SciShorts: Chandrayaan 2 to be Cheaper than Interstellar

India’s flagship space project Chandrayaan 2 is set to be cheaper than Hollywood movie Interstellar. Unlike NASA’s missions, this project by the Indian Space Research Organisation aims at landing at the South Pole of the Moon. After landing, the rover will analyse rocks which are billions of years old and send back valuable data through […]

SciShorts: SpaceX to Provide High-Speed Internet All Over the World

Following the launch of the Falcon Heavy earlier this month, SpaceX has moved on to its next venture – high-speed internet for the masses. Informally called Starlink, the project drives towards endowing the world with internet through satellites. SpaceX is to launch a Falcon 9 on Thursday, aboard which there will be two experimental satellites […]

The Earth’s Magnetic Poles will Flip Soon

The earth’s magnetic field is the signature for life on the planet. The magnetic field is, however, not constant but is in a dynamic state of changing from time to time. Scientists have figured that the earth’s magnetic field might flip its polarity soon. Here’s how, and what that means for the planet. The planet’s […]

SciShorts: Asteroids Fly Past Earth at Close Distances

On Friday, the 9th of February, an asteroid the size of a 2-3 story building grazed past the earth. The asteroid, called 2018 CB, passed at a distance of 64,000 km from the earth’s surface – a distance lesser than one fifth the distance to the moon. This is the second time this week that […]

SciShorts: Earth’s Magnetic Poles May Switch Soon

The earth has been going through cycles of pole reversal once every 200,000 to 300,000 years. Sometimes, the attempt to switch poles fails and the poles return to their positions. One such failed attempt happened a few hundred thousand years ago. The last time the earth switched poles was around 780,000 years ago. That means […]

SciShorts: A Very Rare Astronomical Phenomenon on January 31

On the 31st of January, the world will experience a rather rare astronomical event. The event will feature a coincidence of three other events- a lunar eclipse, a blue moon and a super moon. When the moon moves into the earth’s shadow, it’s known as a lunar eclipse or a blood moon. A blue moon […]

Cape Town to Run Out of Water in 100 Days

Cape Town was once known to have abundant freshwater at its disposal. Today, the city stands in the predicament of running completely dry in less than 3 months. Cape Town is the first city in the world to run out of water. Water levels in Cape Town have been diminishing rapidly due to a three-year […]

SciShorts: The Ozone Hole is Healing

For the first time, researchers have proof that the ozone hole is indeed healing due to human activities. NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) has been studying the chemical composition of the ozone layer. Every September, the ozone layer over the Antarctic breaks down due to a reaction with solar rays. This breaking down is […]

Hydrogen Fuel Cells: Powering the Future

One of the growing concerns of transport systems is the ebbing availability of crude oil. Everything from cars to airplanes depends on the crude oil market. Even thermal power stations, which produce nearly 50% of the electricity used by the world, are taking a fall as natural resources are depleting. Almost all major cities in […]