Helsinki, Finland (SPX) Jun 30, 2023
How are plasma eruptions in near-Earth space formed? Vlasiator, a model designed at the University of Helsinki for simulating near-Earth space, demonstrated that the two central theories on the occurrence of eruptions are simultaneously valid: eruptions are explained by both magnetic reconnection and kinetic instabilities. Rapid plasma eruptions known as plasmoids take place on the nightsi

Kashiwa, Japan (SPX) Jun 30, 2023
New images from the James Webb Space Telescope have revealed, for the first time, starlight from two massive galaxies hosting actively growing black holes - quasars - seen less than a billion years after the Big Bang. A new study in Nature this week finds the black holes have masses close to a billion times that of the Sun, and the host galaxy masses are almost one hundred times larger, a ratio

Greenbelt MD (SPX) Jun 30, 2023
Galaxies are not scattered randomly across the universe. They gather together not only into clusters, but into vast interconnected filamentary structures with gigantic barren voids in between. This "cosmic web" started out tenuous and became more distinct over time as gravity drew matter together. Astronomers using NASA's James Webb Space Telescope have discovered a thread-like arrangement

Charlottesville VA (SPX) Jun 30, 2023
Scientists using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) to study the protoplanetary disk around a young star have discovered the most compelling chemical evidence to date of the formation of protoplanets. The discovery will provide astronomers with an alternate method for detecting and characterizing protoplanets when direct observations or imaging are not possible. The results

Pasadena CA (JPL) Jun 28, 2023
We made it! We are peeking up over the edge of the ridge that we have been trying to climb for a few weeks now. The view ahead is spectacular but it's worth pausing for a minute to look back down into the canyon. You can faintly see rover tracks in the centre of the image, left behind as we slowly made our way up the hill. Lots of slipping and sliding, and drives ending too soon or terminating o

Sydney, Australia (SPX) Jun 30, 2023
The Indian Space Research Agency (ISRO) is preparing for the anticipated launch of its third lunar expedition, dubbed Chandrayaan-3. Officials from the agency disclosed that the mission is tentatively scheduled for mid-July. A high-ranking ISRO official mentioned, "We have the launch window between July 12 and July 19. The exact date has not been finalised." The Chairman of ISRO and

Providence RI (SPX) Jun 30, 2023
A study led by Brown University researchers offers new insights into how water from melting ice could have played a recent role in the formation of ravine-like channels that cut down the sides of impact craters on Mars. The study, published in Science, focuses on Martian gullies, which look eerily similar to gullies that form on Earth in the Dry Valleys of Antarctica and are caused by wate

Washington DC (SPX) Jun 30, 2023
When NASA's OSIRIS-REx spacecraft releases a capsule with material from asteroid Bennu onto the Utah desert on Sept. 24, it will become the latest in a line of missions to gather samples from space and deliver them to Earth. Collecting material from space is a challenging feat that requires teams of dedicated scientists and engineers, innovative technology, and patience. But the scientific break

Washington DC (UPI) Jun 29, 2023
A SpaceX Dragon cargo spacecraft left the International Space Station on Thursday to return to Earth with NASA experiments and samples dating back as far as six years. The spacecraft left the ISS's Harmony module at 12:30 p.m. EDT and is set to make a parachute-assisted splashdown off the coast of Florida at about 10:30 a.m. on Friday. The spacecraft is carrying more than 3,600 p

Washington (AFP) June 29, 2023
Virgin Galactic successfully flew its first paying customers to the final frontier Thursday, a long-awaited achievement that puts it back on track in the emerging private spaceflight sector. Italian Air Force officers unfurled their nation's flag and peered out windows at the curve of Earth while enjoying a few minutes of weightlessness at 52.9 miles (85.1 kilometers) above sea level. "I