Nuclear power stations on the Moon

The use of nuclear energy on Earth has always sparked debate and opposition, but it seems that when it comes to other celestial bodies, everyone agrees: nuclear energy is definitely the way to go. In particular, this applies to the installation of power systems on the Moon, the reconsidered destination for the next space exploration and colonisation mission. There are already well-established projects underway by both […]

Space Farming: how we will thrive in distant worlds thanks to space agriculture

Just as the Earth's atmosphere is cleansed by plants with the help of the Sun, so our artificial atmosphere can be renewed... The plants we take with us on our journey can work continuously”. This was written at the beginning of the 20th century by the Russian astronautics pioneer Konstantin Tsiolkovsky. Humanity is preparing for space missions that could last several [...]

Japan is ready to land on the Moon with the USA

The first non-American astronaut to set foot on the moon could come from the Land of the Rising Sun Only twelve human beings have set foot on the moon so far. All twelve were part of the Apollo missions carried out between 1969 and 1972. All twelve were white American males. With the Artemis Programme, the United States has [...]

Street Art takes off in Space: Star Bottle launches a virtual museum in Deep Space

Star Bottle brings Street Art into space with the launch of a virtual museum in the Universe: a jury of experts will select seven works by street artists, which will be sent into Deep Space on 10 August in the form of a multimedia message. Following the success of the presentation to the Senate of the Republic on 12 April and [...]

An exoplanet made of diamond

Did you know that there are planets so precious that they are almost entirely composed of diamonds? One of the most fascinating examples is 55 Cancri e, a “Super Earth” planet about 40 light years away from us. It is a planet composed of about one third carbon, probably originating in a similar way to [...]

Exoplanets with two suns, like Tatooine

But does a planet like Tattooine really exist? In the famous science fiction saga “Star Wars”, Tattoine is a desert world orbiting a binary star, the home planet of the Skywalker family. Worlds of this type are called “circumbinary” and orbit two stars instead of one. The two stars orbit each other, [...]

How many and what are the potentially habitable exoplanets we know of?

How many and which potentially habitable exoplanets do we know of? So far, astronomers have identified several exoplanets that could have the characteristics necessary to support life. At the end of 2023, there were a total of 63 exoplanets confirmed as potentially habitable. Among the most interesting candidates is Teegarden b, the innermost planet in the system […]

What characteristics must a potentially habitable exoplanet have?

What characteristics must a planet have to be considered potentially habitable, i.e. suitable for supporting life? First of all, it must be located in the so-called “habitable zone” of its star, where temperatures allow for the presence of liquid water, which is essential for life as we know it. The mass of the exoplanet is also important: it must be large enough [...]