Space

Feb 5th, 2023 - For the first time, astronomers have positively identified a binary system that is destined to one day end up as a kilonova – the explosive result of a neutron star collision. And, ironically, the key ingredient to this eventual fate is a pair of failed, fizzled supernovae. This phenomenon is thought to be so rare that there are only an estimated 10 such binary systems in the entire Milky Way. A closer study of this system should help scientists understand how these insane events evolve. ... [Read More]

Feb 4th, 2023 - The Tarantula Nebula is located 161,000 light-years away Theoretical physicist Dr. Michio Kaku explains the significance of new images provided by NASA's Webb Space Telescope, on 'Sunday Night in America.' NASA's Hubble Space Telescope has snapped a stunning image of the Tarantula Nebula, shedding new light on the brightest region of starbirth in our galactic neighborhood.  Also known as 30 Doradus, the nebula is a large star-forming region of ionized hydrogen gas that lies 161,000 ... [Read More]

Feb 4th, 2023 - These astronomers have the next 50 years all planned out. The frontiers of astronomy are being pushed regularly these days thanks to next-generation telescopes and scientific collaborations. Even so, astronomers are still waiting to peel back the veil of the cosmic " Dark Ages ," which lasted from roughly 370,000 to 1 billion years after the Big Bang, where the Universe was shrouded with light-obscuring neutral hydrogen. The first stars and galaxies formed during this period (circa 100 to 500 ... [Read More]

Feb 4th, 2023 - A global team of 50 astronomers has confirmed the discovery of an exoplanet called Wolf 1069 b, which orbits a red dwarf star only 31 light-years from Earth.  The team of scientists, led by Diana Kossakowski from the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy in Heidelberg, Germany, said in a statement that the exoplanet is likely "tidally locked to its path around the parent star" which means that one side is perpetually light, while the other side is always dark.   Wolf 1069 b is ... [Read More]

Feb 4th, 2023 - Sci-fi ideas that could change the future of space exploration Sign up for CNN's Wonder Theory science newsletter. Explore the universe with news on fascinating discoveries, scientific advancements and more . CNN — In the past year, a tiny helicopter flew on Mars , a NASA spacecraft slammed into an asteroid and the James Webb Space Telescope revealed dazzling new insights about the universe . Beginning decades ago as ideas that seemed more like science fiction, these missions took years ... [Read More]

Feb 3rd, 2023 - Black holes are bizarre things, even by the standards of astronomers. Their mass is so great it bends space around them so tightly that nothing can escape, even light itself. And yet, despite their famous blackness, some black holes are quite visible. The gas and stars these galactic vacuums devour are sucked into a glowing disc before their one-way trip into the hole, and these discs can shine more brightly than entire galaxies. Stranger still, these black holes twinkle. The brightness of the ... [Read More]

Feb 3rd, 2023 - "I think it's going to be inconclusive, if not impossible to demonstrate conclusively," one physicist said of the possible interstellar comet. A comet that may have come from interstellar space just made its latest dramatic swing around the Sun, an encounter that was imaged in mesmerizing detail by a space observatory. The origins of Comet 96P/Machholz (96P) have puzzled scientists for decades since its discovery. It is a four-mile-wide "sungrazer" object with a host of weird properties that ... [Read More]

Feb 3rd, 2023 - TOPICS: New work reveals Earth's potassium arrived by meteoritic delivery service. Earth's potassium arrived by meteoritic delivery service finds new research led by Carnegie's Nicole Nie and Da Wang.  Their work, published on January 26 in the journal Science , shows that some primitive meteorites contain a different mix of potassium isotopes than those found in other, more chemically processed meteorites. These results can help elucidate the processes that shaped our Solar System and ... [Read More]

Feb 3rd, 2023 - PUNE: Astronomers from McGill University in Canada and the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) in Bengaluru have used data from the Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope (GMRT) in Pune to detect a radio signal originating from atomic hydrogen in an extremely distant galaxy. The astronomical distance over which the signal was picked up is so far the farthest. This is also the first confirmed detection of strong lensing of 21 cm emission from a galaxy. The findings have been published in the Monthly ... [Read More]

Feb 3rd, 2023 - Astronomers have discovered 12 new moons around Jupiter, putting the total count at a record-breaking 92. That's more than any other planet in our solar system. Saturn, the one-time leader, comes in a close second with 83 confirmed moons. The Jupiter moons were added recently to a list kept by the International Astronomical Union's Minor Planet Center, said Scott Sheppard of the Carnegie Institution, who was part of the team. They were discovered using telescopes in Hawaii and Chile in 2021 and ... [Read More]

Feb 3rd, 2023 - Despite being one of the most venerable and prominent objects in the night sky, the Andromeda Galaxy (M31) still has surprises. And a group of amateur astronomers have uncovered the latest: a previously unknown emission nebula lying just southeast of Andromeda and spanning half the width of the galaxy itself. The feature was discovered in images taken last year with an Oxygen-III (OIII) filter by French astroimager Yann Sainty, who worked with Marcel Drechsler and Xavier Strottner to process ... [Read More]

Feb 3rd, 2023 - On Thursday, astronomers announced  that they used NASA's Hubble Space Telescope to directly measure the mass of a star's corpse for the first time. But the kicker is that they did it by tapping into a mind-bending cosmic effect called gravitational microlensing, predicted by Albert Einstein's general relativity theory more than a century ago.  This Hubble achievement marks the very first time such an effect has been used to measure a single, isolated star other than our very own sun. ... [Read More]

Feb 3rd, 2023 - TOPICS: Enceladus, encased in a thick ice shell and surrounded by a vast ocean, is a strong contender for potentially containing extraterrestrial life. Researchers have concluded that without even requiring a landing on this tiny world, a future mission could potentially offer answers. University of Arizona researchers have found that the mystery surrounding the possibility of microbial extraterrestrial life on Enceladus, one of Saturn 's 83 moons, may be resolved by an orbiting space probe. ... [Read More]

Feb 3rd, 2023 - The NASA rover is approaching its second year on Mars (in Earth time), and there are overcast days ahead. The sky is a hazy shade of—er, summer—on Mars, as captured in a new image by NASA's Perseverance rover. Mars has four seasons, like Earth does, but they are a bit different from what we experience on our wet, life-filled planet. A Martian year is 687 Earth days, made up of 668 Mars sols, so its seasons last longer, too. They're also more inconsistent  than ours: In the ... [Read More]

Feb 2nd, 2023 - Green comet, visible in the night sky for first time since Stone Age, makes its closest pass by Earth Sign up for CNN's Wonder Theory science newsletter. Explore the universe with news on fascinating discoveries, scientific advancements and more . CNN — A green-hued comet has made its closest approach to Earth, wowing night sky watchers in the Northern Hemisphere who caught a glimpse of the icy celestial object as it passed through our cosmic neighborhood. Discovered in March by ... [Read More]

Feb 1st, 2023 - The European Space Agency's (ESA) January Image of the Month features a spectacular picture taken by the Webb Space Telescope. The image features several bright galaxies in the background, as well as a highly detailed capture of LEDA 2046648, a billion-year-old spiral galaxy. Launched in December 2021, Webb began its scientific endeavors in July 2022. Since then, the space telescope has captured images of distant galaxies and exoplanets, and even revealed new information about our local solar ... [Read More]