Hailing A SeaBubble
For cities that already have waterways built into them, why add more cars to already crowded roads? Instead, perhaps travel via water. That’s what SeaBubbles, a new company that envisions itself as an Uber-like taxi system that travels by water, thinks. They envision the water taxis to be zero-emission vehicles, that can travel up to 60 miles per hour.
Saturn’s Bright Rings
NASA’s Cassini spacecraft snapped this picture of Saturn’s rings (Saturn is that darkened circle on the right). The image was taken from the planet’s nightside, but despite this the rings are still in sunlight. They reflect this light back onto the planet so at night, the planet appears brighter than it should.
A Problem That Is 34 Metric Tons In Weight
The United States had previously worked out a deal with Russia to get rid of 34 metric tons of weapons grade plutonium left over from the Cold War. Recently, the Russians backed out of this agreement and now the U.S. has to come up with a new plan to get rid of it. But what is this stuff and why is it so hard to get rid of? We answered everything you ever wanted to know about Plutonium, here.
2 TRILLION Galaxies
New data from the Hubble telescope shows that the universe is way bigger than we thought. Scientists now think that the universe contains two trillion galaxies, which is 10 times larger than what we previously thought it was. 90 percent of the galaxies have yet to be studied, says one of the study authors.
A Spiral Galaxy Captured By Hubble
This image, taken by NASA’s Hubble spacecraft, shows a closeup of a spiral galaxy known as NGC 247. The galaxy, which is 11 million light years away from us, contains a unique and unusual feature: a gaping hole, which although can’t be seen in this image, would be close to the top left. The stars within this hole are much older than others in the galaxy. Scientists are still unsure of the origins of this hole, but they think it might have formed from gravitational waves interacting with another galaxy.
A New Space Nation?
This week, a group of international scientists announced the founding of ‘an independent space nation’ called Asgardia. There are still very little details about how it will be built and how it will function, but out space reporter Sarah Fecht gives the rundown here.
The FASTest Way To Search For Alien Life
China’s FAST telescope, or the Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical Telescope, which was just completed this past July, will now officially be used to search for alien life. The National Astronomical Observatories of China (NAOC) announced this week that they will join the Breakthrough Listen Initiative, started and funded by Russian billionaire Yuri Milner.
Home From Space
The Progress MS-O2 spacecraft came back to Earth this week after a six-month journey to the ISS. Its main mission was to bring food, fuel, and other supplies to the crew on board. This image, taken from the space station, shows the spacecraft coming down to Earth in a “blazing trail of plasma.”
A Real-Life Remembrall
Everybody remembers the Remembralls from the Harry Potter series. No? Well, if you’re forgetful, you might be getting one soon. While the Remembralls in the stories would magically turn red if you forgot something, you can still build one that turns red, not with magic, but with science! Read about it here.
