A large cluster of stars 19,000 light-years from Earth harbors something strange: Within the cluster, a neutron star left over after a supernova explosion orbits a star not too different from our Sun.
The big picture: The Chandra observatory has been observing that star system — known as Terzan 5 CX1 — for more than a decade, and in that time, Terzan 5 CX1 has gone from looking like one type of star system to another and back again.
The last company vying for a $12 million DARPA prize for launching rockets two times from two locations with little notice could stage its first flight as early as this week.
The big picture:DARPA's launch challenge is designed to simulate a real-life scenario that the military may require of its launch providers in the future.
Mars shakes with quakes more often than scientists initially expected, according to a new series of studies using data from NASA's InSight lander published this week.
Why it matters: Mars looks like a cold, dead world, but its geology is complicated. The InSight lander, which has been studying the Red Planet from its surface since 2018, is giving scientists a fuller picture of the rusty world.
Multiple space tourismcompanies are aiming to send their first customers to the edge of space before the end of this year.
Why it matters: Right now, most revenue in the space industry is tied up in government contracts, but experts saythe maturing industry will need tourism to grow into the $1 trillion economy some predict it could be.
