Science & Environment
NASA's Swift telescope has burned up, months after a robot sent to save it failed
Source: Phys.org - latest science and technology news stories · Published

NASA's Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory took its last look at the sky on Oct. 20, 2026, while orbiting about 171 miles (275 kilometers) above Earth. NASA ended the telescope's mission three days later, because Swift had sunk so low that drag from the thin air there meant its telesc
NASA's Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory took its last look at the sky on Oct. 20, 2026, while orbiting about 171 miles (275 kilometers) above Earth. NASA ended the telescope's mission three days later, because Swift had sunk so low that drag from the thin air there meant its telescopes couldn't hold steady.
Related stories

Earth's slowing spin may have shaped its primordial crust
Around 4.5 billion years ago, a planet-sized object collided with the newly formed Earth, throwing out the debris that would later form the moon. The collision left Earth spinning extremely fast, with days lasting just two to five hours. Yet existing models of how Earth's first c
Phys.org - latest science and technology news stories ·

'Rok' solid recognition for Slovenian space scientist
Two men from the Armagh Planetarium and Observatory have had asteroids named in their honour in recognition of their work.
feeds.bbci.co.uk ·
Scientists confirm global warming is accelerating faster than ever recorded
Earth is warming faster than ever recorded, with scientists detecting a major acceleration in global temperatures since around 2015. A new study reveals that the warming rate has surged to approximately 0.35°C per decade, nearly double the average pace observed from 1970 to 2015.
All Top News -- ScienceDaily ·
A mysterious star system just 16 light-years away may be hiding habitable planets
Astronomers have solved a 170-year-old planetary mystery in a nearby two-star system, discovering that a mysterious wobble was caused by stellar activity rather than a giant planet. Although Jupiter-sized worlds have been ruled out in key regions, smaller, potentially habitable p
All Top News -- ScienceDaily ·
NASA discovers Jupiter’s invisible shield is more complex than Earth’s
NASA’s Juno spacecraft has discovered that Jupiter uses a surprisingly complex system of powerful plasma waves and multiple shock regions to defend against the solar wind. The findings reveal major differences between Jupiter and Earth and could help scientists understand the eno
All Top News -- ScienceDaily ·