Here are today’s most important updates from the realm of Science and Space.

Artemis II Astronaut Shares Astonishing View Of Earth From Space

Reid Wiseman, a member of the Artemis II mission, shared a post on X, admiring the beauty of Earth, saying it's beyond words. He wrote, "There are no words." Astronauts on NASA's Artemis II mission fired up their engines Thursday night and headed for the Moon, breaking free from the limitations that have confined humans to Earth's orbit since the Apollo missions. This marks the first time in more than 50 years that astronauts on a NASA mission will orbit the Moon, as the Orion spacecraft successfully completed its main engine burn.

The Size Of This Exoplanet In Theory Baffles Scientists

Located 280 light-years from Earth, TOI 5205b continues to baffle scientists over its genesis. The unusually large planet, which is the size of Jupiter and orbits a red dwarf star (TOI-5205), that is 40 per cent the size of our Sun, has been called a 'forbidden planet' ever since it was discovered by scientists in 2023. A new study published in The Astronomical Journal has shed further light on how this exoplanet's existence challenges the conventional stellar rules about the formation of stars and planets. Ever since the exoplanet's discovery, scientists have wondered how a host star like TOI-5205 somehow managed to form a Jupiter-sized planet.

Artemis II Astronauts Reports Peculiar Smell from $23M Space Toilet

Astronauts aboard the Artemis II mission have reported a strange burning smell coming from their spacecraft's advanced toilet system.

The issue comes just days after the $23 million waste management unit experienced an earlier malfunction shortly after launch. Astronaut Chrisna Koch, who had previously repaired the toilet during this mission, alerted Mission Control about the smell on Saturday. Koch described the smell as a kind of burning heater smell coming from the toilet multiple times. The astronauts said it smelled like an old electric heater that had not been used in a long time.

Researchers Detect 45 Rocky Planets in Habitable Zones Beyond Solar System

Scientists have identified 45 rocky planets beyond the solar system that orbit within habitable zones where liquid water could exist. The findings come from a team led by Professor Lisa Kaltenegger of the Carl Sagan Institute. Researchers analysed data on more than 6,000 planets outside the solar system and found 45 that are both rocky and located in the habitable zone of their stars. The team used information from the defunct Gaia mission of the European Space Agency and NASA’s Exoplanet Archive. They calculated how much energy each planet receives from its parent star, a key factor in determining whether liquid water could exist on the surface.