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Solar wind samples suggest new physics of massive solar ejections
University of Hawaii at Manoa
A new study led by the University of Hawai'i (UH) at Mānoa has helped refine understanding of the amount of hydrogen, helium and other elements present in violent outbursts from the Sun, and other types of solar "wind," a stream of ionized atoms ejected from the Sun.
Scientists Pioneer New Way to Study Exoplanets
New York University
A team of scientists using the Low Frequency Array radio telescope in the Netherlands has observed radio waves that carry the distinct signatures of aurorae, caused by the interaction between a star's magnetic field and a planet in orbit around it.
A Decade of Fusion, Astrophysics and Nanotechnology at PPPL
Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory
Feature highlights PPPL accomplishments over the past 10 years.
Iconic 'pale blue dot' photo - Carl Sagan's idea - turns 30
Cornell University
The iconic photograph of planet Earth from distant space - the "pale blue dot" - was taken 30 years ago - Feb. 14, 1990, at a distance of 3.7 billion miles, by the NASA spacecraft Voyager 1 as it zipped toward the far edge of the solar system. The late Cornell astronomy professor Carl Sagan came up with the idea for the snapshot, and coined the phrase.
Buffalo State College's Kevin Williams available to speak about the Mars 2020 rover.
SUNY Buffalo State
Investigating the trigger for an explosive process that occurs throughout the universe
Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory
A detailed analysis of evolution of the trigger that sets off fast magnetic reconnection.
DUNE collaboration finalizes the blueprint for the ultimate neutrino detector
Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (Fermilab)
The publication of the Technical Design Report is a major milestone for the construction of the Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment, an international mega-science project hosted by Fermilab. It lays out in great detail the scientific goals as well as the technical components of the gigantic particle detectors of the experiment.
UAH's Center for Space Plasma and Aeronomic Research has central role in 2024 IMAP mission
University of Alabama Huntsville
The Center for Space Plasma and Aeronomic Research (CSPAR) at The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH) will be central to the modeling and data crunching that follow the scheduled launch of NASA's Interstellar Mapping and Acceleration Probe (IMAP) mission in 2024.
Johns Hopkins Profs Would End Leap Year with New 'Permanent' Calendar
Johns Hopkins University
Galaxy formation simulated without dark matter
University of Bonn
For the first time, researchers from the Universities of Bonn and Strasbourg have simulated the formation of galaxies in a universe without dark matter.
One small grain of moon dust, one giant leap for lunar studies
Field Museum
Back in 1972, NASA sent their last team of astronauts to the Moon in the Apollo 17 mission.
Astronomers reveal rare double nucleus in nearby 'Cocoon Galaxy'
Iowa State University
Iowa State astronomers have revealed that a well-known, nearby galaxy has a rare double-nucleus structure. Their paper reporting the discovery is now online and has been accepted for publication by the Astrophysical Journal.
Astronomers discover unusual monster galaxy in the very early universe
University of California, Riverside
An international team of astronomers led by scientists at the University of California, Riverside, has found an unusual monster galaxy that existed about 12 billion years ago, when the universe was only 1.8 billion years old.
NASA's Webb Will Seek Atmospheres around Potentially Habitable Exoplanets
Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI)
The TRAPPIST-1 system of exoplanets holds exciting possibilities in the search for potentially habitable worlds. In this system an ultra-cool star is orbited by seven rocky, Earth-sized worlds, three of which are in the "Goldilocks" zone where liquid water might exist on their surfaces. NASA's James Webb Space Telescope will observe those worlds to determine whether any of them have an atmosphere.
Celebrating the past, present and future of space science
West Virginia University - Eberly College of Arts and Sciences
Professor of Physics Paul Cassak is among a select group of scientists tackling grand challenges in space in a new series from the American Geophysical Union.
UAH prepares for massive data stream following coming launch of ESA Solar Orbiter
University of Alabama Huntsville
The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH) will have a major role in exploring an expected massive data stream that will follow the launch of the European Space Agency (ESA) Solar Orbiter, a mission that will fly over the sun's poles and on which UAH's Dr. Gary Zank is a co-primary investigator.
UNH Researchers Find Clues to How Hazardous Space Radiation Begins
University of New Hampshire
University of New Hampshire researchers use data from NASA's Parker Solar Probe to observe sun's plasma and energy build up particles released by solar flares - highlight new phase of energizing process leading to radiation hazards.
