The heliopause is the point where solar wind meets interstellar space. (Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech) The heliopause is the outer edge of the sun's magnetic influence, known as the heliosphere. At this point, the stream of charged particles emitted by the sun, known as the solar wind,...
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech A breath of fresh air In addition to finding new worlds, characterizing them is vital to learn whether they host conditions favorable to life. The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), the largest and most powerful space telescope ever built, is partly dedicated to ...
This means that there is a lot of space between the stars. We collectively call everything that is in this space the "interstellar medium", or ISM for short. The composition of the ISM is broken down by the scientists at the Infrared Processing and Analysis Center (IPAC) at Caltech: the...
A short drive away is the Palomar Observatory, Caltech’s center of astronomical research, and the home of 200-inch Hale Telescope. Daytime spring through fall tours of the research facility offer a wide range of information about astronomy, as well as the history and the engineering of ...
The image is an excerpt from an observation from NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter showing a meteorite impact that excavated this crater on Mars exposed bright ice that had been hidden just beneath the surface at this location. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona ...
The annotated area in this animation of the Red Planet is where NASA spacecraft have found near-surface water ice that would be easy for astronauts to dig up. (Image credit: NAS/JPL-Caltech) NASA's wish to follow the water on Mars just got a helping hand. Scientists have released a...
Jezero Crater is located on the edge of the Isidis Basin (or Isidis Planitia), a massive impact basin. In this MOLA (Mars Orbital Laser Altimeter) image, purple is low elevation and red is high elevation. Image Credit: By NASA / JPL / USGS – [1], Public Domain, h...
Archaeological evidence shows that bone skates (skates made of animal bones) are the oldest human powered means of transport, dating back to 3000 BC. Why people started skating on ice and where is not as clear, since ancient remains were found in several locations spread across Central and Nor...