Latest news with #PlanetarySociety
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Experts alarmed as White House proposes 'largest single-year cut to NASA in American history'
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. The White House released its 2026 "skinny budget" on Friday (May 2), a blueprint that outlines how the administration anticipates allocating government funds for the upcoming fiscal year. According to this proposal, NASA will see a 24% cut to its top-line funding, which experts say could be devastating for the agency. "The White House has proposed the largest single-year cut to NASA in American history," The Planetary Society, an independent nonprofit organization widely supported by scientists and space enthusiasts, said in a statement. "It would recklessly slash NASA's science budget by 47%, forcing widespread terminations of functional missions worth billions of dollars." For instance, NASA says the skinny budget, which suggests removing about $6 billion in funding for the agency compared to enacted 2025 levels, would end efforts dedicated to Mars Sample Return. This program aims to bring samples of the Red Planet back to Earth — samples the Perseverance rover has been collecting over the last few years that experts say require lab-based analysis to reach their true scientific potential. The budget would also eliminate climate-focused "green aviation" spending, directed at producing aircraft that are better for the environment. The latter also reflects the skinny budget's major reductions to Earth science. Furthermore, the skinny budget calls for the cancellation of Lunar Gateway, a space station meant to be built around the moon that has already notched some important construction milestones here on Earth. And on the topic of the moon, if this budget actually goes through (meaning it's approved by Congress), it would retire NASA's Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and Orion capsule after their third flight to the lunar neighborhood via the Artemis program. SLS and Orion have flown once together so far, in 2022, meaning there'd be two more opportunities left for this duo. "If enacted, the 56% cut to the National Science Foundation, the 47% cut to NASA's Science Mission Directorate, and the 14% cut to the Department of Energy's Office of Science would result in an historic decline of American investment in basic scientific research," the American Astronomical Society said about the proposed cuts in a statement released Friday. "This budget, as overseen by OMB Director Russ Vought, is not supportive of President Trump's own stated goal that America must 'lead the way in fueling the pursuit of space discovery and exploration,'" the Planetary Society statement reads, in reference to the White House Office of Management and Budget, which drafted the skinny budget. "The OMB's budget proposal is fundamentally at odds with the President's vision for American space leadership." In an April 30 statement from the Planetary Society — written amid earlier hints of the now-published budget — the organization also speculates what an approximately 47% cut to NASA's spending may look like down the line. It could affect the in-development and highly anticipated Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, pose setbacks for planetary defense, impact space weather forecasting and possibly threaten national security, that statement said. "We urge Congress to swiftly reject this destructive proposal and instead pursue a path consistent with the President's vision," the latest Planetary Society statement says. "This is an opportunity for bipartisan agreement to secure an efficient, capable, and balanced national space program worthy of the nation it aims to represent." Of note, a statement released on April 14 by the bipartisan U.S. Planetary Science Caucus co-chairs Rep. Judy Chu (D-California) and Rep. Don Bacon (R-Nebraska) echo these sentiments, particularly pointing out worries related to the effects these cuts could have on national security and Mars Sample Return efforts. It was released on April 14 as a response to reports about the contents of "passback documents," which can be thought of as an important step before the release of the skinny budget. The passback documents outlined what possible funding reductions at NASA could look like, and indeed were very similar to the official skinny budget. They hinted that Mars Sample Return could be terminated, for instance, and that Earth science would see a 50% reduction. They also suggested that NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland could be shut down and that "no funding is provided for other telescopes" beyond the Hubble Space Telescope and the James Webb Space Telescope. In response, the U.S. Planetary Science Caucus chairs jointly stated that "We are extremely alarmed by reports of a preliminary White House budget that proposes cutting NASA Science funding by almost half and terminating dozens of programs already well underway, like the Mars Sample Return mission and the Roman Space Telescope." "Together, we must maintain America's preeminence in space," they added. Related Stories: — Trump administration proposes slashing NASA budget by 24% — Bipartisan US Planetary Science Caucus 'alarmed' by Trump's possible plans to slash NASA budget and block Mars Sample Return — Trump administration could slash NASA science budget by 50%, reports suggest Other items of note in the White House's skinny budget include a $650 million increase in budget for human space exploration — the only branch that saw an increase in funding — and an emphasis on the intention of returning to the moon "before China" and putting a "man on Mars." It also states goals like eliminating funding for "low-priority climate monitoring satellites," scaling back or eliminating projects "better suited to private sector research and development" and says "NASA will inspire the next generation of explorers through exciting, ambitious space missions, not through subsidizing woke STEM programming and research that prioritizes some groups of students over others and have had minimal impact on the aerospace workforce." "These cuts would damage a broad range of research areas that will not be supported by the private sector. The negative consequences would be exacerbated because many research efforts can require years to decades to mature and reach fruition," the AAS statement says. "Slashing NASA's budget by this much, this quickly, without the input of a confirmed NASA Administrator or in response to a considered policy goal, won't make the agency more efficient — it will cause chaos, waste the taxpayers' investment, and undermine American leadership in space," the recent Planetary Society statement says. As of now, Janet Petro is NASA's acting administrator; Trump's pick to follow Petro is billionaire and private astronaut Jared Isaacman.
