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Astronomy & Space news
WEAVE spectrograph uncovers dual nature of galaxy shock
Using the set of first-light observations from the new William Herschel Telescope Enhanced Area Velocity Explorer (WEAVE) wide-field spectrograph, a team of more than 50 astronomers, led by Dr. Marina Arnaudova at the University ...
Astronomy
10 hours ago
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The dark energy pushing our universe apart may not be what it seems, scientists say
Distant, ancient galaxies are giving scientists more hints that a mysterious force called dark energy may not be what they thought.
Astronomy
Nov 23, 2024
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Ryugu asteroid sample rapidly colonized by terrestrial life despite strict contamination control
Panspermia is the hypothesis that life can survive the transfer between planetary bodies as a secondary path for life to get started on planets throughout a solar system. The discovery of extraterrestrial life on asteroids ...
Oldest direct evidence of hot water activity on Mars found
New Curtin University-led research has uncovered what may be the oldest direct evidence of ancient hot water activity on Mars, revealing the planet may have been habitable at some point in its past.
Astrobiology
Nov 22, 2024
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2 million mph galaxy smash-up seen in unprecedented detail
A massive collision of galaxies sparked by one traveling at a scarcely-believable 2 million mph (3.2 million km/h) has been seen in unprecedented detail by one of Earth's most powerful telescopes.
Astronomy
Nov 22, 2024
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Niagara fireball event leads to discovery of tiniest known asteroid
In an international study led by Western University and Lowell Observatory, scientists describe a pioneering, integrative approach for studying near-Earth asteroids based largely on a November 2022 fireball event that dropped ...
Planetary Sciences
Nov 22, 2024
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Veil of fiery gas revealed around the disk of Milky Way
Scientists may have finally hit upon the possible mysterious sources that have pumped heat and kept alive the fiery hot gas that has recently been detected surrounding the Milky Way but has so far remained unexplained.
Astronomy
Nov 22, 2024
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Scientists construct first complete energy spectrum of solar high-energy protons in Martian space
Scientists have constructed the first complete proton energy spectrum observed during an eruptive solar event in Martian space, deepening our understanding of the radiation environment around Mars.
Astronomy
Nov 22, 2024
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The solar fire up close: Newly analyzed data offers first high-resolution view of the entire solar disk
The entire solar disk in unprecedented detail—this is shown by images of the visible surface of the sun, which researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research have now created from 25 individual images ...
Astronomy
Nov 22, 2024
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Ring around Tabby's star
This illustration shows a hypothetical uneven ring of dust orbiting KIC 8462852, also known as Boyajian's Star or Tabby's Star. The star has experienced unusual dips in brightness over a matter of days, as well as much subtler ...
Astronomy
Nov 22, 2024
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Proba-3 will use laser for millimeter precision in space
ESA's double-spacecraft precision formation flying mission, Proba-3, is due to be launched from India on 4 December. The spacecraft pair will employ a set of positioning technologies to keep formation in space and this image ...
Space Exploration
Nov 22, 2024
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SpaceX chalks up 82nd Space Coast launch of the year
SpaceX sent up another rocket on Nov 21 to mark the 82nd launch of the year on the Space Coast.
Space Exploration
Nov 22, 2024
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A nearby supernova could end the search for dark matter
The search for the universe's dark matter could end tomorrow—given a nearby supernova and a little luck. The nature of dark matter has eluded astronomers for 90 years, since the realization that 85% of the matter in the ...
Astronomy
Nov 21, 2024
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Origin of life research finds RNA can favor both left- and right-handed proteins
The mystery of why life uses molecules with specific orientations has deepened with a discovery that RNA—a key molecule thought to have potentially held the instructions for life before DNA emerged—can favor making the ...
Astrobiology
Nov 21, 2024
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Astronomers take first close-up picture of a star outside our galaxy
Located a staggering 160,000 light-years from us, the star WOH G64 was imaged thanks to the impressive sharpness offered by the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope Interferometer (ESO's VLTI). The new observations ...
Astronomy
Nov 21, 2024
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Astronomers detect a distant young super-Jupiter exoplanet
An international team of astronomers has reported the detection of a new super-Jupiter exoplanet as part of the Next Generation Transit Survey (NGTS). The newfound alien world, located some 1,430 light years away, is nearly ...
Hubble finds sizzling details about young star FU Orionis
In 1936, astronomers saw a puzzling event in the constellation Orion: the young star FU Orionis (FU Ori) became a hundred times brighter in a matter of months. At its peak, FU Ori was intrinsically 100 times brighter than ...
Astronomy
Nov 21, 2024
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Introducing 'UFO' galaxies—the Milky Way's dustier cousins
In a new study, a team of astrophysicists led by CU Boulder has set out to unravel the mysteries of UFOs—not the alien spacecraft, but a class of unusually large and red galaxies that researchers have nicknamed Ultra-red ...
Astronomy
Nov 21, 2024
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Researchers probe ancient wood for clues about massive solar storms
The Northern Lights were visible much farther south than usual this year, and pictures of the colorful hues filled social media. Now, imagine an aurora hundreds of times brighter—except no one would be able to snap a photo ...
Planetary Sciences
Nov 21, 2024
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How the sun heals after plasma eruption: New findings on coronal dimmings
A research team has presented a mechanism that explains how coronal dimmings—darkened, depleted areas on the sun caused by intense plasma eruptions—recover.
Astronomy
Nov 21, 2024
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