technical updates

A huge, shining bauble of stars called Terzan 5 could be a clump of our galaxy's central bulge that hasn't been smoothed out into the mix, and has instead survived as a fossil relic leftover from the birth of the Milky Way galaxy. "Terzan 5 may provide direct evidence that can help explain how bulges formed in galaxies throughout the universe," said Barbara Lanzoni of the University of Bologna in a statement . Lanzoni is a member of a team of astronomers, led by Bologna colleagues Giorgia Zullo and Francesco Ferraro, who tackled Terzan 5 with the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). Terzan 5 is a globular cluster — a huge sphere of stars with a total mass two million times greater than our sun's and a total luminosity 800,000 times greater. The problem is, Terzan 5 lies about 18,800 light-years away in the bulge of the Milky Way galaxy . This means dense lanes of interven...

The heavy hitters in space telescopes are about to be joined by a new contender. NASA's Nancy Roman Grace Space Telescope arrived at the Kennedy Space Center (KSC), in Florida, on Sunday (June 21), for final tests ahead of launching later this summer. Roman was shipped to KSC from NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, riding the agency's Pegasus barge from Baltimore to the Space Coast. KSC is Roman's final stop before launching to space aboard a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket where it will join other flagship observatories like Hubble, Webb, Chandra and Spitzer. NASA is currently targeting an Aug. 30 liftoff — eight weeks ahead of its original schedule. Before that date arrives, Roman will undergo tests inside KSC's Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility (PHSF), where upgrades were recently completed to prepare for the telescope's arrival. Roman, insi...

'Project Hail Mary' has finally landed on a streaming service, though maybe not the one you were expecting. Amazon MGM Studios' " Project Hail Mary " recently launched (June 18) first on the MGM+ streaming platform, which is a sister site to Prime Video, after its 90-day theatrical window was up. As a bonus, there is a summer deal that lets you snag the Amazon Prime Video MGM+ channel for $0.99/month for 2 months . Be quick, though; this offer ends June 26. Watch Project Hail Mary on MGM+ (via Amazon Prime Video): $0.99/mo for 2 months ($7.99/month thereafter) This is a limited-time offer that ends on June 26, 2026. "Project Hail Mary" sees reluctant astronaut Ryland Grace embarking on a cosmic rescue mission to save Earth, aided by a stone-skinned alien named Rocky. Fans looking for the Ryan Gosling space epic to show up on Prime Video out of the gate might be a l...

The expansion of the universe is still accelerating under the influence of dark energy, despite recent claims to the contrary, according to new research. This means that dark energy, the mysterious force that dominates the universe, is not weakening but continues to get stronger, considered something of a "cosmological crisis" as it was so against expectations. In 1998, via the study of cosmic explosions called Type Ia supernovas, astronomers discovered that not only is the universe expanding, but that the speed of that expansion is increasing. " Dark energy " was the name given to the mysterious force driving this accelerating expansion. Since then, scientists have discovered that dark energy accounts for around 70% of the universe's matter and energy. In November 2025 , research was published that suggested the expansion of the universe was slowing, meaning dark energy ...

Scientists have drawn up a research blueprint for assessing the viability of warming the Red Planet, outlining what it might take to make Mars a place in space where Earth life can thrive. from Latest from Space.com https://ift.tt/nUDtFoL

Not all fats affect your body the same way. Researchers found that palmitic acid, a saturated fat common in many foods, may contribute to insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes by triggering inflammation, toxic fat buildup, and cellular stress. In contrast, oleic acid—the heart-healthy fat abundant in olive oil—appears to help protect insulin function and may even counter some of the harmful effects of palmitic acid. from Latest Science News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/7fMU8H0