Space: Cosmology Space: Structures and Features
Published

Uncovering the massive quantum mysteries of black holes      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Bizarre quantum properties of black holes -- including their mind-bending ability to have different masses simultaneously -- have been confirmed by physicists.

Space: The Solar System
Published

Largest potentially hazardous asteroid detected in eight years      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Twilight observations have enabled astronomers to spot three near-Earth asteroids (NEA) hiding in the glare of the Sun. These NEAs are part of an elusive population that lurks inside the orbits of Earth and Venus. One of the asteroids is the largest object that is potentially hazardous to Earth to be discovered in the last eight years.

Space: Structures and Features
Published

ESO captures the ghost of a giant star      (via sciencedaily.com) 

A beautiful tapestry of colors, showing the ghostly remains of a gigantic star, was captured in incredible detail with the VLT Survey Telescope, hosted at the European Southern Observatory's Paranal site in Chile.

Space: Exploration Space: The Solar System
Published

NASA's InSight lander detects stunning meteoroid impact on Mars      (via sciencedaily.com) 

NASA's InSight lander recorded a magnitude 4 marsquake last Dec. 24, but scientists learned only later the cause of that quake: a meteoroid strike estimated to be one of the biggest seen on Mars since NASA began exploring the cosmos. What's more, the meteoroid excavated boulder-size chunks of ice buried closer to the Martian equator than ever found before -- a discovery with implications for NASA's future plans to send astronauts to the Red Planet.

Space: Exploration Space: The Solar System
Published

Scientists use deep planetary scan to confirm Martian core      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Seismologists have developed a new method to scan the deep interior of planets in our solar system to confirm whether they have a core at the heart of their existence.

Space: Exploration Space: The Solar System
Published

Magma on Mars likely      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Until now, Mars has been generally considered a geologically dead planet. An international team of researchers now reports that seismic signals indicate vulcanism still plays an active role in shaping the Martian surface.

Space: Exploration Space: The Solar System
Published

Traces of ancient ocean discovered on Mars      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A recently released set of topography maps provides new evidence for an ancient northern ocean on Mars. The maps offer the strongest case yet that the planet once experienced sea-level rise consistent with an extended warm and wet climate, not the harsh, frozen landscape that exists today.

Ecology: Trees Space: Structures and Features Space: The Solar System
Published

Tree rings offer insight into devastating radiation storms      (via sciencedaily.com) 

A new study has shed new light on a mysterious, unpredictable and potentially devastating kind of astrophysical event.

Space: Cosmology Space: Structures and Features
Published

Cosmic rays drive galaxy's winds      (via sciencedaily.com) 

VLA observations revealed that cosmic rays can play an important role in driving winds that rob galaxies of the gas needed to form new stars. This mechanism may be an important factor in galactic evolution, particularly at earlier times in the history of the universe.

Chemistry: Thermodynamics Space: Exploration Space: The Solar System
Published

Researchers create lunar regolith bricks that could be used to construct Artemis base camp      (via sciencedaily.com) 

As part of NASA's Artemis program to establish a long-term presence on the moon, it aims to build an Artemis base camp that includes a modern lunar cabin, rover and mobile home. This fixed habitat could potentially be constructed with bricks made of lunar regolith and saltwater, thanks to a recent discovery.

Space: Exploration Space: The Solar System
Published

Balancing risk and reward in planetary exploration      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers have developed a new approach to balancing the risks and scientific value of sending planetary rovers into dangerous situations.

Space: Exploration Space: Structures and Features Space: The Solar System
Published

Ancient bacteria might lurk beneath Mars' surface      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Scientists found that ancient bacteria could survive close to the surface on Mars much longer than previously assumed. So, if life did, in fact, evolve when the last waters flowed on Mars, it would likely still be there today -- billions of years later.

Space: Structures and Features Space: The Solar System
Published

Discovery could dramatically narrow search for space creatures      (via sciencedaily.com) 

An Earth-like planet orbiting an M dwarf -- the most common type of star in the universe -- appears to have no atmosphere at all. This discovery could cause a major shift in the search for life on other planets.

Space: Structures and Features Space: The Solar System
Published

Looking to move to a galaxy far, far away? Innovative system evaluates habitability of distant planets      (via sciencedaily.com) 

The research framework developed, along with observational data from the Webb Space Telescope, will enable scientists to efficiently assess the atmospheres of many other planets without having to send a space crew to visit them physically. This will help us make informed decisions in the future about which planets are good candidates for human settlement and perhaps even to find life on those planets.

Space: Cosmology Space: Exploration Space: Structures and Features
Published

Unprecedented glimpse of merging galaxies      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Using the James Webb Space Telescope to look back in time at the early universe, astronomers discovered a surprise: a cluster of galaxies merging together around a rare red quasar within a massive black hole. The findings offer an unprecedented opportunity to observe how billions of years ago galaxies coalesced into the modern universe.

Space: Structures and Features
Published

New way to make telescope mirrors could sharpen our view of the universe      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Researchers have developed a new way to use femtosecond laser pulses to fabricate the high-precision ultrathin mirrors required for high-performance x-ray telescopes. The technique could help improve the space-based x-ray telescopes used to capture high-energy cosmic events involved in forming new stars and supermassive black holes.

Space: Cosmology Space: Exploration Space: Structures and Features
Published

NASA's Webb takes star-filled portrait of pillars of creation      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

NASA's James Webb Space Telescope has captured a lush, highly detailed landscape -- the iconic Pillars of Creation -- where new stars are forming within dense clouds of gas and dust. The three-dimensional pillars look like majestic rock formations, but are far more permeable. These columns are made up of cool interstellar gas and dust that appear -- at times -- semi-transparent in near-infrared light.

Space: Structures and Features
Published

The most precise accounting yet of dark energy and dark matter      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Analyzing more than two decades' worth of supernova explosions convincingly bolsters modern cosmological theories and reinvigorates efforts to answer fundamental questions.

Space: Exploration Space: The Solar System
Published

Scientists compile Cassini's unique observations of Saturn's rings      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Scientists have compiled 41 solar occultation observations of Saturn's rings from the Cassini mission. The compilation will inform future investigations of the particle size distribution and composition of Saturn's rings, key elements to understanding their formation and evolution.

Space: Exploration Space: Structures and Features
Published

NASA's Swift, Fermi missions detect exceptional cosmic blast      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Astronomers around the world are captivated by an unusually bright and long-lasting pulse of high-energy radiation that swept over Earth Sunday, Oct. 9. The emission came from a gamma-ray burst (GRB) -- the most powerful class of explosions in the universe -- that ranks among the most luminous events known.