Cluster Articles

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Showing 24 articles
Is Our Galaxy Inside a Black Hole?

No, our galaxy is not inside a black hole. The Milky Way contains a central supermassive black hole called Sagittarius A*, but the galaxy itself is a vast system of stars, gas,...

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What Is an Alien Earth? Definition, Detection, and Significance

This article explains what an alien earth is, why the term matters, and how scientists search for and study Earth-like worlds beyond our Solar System. It covers detection method...

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Pictures of the Far Side of the Moon: What We See and How We Know

The far side of the moon is the hemisphere that always faces away from Earth, hidden by the Moon’s synchronous rotation. It is sometimes called the dark side, though this term...

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Has Anyone Died on the Moon?

No human has died on the Moon during crewed or uncrewed operations at the lunar surface. All crewed NASA Apollo landings returned safely, and no spacecraft operated by any natio...

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How far is K2-18b from Earth

K2-18b is approximately 124 light-years from Earth, or about 1.2 × 10^6 Astronomical Units (AU), and roughly 38 parsecs. These figures round to about 730 trillion miles (1.17 q...

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Women Astronauts: Profiles, Missions, and Continued Progress Toward Space Exploration

Women astronauts have become central to human space exploration, serving as mission specialists, pilots, commanders, and scientists aboard international programs. This overview...

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An Asteroid That Will Fly By Earth: Understanding Close Approaches and Impacts

When an asteroid to fly by Earth makes headlines, it can feel distant or abstract. In clear terms, this phrase describes any near-Earth object that passes within the Moon’s or...

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What is an all-woman space flight?

An all-woman space flight is a crewed space mission in which every astronaut or crew member is female. Such flights advance research on performance in space across diverse physi...

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What It Means to Study an Astronomer Life on a Distant Planet

When astronomers refer to studying an astronomer life on a distant planet, they describe a multi-step scientific process that moves from detection to characterization and, event...

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September 2024 Eclipse: What It Was and Why It Mattered

The September 2024 eclipse was a partial lunar eclipse that occurred on Thursday, 18 September 2024, visible across much of the Americas, Europe, Africa, and eastern Asia. It wa...

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Where to See the Supermoon: A Reliable Guide

A supermoon occurs when a full or new moon coincides with perigee, the point in the Moon’s orbit closest to Earth. The result is a slightly larger and brighter appearance, typ...

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Which Planet Is Visible Next to the Moon Tonight

The Moon is Earth’s closest neighbor and moves about 12 to 15 degrees across the sky each day, passing near different planets on successive nights. Because the Moon reflects s...

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Solar Eclipse September 2025: What to Expect and How to Prepare

A solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes between the Sun and Earth, temporarily blocking some or all of the Sun’s light. There are three main types: total, partial, and ann...

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SpaceX Government Contracts in 2025: Types, Values, and What They Mean

SpaceX government contracts in 2025 combine long-standing NASA transportation partnerships with expanded Department of Defense and national security missions, covering crewed an...

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Elon Musk Flight to Mars: Goals, Timelines, and Current Status

The topic of an Elon Musk flight to Mars centers on SpaceX’s long-term goal to enable passenger missions to the Red Planet using Starship. This is not a near-term commercial f...

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Blue Origin Female Crew Members: Names, Roles, and Flight History

As Blue Origin advances suborbital tourism and research flights, female astronauts have played a prominent role since early developmental flights. This guide profiles each woman...

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What to Know About the Most Recent Solar Eclipse in the USA

A solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes between the Sun and Earth, briefly blocking part or all of the Sun’s light. There are three main types: total, in which the Moon fu...

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Who Found Water on the Moon and How Was It Discovered

Water ice is present in permanently shadowed polar craters, and trace water molecules are locked in lunar soils away from the poles. The existence of surface-bound water was con...

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When did Shatner go to space?

William Shatner flew to space on 13 October 2021 as a space tourist aboard Blue Origin’s NS-18 mission. At 90 years old, he became the oldest person to reach the Kármán line...

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How SpaceX Rescued the Astronauts: A Verified Explainer

SpaceX rescued astronauts by using the Crew Dragon spacecraft’s integrated launch abort system, coordinated with NASA’s Commercial Crew program, and executing controlled oce...

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What We Know About Another Planet That Could Support Life

To date, we have not confirmed life on any planet beyond Earth. The phrase another planet that has life usually refers to hypothetical organisms—most likely microbial—on an...

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Tom Cruise and the Space Station: What the Actor’s Flights Mean for Commercial Spaceflight

Tom Cruise’s association with the International Space Station (ISS) emerged from a 2020 announcement that the actor and his production team would film on orbit. This move was...

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Which Celebrities Have Gone to Space and What It Means

Interest in celebrities going to space has grown as private orbital and suborbital flights become reality rather than science fiction. These flights blend public outreach with c...

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Female Space Mission Leaders and Astronauts: Profiles, Roles, and Impact

This evergreen profile examines female leadership and participation in space missions, covering roles from commander to mission specialist, program milestones, verified records,...

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