Yahoo
10-05-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Planetary alignment coming up in May. Here's how and when you can see it
Astronomy fans got to see a planetary alignment in mid-April featuring Venus, Saturn, Mercury and Neptune. Stargazers will once again be treated to a planetary alignment in May, though not as big as the one in April. "Planetary alignment is an astronomical term used to describe the event when several planets gather closely on one side of the sun at the same time," according to the Star Walk website. When is the next planetary alignment? Here's what to know. According to the Planetary Society website, it will take place on May 27. A crescent moon will be wedged between Venus to the south and Saturn to the north. Dark skies are your best chance at seeing the alignment. The only two certified dark sky sanctuaries in New England are located in Maine, but NASA says just finding an area away from city or street lights will help. There will be a large planetary alignment on Aug. 10, 2025, featuring Mercury, Jupiter, Venus, Uranus, Neptune and Saturn. The next seven-planet alignment won't happen until October 2028, according to NASA. This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Planetary alignment coming up in May. How and when you can see it
Forbes
09-05-2025
- Business
- Forbes
The Prototype: The Trump Administration Proposes Major Cuts To Science
In this week's edition of The Prototype, we look at the Administration's proposed budget cuts for research, a company building a space-based quantum network, reversing antibiotic resistance and more. You can sign up to get The Prototype in your inbox here. The Trump Administration's new budget proposal for Congress features significant cuts to scientific research that go even further than the thousands of grants already gutted in the first few months of the Administration. The proposal calls for an $18 billion reduction from the National Institutes of Health –about 37% of its current budget, despite recent findings that NIH grants fueled nearly $100 billion in economic activity last year, including support for over 400,000 jobs. It also calls for slashing nearly $4 billion from the CDC's budget, as well as billions more from the Department of Energy and the EPA that directly impact research. As had been suggested by earlier reports, the Administration's proposal also calls for a 24% cut to NASA, including a 47% cut to its science budget. That includes portions of NASA's satellite missions that monitor weather and natural disasters. 'We urge Congress to swiftly reject this destructive proposal,' said nonprofit Planetary Society in a statement. Meanwhile, the European Union is incentivizing American scientists to relocate. Earlier this week, it announced a half billion Euro incentive package to fund research projects with an aim of attracting foreign scientists. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen also called on EU member nations to pledge at least 3% of their budgets to scientific research. Stay tuned. Quantum computing company IonQ has signed an agreement to purchase satellite company Capella Space, a satellite data-as-a-service company with over a dozen satellites collecting imaging for its customers. The financial terms of the deal were undisclosed. The goal of the acquisition is for IonQ to develop a quantum computing network that operates in orbit and is encrypted by quantum key distribution, which would theoretically be impossible to hack. The purchase builds on several deals that the $7.9 billion market cap IonQ has made in recent months, including acquisitions of quantum encryption company ID Quantique and quantum networking company Qubitekk as well as a partnership with Korean satellite communications company Intellian. IonQ CEO Niccolo de Masi told me a few weeks ago that he wants to focus on both quantum computing and quantum networking, as both are important for building the foundation of future business. While quantum computing promises a number of advances, he noted one threat it poses is the potential ability to break conventional encryption the internet relies on, which makes the development of countermeasures essential. 'The future of civilization as we know it runs through quantum networking,' he said. 'Whether it's your bank, the military or just Amazon and e-commerce, none of this can work in a world where data and information is not safe.' Antibiotics are a miracle of modern medicine, but the bacteria underlying many common diseases have started to evolve resistance to them. A new study, however, suggests there may be a way around this. Researchers demonstrated that by combining antibiotics with an enzyme found in bacteria-killing viruses, it was possible to prevent meningitis from the antibiotic-resistant bacteria that caused it. The group plans to study the same technique against other bacteria next. The FAA has approved SpaceX's Starship rocket to launch as frequently as 25 times per year from the company's complex in Texas. This approval also includes 25 landings at the site. Both the first and second stages of the spacecraft have been designed to be reusable. The company has so far successfully landed the first stage but has not yet tried to land the second, which is intended to bring both cargo and astronauts to