News Focus Channel: Space Channel Featured Story 2

Atmospheric pressure changes could be driving Mars' elusive methane pulses

Los Alamos National Laboratory — Wed, 24 Jan 2024 10:05:23 EST

New research shows that atmospheric pressure fluctuations that pull gases up from underground could be responsible for releasing subsurface methane into Mars' atmosphere; knowing when and where to look for methane can help the Curiosity rover search for signs of life.

Earth-sized planet discovered in 'our solar backyard'

University of Wisconsin-Madison — Fri, 12 Jan 2024 12:05:17 EST

A team of astronomers have discovered a planet closer and younger than any other Earth-sized world yet identified. It's a remarkably hot world whose proximity to our own planet and to a star like our sun mark it as a unique opportunity to study how planets evolve.The new planet was described in a new study published this week by The Astronomical Journal.

Massive Gas Clouds Escape Center of Milky Way

National Radio Astronomy Observatory — Wed, 10 Jan 2024 11:15:23 EST

The Green Bank Telescope has discovered over 250 gaseous clouds being blasted out of the center of the Milky Way into interstellar space. A decade ago, astronomers weren't aware of this phenomenon. It took years of observations, and some surprising finds, to produce this latest result.

New giant planet evidence of possible planetary collisions

University of Bristol — Thu, 31 Aug 2023 09:00:42 EST

A Neptune-sized planet denser than steel has been discovered by an international team of astronomers, who believe its composition could be the result of a giant planetary clash.

Webb Celebrates First Year of Science With Close-up on Birth of Sun-like Stars

Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) — Wed, 12 Jul 2023 06:10:51 EST

NASA's James Webb Space Telescope caps a successful first year of science, and stunning imagery, with a detailed view of the closest star-forming region to Earth, the Rho Ophiuchi cloud complex, resulting in a dynamic image that belies the region's relative quiet - and practically begs for explanation of what exactly we are looking at.

Saturn's rings younger than previously thought -- just a few hundred million years

Indiana University — Mon, 15 May 2023 09:50:58 EST

Saturn's rings are much younger than scientists once thought, according to new research from Indiana University Professor Emeritus of Astronomy Richard Durisen -- and they are not here to stay.

Hubble Sees Possible Runaway Black Hole Creating a Trail of Stars

Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) — Thu, 06 Apr 2023 10:00:23 EST

Hubble observed a curious linear feature that was first dismissed as an imaging artifact from the telescope's cameras. But follow-up observations indicate it is a 200,000-light-year-long chain of young blue stars created in the wake of a runaway black hole.

Liquid nitrogen spray could clean up stubborn moon dust

Washington State University — Tue, 28 Feb 2023 13:10:24 EST

A liquid nitrogen spray developed by Washington State University researchers can remove almost all of the simulated moon dust from a space suit, potentially solving what is a significant challenge for future moon-landing astronauts.

Asteroid findings from specks of space dust could save the planet

Curtin University — Tue, 24 Jan 2023 14:40:07 EST

Curtin University-led research into the durability and age of an ancient asteroid made of rocky rubble and dust, revealed significant findings that could contribute to potentially saving the planet if one ever hurtled toward Earth.

Hubble Finds That Ghost Light Among Galaxies Stretches Far Back in Time

Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) — Wed, 04 Jan 2023 11:00:00 EST

These are Hubble Space Telescope images of two massive clusters of galaxies. The artificially added blue color is translated from Hubble data that captured a phenomenon called intracluster light. This extremely faint glow traces a smooth distribution of light from wandering stars scattered across the cluster. Billions of years ago, the stars were shed from their parent galaxies and now drift through intergalactic space alone.

Hubble Detects Ghostly Glow Surrounding Our Solar System

Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) — Thu, 08 Dec 2022 10:00:40 EST

Astronomers pouring over 200,000 Hubble images have made a ghostly discovery. They uncovered an exceedingly tiny glow in the sky--which does not come from planets, stars, or galaxies. It might be from comet dust inside our solar system reflecting sunlight.

New from JWST: An Exoplanet Atmosphere as Never Seen Before

Center for Astrophysics | Harvard and Smithsonian — Tue, 22 Nov 2022 11:00:40 EST

New observations of WASP-39 b reveal a never-before-seen molecule in the atmosphere of a planet -- sulfur dioxide -- among other details.

A Haunting Portrait: NASA's Webb Reveals Dust, Structure in the Pillars of Creation

Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) — Fri, 28 Oct 2022 10:05:05 EST

In mid-infrared light, the Pillars of Creation appear otherworldly. NASA'S James Webb Space Telescope has delivered a scene that is large and lofty - and appears lit by flickering lanterns.

VLA Finds Cosmic Rays Driving Galaxy's Winds

National Radio Astronomy Observatory — Tue, 25 Oct 2022 08:25:36 EST

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 important in galactic evolution, particularly at earlier times in the history of the universe.

Researchers Discover New Monster Black Hole 'Practically in Our Back Yard'

University of Alabama Huntsville — Wed, 19 Oct 2022 11:10:25 EST

The discovery of a so-called monster black hole that has about 12 times the mass of the sun is detailed in a new Astrophysical Journal research submission, the lead author of which is Dr. Sukanya Chakrabarti, a physics professor at The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH).

New Webb Image Captures Clearest View of Neptune's Rings in Decades

Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) — Wed, 21 Sep 2022 08:05:00 EST

Webb's first look at Neptune is certainly a stunner! We're getting the clearest view of Neptune's rings in decades. The faint, dustier bands have never been seen in the infrared like we see now. At near-infrared wavelengths, Neptune's methane gas so strongly absorbs red and infrared light that the planet is quite dark, except where high-altitude clouds are present. These methane-ice clouds are prominent as bright streaks and spots in Webb's view.

A Cosmic Tarantula, Caught by NASA's Webb

Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) — Tue, 06 Sep 2022 10:05:48 EST

NASA's James Webb Space Telescope presents a new perspective on 30 Doradus, or the Tarantula Nebula, a region well-known to astronomers studying star formation. Its nickname once came from its resemblance to the spider itself, but in Webb's view the overall region takes on the appearance of a tarantula's home--a burrow lined with its own spun silk. The Tarantula Nebula shelters thousands of young and still-forming stars, many revealed by Webb for the first time.

Colliding Galaxies Dazzle in Gemini North Image

NSF's NOIRLab — Tue, 09 Aug 2022 14:25:29 EST

An evocative new image captured by the Gemini North telescope in Hawai'i reveals a pair of interacting spiral galaxies -- NGC 4568 and NGC 4567 -- as they begin to clash and merge. These galaxies are entangled by their mutual gravitational field and will eventually combine to form a single elliptical galaxy in around 500 million years. Also visible in the image is the glowing remains of a supernova that was detected in 2020.

Using Holograms to Illuminate De Sitter Space

Kyoto University — Tue, 19 Jul 2022 20:05:08 EST

The holographic principle is used to describe the expanding universe in de Sitter space. It provides a solution to Einstein's general relativity equation with a positive cosmological constant. The proposed model uses a negative cosmological constant to account for gravity on anti-de Sitter space.

Webb Telescope Rewrites Cosmic History with Images of Universe

University of Miami — Thu, 14 Jul 2022 11:05:17 EST

A time travel machine, the $10 billion space observatory is being considered well worth the price tag because it will help answer long-held questions about the big bang and search for signs of alien life, University of Miami astrophysicists maintain.