https://phys.org/ en-us Phys.org internet news portal provides the latest news on science including: Physics, Nanotechnology, Life Sciences, Space Science, Earth Science, Environment, Health and Medicine. On December 3, 2018, NASA's Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, and Security-Regolith Explorer (OSIRIS-REx) successfully rendezvoused with the near-earth asteroid (NEA) 101955 Bennu. Over the next two years, the mission collected rock and regolith samples from the asteroid's surface. By September 24, 2023, the mission's sample return capsule (SRC) entered Earth's atmosphere and was collected by NASA scientists. Analysis of these samples is already providing insight into what conditions were like during the early solar system. https://phys.org/news/2025-03-space-capsule-earth-atmosphere-acoustic.html Planetary Sciences Mon, 03 Mar 2025 14:24:03 EST news660234241 Every Martian year (which last 686.98 Earth days), the red planet experiences regional dust storms that coincide with summer in the southern hemisphere. Every three Martian years (five and a half Earth years), these storms grow so large that they encompass the entire planet and are visible from Earth. https://phys.org/news/2025-02-astronauts-mars.html Space Exploration Thu, 20 Feb 2025 09:56:05 EST news659267761 In the more than 60 years in which scientists have engaged in the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI), several potential examples of technological activity ("technosignatures") have been considered. https://phys.org/news/2025-02-high-resolution-imaging-dyson-sphere.html Astronomy Mon, 03 Feb 2025 11:52:05 EST news657805921 Fast radio bursts (FRBs) are one of the greater mysteries facing astronomers today, rivaled only by gravitational waves (GWs) and gamma-ray bursts (GRBs). Originally discovered in 2007 by American astronomer Duncan Lorimer (for whom the "Lorimer Burst" is named), these short, intense blasts of radio energy produce more power in a millisecond than the sun generates in a month. https://phys.org/news/2025-01-fast-radio-young-neutron-stars.html Astronomy Mon, 27 Jan 2025 16:41:03 EST news657218461 According to the most widely held astronomical model (the nebular hypothesis), new stars are born from massive clouds of dust and gas (aka a nebula) that experience gravitational collapse. The remaining dust and gas form a protoplanetary disk that encircles the new star, which slowly accretes to form systems of planets. https://phys.org/news/2025-01-planets-harshest-conditions.html Astronomy Mon, 13 Jan 2025 16:28:08 EST news656008080 Through the Artemis Program, NASA will send the first astronauts to the moon since the Apollo Era before 2030. They will be joined by multiple space agencies, such as the ESA and China, who plan to send astronauts (and "taikonauts") there for the first time. Beyond this, all plan to build permanent habitats in the South Pole–Aitken Basin and the necessary infrastructure that will lead to a permanent human presence. This presents many challenges, the most notable being those arising from the nature of the lunar environment. https://phys.org/news/2024-12-nasa-solutions-lunar-housekeeping-biggest.html Space Exploration Mon, 23 Dec 2024 09:38:04 EST news654169081 Currently, 5,788 exoplanets have been confirmed in 4,326 star systems, while thousands more candidates await confirmation. So far, the vast majority of these planets have been gas giants (3,826) or Super-Earths (1,735), while only 210 have been "Earth-like"—meaning rocky planets similar in size and mass to Earth. https://phys.org/news/2024-12-esa-plato-mission-earth.html Astrobiology Thu, 12 Dec 2024 14:07:05 EST news653234821 For the past 30 years, NASA's Great Observatories—the Hubble, Spitzer, Compton, and Chandra space telescopes—have revealed some amazing things about the universe. In addition to some of the deepest views of the universe provided by the Hubble Deep Fields campaign, these telescopes have provided insight into the unseen parts of the cosmos—i.e., in the infrared, gamma-ray, and ultraviolet spectrums. https://phys.org/news/2024-12-mauve-ultraviolet-astrophysics-probe-mission.html Astronomy Fri, 06 Dec 2024 10:02:17 EST news652701720 China's growing presence in space has been undeniable since the turn of the century. Between sending the first "taikonaut" to space in 2003 (Yang Liwei), launching the first Chinese robotic mission to the moon (Chang'e-1) in 2007, and the deployment of their Tiangong space station between 2021 and 2022, China has emerged as a major power in space. Accordingly, they have bold plans for the future, like the proposed expansion of their Tiangong space station and the creation of the International Lunar Research Station (ILRS) by 2035. https://phys.org/news/2024-12-china-mars-samples.html