Tiny, ancient meteorites suggest early Earth's atmosphere was rich in carbon dioxide
University of Washington
Tiny meteorites that fell to Earth 2.7 billion years ago suggest that the atmosphere at that time was high in carbon dioxide, which agrees with current understanding of how our planet's atmospheric gases changed over time.
NSF's Newest Solar Telescope Produces First Images
National Solar Observatory
Just released first images from the National Science Foundation's Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope reveal unprecedented detail of the Sun's surface and preview the world-class products to come from this preeminent 4-meter solar telescope. NSF's Inouye Solar Telescope, on the summit of Haleakala, Maui, in Hawai'i, will enable a new era of solar science and a leap forward in understanding the Sun and its impacts on our planet.
Marivi Fernandez-Serra: Then and Now
Department of Energy, Office of Science
Marivi Fernandez-Serra is a professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at Stony Brook University.
'Curious and curiouser!' Meteorite chunk contains unexpected evidence of presolar grains
Washington University in St. Louis
An unusual chunk in a meteorite may contain a surprising bit of space history, based on new research from Washington University in St. Louis. Presolar grains -- tiny bits of solid interstellar material formed before the sun was born -- are sometimes found in primitive meteorites. But a new analysis reveals evidence of presolar grains in part of a meteorite where they are not expected to be found.
Technology Used in Space Experiments Could Reveal Key Information about Human Health
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI)
In an article published recently in Microgravity, a Nature Journal, researchers at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute demonstrate a unique method for studying the mechanisms behind the formation of amyloid fibrils associated with diseases like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's.
Supercomputer Simulations Reveal Details of Galaxy Clusters
University of California San Diego
A new study published late last year in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society explored the molecular gas within and surrounding the intracluster medium, which fills the space between galaxies in a galaxy cluster.
Large Amounts of Oxygen Detected in Ancient Star's Atmosphere
University of California San Diego
An international team of astronomers from the University of California San Diego, the Instituto de Astrofisica de Canarias (IAC) and the University of Cambridge have detected large amounts of oxygen in the atmosphere of one of the oldest and most elementally depleted stars known--a primitive star scientists call "J0815+4729."
NASA's Kepler Witnesses Vampire Star System Undergoing Super-Outburst
Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI)
Astronomers searching archival data from NASA's Kepler exoplanet hunting mission identified a previously unknown dwarf nova that underwent a super-outburst, brightening by a factor of 1,600 times in less than a day.
From infrared views to exoplanets: Spitzer leaves lasting legacy
Cornell University
ASU-led NASA Psyche mission offers free online course on team building from leadership experts
Thunderbird School of Global Management
The new Psyche Mission Innovation Toolkit online course is designed to help learners understand the unique challenges of a diverse team and provides tools to help address these challenges and take actions to be more successful in working with others. Image by ASU Continuing and Professional Education
Mars' water was mineral-rich and salty
Tokyo Institute of Technology
Presently, Earth is the only known location where life exists in the Universe. This year the Nobel Prize in physics was awarded to three astronomers who proved, almost 20 years ago, that planets are common around stars beyond the solar system.
The core of massive dying galaxies already formed 1.5 billion years after the Big Bang
University of Copenhagen
Astrophysics, Galaxies: The most distant dying galaxy discovered so far, more massive than our Milky Way -- with more than a trillion stars -- has revealed that the 'cores' of these systems had formed already 1.5 billion years after the Big Bang, about 1 billion years earlier than previous measurements revealed.
MITRE Uses Earth Shadow to Determine Satellite Range
MITRE
Until now, determining the orbit of satellites has required many measurements or multiple telescopes. A team of MITRE scientists took their equipment to Chile to view an eclipse--and proved an easier way.
Astronomers reveal interstellar thread of one of life's building blocks
European Southern Observatory (ESO)
Phosphorus, present in our DNA and cell membranes, is an essential element for life as we know it. But how it arrived on the early Earth is something of a mystery.
'Cold Neptune' and two temperate super-Earths found orbiting nearby stars
Carnegie Institution for Science
Washington, DC-- A "cold Neptune" and two potentially habitable worlds are part of a cache of five newly discovered exoplanets and eight exoplanet candidates found orbiting nearby red dwarf stars, which are reported in The Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series by a team led by Carnegie's Fabo Feng and Paul Butler.
