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Astronomy

Jul 23, 2019 | Paul Caine
An artist’s concept of an O’Neill cylinder. (Courtesy Blue Origin)

Could Jeff Bezos’ vision of giant rotating habitats one day support millions of people in space? We speak with two experts about humankind’s future in space. 

Jul 22, 2019 | Associated Press
In this July 20, 1969 photo made available by NASA, astronaut Buzz Aldrin, lunar module pilot, walks on the surface of the moon during the Apollo 11 extravehicular activity. (Neil Armstrong / NASA via AP)

A moonstruck nation celebrated the 50th anniversary of Apollo 11’s “giant leap” by Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin at parties, races, ball games and concerts Saturday, toasting with Tang and gobbling MoonPies.

Jul 15, 2019 | Associated Press
This July 21, 1969 photo made available by NASA shows the U.S. flag planted at Tranquility Base on the surface of the moon, and a silhouette of a thruster at right, seen from a window in the Lunar Module. (NASA via AP)

Fifty years after Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin walked on the moon, some people insist it never happened and was all a big hoax by the U.S. government. Here’s a look at some of the most common claims and how they're explained away.

May 9, 2019 | Paul Caine
An artist’s illustration of two colliding neutron stars. (Credit: Dana Berry / Swift / NASA)

If the discovery is confirmed, it would be the first evidence that black holes and neutron stars can pair up to form binary systems.

Apr 26, 2019 | Associated Press
This image made from a composite of September 2003 - January 2004 photos captured by the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope shows nearly 10,000 galaxies in the deepest visible-light image of the cosmos, cutting across billions of light-years. (NASA, ESA, S. Beckwith (STScI), HUDF Team via AP)

In research released on Friday, Nobel winning astronomer Adam Riess calculates the cosmos is between 12.5 and 13.0 billion years old - about 1 billion years younger than previous estimates.

Apr 10, 2019 | Paul Caine
This image released Wednesday, April 10, 2019, by Event Horizon Telescope shows a black hole. Scientists revealed the first image ever made of a black hole after assembling data gathered by a network of radio telescopes around the world. (Event Horizon Telescope Collaboration / Maunakea Observatories via AP)

Ever since Einstein’s theory of relativity first predicted them, black holes have captured the imagination of the public and scientists alike. We speak with two local astrophysicists about this scientific breakthrough.

Jan 2, 2019 | Eddie Arruza

Ultima Thule, the relatively tiny object in the outer solar system, is now the farthest cosmic body to be reached by humans. We hear from the lead scientist behind the farthest flyby ever.

Dec 13, 2018 | Eddie Arruza
NASA InSight’s first full “selfie” on Mars, taken Dec. 6, 2018, displays the lander’s solar panels and deck. On top of the deck are its science instruments, weather sensor booms and UHF antenna. (Credit: NASA / JPL-Caltech)

From amazing new vistas of Mars to a little rover bouncing on a distant asteroid, an exploration of recent achievements in outer space with Adler Planetarium astronomer Lucianne Walkowicz.

Dec 12, 2018 | Paul Caine

A Chinese spacecraft enters the moon’s orbit and prepares to be the first to land on its far side. Rabiah Mayas joins us with stories making headlines in the world of science.

Nov 26, 2018 | Eddie Arruza
This artist’s concept depicts NASA’s InSight lander after it has deployed its instruments on the Martian surface. (Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech)

It took six months, a voyage of 300 million miles and a final “seven minutes of terror,” but NASA’s InSight spacecraft on Monday touched down on Mars in a landing the craft’s chief engineer called “flawless.”

Aug 14, 2018 | Evan Garcia
Vice President Mike Pence: “The space environment is fundamentally changed in the last generation.”

The president proposes a new branch of the military for space defense. Local experts weigh in on Space Force.

Jul 31, 2018 | Amanda Vinicky
Retired University of Chicago astrophysicist Eugene Parker speaks with Chicago Tonight on Tuesday, July 31, 2018.

Next week, the retired University of Chicago astrophysicist, 91, will watch as a probe named in his honor is launched from the Kennedy Space Center and catapulted to the sun’s corona.

Jul 26, 2018 | Evan Garcia
Mars is bright in the summer sky this week. (Credit: NASA / JPL / USGS)

For the next several days, the celestial event calendar includes some stellar highlights for observers in Chicago and around the globe.

Jul 20, 2018 | Alex Ruppenthal
The Northwestern-built Micro-X rocket will carry a high-powered X-ray device to capture unprecedented images of astronomical objects. (Northwestern University / Instagram)

Scientists are preparing to launch a rocket in New Mexico that’s equipped with a new high-powered device that will capture unprecedented images of astronomical objects. 

Jul 11, 2018 | Alex Ruppenthal
This computer-generated image depicts part of Mars at the boundary between darkness and daylight. (Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech)

Later this month, the red planet will be just 35.8 million miles away – the brightest and closest it’s been to Earth since 2003.

Jun 20, 2018 | Paul Caine
NASA’s Curiosity rover has discovered ancient organic molecules on Mars, embedded within sedimentary rocks that are billions of years old. (Credit: NASA / GSFC)

A tantalizing discovery suggests that life could once have existed on Mars – and may still exist today. We get the latest on the red planet with Adler Planetarium astronomer Mark Hammergren.