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Now that the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO) has detected gravitational waves as per Einstein’s theory, that are ripples in the curvature of space-time which propagate as waves, scientists predict the way they observe the universe is going to change. But why the discovery is such a big deal? What can astronomers and scientists do with gravitational waves?

Professor of astronomy Andrea Lommen thinks the gravitational waves discovery will revolutionize astronomy. It may improve understanding as much as Italian astronomer Galileo Galilei first looked the sky through his telescope, said Lommen from the Franklin & Marshall College.

NASA has made it official that its upcoming major telescope project is going to be the innovative Wide Field Infrared Survey Telescope (WFIRST). The space telescope is expected to launch to the gravitational eddy called Earth-Sun L2, which is present at the distance of one million miles from Earth. The telescope could be setup by the 2020s.

The wide field instrument of the telescope will probably give way to fresh insights into baffling phenomena such as dark energy and dark matter, at the same time also boosting the search for likely habitable planets beyond the Solar System.

Latest NASA research suggests that the surface of Pluto’s moon Charon received its unique, cracked surface due to a natural event that occurred when it started cooling down.

As per NASA scientists, pictures from the agency’s New Horizons mission have suggested that there are a lot of chances that Charon had an ocean underneath its surface that had frozen with the passage of time.

The ‘pull apart’ tectonic faults that came out as ridges and valleys on the surface of Charon resulted at the time of moon expansion.

Charon’s outer layer is mostly composed of water ice. During the early days of the moon, its outer layer used to get warmth form the internal heat from its formation, as well as decaying radioactive elements.

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has invited all space enthusiasts to submit their artistic endeavors on a journey aboard NASA's Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, Security-Regolith Explorer (OSIRIS-REx) spacecraft. It will be the first US mission to collect asteroid sand and send it back to Earth for study.

OSIRIS-REx will launch in September, travelling to the asteroid Bennu. The #WeTheExplorers campaign has called the public to participate in the mission by expressing, via art, how the exploration spirit of the mission has reflected in their own lives.

The submitted artworks will be saved on a chip on the spacecraft. The spacecraft already has a chip with over 442,000 names, submitted in the 2014 ‘Messages to Bennu’ campaign.

On Thursday, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) announced that it has received 18,300 applications for next batch of astronauts. The application window for its 2017 class of astronauts has been closed. Nearly 18,300 applicants have given their names for only eight to 14 spots.

The ever-increasing number of applicants has broken a roughly 40-year-old record as in 1978 the US space agency received 8,000 applicants for its astronaut program.

In a press release, Johnson Space Center director of operations Brian Kelly, said, “It’s heartening to know so many people recognize what great opportunity this is to be part of NASA’s exciting mission. I look forward to meeting men and women talented enough to rise to top of what is always pool of incredible applicants”.

Beachgoers from across the globe, especially the Midwest, who have planned a vacation to the Sunshine State off the coast of Florida can enjoy spotting blacktip sharks. While there haven’t been any reported cases of blacktip shark attacks in Florida, local authorities have warned people to be careful.

Approximately 10,000 to 12,000 of the blacktip sharks, which don’t like swimming in cold waters, have migrated to this region in search of warm water. Florida Atlantic University professor Stephen M. Kajiura added that this is something that is an annual routine with the blacktip sharks. The animals have been caught on camera during migration.