This week, scientists announced the discovery of two potentially habitable planets orbiting a small, cool star only 12.5 light-years away, reports Axios' Miriam Kramer.
What they found: Researchers using the CARMENES instrument in Spain found the planets orbiting Teegarden’s star, which is only about 8% of the mass of our Sun. The planets are about the mass of Earth and orbit the star in its “habitable zone” — the theoretical orbit where a planet can sustain water on its surface. The new discovery will be published in the journal Astronomy & Astrophysics.
A delayed monsoon season has left millions of people struggling to access clean water in Chennai, India, while alternative sources and methods prove costly and ineffective, CBS reports.
What's happening: All four of the primary reservoirs the city depends on are virtually dry, resulting in approximately 4 million people becoming dependent on makeshift wells that produce largely non-potable water. Environmentalists are also concerned that thousands of newly dug wells could dangerously disrupt the region's water table.
Three senators received a classified Pentagon briefing on Wednesday about several reported U.S. Navy encounters with unidentified aircraft, Politico reports, citing congressional and government officials.
Details: The outlet noted it's part of a growing number of requests from members of key oversight committees into unidentified flying objects (UFOs). A spokeswoman for Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.), the vice chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, confirmed to Politico he had received a briefing.
NASA's Space Launch System (SLS) mega rocket and the Orion spacecraft — designed to take people to deep space destinations like the Moon and Mars — are facing possible delays and cost overruns, according to a new independent report released Wednesday.
Why it matters: Orion and SLS are key elements of NASA's planned Artemis mission, which is the Trump administration's plan to bring astronauts back to the surface of the Moon by 2024. If development of the rocket and spacecraft experience further delays, the agency may not meet that deadline, according to the Government Accountability Office report.
