Astronomers spot the beginnings of a “baby gas giant”
We can take up astronomy now, buy a good telescope, and go out on the right night to look up at the sky and marvel at the gaseous planets of our own solar system. These are of course Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune. However, we average enthusiasts would need some different equipment, and Read More...
Hubble Telescope spots farthest star ever recorded
We've set a new benchmark in the world of stars: the farthest individual star ever seen to date. This one has a predicted mass at least 50 times that of our Sun and is millions of times brighter, plus, was created within the first billion years of the Big Bang. This may seem like a long time after Read More...
Turns out there are ice volcanoes on Pluto. Here's how they work
We learn more fascinating and otherworldly things about our universe the farther out into space we explore. Some of our discoveries bend our understanding of science, and some completely baffle us. This is the case now that scientists have confirmed that there are, in fact, ice volcanoes on Read More...
Refueling on Mars: making biofuel from astronaut wastewater
As space exploration develops further, scientists and engineers are innovating more outlandish ways for humans to survive beyond our planet. What was once magic becomes science as experts think outside the box and brilliantly repurpose resources in closed environments, such as growing lettuce in Read More...
Space lettuce could save astronauts’ bones
Many of us wanted to be astronauts when we were kids. Some of us may even still daydream about it. While we lionize pioneers like Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin, we now know that prolonged time in space comes with some serious health consequences. We are, after all, creatures whose anatomy evolved Read More...
James Webb Space Telescope releases first stunning image of a star
An update on the James Webb Space Telescope is hitting your newsfeed again as it makes another landmark step in its journey to help us explore the universe. The telescope set off in late December 2021, with the mission to change how we study deep space forever. The Optimist Daily previously Read More...
Can galaxies exist without dark matter?
The nature of science is learning and revision. Our understanding of existence involves fine-tuning, sometimes completely restructuring our knowledge to comprise new discoveries. Physics, medicine, chemistry, all improve on themselves by revising older ideas, such as it is with dark matter and its Read More...
This newly launched satellite will improve weather tracking
You may get tired of hearing it, but knowledge is useful. It’s something we at The Optimist Daily try to empower you with every day, and it is something NASA understands the value of in plotting our climate-related future. That’s why the GOES-T Satellite’s launch last Tuesday is so Read More...
Pollution might help detect alien life
Last year, the long-awaited James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) finally blasted off from Earth. It has since reached its final position and turned on its super high-tech cold camera. Scientists hope to carry out a wide range of missions on this incredible piece of machinery, with the end goal of Read More...
A first-of-its-kind star made from two dying stars
It is a wonder looking up at space, seeing the continuum of the cosmos in beautiful celestial bodies exploding, reforming, and shining brightly in the night sky. In this stellar life cycle, scientists have discovered the brilliant birth of a new star created from the collision of two dying Read More...