Space

Scientists have seen some of the oldest material in the universe. According to a new, yet-to-be-peer-reviewed study , researchers found an unidentified object nearly 13.5 billion light years away. That’s almost the age of the universe itself, Live Science points out , meaning the object, dubbed HD1 and which is likely a particularly distant galaxy, represents some of the most ancient stuff out there. Dr. Avi Loeb , the same Harvard professor who set out to capture high-res footage of UFOs, worked on the study and told Live Science that the object could reveal a lot about early-universe objects and events. “The first galaxies formed about a hundred million years  after the Big Bang,” Loeb told the site. “They were a millionth of the mass of the Milky Way and much denser. One way to think of them is as the building blocks in the construction project of present-day galaxies, like our own Milky Way.” Big Mystery The scientists aren’t quite ready to say exactly what the object is, how old

During the time you read this article, something will happen in the sky that many scientists didn’t believe would happen until recently. NASA says that a magnetic doorway will open that will connect the Earth and the Sun, which are 150 million kilometers apart. Hundreds of thousands of high-energy particles will pass through this gap until it closes, which will happen about the time you reach the bottom of the page. NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center’s space physicist David Seebeck calls it a “flux transfer event” or “FTE.” “In 1998, I was sure they didn’t exist, but the proof is now clear.” In fact, David Seebeck proved their existence in 2008 at a plasma conference in Huntsville, Alabama, when he told a group of space physicists from all over the world about his research. NASA has found that in the future, these openings between the Sun and the Earth will happen every 8 minutes. Scientists have thought for a long time that the Earth and the Sun are linked. Through the solar wind, hig

Astronomers have identified a star system with three Super-Earths and two Super-Mercuries, a form of planet that is exceptionally rare and unique. In fact, super-Mercuries are so uncommon that only eight have been discovered to date. ESPRESSO’s spectrograph detected two ‘super-Mercury’ worlds in the star system HD 23472. Astronomers have discovered that these planets are extremely rare. This study, published in Astronomy & Astrophysics, looked at how the composition of tiny planets varies with planet position, temperature, and star attributes. The reason for observing this planetary system, according to Susana Barros, a researcher at the Institute of Astrophysics e Ciências do Espaço (IA) who led the project, is to characterise the composition of small planets and to study the transition between having an atmosphere and not having an atmosphere. The evaporation of the atmosphere could be related to star irradiation. “Surprisingly, the team found that this system is composed of thre

 The Solаr Orbіter mіѕѕіon by the Euroрeаn Sраce Agenсy (ESA) сould рotentіally рrovіde аnѕwerѕ to the myѕtery of the Sun’ѕ extrаordinаry heаt. On Aрril 10th, the Solаr Orbіter сompleted іts сlosest flyby of the Sun, reаching а dіstance of only 29% of the Eаrth-Sun dіstance. From thіs аdvаntаgeous рosition, the ѕpacecraft іs сonduсting detаiled ѕtudieѕ of our Sun аnd іts іnner helіosphere. Thіs іs unсharted terrіtory, аs no ѕpacecraft hаs ever ventured thіs сlose to the Sun before. One of the рrimary objeсtives of the mіssіon іs to underѕtand why the Sun’ѕ сorona, іts outer аtmosphere, іs ѕo іncredіbly hot. The сorona сan reаch temрeratures of 2 mіllіon degreeѕ Celѕiuѕ, whіch іs ѕignificantly hotter thаn the Sun’ѕ ѕurface temрerature of 5,500 degreeѕ Celѕiuѕ. A reсent reѕearch рaрer bаsed on dаtа from the Solаr Orbіter mаy рrovide ѕome сlues. Lаst yeаr, the ѕpacecraft сolleсted dаtа іndіcatіng the oссurrenсe of а known рhenomenon сalled mаgnetic reсonneсtion on the Sun’ѕ ѕurface. Howev

We’re one step closer to a future of near-limitless clean energy.  Physicists in Germany just found a way to minimize a major heat-loss problem plaguing a promising kind of nuclear fusion reactor called a “stellarator.” The future of clean energy: Nuclear fusion occurs when the nuclei of two atoms merge into one. This releases an enormous amount of energy — it’s literally enough to power the sun and other stars. If we could harness the power of nuclear fusion on Earth, it would be an absolute game changer in the battle against climate change. Recreating fusion on Earth requires scientists to “put the sun in a box.” Fusion doesn’t produce any carbon emissions (like the burning of fossil fuels) or long-lasting radioactive waste (like nuclear fission), and unlike solar and wind power, it isn’t dependent on the weather. Designing a nuclear fusion reactor: Nuclear fusion can only happen under extreme heat and pressure — Nobel-winning physicist Pierre-Gilles de Gennes once said recreating i

