Satellite Rediscovered in Space After Being Lost for 25 Years

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In our top stories this week, reporter Passant Rabie describes the rediscovery of a satellite lost in the 1990s and why we sometimes lose sight of our orbital property. Researchers have discovered what they claim is the world's deepest blue hole, the Taam Ja' Blue Hole in Mexico's Chetumal Bay, and have yet to determine its true depth. A new video from Europe's Solar Orbiter offers some of the best close-up views of our host star ever captured, and perhaps unsurprisingly, alpaca sex is really weird. - George Dvorsky

A view of Earth from orbit.Photo: Inspiration4

An experimental satellite that launched in 1974 disappeared from ground-based sensors in the 1990s, only to be found again this week. Some defunct satellites or debris can often go missing for years, presenting hazards within an increasingly crowded Earth orbit. But, how exactly do objects disappear in space? - Passant Rabie Read More

Researchers have found a blue hole they say is the deepest in the world—and they've yet to find where it bottoms out. The formation is the Taam Ja' Blue Hole in Mexico's Chetumal Bay, and it has so far been measured to 1,378 feet deep, or 420 meters below sea level. - Isaac Schultz Read More

This single image from the video shows a small eruption on the Sun, and by "small" we mean an eruption the same size as Earth. Screenshot: ESA & NASA/Solar Orbiter/EUI Team

The recent total solar eclipse on April 8 provided a rare glimpse of the Sun's roiling corona, including some eye-grabbing prominences. Those views were neat, but a new video captured by Europe's Sun-buzzing probe is providing some of the best close-up views of our host star that we've ever seen. - George Dvorsky Read More

An artist's concept of the Solar Sail mission in orbit. Illustration: NASA

Nearly a week after launching to space, a microwave-sized cubesat phoned home for the first time as it prepares to embark on its mission of sailing through low Earth orbit. - Passant Rabie Read More

Three alpacas.Image: Rita_Kochmarjova (Shutterstock)

Just in case you'd like to know: Alpaca sex is weird, biologically speaking. In a recent paper, scientists have presented evidence that male alpacas impregnate their partners by thrusting their penises all the way up inside the female's uterus—a tactic not documented with any other mammal species to date. - Ed Cara Read More

The Webb Telescope captured this image of the Horsehead Nebula that revealed the small-scale structures of its illuminated edge. Image: ESA/Webb, NASA, CSA, K. Misselt (University of Arizona) and A. Abergel (IAS/University Paris-Saclay, CNRS)

The Webb Space Telescope has given us another cosmic treat. The young observatory captured a closer look of the ethereal clouds of dust and gas that form the nearby Horsehead Nebula, illuminated by a companion star in the constellation Orion. - Passant Rabie Read More

A T. rex skeleton at the Natural History Museum of Leiden.Photo: Dean Mouhtaropoulos (Getty Images)

Tyrannosaurus rex was just about as smart as modern crocodiles and other reptiles, according to a team of researchers that investigated recent claims that the Cretaceous predators may have been as smart as monkeys. - Isaac Schultz Read More

NASA's Orion spacecraft splashed down in the Pacific Ocean on December 11, 2022.Photo: NASA

As NASA prepares to send astronauts to the Moon as part of the upcoming Artemis 2 mission, the space agency still needs to resolve a few lingering issues with its Orion capsule that could jeopardize the safety of the crew on board, according to a new report. - Passant Rabie Read More

A photo of an unidentified Sumatran orangutan.Photo: PEnsell Photography (Shutterstock)

Humans aren't the only primates with a medicine cabinet, it seems. In a new paper published today, scientists document a male orangutan named Rakus using a plant with known medicinal properties to help heal his facial wound. While there have been other recent accounts of animals using medicine in the wild, this appears to be the first report of an animal applying plants to their wounds as a sort of topical salve, the authors say. - Ed Cara Read More