Chicago IL (SPX) Sep 17, 2025
Dark energy - the term used to describe whatever is causing the universe to expand at an increasing rate - is one of the universe's greatest mysteries. The widely accepted theory at the present moment suggests that dark energy is constant, with the energy of empty space driving cosmic acceleration. However, last year, findings from the Dark Energy Survey (DES) and Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instr

Paris, France (SPX) Sep 17, 2025
Scientists face a daunting task when trying to describe the cosmic web, the immense 3D structure of galaxies, clusters, superclusters, filaments, and voids that spans the Universe. Models like the Effective Field Theory of Large-Scale Structure (EFTofLSS) combine theory and astronomical data to make statistical predictions, but they require enormous computing power. To meet the challenge p

Berlin, Germany (SPX) Sep 17, 2025
New research presented at the EPSC - DPS2025 Joint Meeting in Helsinki indicates that the nearest technological civilization in the Milky Way could be about 33,000 light years from Earth, and that such a society would need to have survived at least 280,000 years - potentially millions - to coexist with us in time. Dr Manuel Scherf and Professor Helmut Lammer of the Austrian Academy of Scie

Washington DC (SPX) Sep 17, 2025
Scientists using NASA's James Webb Space Telescope are focusing on TRAPPIST-1 e, one of seven Earth-sized planets orbiting a nearby red dwarf star. Early results suggest the planet likely lost its original hydrogen-helium atmosphere, but possibilities remain for a secondary atmosphere that could sustain liquid water under the right conditions. TRAPPIST-1 e lies in its star's habitable zone

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Sep 17, 2025
In a study published in Physical Review Letters, the LIGO - Virgo - KAGRA Collaboration reported its clearest gravitational wave signal yet from a black hole merger, offering the most precise confirmation to date of Stephen Hawking's area theorem. The signal, designated GW250114, was recorded in early 2025 during LIGO's latest observing run, using detectors nearly four times as sensitive as thos

Pasadena CA (JPL) Sep 17, 2025
An unusual cosmic object is helping scientists better understand the chemistry hidden deep in Jupiter and Saturn's atmospheres - and potentially those of exoplanets. Why has silicon, one of the most common elements in the universe, gone largely undetected in the atmospheres of Jupiter, Saturn, and gas planets like them orbiting other stars? A new study using observations from NASA's James Webb S

Berlin, Germany (SPX) Sep 17, 2025
Planetary scientists report progress in predicting when the Martian night sky will glow with green aurora, building on new visible-light images captured by NASA's Perseverance rover. The rover first recorded a ground-level aurora in 2024. Now, at the Europlanet Science Congress - Division of Planetary Science meeting in Helsinki, Dr Elise Wright Knutsen of the University of Oslo has shared

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Sep 17, 2025
While the ancient Martian climate is still debated, new research indicates that volcanic emissions of sulfur gases could have created a warmer atmosphere capable of sustaining life. The study, published in Science Advances, was led by scientists at The University of Texas at Austin. Analyzing Martian meteorite data, the team ran over 40 simulations testing how carbon, nitrogen, and sulfur

Berlin, Germany (SPX) Sep 17, 2025
Joint Meeting of the Europlanet Science Congress and the American Astronomical Society's Division for Planetary Science (EPSC-DPS2025) Press Release - The Rosalind Franklin rover's search for ancient life on Mars could be aided by natural processes that deliver organic-rich material directly to its landing zone, according to two new studies presented this week in Helsinki. Scheduled for la

Columbus OH (SPX) Sep 17, 2025
New developments in nuclear thermal propulsion technologies may soon enable advanced space missions to the farthest reaches of the solar system. Leading these advances are researchers at The Ohio State University: Engineers are developing a nuclear propulsion system that uses liquid uranium to directly heat rocket propellant as an alternative to solid fuel elements used by traditional nucl