Science

Tags:

Newly Discovered Exoplanet Dethrones Former King Of Kepler-88 Planetary System

Hawaii Astronomer Discovers Massive Extrasolar Planet with Maunakea Telescope

5-newlydiscove_0.jpg
An artist’s illustration of the Kepler-88 planetary system.

Tags:

New Insight Into Parker Solar Probe's Early Observations

interchange-reconnection-graphic_0.png
Realignment of open and closed magnetic field lines on the Sun, called interchange reconnection, could explain the magnetic "switchbacks" observed by Parker Solar Probe.

Tags:

Hubble Captures Breakup of Comet ATLAS

The NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope has provided astronomers with the sharpest view yet of the breakup of Comet C/2019 Y4 (ATLAS). The telescope resolved roughly 30 fragments of the fragile comet on 20 April and 25 pieces on 23 April.

heic2008a_0.jpg
Hubble Captures Breakup of Comet ATLAS

Tags:

Spitzer Telescope Reveals the Precise Timing of a Black Hole Dance

The recently retired infrared observatory was the only telescope to spot a far-off flash of light that holds clues about the physical characteristics of these cosmic mysteries.

PIA23687-16_0.jpg
This image shows two massive black holes in the OJ 287 galaxy. The smaller black hole orbits the larger one, which is also surrounded by a disk of gas. When the smaller black hole crashes through the disk, it produces a flare brighter than 1 trillion stars.

Tags:

NASA CubeSat Will Shine a Laser Light on the Moon's Darkest Craters

To support the next wave of human exploration, the Lunar Flashlight mission will look for potential ice hidden at the Moon's South Pole.

PIA23131_hires_0.png
This artist's concept shows the briefcase-sized Lunar Flashlight spacecraft using its near-infrared lasers to shine light into shaded polar regions on the Moon to look for water ice.

Tags:

Why Earth is the Blue Planet

earth_venus_water-768x764_0.jpg
Mechanisms that affect the water content of Venus’s atmosphere during the long-term evolution of the planet.

Tags:

New discovery: first asteroid population from outside our solar system

Ka`epaoka`awela asteroid surprised the world in 2018: it was the first object in the solar system that was demonstrated to be of extrasolar origin. But now those who discovered it have announced that it is not alone. Published in MNRAS on 23 April 2020, work by Fathi Namouni, a CNRS researcher in the Laboratoire Lagrange (CNRS/Observatoire de la Côte d’Azur/Université Côte d'Azur), and Helena Morais, researcher at UNESP in Brazil, proves that at least 19 other asteroids orbited another star before joining our system.

Although some interstellar bodies only pass through, others remain and orbit the sun. This is the case for 19 asteroids that gravitate between Jupiter and Neptune. According to the two scientists’ calculations, their current orbits and characteristics can only be explained if these objects were not in our solar system at its birth, 4.5 billion years ago.

Tags:

Star Survives Close Call with a Black Hole

gsn069_0.jpg
Illustration of Black Hole & White Dwarf

Tags:

Hungry Galaxies Grow Fat on the Flesh of Their Neighbors

tng100_dark_matter_gas-1536x1086_0.png
Distribution of dark matter density overlayed with the gas density. This image cleanly shows the gas channels connecting the central galaxy with its neighbours.

Tags:

World's First 3D Simulations Reveal the Physics of Superluminous Supernovae

mag-nersc2_0.jpg
The nebula phase of the magnetar-powered super-luminous supernova from our 3D simulation. At the moment, the supernova ejecta has expanded to a size similar to the solar system. Large scale mixing appears at the outer and inner region of ejecta. The resulting light curves and spectra are sensitive to the mixing that depends on stellar structure and the physical properties of magnetar.