the Moon, Mars and beyond. So far in 2025, there have been two test flights of Starship, both of which ended with the second stage of the spacecraft blowing up. In my other newsletter, InnovationRx, Amy Feldman and I looked at Aetna's withdrawal from the ACA exchanges, consolidation in the digital health sector, the new director of biologic drugs and vaccines at FDA, an M&A deal for radioisotopes and more. My colleague Alan Ohnsman toured Waymo's new factory in Mesa, Arizona, where the robotaxi company is turning Jaguar electric vehicles into ones that can drive themselves. Independent research shows that advanced "reasoning" LLMs from OpenAI and DeepSeek are even more prone to generating wrong answers than previous models, sometimes up to 79% of the time. Scientists developed a microbe system that's capable of autonomously fixing cracks in concrete, which if scalable might be used to help maintain roads and buildings. The substance that makes okra slimy can also remove microplastics from water, with a new study showing that it works better than conventional filter materials. Science publisher Wiley is collaborating with Amazon Web Services to create AI agents that can make it easier for scientists to research published papers on a topic. A new study of endurance athletes found that those who didn't eat enough calories during the preseason had slower running times during the competitive season than those who ate enough. What's more, not eating enough calories also caused fatigue and increased risk of injury in these athletes. So if you're planning to start training for a long run or your pickup basketball season soon, go for seconds on that mac and cheese. Earlier this week, I saw Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds in concert for the first time. It was an absolutely tremendous experience. The show lasted over two and a half hours without a break and featured not only a significant percentage of the band's new album Wild God (which I recommended here last October) but also hits like 'Red Right Hand' and 'Into My Arms.' It was one of the best concerts I've ever seen.
Yahoo
06-05-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Could a new 'star' shine above Kentucky soon? Why NASA is excited again about T Coronae Borealis
Astronomers have been waiting patiently for months for light from a distant explosion to reach Earth, and the wait might finally pay off, according to NASA. Scientists alerted the public last year about T Coronae Borealis, a binary star system that could go nova "any day now," experts said. Light from the nova's stellar explosion will make it seem as if a new star is shining in the night sky, though it won't stick around for long. While stargazers may have been disappointed the nova didn't shine bright in 2024, excitement has been growing recently, according to a May skywatching guide issued by NASA, after astronomers noticed T Coronae Borealis (AKA, T-Cor) suddenly dimmed, which is what happened before its previous nova in 1946. Here's what we know about T Coronae Borealis, dubbed the "Blaze Star," and why this nova is considered a "once-in-a-lifetime" event. Story continues after photo gallery. When can people see a rare nova explosion in 2025? Roughly anytime now, experts said, though the exact date isn't known. According to an article written last year by NASA, researchers believed T Coronae Borealis could go nova starting in September 2024. "We hope that it happens any day now," said Dr. Rebekah Hounsell, an assistant research scientist specializing in nova events at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in an earlier article. Hounsell cautioned that the exact date is impossible to pin down. "The timing of when it does happen is an estimate." Astronomers predicted the nova might appear in 2024. What's changed? Astronomers with the Planetary Society last year predicted a 70% chance T-Cor would go nova by September 2024. Obviously, it didn't happen. What's changed, according to NASA, is that astronomers have observed T-Cor dimming suddenly, which is a sign it might go nova sometime in the coming months. A video still from an animation provided by NASA, shows a white dwarf orbiting a red giant star. T Coronae Borealis a white dwarf could explode any time between now and the next several months and should be visible to the unaided eye for several days and just over a week with binoculars before it dims again. How bright will the nova be? The explosion caused by the nova will be so massive you'll be able to look up and see it in the night sky without a telescope, experts said, so it should be easy to spot. Hounsell said it will shine about as brightly as the North Star. "It's going to be very, very obvious," Hounsell told IndyStar last year. "The star is only 3,000 light years away in the northern crown constellation, so it's going to be similar to Polaris, which is extremely bright." That's roughly 17 quadrillion miles away. Even so, scientists with the Planetary Society said previously the nova explosion will likely be the brightest one witnessed on Earth since 1975. Rendering of a binary star system: The 'Blaze Star', T Coronae Borealis (T CrB), will likely go nova in 2024. What is a nova? The word "nova" comes from the Latin word meaning "new." In astronomical terms, it can seem like