Space

May 2nd, 2024 - An asteroid discovered last November is in fact a solar system toddler -- just 2-3 million years old, a Cornell University-led research team estimates using novel statistical calculations. An asteroid discovered last November is in fact a solar system toddler -- just 2-3 million years old, a Cornell University-led research team estimates using novel statistical calculations. The team derived the age of Selam, a "moonlet" circling the small asteroid Dinkinesh in the main asteroid belt between ... [Read More]

May 2nd, 2024 - New research has revealed the sliding side-by-side motion along distinctive " tiger stripes " on Saturn 's moon Enceladus is linked to jets of ice crystals that erupt from its icy shell. The findings could help determine the characteristics of this icy moon of Saturn's subsurface ocean and, thus, if Enceladus is favorable to life. The tiger stripes of Enceladus consist of four parallel line fractures in the moon's south pole that were first observed by NASA's Cassini ... [Read More]

May 2nd, 2024 - TOPICS: Astronomers have produced the first high-resolution map of a massive explosion in a nearby galaxy, providing important clues on how the space between galaxies is polluted with chemical elements. A team of international researchers studied galaxy NGC 4383, in the nearby Virgo cluster, revealing a gas outflow so large that it would take 20,000 years for light to travel from one side to the other. The discovery was published on April 22 in the journal Monthly Notices of the Royal ... [Read More]

May 2nd, 2024 - European astronomers have performed photometric and spectroscopic observations of a distant giant exoplanet known as TOI-837 b. As a result, they found that TOI-837 b is a young Saturn-sized planet containing a massive core, which challenges current core formation theories. The findings are presented in a paper published on the preprint server arXiv . TOI-837 b was discovered in 2020, orbiting a young (about 35 million years old) dwarf star of spectral type F9/G0 in the open cluster IC 2602, ... [Read More]

May 1st, 2024 - Named for its stallion-like silhouette, the iconic Horsehead Nebula lies roughly 1,300 light-years away from Earth in the constellation Orion. Its billowing mane of gaseous plumes is illuminated by some of the celestial hunter's brightest stars. This week, new infrared images captured by NASA's James Webb Space Telescope show this celestial body in never-before-seen detail—the edge of its mane unveiled in high resolution. Prior to these new portraits, the nebula has been photographed by ... [Read More]

May 1st, 2024 - The Sun will be at peak activity this year, providing a rare opportunity to study how solar storms and radiation could affect future astronauts on the Red Planet. In the months ahead, two of NASA 's Mars spacecraft will have an unprecedented opportunity to study how solar flares — giant explosions on the Sun's surface — could affect robots and future astronauts on the Red Planet. That's because the Sun is entering a period of peak activity called solar maximum, something that occurs ... [Read More]

May 1st, 2024 - In a major advancement in space science, astronomers and citizen scientists have discovered an exoplanet within the habitable zone of a binary star system . This system features not only two stars but potentially another exoplanet as well. As it passed in front of one of its stars, the planet, similar in size and composition to Neptune, momentarily blocked the star's light in an event resembling a solar eclipse on Earth . Scientists typically use this discovery method, known as the "transit ... [Read More]

May 1st, 2024 - If you were told that the Moon we see in our night sky isn't Earth's only one, you'd probably be a bit surprised. But some people have started to call the strange object that seems to orbit our planet Earth's 'second moon' – and now scientists may have discovered where it came from. In fact, there are many moon-like objects around us in space, but only a handful of the over 200,000 'near-Earth asteroids' (NEAs) have similar orbits to Earth. One of these, catchily named 469219 Kamo'oalewa, ... [Read More]

May 1st, 2024 - In the vast expanse of the Orion constellation , a peculiar group of stars has captured the attention of astronomers for decades. These stars, known as FUor stars, exhibit sudden and dramatic increases in brightness , defying the typical behavior of young stellar objects. Now, thanks to the powerful observations made by the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array ( ALMA ), the secrets behind these enigmatic outbursts are finally being unraveled. Puzzling case of FUor stars Antonio Hales, ... [Read More]

May 1st, 2024 - Invisible "global auroras" have been covering Mars frequently over the past few months, according to data collected by a NASA spacecraft. The rise in these planet-wide light shows, including an unprecedented "aurora hat trick" in February, is tied to solar maximum , the peak in the sun's roughly 11-year solar cycle. Mars is no stranger to auroras. The planet is often bombarded with high-energy radiation from the sun , known as solar energetic particles (SEPs), which penetrate the red world's ... [Read More]

May 1st, 2024 - The famous Halley's comet isn't due back from its 76-year voyage around the sun until 2061. But you don't have to wait nearly that long to interact with it. Right now, bits of rock and ice from Halley's comet are careening through the atmosphere at top speed, visible from Earth as shooting stars during the Eta Aquarid meteor shower. The Eta Aquarids last from mid-April to late May, with their peak slated for this week. And this year, the Eta Aquarids are expected to put on an even more dazzling ... [Read More]

May 1st, 2024 - Submillimeter wavelength radio observations of the Southern Ring Nebula have identified that it's actually a double ring, shaped by the interactions of three stars. The glorious, billowing Southern Ring Nebula is the cocoon of a dying star — and it has a secret. Scientists have found this nebula to exhibit a double-ring structure that evidences not one, but possibly three stars at its heart. The Southern Ring Nebula, also designated NGC 3132, is a planetary nebula located about 2,000 ... [Read More]

May 1st, 2024 - In a universe full of fascinating and exotic phenomena, few objects challenge the imagination quite like black holes. Discovering new black holes, however, is no easy feat — where do you even begin to look for them? Recent research has found a new category that includes the closest black holes we know of. As an astronomer, I have studied black holes for many years, and know firsthand that finding new ones isn't as simple as one would like. The first thing to  consider is that, well, ... [Read More]

Apr 30th, 2024 - Asteroids are cosmic time capsules that hold secrets about the formation and evolution of our solar system. A recent study examined the effects of space weathering on Ryugu, an asteroid explored by the Hayabusa2 spacecraft. The findings unveil a compelling narrative of transformation and resilience. Asteroids as ancient artifacts Professor Yuki Kimura and his team from Hokkaido University approach asteroids not just as geological specimens, but as ancient artifacts. Their mission is to uncover ... [Read More]

Apr 30th, 2024 - This New Telescope Could Create the Greatest Space Movie of All Time The world's largest digital camera is epic, from its size to its ambitious movie. by Like the family camcorder, the largest digital camera in the world will capture the next 10 years of cosmic life in memorable detail. In mid-May, the Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST) Digital Camera, now officially called the Vera C. Rubin Observatory, will travel from its current home in California to Cerro Pachón, a mountain in ... [Read More]

Apr 30th, 2024 - An international team of researchers has harnessed the power of NASA's James Webb Space Telescope to unravel the mysteries of distant worlds. The telescope's precise measurements and advanced capabilities have allowed scientists to map the weather on WASP-43 b, a hot gas-giant exoplanet located trillions of miles away. The study, published in Nature Astronomy , was led by Taylor Bell, a researcher from the Bay Area Environmental Research Institute . The team's findings suggest the presence of ... [Read More]