Astronomy News
Astronomy News -- ScienceDaily |
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Astronomy news. New! Earth-like extrasolar planet found; double helix nebula; supermassive black holes, astronomy articles, astronomy pictures. Updated daily. |
February 27th, 2025 12:51:04 EST -0500 Young star clusters give birth to rogue planetary-mass objects How do rogue planetary-mass objects -- celestial bodies with masses between stars and planets -- form? An international team of astronomers has used advanced simulations to show that these enigmatic objects are linked to the chaotic dynamics of young star clusters. |
February 27th, 2025 12:48:37 EST -0500 NASA's Hubble provides bird's-eye view of Andromeda galaxy's ecosystem Located 2.5 million light-years away, the majestic Andromeda galaxy appears to the naked eye as a faint, spindle-shaped object roughly the angular size of the full Moon. What backyard observers don't see is a swarm of nearly three dozen small satellite galaxies circling the Andromeda galaxy, like bees around a hive. |
February 26th, 2025 14:24:34 EST -0500 Adsorptive regolith on Mars soaks up water, researchers reveal Researchers are looking underfoot to uncover the mysterious past of Mars: Martian regoliths in the soil. Their water storage capabilities may help us understand the change in water on Mars over time. |
February 25th, 2025 12:24:57 EST -0500 Lunar Trailblazer blasts off to map water on the moon On Wednesday 26 February, a thermal imaging camera blasted off to the Moon as part of NASA's Lunar Trailblazer mission. This aims to map sources of water on the Moon to shed light on the lunar water cycle and to guide future robotic and human missions. |
February 25th, 2025 12:20:35 EST -0500 Why is Mars red? Scientists may finally have the answer A new study shows a water-rich mineral could explain the planet's color -- and hint at its wetter, more habitable past. |
February 25th, 2025 12:20:23 EST -0500 Today's forecast: Partially cloudy skies on an 'ultra-hot Neptune' Using the James Webb Space Telescope, astronomers investigate the extreme weather patterns and atmospheric properties of exoplanet LTT 9779 b. New JWST observations with NIRISS reveal a dynamic atmosphere: powerful winds sweep around the planet, shaping mineral clouds as they condense into a bright, white arc on the slightly cooler western side of the dayside. As these clouds move eastward, they evaporate under the intense heat, leaving the eastern dayside with clear skies. |
February 25th, 2025 12:20:20 EST -0500 The galactic journey of our solar system Astronomers have discovered that the Solar System traversed the Orion star-forming complex, a component of the Radcliffe Wave galactic structure, approximately 14 million years ago. This journey through a dense region of space could have compressed the heliosphere, the protective bubble surrounding our solar system, and increased the influx of interstellar dust, potentially influencing Earth's climate and leaving traces in geological records. |
February 20th, 2025 12:29:21 EST -0500 In ancient stellar nurseries, some stars are born of fluffy clouds Researchers have found that stars in the early universe may have formed from 'fluffy' molecular clouds. Using the ALMA telescope to observe the Small Magellanic Cloud -- whose environment is similar to the early universe -- they observed that about 60% of the observed clouds had the common filamentary structure, while the remaining 40% had a 'fluffy' shape. These results could provide new insights into the formation of stars in the universe. |
February 19th, 2025 11:14:16 EST -0500 300 new intermediate-mass black holes plus 2500 new active black holes in dwarf galaxies discovered Within the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument's early data, scientists have uncovered the largest samples ever of intermediate-mass black holes and dwarf galaxies hosting an active black hole, more than tripling the existing census of both. These large statistical samples will allow for more in-depth studies of the dynamics between dwarf galaxy evolution and black hole growth, and open up vast discovery potential surrounding the evolution of the Universe's earliest black holes. |
February 18th, 2025 11:36:50 EST -0500 Flickers and flares: Milky Way's central black hole constantly bubbles with light Astrophysicists have observed our central supermassive black hole. They found the accretion disk is constantly emitting flares without periods of rest. Shorter, faint flares and longer, bright flares appear to be generated by separate processes. |
February 18th, 2025 11:36:43 EST -0500 Einstein Probe catches X-ray odd couple Lobster-eye satellite Einstein Probe captured the X-ray flash from a very elusive celestial pair. The discovery opens a new way to explore how massive stars interact and evolve, confirming the unique power of the mission to uncover fleeting X-ray sources in the sky. |
February 18th, 2025 11:36:17 EST -0500 'Out of science fiction': First 3D observations of an exoplanet's atmosphere reveal a unique climate Astronomers have peered through the atmosphere of a planet beyond the Solar System, mapping its 3D structure for the first time. By combining all four telescope units of the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope (ESO's VLT), they found powerful winds carrying chemical elements like iron and titanium, creating intricate weather patterns across the planet's atmosphere. The discovery opens the door for detailed studies of the chemical makeup and weather of other alien worlds. |
Jan 2013 - Two comets to get excited about. One is Comet PANSTARRS,
which will be brightest in March 2013. The other is Comet ISON, which might
become a daylight comet in late 2013. Although a comet’s movement in our sky
can be predicted, its brightness cannot be. It’s too early to know whether
Comet PANSTARRS or Comet ISON – the two exciting comets of 2013 – will dazzle
or fizzle.
Comet PANSTARRS
By October 2012, its surrounding coma was seen to be large and fine at an estimated 75,000 miles (120,000 kilometers) wide. In March 2013, by some estimates, this comet should get as bright as Venus,
Comet ISON
Last year, Russian astronomers Vitaly Nevsky and Artyom Novichonok discovered a new gigantic comet that is currently approaching Earth. The ISON comet, which is expected to become brighter than the full moon, will be visible to the naked eye by late 2013.
Comet ISON has only been visible through powerful telescopes. In November 2013, heat from the sun will vaporize ices in the comet's body, creating what could be a spectacular tail that will be visible in Earth's night sky without telescopes or even binoculars from about October 2013 through January 2014.
Comet ISON will come within 800,000 miles (1.2 million km) of our sun’s surface on November 28. That’s over 100 times closer to the sun than Earth. This close pass to the sun might cause Comet ISON to break to pieces. January 2014 may see a meteor shower produced by streams of debris from the ISON comet.
Comet PANSTARRS
By October 2012, its surrounding coma was seen to be large and fine at an estimated 75,000 miles (120,000 kilometers) wide. In March 2013, by some estimates, this comet should get as bright as Venus,
Comet ISON
Last year, Russian astronomers Vitaly Nevsky and Artyom Novichonok discovered a new gigantic comet that is currently approaching Earth. The ISON comet, which is expected to become brighter than the full moon, will be visible to the naked eye by late 2013.
Comet ISON has only been visible through powerful telescopes. In November 2013, heat from the sun will vaporize ices in the comet's body, creating what could be a spectacular tail that will be visible in Earth's night sky without telescopes or even binoculars from about October 2013 through January 2014.
Comet ISON will come within 800,000 miles (1.2 million km) of our sun’s surface on November 28. That’s over 100 times closer to the sun than Earth. This close pass to the sun might cause Comet ISON to break to pieces. January 2014 may see a meteor shower produced by streams of debris from the ISON comet.