Tokyo, Japan (SPX) Jun 23, 2023
Isotope ratios found in meteorites suggest that a supernova exploded nearby while the Sun and Solar System were still forming. But the blast wave from a supernova that close could have potentially destroyed the nascent Solar System. New calculations shows that a filament of molecular gas, which is the birth cocoon of the Solar System, aided the capture of the isotopes found in the meteorites, wh

Washington DC (SPX) Jun 23, 2023
Astronomers studying a powerful gamma-ray burst (GRB) with the Gemini South telescope, operated by NSF's NOIRLab, may have detected a never-before-seen way to destroy a star. Unlike most GRBs, which are caused by exploding massive stars or the chance mergers of neutron stars, astronomers have concluded that this GRB came instead from the collision of stars or stellar remnants in the jam-packed e

Maunakea HI (SPX) Jun 23, 2023
Astronomers using W. M. Keck Observatory on Maunakea, Hawaii Island have discovered one of the lowest-mass planets whose images have been directly captured. Not only were they able to measure its mass, but they were also able to determine that its orbit is similar to the giant planets in our own solar system. The planet, called AF Lep b, is among the first ever discovered using a technique

Pasadena CA (JPL) Jun 21, 2023
Time, it never seems to pass at a constant rate. Today is summer solstice here in the northern hemisphere on Earth; the longest "day" of the year. It was only fitting time was at the forefront of planning today, particularly at the onset. For starters, in order to better synchronize with Curiosity's workday, our shifts started later than usual in order to permit requisite data from the pre

Ottawa, Canada (SPX) Jun 23, 2023
Evidence is mounting that astronauts are more susceptible to infections while in space. For example, astronauts on board the International Space Station (ISS) commonly suffer from skin rashes, as well as respiratory and non-respiratory diseases. Astronauts are also known to shed more live virus particles, for example Epstein-Barr virus, varicella-zoster responsible for shingles, herpes-simplex-1

Cardiff UK (SPX) Jun 23, 2023
A new observation run to search for ripples in space-time generated by colliding black holes and other extreme cosmic events will take gravitational wave astronomy to the next level, scientists claim. Upgraded instruments, some of which use Cardiff University-built technology, new and even more accurate signal models, and more advanced data analysis methods mean the 20-month observation wi

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Jun 23, 2023
Apex, the Los Angeles-based spacecraft mass manufacturing company, announced its Series A fundraising round and customers flying on its first Aries satellite bus. Apex's $16M Series A funding round, which brings the company's total funding to over $27M, was led by venture capital firms Andreessen Horowitz and Shield Capital. Apex will use the additional funding to open a new, 50,000 sq ft

Geneva, Switzerland (SPX) Jun 23, 2023
The cosmos is a unique laboratory for testing the laws of physics, in particular those of Euler and Einstein. Euler described the movements of celestial objects, while Einstein described the way in which celestial objects distort the Universe. Since the discovery of dark matter and the acceleration of the Universe's expansion, the validity of their equations has been put to the test: are they ca