there's a new star in the heavens even though that star might be very old and at the end stages of its life. During a nova event, explains NASA, energy explodes from a white dwarf star. Hounsell said white dwarf stars aren't much larger in size than planet Earth. Usually they're too dim to see at night, but when a nova happens, the sudden explosion can make the star shine brightly enough to be viewed with the naked eye from trillions of miles away. What causes a star to go nova? Stars don't always play nice with each other, say experts. Most stars are bound by gravity to one or more companion stars, and things can get interesting — or violent — if these stars get too close. Sometimes when a small white dwarf star orbits a regular star, it can siphon off the larger star's energy. That's because a white dwarf star has about the same mass as Earth's sun, Hounsell said. Its gravity is extremely powerful — not as strong as a black hole, according to the Adler Planetarium, but roughly 100,000 to 300,000 times the gravity on Earth. "So material is being pulled away from the companion star by the gravity of the white dwarf," Hounsell said. "This material builds up in layers onto the white dwarf's surface and the layers get really, really hot, but the material can't expand." Eventually, the pressure and heat trigger a massive thermonuclear explosion, Hounsell said, which is called a nova. Story continues after photo gallery. What's the difference between a nova and a supernova? A supernova is the final, fiery explosion that can destroy a dying star. It can briefly outshine entire galaxies, writes and radiate more energy than our sun will produce in its entire lifetime. But while supernovas occur only once, a nova can happen again and again. After a nova explosion, the dwarf star remains intact and the cycle triggering another explosion starts over, which NASA says can take tens, hundreds or even thousands of years. In T Coronae Borealis' case, the cycle repeats roughly once every 80 years, which is why most people will likely see it only once in their lifetime. When did T Coronae Borealis last go nova? The Reno Evening Gazette noted the most recent appearance of T Coronae Borealis in February 1946. The last nova from T Coronae Borealis happened in February 1946. It also erupted 80 years before that in 1866. One astronomer described the event, saying, "In colour, the star appeared nearly white with a bluish tinge," according to documents preserved by IOPscience. The first recorded sighting of the "Blaze star" was more than 800 years ago, according to NASA. An abbot named Burchard in Ursberg, Germany, noted in 1217 that he saw, "a faint star that for a time shone with great light." Where you can look to see T Coronae Borealis nova explosion T Coronae Borealis can be found in the Northern Crown constellation, writes EarthSky, which you can find easily enough by searching for the two brightest stars in the Northern Hemisphere. Look for the Big Dipper and follow its handle pointing toward the star Arcturus. Next, find Vega, which is part of the Summer Triangle. By drawing a straight line from Arcturus and Vega, you'll find the constellation Hercules and the Corona Borealis, a horseshoe-shaped curve of stars. Just a little bit below the Corona Borealis, experts say, is where the Blaze Star should appear. The Blaze Star nova will be approximately where the little blue X appears on this star map, provided by NASA. Need help finding stars, planets and constellations? Try these free astronomy apps The following free astronomy apps can help you locate stars, planets, and constellations. How long will the nova last? The nova should last roughly a week, Hounsell said, reaching peak brightness in its first few days before fading away. How often do stars go nova? There are only five known stars in the entire galaxy that have nova events, writes NASA, but scientists believe the Milky Way experiences roughly between 30-60 nova explosions per year. These faraway stars are so distant they can't be seen with the naked eye because the light is obscured by gas and dust. What happens if T Coronae Borealis doesn't go nova this year, or at all? Then that would be interesting, said Hounsell. "We know roughly from historical records it's supposed to be around every 80 years or so, but this is unpredictable science," she said. "If the nova doesn't go off in the timeframe we expect it to, then that might mean something different happened, leading us to figure out more information, which is really cool. We'll learn new things. That's the point of science." How to say 'Uranus': Not to be cheeky, but you've been saying this gassy planet's name wrong your entire life. John Tufts covers trending news for IndyStar and Midwest Connect. Send him a news tip at JTufts@ Follow him on Twitter at JTuftsReports. This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: T Coronae Borealis dims, shows sign it could go nova soon, says NASA
Yahoo
06-05-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Is a nova explosion about to light up the night sky? What to know about T Coronae Borealis
