extraterrestrial
Speculation, theory, UFOs and Aliens. Are we alone in this universe or is there life outside Earth?
Exoplanet Atmospheres: Unexpected Discoveries That Are Changing Astronomy
For most of human history, planets beyond our Solar System were the stuff of speculation. Even after the first exoplanets were confirmed in the 1990s, they remained distant abstractions—numbers in databases, shadows in starlight, or subtle gravitational wobbles. Today, however, astronomers are doing something that once seemed impossible: directly probing the atmospheres of worlds orbiting other stars. And what they are finding is far stranger and more diverse than anyone expected.
By Holianyk Ihor8 days ago in Futurism
Why Most Potentially Habitable Planets Do Not Look Like Earth
When scientists and science fiction writers imagine habitable planets, they often picture something very similar to Earth: blue oceans, green continents, a breathable atmosphere, and a familiar sky. For decades, the search for life beyond our planet has been guided by this image of a “second Earth.” Yet modern astronomy is steadily revealing a surprising truth: most potentially habitable planets in the universe look nothing like Earth at all.
By Holianyk Ihor8 days ago in Futurism
Could the Universe Be Closed Rather Than Infinite?
For most people, the idea of the Universe is inseparable from infinity. We imagine space stretching endlessly in every direction, with no limits, no edge, and no final destination. Infinity feels natural, almost inevitable. Yet modern cosmology poses a far more unsettling and fascinating question: what if the Universe is not infinite at all? What if it is closed—finite in size, but without any boundaries?
By Holianyk Ihor9 days ago in Futurism
Why the Universe Looks Too Smooth to Be Born by Chance
When we imagine the birth of the Universe, we often picture something violent and chaotic: a sudden explosion of energy, matter flying in all directions, randomness ruling everything. Intuitively, such a beginning should leave behind a messy, uneven cosmos. Yet when astronomers observe the Universe on the largest possible scales, they see something very different. The Universe looks remarkably smooth, balanced, and orderly — almost too orderly for a purely random origin.
By Holianyk Ihor9 days ago in Futurism
What Do We Really Know About the Boundaries of the Solar System?
When most people picture the Solar System, they imagine a neat diagram: the Sun at the center, planets orbiting in tidy circles, Pluto somewhere at the edge, and then—nothing. Empty space. The truth, however, is far more complex, fascinating, and mysterious. The Solar System does not end at a clear line, nor does it have a physical “wall.” Instead, it fades gradually into interstellar space through a series of overlapping and poorly understood regions. Even today, scientists cannot agree on a single answer to a deceptively simple question: where does the Solar System actually end?
By Holianyk Ihor10 days ago in Futurism
Why Scientists Are Rethinking What Makes a Planet “Habitable”
For much of modern scientific history, the idea of a “habitable planet” seemed relatively straightforward. If astronomers wanted to find life beyond Earth, they needed to look for worlds that closely resembled our own: rocky planets, orbiting at just the right distance from their stars, with mild temperatures and liquid water on the surface. This concept shaped decades of research, telescope design, and space missions.
By Holianyk Ihor10 days ago in Futurism
Venus Returns: Why the “Hell Planet” Is Back in the Spotlight of Science
For much of the space age, Venus was treated as a cautionary tale rather than a destination of hope. Nearly identical to Earth in size and composition, it once seemed like our planet’s twin. Instead, it turned out to be one of the most hostile worlds in the Solar System. Surface temperatures hot enough to melt lead, crushing atmospheric pressure, clouds of sulfuric acid, and a landscape shaped by catastrophic forces earned Venus its grim nickname: the hell planet.
By Holianyk Ihor13 days ago in Futurism
Children in Space: Science Fiction or an Inevitable Reality?
For decades, the idea of children being born in space belonged firmly to the realm of science fiction. From futuristic novels to blockbuster movies, space-born humans were portrayed as exotic symbols of humanity’s cosmic future. Yet today, this question is slowly moving from imagination into serious scientific and ethical discussion. As plans for long-term missions to the Moon, Mars, and even permanent space settlements gain momentum, one unavoidable issue emerges: if humans are going to live in space for years or generations, what happens to reproduction and childhood beyond Earth?
By Holianyk Ihor13 days ago in Futurism
New Missions to Pluto: What Awaits Future Explorers
For decades, Pluto was a distant point of light at the edge of the Solar System—mysterious, poorly understood, and largely ignored. Even after its reclassification as a dwarf planet in 2006, Pluto never truly lost its scientific importance. On the contrary, the historic flyby of NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft in 2015 transformed Pluto from an abstract concept into a complex, dynamic world. Mountains of water ice, vast nitrogen glaciers, layered hazes, and signs of ongoing geological activity stunned scientists and raised a crucial question: was that brief encounter enough?
By Holianyk Ihor14 days ago in Futurism
Discovering Subsurface Oceans on Jupiter’s Moons: A New Frontier in the Search for Life
For much of modern astronomy, the search for life beyond Earth focused on planets orbiting within the so-called “habitable zone” of their stars — regions where liquid water could exist on the surface. However, discoveries made over the past few decades have dramatically expanded this view. One of the most profound revelations in planetary science is the discovery of vast subsurface oceans hidden beneath the icy shells of Jupiter’s moons. These concealed oceans have transformed frozen, distant worlds into some of the most promising environments for extraterrestrial life in our Solar System.
By Holianyk Ihor14 days ago in Futurism
