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Astronomy & Space news
Astronomers inspect the nature of an X-ray binary with a red supergiant
An international team of astronomers has conducted a multiwavelength study of an X-ray binary designated 1eRASS J085039.9-421151. Results of the study, published Nov. 4 on the preprint server arXiv, yield new information ...
Hubble sees aftermath of galaxy's scrape with Milky Way
A story of survival is unfolding at the outer reaches of our galaxy, and NASA's Hubble Space Telescope is witnessing the saga.
Astronomy
10 hours ago
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Latest findings from the South Pole Telescope bolster standard cosmological model
Roughly 400,000 years after the Big Bang, the universe cooled just enough to allow photons to escape from the primordial cosmological soup. Over the next 14 billion years, these ancient photons—the universe's first light—continued ...
Astronomy
11 hours ago
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Mapping changes in the ionosphere with smartphones
Aggregated measurements from millions of smartphones could be used to create a comprehensive map of the Earth's ionosphere, leading to better global positioning systems, according to a new paper published in Nature.
Planetary Sciences
12 hours ago
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Long-sought measurement of exotic beta decay in thallium helps extract the timescale of the sun's birth
Have you ever wondered how long it took our sun to form in its stellar nursery? An international collaboration of scientists is now closer to an answer. They succeeded in the measurement of the bound-state beta decay of fully-ionized ...
Astronomy
13 hours ago
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Student-led study reveals extraterrestrial explosions may blow hot and cold
Mount Vesuvius, Krakatoa, Mount St. Helens: Since the formation of Earth approximately 4.5 billion years ago, the convection and release of hot magma in its mantle layer has famously led to some of the deadliest eruptions ...
Planetary Sciences
13 hours ago
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Scientists compile library for evaluating exoplanet water
By probing chemical processes observed in the Earth's hot mantle, Cornell scientists have started developing a library of basalt-based spectral signatures that not only will help reveal the composition of planets outside ...
Planetary Sciences
18 hours ago
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Northern lights: How the aurora borealis captivated 18th-century minds
Since May this year, the aurora borealis (northern lights), has at times been visible further south than usual over Britain, sparking amazement and fascination. Social media has been alive with images of the skies glowing ...
Astronomy
8 hours ago
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New study examines how extraterrestrial civilizations could become 'stellivores'
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 ...
Astrobiology
9 hours ago
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A new mission to Pluto could answer the questions raised by New Horizons
Pluto may have been downgraded from full-planet status, but that doesn't mean it doesn't hold a special place in scientist's hearts. There are practical and sentimental reasons for that—Pluto has tantalizing mysteries to ...
Space Exploration
9 hours ago
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Telescope for NASA's Roman mission complete, delivered to Goddard
NASA's Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope is one giant step closer to unlocking the mysteries of the universe. The mission has now received its final major delivery: the Optical Telescope Assembly, which includes a 7.9-foot ...
Astronomy
10 hours ago
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Sunspots and solar flares, created by the sun's magnetism, can affect the Earth's surface
Since ancient times, the sun has been known as a giver of light and heat, a source of life. Plants are coaxed from the Earth by its rays, bringing spring, followed by bountiful harvests.
Planetary Sciences
10 hours ago
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The Leonid meteor shower peaks as the supermoon wanes
It's a treat to see a supermoon. But that bright glowing orb will still be almost full when the Leonid meteor shower peaks this weekend, likely obscuring all but the brightest meteors in most locations.
Space Exploration
13 hours ago
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Meteorite contains evidence of liquid water on Mars 742 million years ago
An asteroid struck Mars 11 million years ago and sent pieces of the red planet hurtling through space. One of these chunks of Mars eventually crashed into the Earth somewhere near Purdue University and is one of the few meteorites ...
Planetary Sciences
Nov 13, 2024
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Observations explore icy protoplanetary disk of the star PDS 453
Using ESO's Very Large Telescope (VLT), an international team of astronomers has inspected an icy protoplanetary disk of a young star known as PDS 453. Results of the new study, published on the preprint server arXiv, yield ...
Discovery of three galactic 'red monsters' in early universe challenges current models of galaxy formation
An international team led by the University of Geneva (UNIGE) has identified three ultra-massive galaxies—nearly as massive as the Milky Way—already in place within the first billion years after the Big Bang.
Astronomy
Nov 13, 2024
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195
Swift Observatory studies a pair of gas-churning monster black holes
Scientists using observations from NASA's Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory have discovered, for the first time, the signal from a pair of monster black holes disrupting a cloud of gas in the center of a galaxy.
Astronomy
Nov 13, 2024
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Astronomers defy the zone of avoidance to find hundreds of new galaxies
There is a region of the sky where astronomers fear to look. Filled with dark clouds of dust, it hides an unseen mass. A mass so large it is pulling the Milky Way and other galaxies toward it.
Astronomy
Nov 13, 2024
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A spider stellar engine could move binary stars halfway across a galaxy
Eventually, every stellar civilization will have to migrate to a different star. The habitable zone around all stars changes as they age. If long-lived technological civilizations are even plausible in our universe, migration ...
Space Exploration
Nov 13, 2024
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Wearable tech for space station research
Many of us wear devices that count our steps, measure our heart rate, track sleep patterns, and more. This information can help us make healthy decisions—research shows the devices encourage people to move more, for example—and ...
Space Exploration
Nov 13, 2024
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