Plainsboro NJ (SPX) Oct 13, 2024
There is a profound mystery in our sun. While the sun's surface temperature measures around 10,000 degrees Fahrenheit, its outer atmosphere, known as the solar corona, measures more like 2 million degrees Fahrenheit, about 200 times hotter. This increase in temperature away from the sun is perplexing and has been an unsolved mystery since 1939, when the high temperature of the corona was first i

Madrid, Spain (SPX) Oct 13, 2024
A team of scientists from the Leibniz Institute for Astrophysics Potsdam (AIP) and the Institute of Cosmos Sciences of the University of Barcelona (ICCUB) have applied advanced machine learning techniques to process data for 217 million stars observed by the Gaia mission. This novel approach efficiently analyzes data to map properties like interstellar extinction and metallicity across the Milky

London, UK (SPX) Oct 13, 2024
Astronomers using the NASA/ESA James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) have observed the earliest instance of 'inside-out' galaxy growth, dating back just 700 million years after the Big Bang. This discovery sheds new light on galaxy formation in the early universe. Though 100 times smaller than the Milky Way, the galaxy observed appears remarkably advanced for its age. It features a dense centr

London, UK (SPX) Oct 10, 2024
Recent research into the origins of Earth's volatile elements has revealed that without the contributions of unmelted primitive asteroids, the necessary compounds for life might not have been delivered to our planet. A new study led by researchers at the University of Cambridge and Imperial College London has used zinc isotopic signatures in meteorites to trace the sources of these critical vola

Greenbelt MD (SPX) Oct 13, 2024
The ESA (European Space Agency) and NASA Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) has captured images of the second-brightest comet to ever pass through its field of view during the spacecraft's nearly 29-year career. The bright comet is C/2023 A3 Tsuchinshan-ATLAS, which has been garnering a lot of attention from skywatchers recently, displaying a long, dusty tail in pre-dawn skies throu

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Oct 13, 2024
Lichens, those resilient organisms made up of fungi and photosynthetic partners, are found just about everywhere on Earth, thriving on surfaces like rocks, trees, and even buildings. Known from all continents, some species have even endured the harsh environment outside the International Space Station. Their adaptability has intrigued scientists, particularly astrobiologists who see Earth's lich

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Oct 13, 2024
The Curiosity and Perseverance Mars rovers continue to provide a wealth of information about the Red Planet. This was made possible in part by the sky crane landing systems that safely lowered them to the planet's surface. Their successful descent, managed by eight powerful engines, depended on one small part - a valve. The engines produced about 750 poun

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Oct 13, 2024
NASA is offering the public an opportunity to virtually experience the journey of the Advanced Composite Solar Sail System (ACS3) through the "Eyes on the Solar System" tool. This interactive simulation provides real-time updates on the positions of planets, moons, and spacecraft, including the ACS3. Solar sails utilize sunlight pressure for propulsion, adjusting their angle relative to th

Paris (AFP) Oct 11, 2024
Scientist Jim Wild has travelled to the Arctic Circle numerous times to study the northern lights, but on Thursday night he only needed to look out of his bedroom window in the English city of Lancaster. For at least the second time this year, skygazers in many parts of the world were treated to colourful auroras at latitudes beyond the polar extremes where they normally light up the skies.

Washington DC (UPI) Oct 11, 2024
A comet just discovered last year by observers will whizz past Earth from 44 million miles away but leave a trail of dust and gases visible to the naked eye, NASA said. Comet Tsuchinshan-Atlas will make its closest approach to Earth on Saturday and won't be back for about 80,000 years, the space agency said. It is about two miles in diameter and its tail extends millions of miles.