An annular solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes between the Earth and the Sun, blocking out most but not quite all of the Sun's light.
It's called an annular eclipse because just a thin ring, or annulus, of light remains visible.An annular eclipse only happens when the moon is at its furthest away point from Earth. In perspective to us on Earth, it doesn't completely block out the light...
They've traced the problem to the failure of protective material that was lining the throat of an engine nozzle.
This led to a drop in combustion pressure and acceleration.
When it became clear Vega-C wouldn't make it to orbit, a self-destruct command was sent, which also annihilated the satellites onboard.
These were two high-resolution Earth imagers built by the aerospace company Airbus.
...
Deforestation for agriculture and fires were the main drivers of the increase, according to the authors.
The scientists say that a "collapse" in law enforcement in recent years has encouraged forest clearing.
The research findings have been submitted for publication but have yet to be independently reviewed. As home to the largest tropical forest on Earth, the Amazon plays a critical role...
Shortly after 03:30 GMT on Monday, Earth's orbit meant that for several minutes our planet was positioned directly between the Sun and the Moon.
In that time the Moon fell completely into Earth's shadow - temporarily turning it a dusky shade of dark red.
Its hue was created by sunlight being projected through Earth's atmosphere onto the Moon's shadowed surface.
The lunar eclipse coincided...
The robotics professor has been leading the development of a tiny wheeled robot called Iris, which could become the first uncrewed rover sent by the US to explore the Moon.
Iris has not been built by experienced engineers at Nasa or a large aerospace company, but by students at Whittaker's home institution of Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) in Pittsburgh. The robot was recently secured to its...
Absolutely, says Ralph McNutt from Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (JHU-APL) in the US.
McNutt, with colleagues, has just published a detailed report that envisions a long-lived interstellar probe - a mission to the space between the stars.
Nasa's legendary Voyagers are travelling through this domain right now, but McNutt's probe would go further and...
The impact caused devastation, with most animals and plants dying out.
But scientists say a handful of surviving snake species were able to thrive in a post-apocalyptic world by hiding underground and going long periods without food.
The resilient reptiles then spread out across the globe, evolving into the 3,000 or more species known today.
The dinosaurs famously died out when an asteroid...
The American SpaceX company has stacked the biggest rocket ever constructed.The vehicle's two segments - an upper-stage called Starship and a booster called Super Heavy - were connected together at the firm's Starbase R&D facility in Boca Chica, Texas.Standing roughly 120m (400ft) in height, the SpaceX rocket dwarfs any previous launch system.When it eventually lifts off, it will produce...
In a move that throws cold water into the dreams of some billionaire space explorers, the United States has toughened its definition of the word "astronaut."The new rules of the FAA (the agency that regulates civil aviation in the United States) say that astronauts must be part of the crew and contribute to the safety of space flights.This means that Jeff Bezos and Sir Richard Branson cannot...
Black holes are astronomical objects that have a gravity so strong that not even light can escape. Neutron stars are incredibly dense dead stars. It is estimated that a teaspoon of material from a neutron star weighs about 4 billion tons.Both objects are cosmic monsters, but black holes are considerably more massive than neutron stars.In the first collision, which was detected on January 5,...