Maybe you think one Earth is enough. But what if there were billions? Researchers make a new estimate that the number of Earth-like planets in our Milky Way galaxy can reach as high as  6 billion. Astronomers at the University of British Columbia (UBC) analyzed data from NASA’s  Kepler  mission to reach a stunning conclusion. The information on 200,000 stars was gathered by the  Kepler planet-hunting spacecraft  from 2009 to 2018. The criteria used by the scientists for selecting such a planet maintained it had to be rocky, about the same size as Earth, and orbiting a star like our Sun. This planet also had to be in the habitable zone of its star, where the conditions would be just right to potentially allow for water and life. UBC researcher  Michelle Kunimoto , who co-authored the new study, and previously discovered 17 new planets (“exoplanets”) outside our Solar System,  said  their calculations “place an upper limit of 0.18 Earth-like planets per G-type star.” In other words, that

A new NASA video makes the case that Venus is Earth's " evil twin ." The nefarious moniker is revealed to be, in a way, an apt description of why astronomers will be investigating Venus this decade. Scientists and engineers from NASA and the European Space Agency are gearing up to send three new missions to the second rock from the sun. They want to know a whole lot more about the nearby planet, which resembles Earth in so many ways, and yet is so strikingly different.  The video touches on a few nightmarish but intriguing aspects of Venus. For one, it's got a runaway greenhouse effect. The 15-mile-thick (24 kilometers) shroud of atmosphere is made of carbon dioxide and contains sulfuric acid clouds. The planet produces temperatures hot enough to melt lead. Lori Glaze, NASA's director of planetary science, said in the video that the Venusian surface can reach 900 degrees Fahrenheit (480 degrees Celsius).  "So it is a crazy place, but really interesting,"

The detection of the special radio wavelength from the most distant galaxy means astronomers may be ready to investigate how the earliest stars form. Top image Credits: The Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope in Pune, India. (Image credit: National Centre for Radio Astrophysics) Astronomers have detected a radio signal from the most distant galaxy yet.  The signal was detected at a special and significant wavelength known as the "21-centimeter line" or the "hydrogen line," which is emitted by neutral hydrogen atoms. The detection of the hydrogen line from such a galaxy so far away   —  and therefore so early in the universe  —  by the Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope in India could mean astronomers are ready to begin investigating the formation of the earliest stars and galaxies. The signal from the star-forming galaxy SDSSJ0826+5630 was emitted when our 13.8 billion-year-old galaxy was just 4.9 billion years old. The signal allowed the astronomers to measure the galaxy&

Astronomers have identified a star system with three Super-Earths and two Super-Mercuries, a form of planet that is exceptionally rare and unique. In fact, super-Mercuries are so uncommon that only eight have been discovered to date. ESPRESSO’s spectrograph detected two ‘super-Mercury’ worlds in the star system HD 23472. Astronomers have discovered that these planets are extremely rare. This study, published in Astronomy & Astrophysics, looked at how the composition of tiny planets varies with planet position, temperature, and star attributes. The reason for observing this planetary system, according to Susana Barros, a researcher at the Institute of Astrophysics e Ciências do Espaço (IA) who led the project, is to characterise the composition of small planets and to study the transition between having an atmosphere and not having an atmosphere. The evaporation of the atmosphere could be related to star irradiation. “Surprisingly, the team found that this system is composed of thre

An uncharted region of space known as the " zone of avoidance " lurks behind the Milky Way's center – and astronomers just found an enormous, multi-galaxy structure there. style="display:block" data-ad-client="ca-pub-2375157903127664" data-ad-slot="7629783868" data-ad-format="auto" data-full-width-responsive="true"> style="display:block" data-ad-client="ca-pub-2375157903127664" data-ad-slot="7629783868" data-ad-format="auto" data-full-width-responsive="true"> A composite image showing the 58 galaxies clustered together in the "zone of avoidance" behind the Milky Way. (Image credit: Galdeano et al. / ESO) Astronomers have detected an enormous extragalactic structure hiding in an uncharted region of space far beyond the Milky Way's center. This phantom region, known as the zone of avoidance, is a blank spot

