technical updates

Using the European Space Agency's Euclid space telescope, astronomers have discovered a treasure trove of 31 black-hole-powered quasars in the early universe. The most impressive of these new discoveries is the most ancient and distant quasar ever seen, shining with the light of a trillion suns just 670 million years after the Big Bang. Quasars occur when supermassive black holes with masses millions or even billions of times that of the sun are surrounded by swirling disks of matter called accretion disks. As accretion disks gradually feed these central cosmic titans, the immense gravity of the black holes generates intense friction, causing this matter to glow so brightly that their luminosity can exceed the combined light of every star in their host galaxies. Despite this, quasars can still be difficult to spot at vast cosmic distances, with their light difficult to distinguish from the ...

SpaceX is nothing if not ambitious. Elon Musk 's company just filed an application with the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to operate a 100,000-member constellation of "Gen3" satellites in low Earth orbit (LEO). This will presumably be an updated version of SpaceX's Starlink broadband network, according to astronomer and satellite tracker Jonathan McDowell, who reported the news via X today (July 9). SpaceX have filed for a 100,00 satellite "Gen3 NGSO" system. Presumably Starlink Gen3, but they don't call it that. The sats are 2000-2500 kg, area 300 to 400 sq m. Orbits 320-480 km at various inclinations. Have added to my page at https://t.co/uFI9aoSNnM July 9, 2026 The new plan would dramatically expand Starlink's already extensive orbital footprint. SpaceX currently operates nearly 10,800 of the internet spacecraft in LEO and has FCC approva...

Environmental and scientific organizations are banding together to demand federal environmental reviews of space-based data center projects, which plan to put more than a million new satellites in Earth orbit over the coming years. Over the last few months, a number of different companies have requested licenses from the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to launch data centers into space. SpaceX's proposal alone requests licenses for up to one million satellites in low Earth orbit (LEO). But the requested licenses don't come with any environmental review of the impacts that the satellites — especially collectively — could have on dark skies, wildlife or our atmosphere. In response, a coalition of environmental and scientific organizations represented by the environmental nonprofit Earthjustice have petitioned the FCC for this review. "Allowing a million orbiting data cente...

If the universe has one lesson for humanity, it is that everything ends. That includes stars, which too must die, albeit on timescales of billions of years. But new research suggests that when some stars die, they do not do so alone, potentially solving a long-standing mystery around a particular class of cosmic explosion called an interacting supernova. When stars much more massive than the sun reach the ends of their lives, their cores collapse, sending shockwaves blasting out into their outer layers, triggering explosions called supernovas and leaving behind stellar remnants in the form of neutron stars or black holes . Interacting supernovas differ because the shockwave generated by these explosions crash into a pre-existing cocoon of material. The big mystery has always been: where does this cocoon of gas and dust come from? Humanity is somewhat biased when it comes to stars; after all, th...

NASA's nuclear-powered mission to Mars is taking shape with the selection of Firefly Aerospace to design and manufacture the protective aeroshell that will shield the Skyfall spacecraft's descent stage during its plummet through the Martian atmosphere. Skyfall, slated to be NASA's first-ever nuclear powered interplanetary probe , is scheduled to launch in 2028 with three helicopters similar to the Ingenuity drone that landed on the Red Planet with the Perseverance rover . The mission is being managed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), in California, which just awarded Firefly a $13 million subcontract for the spacecraft component. It will be the company's first project to be developed in its expanded Texas facility, Gloworks, and will lean on engineering expertise gained from its Blue Ghost lunar lander and Firefly's Alpha and Eclipse rockets, according to a com...

The next American flag to be planted on the moon has been placed in the hands of one of the last astronauts to walk on the lunar surface. Late into the night during the America 250 celebrations in Washington, D.C. on July 4, President Donald Trump delivered the keynote address from the National Mall, praising the country's history and accomplishments. The speech also acknowledged several American heroes in attendance, from military veterans, descendants of notable American historical figures like Davy Crocket, and the crew of NASA's Artemis II mission that flew around the moon in April. Each honoree was invited briefly on stage, and recognized in front of an array of historical American flags, like the oldest known one in existence from 1777, the flag draped over the casket of Abraham Lincoln and one carried by Lewis and Clark in 1803. The Artemis crew were joined by Apollo 17 astronaut...