Galactic gamma-ray sources reveal birthplaces of high-energy particles
Los Alamos National Laboratory
Nine sources of extremely high-energy gamma rays comprise a new catalog compiled by researchers with the High-Altitude Water Cherenkov (HAWC) Gamma-Ray Observatory.
Connecting the dots in the sky could shed new light on dark matter
SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory
Astrophysicists have come a step closer to understanding the origin of a faint glow of gamma rays covering the night sky. They found that this light is brighter in regions that contain a lot of matter and dimmer where matter is sparser - a correlation that could help them narrow down the properties of exotic astrophysical objects and invisible dark matter.
SuperTIGER on its second prowl -- 130,000 feet above Antarctica
Washington University in St. Louis
A balloon-borne scientific instrument designed to study the origin of cosmic rays is taking its second turn high above the continent of Antarctica three and a half weeks after its launch. SuperTIGER (Super Trans-Iron Galactic Element Recorder) is designed to measure the rare, heavy elements in cosmic rays that hold clues about their origins outside of the solar system.
Supercomputer Simulations Showcase Novel Planet Formation Models
University of California San Diego
Scientists at the Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) used SDSC's Comet supercomputer to help model the formation of terrestrial planets such as Mercury, Venus, and Mars in a quest to explore if there are Earth-like planets outside our solar system.
Christopher Kochanek Awarded 2020 Dannie Heineman Prize for Astrophysics Contributions
American Institute of Physics (AIP)
The Heineman Foundation, AIP and AAS announce today the 2020 Dannie Heineman Prize for Astrophysics is awarded to Christopher Kochanek, professor at Ohio State University, "who has combined observations and theory to make outstanding contributions to astrophysics in topics ranging from the use of gravitational lenses for studies of dark matter halos and quasar accretion disks, to the lives and deaths of massive stars and the evolution of stellar populations in galaxies and quasars."
Satellite constellations harvest energy for near-total global coverage
Cornell University
A National Science Foundation-sponsored collaboration led by Patrick Reed, the Joseph C. Ford Professor of Engineering at Cornell University, has discovered the right combination of factors to make a four-satellite constellation possible, which could drive advances in telecommunication, navigation and remote sensing.
Telescope upgrade, move will aid in search for exoplanets
Cornell University
Thousands of planets orbiting stars other than our own - known as extrasolar planets, or exoplanets - have been detected and cataloged over the last 30 years. A new effort will set the stage for the discovery of fundamentally different kinds of planets - very young and very large.
Hubble Detects Smallest Known Dark Matter Clumps
Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI)
Using Hubble and a new observing technique, astronomers have uncovered the smallest clumps of dark matter ever detected. Dark matter is an invisible substance that makes up most of the universe's mass and forms the scaffolding upon which galaxies are built.
Cosmic Magnifying Glasses Yield Independent Measure of Universe's Expansion
Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI)
Astronomers using Hubble have made the most precise measurement yet of the universe's expansion rate using the gravitational lensing method, which is independent from the usual cosmic distance ladder.
Goldilocks Stars Are Best Places to Look for Life
Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI)
Hubble observations suggest that orange stars, slightly cooler than our Sun, are better hangouts for life. There are more of them in our galaxy, they live much longer than our Sun, and unleash less deadly radiation than red dwarf stars.
NEID Exoplanet Instrument Sees First Light
Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy (AURA)
The new NEID instrument, now installed at the 3.5-meter WIYN telescope at Kitt Peak National Observatory in Southern Arizona, USA, has made its first observations. The NSF-NASA funded instrument is designed to measure the motion of nearby stars with extreme precision -- roughly three times better than current state-of-the-art instruments -- allowing us to detect, determine the mass of, and characterize exoplanets as small as Earth.
Binary star V Sagittae will explode as a very bright 'nova' by century's end
Louisiana State University
Currently, the faint star V Sagittae, V Sge, in the constellation Sagitta, is barely visible, even in mid-sized telescopes. However, around the year 2083, this innocent star will explode, becoming as bright as Sirius, the brightest star visible in the night sky.
NASA planet hunter finds its 1st Earth-size habitable-zone world
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
NASA's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) has discovered its first Earth-size planet in its star's habitable zone, the range of distances where conditions may be just right to allow the presence of liquid water on the surface.
David Shih: Then and Now
Department of Energy, Office of Science
David Shih is an associate professor in the New High Energy Theory Center of the Department of Physics and Astronomy at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey.