Astrobiology Thu, 05 Dec 2024 12:47:30 EST news652625246 One of the most challenging aspects of astrobiology and the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI) is anticipating what life and extraterrestrial civilizations will look like. Invariably, we have only one example of a planet that supports life (Earth) and one example of a technologically advanced civilization (humanity) upon which to base our theories. https://phys.org/news/2024-11-extraterrestrial-civilizations-stellivores.html Astrobiology Thu, 14 Nov 2024 14:07:22 EST news650815639 In 1963, the Arecibo Observatory became operational on the island of Puerto Rico. Measuring 305 meters (~1000 ft) in diameter, Arecibo's spherical reflector dish was the largest radio telescope in the world at the time—a record it maintained until 2016 with the construction of the Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical Telescope (FAST) in China. In December 2020, Arecibo's reflector dish collapsed after some of its support cables snapped, leading the National Science Foundation (NSF) to decommission the observatory. https://phys.org/news/2024-11-arecibo-observatory.html Astronomy Wed, 06 Nov 2024 12:49:03 EST news650119741 On November 26, 2018, NASA's Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy, and Heat Transport (InSight) mission landed on Mars. This was a major milestone in Mars exploration since it was the first time a research station had been deployed to the surface to probe the planet's interior. https://phys.org/news/2024-11-scientists-figured-martian-soil-crusty.html Planetary Sciences Tue, 05 Nov 2024 10:02:09 EST news650023321 Infrared astronomy has revealed so much about the universe, ranging from protoplanetary disks and nebulae to brown dwarfs, aurorae, and volcanoes on together celestial bodies. Looking to the future, astronomers hope to conduct infrared studies of supernova remnants (SNRs), which will provide vital information about the physics of these explosions. https://phys.org/news/2024-10-webb-dozens-supernovae-remnants-triangulum.html Astronomy Mon, 28 Oct 2024 11:32:58 EDT news649333973 The X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle (OTV) has been shrouded in mystery since its maiden flight in 2011. Designed by Boeing and operated by the U.S. Space Force (USSF), this remotely operated, reusable space plane is designed to operate in Low-Earth Orbit (LEO), 240 to 800 km (150 to 500 mi) above the Earth, and test reusable vehicle technologies that support long-term space objectives. https://phys.org/news/2024-10-space-37b-maneuvers-orbit.html Space Exploration Wed, 16 Oct 2024 16:32:25 EDT news648315134 In recent years, the number of known extrasolar planets (aka. exoplanets) has grown exponentially. To date, 5,799 exoplanets have been confirmed in 4,310 star systems, with thousands more candidates awaiting confirmation. What has been particularly interesting to astronomers is how M-type (red dwarf) stars appear to be very good at forming rocky planets. https://phys.org/news/2024-10-exoplanet-binary-red-dwarfs-massive.html Planetary Sciences Fri, 11 Oct 2024 12:37:04 EDT news647869022 For the past 10 years, Australia's ARC Center of Excellence in All Sky Astrophysics in 3 Dimensions (ASTRO 3D) has been investigating star formation, chemical enrichment, migration, and mergers in the Milky Way with the Anglo-Australian Telescope (AAT). https://phys.org/news/2024-10-galah-fourth-vital-million-stars.html Astronomy Mon, 07 Oct 2024 14:31:04 EDT news647530261 Small primordial black holes (PBHs) are one of the hot topics in astronomy and cosmology today. These hypothetical black holes are believed to have formed soon after the Big Bang, resulting from pockets of subatomic matter so dense that they underwent gravitational collapse. https://phys.org/news/2024-10-primordial-holes-planets-asteroids-earth.html Astronomy Mon, 07 Oct 2024 11:51:04 EDT news647520661 Solar flares are a fascinating thing and have a profound effect on what astronomers refer to as "space weather." These events vary with the sun's 11-year solar cycle, releasing immense amounts of radiation across the electromagnetic spectrum (from extreme ultraviolet to X-rays) into space. https://phys.org/news/2024-09-high-resolution-images-sun-flares.html Astronomy Mon, 23 Sep 2024 12:16:04 EDT news646312561 Earth's average global temperatures have been steadily increasing since the Industrial Revolution. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Agency (NOAA), Earth has been heating up at a rate of 0.06°C (0.11°F) per decade since 1850—or about 1.11°C (2°F) in total. https://phys.org/news/2024-09-advanced-civilizations-overheat-planets-years.html Astrobiology Mon, 23 Sep 2024 12:15:04 EDT news646312501 In February 2016, scientists at the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory (LIGO) confirmed they made the first-ever detection of gravitational waves (GWs). These events occur when massive objects like neutron stars and black holes merge, sending ripples through spacetime that can be detected millions (and even billions) of light-years away. https://phys.org/news/2024-09-future-gravitational-observatories-earliest-black.html Astronomy Wed, 18 Sep 2024 10:15:27 EDT news645873322 Earlier this year, NASA selected a rather interesting proposal for Phase I development as part of their NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts (NIAC) program. It's known as Swarming Proxima Centauri, a collaborative effort between Space Initiatives Inc. and the Initiative for Interstellar Studies (i4is) led by Space Initiative's chief scientist, Marshall Eubanks. https://phys.org/news/2024-09-video-tiny-spacecraft-swarm-proxima.html Space Exploration Mon, 16 Sep 2024 13:41:04 EDT news645712861 The Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI) is regularly plagued by the fact that humanity has a very limited perspective on civilization and the nature of intelligence itself. When it comes right down to it, the only examples we have to go on are "life as we know it" (aka Earth organisms) and human civilization. https://phys.org/news/2024-09-earth-years-advanced-civilizations.html Astrobiology Thu, 12 Sep 2024 11:52:47 EDT news645360759 Throughout Earth's history, the planet's surface has been regularly impacted by comets, meteors, and the occasional large asteroid. While these events were often destructive, sometimes to the point of triggering a mass extinction, they may have also played an important role in the emergence of life on Earth. This is especially true of the Hadean Era (ca. 4.1 to 3.8 billion years ago) and the Late Heavy Bombardment, when Earth and other planets in the inner solar system were impacted by a disproportionately high number of asteroids and comets. https://phys.org/news/2024-09-comets-blocks-life-ocean-worlds.html Astrobiology Mon, 09 Sep 2024 12:46:05 EDT news645104761 Between low Earth orbit and the moon, there is a region of space measuring 384,400 km (238,855 mi) wide known as Cislunar space. In the coming decades, multiple space agencies will send missions to this region to support the development of infrastructure that will lead to a permanent human presence on the moon. https://phys.org/news/2024-09-humanity-expansion-earth-moon.html Space Exploration Thu, 05 Sep 2024 12:54:06 EDT news644759642 Rogue planets, or free-floating planetary-mass objects (FFPMOs), are planet-sized objects that either formed in interstellar space or were part of a planetary system before gravitational perturbations kicked them out. https://phys.org/news/2024-08-webb-rogue-worlds-clues-star.html Astronomy Sun, 01 Sep 2024 14:30:02 EDT news644232325 In his famous novel "The Moon is a Harsh Mistress," Robert A. Heinlein describes a future lunar settlement where future lunar residents ("Loonies") send payloads of wheat and water ice to Earth using an electromagnetic catapult. https://phys.org/news/2024-08-china-magnetic-resources-earth.html Space Exploration Mon, 26 Aug 2024 13:16:21 EDT news643896977 In 1971, English mathematical physicist and Nobel-prize winner Roger Penrose proposed how energy could be extracted from a rotating black hole. He argued that this could be done by building a harness around the black hole's accretion disk, where infalling matter is accelerated to close to the speed of light, triggering the release of energy in multiple wavelengths. https://phys.org/news/2024-08-professor-black-hole-orbit-planet.html Astronomy Fri, 23 Aug 2024 11:44:03 EDT news643632241 On Sept. 26th, 2022, NASA's Double Asteroids Redirect Test (DART) collided with Dimorphos, the small moonlet orbiting the larger asteroid Didymos. In so doing, the mission successfully demonstrated a proposed strategy for deflecting potentially hazardous asteroids (PHAs)—the kinetic impact method. https://phys.org/news/2024-08-debris-dart-earth-mars-decade.html Planetary Sciences Thu, 22 Aug 2024 10:33:03 EDT news643541578 "Today's science fiction is tomorrow's science fact." This quote, attributed to Isaac Asimov, captures science's intricate relationship with science fiction. And it is hardly a one-way relationship. https://phys.org/news/2024-08-links-science-fiction-astronomy.html Astronomy Mon, 12 Aug 2024 12:05:05 EDT news642683101 Is there intelligent life in the universe? And if so, just how common is it? Or perhaps the question should be, what are the odds that those engaged in the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI) will encounter it someday? https://phys.org/news/2024-08-galaxy-crowded-equally.html Astrobiology Thu, 08 Aug 2024 09:16:51 EDT news642327404