin Galactic’s wholly-owned manufacturing arm, and the second vehicle of its design ever constructed. Virgin Galactic is the world’s first commercial spaceline. Founded by Sir […]
The South African National Space Agency recently recorded the first images of sprites from Sutherland on 11 January 2016. Triggered by lightning, Sprites are optical gas discharges from the top of convective thunderstorm clouds at an altitude of 50 – 100 km. Despite being easily visible, nobody has ever reported seeing spites over Southern […]
