space

The geckos had been on a two-month mission launched to facilitate research on the effects of zero-gravity on reproductive systems.

Last week, Roscosmos announced abruptly that the mission had reached completion earlier than anticipated — after a mere 44 days.

The satellite landed in Orenburg on Monday afternoon amid widespread speculation on the crew of tiny cosmonauts' survival prospects. Upon cracking open the hatch, rescue teams discovered a tragic scene.

The galaxy has a diameter of around 100,000 light years, making it about the size of the Milky Way. Notably, six observed supernovae exist within Messier 61, placing it in a group of galaxies which includes Messier 83, also with six supernovae observed, and NGC 6946, having nine observed supernovae. Messier 61 makes up part of the Virgo Galaxy Cluster, a massive group of galaxies in the constellation of Virgo (the Virgin).

Note to future filmmakers: If you're going to make a complex movie about space, make sure you run it by Neil deGrasse Tyson first.

The american astrophysicist, cosmologist, host of "Cosmos" took to Twitter on Sunday to share some thoughts on this year's big space movie from Christopher Nolan: "Interstellar." It wasn't intended as a review of the film, but rather - as he emphasises in a Tweet - to highlight the science you can find in the film.

Tyson wrote a similar critique in 2013 following the release of "Gravity," and a scene from Titanic was changed in an updated release of the film after he pointed out the inaccuracies of the stars to James Cameron.

And as you can see, there aren't a whole lot of complaints this time around.

Spoilers ahead if you haven't seen "Interstellar" yet, but if you have seen it, whether it involved worm holes or plot holes, you probably left the theater with a lot of questions.

Here are a few of his thoughts, check his Twitter feed for more.

In #Interstellar: All leading characters, including McConaughey, Hathaway, Chastain, & Caine play a scientist or engineer.

— Neil deGrasse Tyson (@neiltyson) November 10, 2014

In #Interstellar: And in the real universe, strong gravitational fields measurably slow passage of time relative to others.

— Neil deGrasse Tyson (@neiltyson) November 10, 2014

Relativity. Gravity. Quantum. Electrodynamics. Evolution. Each of these theories is true, whether or not you believe in them.

— Neil deGrasse Tyson (@neiltyson) November 10, 2014

In #Interstellar: They reprise the matched-rotation docking maneuver from "2001: A Space Odyssey," but they spin 100x faster.

— Neil deGrasse Tyson (@neiltyson) November 10, 2014

In #Interstellar: On another planet, around another star, in another part of the galaxy, two guys get into a fist fight.

— Neil deGrasse Tyson (@neiltyson) November 10, 2014

In #Interstellar: They explore a planet near a Black Hole. Personally, I'd stay as far the hell away from BlackHoles as I can

— Neil deGrasse Tyson (@neiltyson) November 10, 2014

History was made Wednesday when the European Space Agency successfully landed a spacecraft on a comet for the first time ever.

"We're are on the comet!" #cometlanding https://t.co/c6xIWJp0TR

— ESA (@esa) November 12, 2014

"We are the first to do this - and that [achievement] will stay forever." said Jean Jacques Dordain, Director General of ESA.



The comet, 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko, orbits, the sun every 6.45 years. It is 2.1 miles wide by 2.4 miles long.

Rosetta first launched in 2004 to research the comet, and it didn't arrived at its destination until this past August. On Wednesday morning, Philae first separated from the probe to attempt a landing.

Researchers are hoping to learn more about the origins of the solar system and whether or not comets could have brought water and life to Earth. Watch an ESA animated explanation of Rosetta's journey to the comet and it's surface mission below.

Thirty-five years after its launch, Voyager 1 appears to have travelled beyond the influence of the Sun and exited the heliosphere, according to a new study appearing online today. The heliosphere is a region of space dominated by the Sun and its wind of energetic particles, and which is thought to be enclosed, bubble-like, in the surrounding interstellar medium of gas and dust that pervades the Milky Way galaxy.

But Neil definitely wishes it was.