Dense molecular gas and dusty torus detected in the Swelling Spiral galaxy (Image Credit: Phys.org) NGC 4303 rest-frame spectra from 84 to 111 GHz obtained with the Redshift Search Receiver (RSR/LMT). Credit: Soní et al., 2024. Using the Large Millimeter Telescope (LMT) in Mexico, astronomers have performed spectroscopic observations of the Swelling […]
A technosignature that could detect an extraterrestrial civilization’s reliance on nuclear fusion (Image Credit: Phys.org) The time (in millions of years) taken for an exoplanet’s atmosphere to reach an anomalously low deuterium-to-hydrogen ratio, relative to interstellar space around it, given the energy consumption of its advanced civilization (in terawatts), assuming an Earth-like […]
Astronomers discover more dark comets (Image Credit: Phys.org) This artist’s concept shows interstellar object 1I/2017 U1 (‘Oumuamua) after its discovery in 2017. While itself not a dark comet, ‘Oumuamua’s motion through the solar system has helped researchers better understand the nature of the 14 dark comets discovered so far. Credit: European Southern […]
‘Our understanding of the universe may be incomplete’: James Webb Space Telescope data suggests we need a ‘new cosmic feature’ to explain it all (Image Credit: Space.com) New observations from the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) have corroborated data from its predecessor, the Hubble Space Telescope, to determine something is missing from […]
Discovery! Newfound exoplanet is 4th ‘hot Neptune’ ever found (Image Credit: Space.com) A Neptune-sized planet closely orbiting its host star has just been discovered, making it only the fourth object of its kind ever identified. Scientists detected the planet, designated TOI-3261 b, using NASA’s Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS). This Earth-orbiting spacecraft, […]
Not all stars with black hole companions die gruesome deaths, scientists say (Image Credit: Space.com) Death by black hole isn’t always inevitable for stars that exist in binary systems with one of these cosmic titans. There may be a way for small stars in such systems to dodge their expected fates: violent […]
A ‘giant’ rising in the desert: World’s largest telescope comes together (photo) (Image Credit: Space.com) Construction of the world’s largest telescope moves forward with progress of the structure’s dome and housing for the primary mirror. The European Southern Observatory’s (ESO) Extremely Large Telescope (ELT) — the world’s largest visible- and infrared-light telescope […]
Sun unleashes surprise X-class solar flare triggering radio blackout over southern Africa (video) (Image Credit: Space.com) Aurora forecast (Image credit: Daisy Dobrijevic/Canva) Keep up to date with the latest northern lights news with our aurora forecast live blog. The sun appears to have woken from its slumber with an impulsive X-class solar […]
Are there hidden oceans inside the moons of Uranus? Their wobbles could tell us (Image Credit: Space.com) The chance of liquid oceans hiding beneath the surface of moons orbiting Uranus has enticed NASA to begin planning a new mission that will send a spacecraft to the ice giant. The mission is still […]
‘We live in a universe that is just right for us’: Study proposes a test for the Anthropic Principle (Image Credit: Phys.org) https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Multiverse.png. Credit: Silver Spoon The Anthropic Principle—stating that the universe we live in is fine-tuned to host life—was first proposed by Brandon Carter in 1973. Since then, it has sparked […]