Any day now, a massive stellar blast could light up the night sky so brightly, you won't even need a telescope to see it. Sound familiar? In case you're wondering, yes, this is the same so-called nova explosion that astronomers have been patiently waiting for for months. In June 2024, scientists first alerted the public about T Coronae Borealis, a binary star system that could go nova "any day now." Then one month came and went, followed by another, and another, and another – until ... nothing. But at last! Excitement has once again been growing after NASA released a May 2025 skywatching guide reminding eager spectators that the distant explosion and its light is still definitely going to reach us here on Earth. We're still just not sure exactly when. Here's what we know about T Coronae Borealis, dubbed the "Blaze Star," and why this nova is considered a "once-in-a-lifetime" event. When can people see a rare nova explosion in 2025? When will we see a star system 'go nova?' It isn't exactly clear just when stargazers will be able to see T Coronae Borealis go nova, but NASA's guide said it will likely be "in the coming months." That may seem frustratingly vague, but it turns out, predicting just when the explosion will occur and how long it will take for its resulting light to travel 3,000 light-years to be visible on Earth isn't an exact science. Astronomers with the Planetary Society had predicted a 70% chance T-Cor would go nova by September 2024 and a 95% chance that it would go off by the end of 2024. That, of course, didn't happen. So what's changed? Astronomers recently observed the star dimming suddenly, much as it did right before it last went nova. A red giant star and white dwarf orbit each other in this animation of a nova similar to T Coronae Borealis. Will the the bright nova be visible from Earth? T Coronae Borealis is normally too faint to see without a telescope, but the explosion caused by the nova will be so massive, spectators should be able to look up and see it with the naked eye. When the event becomes visible on Earth, the nova will be as bright as the North Star, known as Polaris, Preston Dyches, who hosts NASA's "What's Up," a monthly video series that describes what's happening in the night sky, wrote for NASA's skywatching guide. How to find T Coronae Borealis, the 'Blaze Star,' in the night sky T Coronae Borealis is located among a horseshoe-shaped curve of stars in the constellation Corona Borealis, or the 'Northern Crown." Stargazers should have luck spotting it between the two brightest stars in the Northern Hemisphere – Arcturus and Vega – using the Big Dipper's handle to point them to the right part of the sky. This part of the sky should be visible from pretty much anywhere on Earth except for the far south, close to Antarctica, according to the Planetary Society. The below celestial charts provided by NASA should provide a visual aid: A sky chart indicating how to locate the constellation Corona Borealis between the bright stars Arcturus and Vega. The Big Dipper's handle points in the direction of Corona Borealis. Sky chart showing constellation Corona Borealis with the location where nova "T CrB" is predicted to appear. The view depicts the constellation with the nova occurring, indicated by an arrow. What will the nova look like? The nova won't look like an explosion, but like a new star that wasn't there before. For this reason, Dyches recommends that viewers practice looking for it location on a clear, dark night before the nova so they'll be easily able to spot the new addition to the sky when it does become visible. How long will the nova last? When the nova finally does occur, it won't stay bright for long, likely flaring in peak brightness for only a few days, according to NASA. What causes a star to go nova? In simple terms, a nova event is when energy explodes from a white dwarf star. But the events can only occur in binary star systems like T Coronae Borealis, which contains a red giant star and a smaller white dwarf star. Because the two stars are gravitationally bound to and in orbit around each other, the white dwarf star – similar in size to Earth but with the mass of the sun – can siphon off the larger star's energy. Eventually, the fuel on the white dwarf's surface gets hot enough to trigger a thermonuclear explosion – releasing a giant burst of radiation. In fact, the explosions are so powerful, that the Planetary Society compares them to a hydrogen bomb – though the events pose no danger to Earth or even the stars themselves. Instead, the pattern of build-up and explosion continues to repeat. This differs from a supernova, a one-time event that "completely destroys whatever object triggered it," according to the Planetary Society. When did T Coronae Borealis last go nova? About every 80 years, the white dwarf in the T Coronae Borealis binary star system accumulates so much of the red giant star's hydrogen that it ignites a thermonuclear explosion. That last happened in 1946 and is due to happen again soon. The red giant star's outer atmosphere is once again "all puffed up," Dyches wrote for NASA, and the dwarf star is close enough that its gravity continually captures some of its hydrogen. After the impending nova, the event is not predicted again for another 80 years or so. Eric Lagatta is the Space Connect reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at elagatta@ This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Is a nova explosion finally about to happen? NASA says it's likely
