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Space
Mars and Jupiter pair up this week in a celestial dance unseen from Earth in years
The encounter is an out-of-this-world example of right place, right time — as Mars zips past Jupiter, Earth will be in the perfect spot to see the two planets look as if they are within arm's reach.
What happens at the end of the universe?
Today, we're bringing you the final installment of our space summer series ... with the end ... of EVERYTHING. Will the universe end in a huge cosmic unraveling? A slow and lonely dissolution? Or a quantum-level transition that breaks the laws of physics? Theoretical astrophysicist Katie Mack breaks down three possible scenarios for how the universe as we know it will finally come to an end.
To celebrate the end of our Space Camp series, we also made a QUIZ! Check it out at npr.org/spacecamp.
Questions? Comments? Existential dread or excitement? Email us at shortwave@npr.org — we'd love to hear from you!
To celebrate the end of our Space Camp series, we also made a QUIZ! Check it out at npr.org/spacecamp.
Questions? Comments? Existential dread or excitement? Email us at shortwave@npr.org — we'd love to hear from you!
After two months, astronauts stranded at the ISS may have a way back home
For two astronauts, an eight day mission to the International Space Station has stretched into two months due to vehicle issues. Now, NASA says it's considering bringing them back in a SpaceX capsule.
The highly anticipated Perseid meteor shower is about to peak. Here's how to watch
The meteor shower creates an opportunity to sit outside at night and watch shooting stars. It's also an opportunity for researchers to do some science.
NASA delays next crew launch to buy time at the space station for troubled Starliner
Starliner's test pilots, Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, should have returned by mid-June. NASA is weighing its options for returning the two, including a ride home in a rival SpaceX capsule.
The beloved Perseid meteor shower peaks next week
The meteor shower creates an opportunity to sit outside at night and watch shooting stars. It's also an opportunity for researchers to do some science.
How does space change the human body? The answer will shapes future missions
Space X’s highly anticipated Polaris Dawn mission is set to launch later this summer – with an all-civilian crew. And a big part of their mission is researching how space changes the human body.
What the "background noise of the universe" tells us about spacetime's origins
The Big Bang: The moment when our universe — everything in existence — began....Right?
Turns out, it's not quite that simple.
Today, when scientists talk about the Big Bang, they mean a period of time – closer to an era than to a specific moment. Host Regina Barber talks with two cosmologists about the cosmic microwave background, its implications for the universe's origins and the discovery that started it all.
Interested in more space science? Email us at shortwave@npr.org.
Turns out, it's not quite that simple.
Today, when scientists talk about the Big Bang, they mean a period of time – closer to an era than to a specific moment. Host Regina Barber talks with two cosmologists about the cosmic microwave background, its implications for the universe's origins and the discovery that started it all.
Interested in more space science? Email us at shortwave@npr.org.
The curious case of the supermassive black hole
Black holes are one of the most mysterious cosmological phenomena out there. Astrophysicist Priya Natarajan calls them "the point where all known laws of physics break down."
On the list of perplexing qualities: The origins of supermassive black holes. That story was only confirmed within the last year.
Check out more of our series Space Camp on the weird and mysterious in space at npr.org/spacecamp.
Interested in more space science? Email us at shortwave@npr.org.
Listen to Short Wave on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
On the list of perplexing qualities: The origins of supermassive black holes. That story was only confirmed within the last year.
Check out more of our series Space Camp on the weird and mysterious in space at npr.org/spacecamp.
Interested in more space science? Email us at shortwave@npr.org.
Listen to Short Wave on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.