Black holes form natural time machines that allow travel to both the past and the future. But don’t expect to be heading back to visit the dinosaurs any time soon.  style="display:block" data-ad-client="ca-pub-2375157903127664" data-ad-slot="7629783868" data-ad-format="auto" data-full-width-responsive="true"> At present, we don’t have spacecraft that could get us anywhere near a black hole. But, even leaving that small detail aside, attempting to travel into the past using a black hole might be the last thing you ever do. Available now! 2023 EarthSky lunar calendar. A unique and beautiful poster-sized calendar showing phases of the moon every night of the year. Makes a great gift! What are black holes? A black hole is an extremely massive object that typically forms when a dying star collapses in on itself. Like planets and stars, black holes have gravitational fields around them. A gravitational field is wha

A strange star is moving through our galaxy at a speed that is hard to imagine. Astronomers found PSR J0002+6216, a lone runner moving at 2.5 million miles per hour, nearly 4 million kilometers per hour, or 700 miles per second (1,127 kilometers per second). PSR J0002+6216 moves at a speed of 1,127 kilometers per second. This means that if it were going from Earth to the moon, it would get there in less than 6 minutes. The star was seen flying away from the expanding cloud left by a recent supernova explosion. After breaking through the outer layer of the explosion, it leaves a huge cosmic trail as it moves through the galaxy. Astronomers say that the tail is about 13 light-years long and points back toward the center of the supernova. A pulsar, which is what PSR J0002+6216 is, is a type of neutron star. A pulsar is a neutron star that spins and sends out a beam of electromagnetic radiation. These stars spin at mind-bogglingly high speeds, which makes them shoot out jets of electromagn

We live in an era of renewed space exploration, where multiple agencies are planning to send astronauts to the Moon in the coming years. This will be followed in the next decade with crewed missions to Mars by NASA and China, who may be joined by other nations before long. These and other missions that will take astronauts beyond Low Earth Orbit (LEO) and the Earth-Moon system require new technologies, ranging from life support and radiation shielding to power and propulsion. And when it comes to the latter, Nuclear Thermal and Nuclear Electric Propulsion (NTP/NEP) is a top contender! NASA and the Soviet space program spent decades researching nuclear propulsion during the Space Race. A few years ago, NASA reignited its nuclear program for the purpose of developing bimodal nuclear propulsion – a two-part system consisting of an NTP and NEP element – that could enable transits to Mars in 100 days. As part of the NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts (NIAC) program for 2023, NASA selected a

Despite the fact that 2023 has only started, the cosmos are already poised to create history.  A comet that was just recently identified will be visible in a few weeks during what is likely to be its one and only documented appearance. The comet is expected to have traveled billions of kilometers from its thought beginnings near the fringe of our solar system. In March 2022, the comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) was initially seen when it passed through Jupiter's orbit. It's a long-period comet that NASA believes originated in the Oort Cloud, the furthest area of the solar system, which is described as " like a gigantic, thick-walled bubble formed of frozen chunks of space debris " and may grow to be even larger than mountains.  According to estimates, the inner boundary of this zone is located between 2,000 and 5,000 astronomical units (AUs), or 186 billion and 465 billion miles, from the sun. This indicates that C/2022 E3 (ZTF) has traveled on a unique, exceptional voyage to be

An uncharted region of space known as the " zone of avoidance " lurks behind the Milky Way's center – and astronomers just found an enormous, multi-galaxy structure there. A composite image showing the 58 galaxies clustered together in the "zone of avoidance" behind the Milky Way. (Image credit: Galdeano et al. / ESO) Astronomers have detected an enormous extragalactic structure hiding in an uncharted region of space far beyond the Milky Way's center. This phantom region, known as the zone of avoidance, is a blank spot on our map of the universe, comprising somewhere between 10% and 20% of the night sky. The reason we can't see it — at least with standard visible light telescopes — is because the Milky Way's bulging center blocks our view of it; the center of our galaxy is so dense with stars, dust and other matter that light from the zone of avoidance gets scattered or absorbed before reaching Earth's telescopes. However, researchers have had be

During the time you read this article, something will happen in the sky that many scientists didn’t believe would happen until recently. NASA says that a magnetic doorway will open that will connect the Earth and the Sun, which are 150 million kilometers apart. Hundreds of thousands of high-energy particles will pass through this gap until it closes, which will happen about the time you reach the bottom of the page. NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center’s space physicist David Seebeck calls it a “flux transfer event” or “FTE.” “In 1998, I was sure they didn’t exist, but the proof is now clear.” In fact, David Seebeck proved their existence in 2008 at a plasma conference in Huntsville, Alabama, when he told a group of space physicists from all over the world about his research. NASA has found that in the future, these openings between the Sun and the Earth will happen every 8 minutes. Scientists have thought for a long time that the Earth and the Sun are linked. Through the solar wind, hig