Fast Radio Burst Observations Deepen Astronomical Mystery
Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy (AURA)
Observations with the 8-meter Gemini North telescope, a program of the NSF's National Optical-Infrared Astronomy Research Laboratory, have allowed astronomers to pinpoint the location of a Fast Radio Burst in a nearby galaxy -- making it the closest known example to Earth and only the second repeating burst source to have its location pinpointed in the sky. The source of this burst of radio waves is located in an environment radically different from that seen in previous studies. This discovery challenges researchers' assumptions on the origin of these already enigmatic extragalactic events.
Task Force Recommendations Outline Changes Needed to Increase African American Physics and Astronomy Students
American Institute of Physics (AIP)
Due to long-term and systemic issues leading to the consistent exclusion of African Americans in physics and astronomy, a task force is recommending sweeping changes and calling for awareness into the number and experiences of African American students studying the fields. "The Time Is Now: Systemic Changes to Increase African Americans with Bachelor's Degrees in Physics and Astronomy" discusses the factors responsible for the success or failure of African American students in physics and astronomy.
NASA's Hubble Surveys Gigantic Galaxy
Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI)
Hubble has photographed a majestic spiral galaxy, UGC 2885, located 232 million light-years away. The galaxy is 2.5 times wider than our Milky Way and contains 10 times as many stars. Astronomers want to know how it got so big.
The Turbulent Life of Two Supermassive Black Holes Caught in a Galaxy Crash
National Radio Astronomy Observatory
An international team of astronomers used the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) to create the most detailed image yet of the gas surrounding two supermassive black holes in a merging galaxy.
Astronomers Find Wandering Massive Black Holes in Dwarf Galaxies
National Radio Astronomy Observatory
Studies with the VLA indicate that roughly half of the massive black holes in dwarf galaxies are not in the centers of those galaxies. This gives astronomers new insights into the conditions in which similar black holes formed and grew in the early history of the Universe.
NASA's Great Observatories Help Astronomers Build a 3D Visualization of Exploded Star
Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI)
Astronomers and visualization specialists have combined the visible, infrared and X-ray vision of NASA's Great Observatories to create a 3D representation of the dynamic Crab Nebula--the tattered remains of an exploded star.
Simulated Image Demonstrates the Power of NASA's Wide Field Infrared Survey Telescope
Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI)
NASA's upcoming Wide Field Infrared Survey Telescope (WFIRST), scheduled for launch in the mid-2020s, will have the power to survey the sky 1,000 times faster than the Hubble Space Telescope, with Hubble-quality detail, in the near-infrared.
The Ultimate Telemedicine: UNC Expert Helps Treat Astronaut's Blood Clot During NASA Mission
University of North Carolina School of Medicine
Moll was the only non-NASA physician NASA consulted when it was discovered that an astronaut aboard the ISS had a deep vein thrombosis (DVT) - or blood clot - in the jugular vein of their neck.
Lasers Learn to Accurately Spot Space Junk
American Institute of Physics (AIP)
Scientists have developed space junk identification systems, but it has proven tricky to pinpoint the swift, small specks of space litter. A unique set of algorithms for laser ranging telescopes, described in the Journal of Laser Applications, by AIP Publishing, has significantly improving the success rate of space debris detection.
Eye Changes From Spaceflight Compared to Simulated Weightlessness
JAMA - Journal of the American Medical Association
With ADIOS, Summit processes celestial data at scale of massive future telescope
Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Researchers cannot collect enough observational data to practice analyzing the huge quantities expected from the Square Kilometre Array, which will be the world's largest radio telescope. Instead, an international team recently used Summit to simulate the SKA's expected output, then used ADIOS to process the simulated data.
Undersecretary for Science Paul Dabbar Recently Visited the South Pole Telescope in Antarctica
Department of Energy, Office of Science
The South Pole Telescope is one of the tools scientists are using to understand the earliest history of our universe. To check out the Department of Energy's (DOE) investment in this project, DOE Undersecretary for Science Paul Dabbar visited the facility last week.
Fireballs: mail from space
University of Helsinki
When should we send expeditions to look for meteorites that have impacted Earth?
'Cotton Candy' Planet Mysteries Unravel in New Hubble Observations
Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI)
Astronomers using Hubble have studied a unique class of young, migratory exoplanets that have the density of cotton candy. Nothing like them exists in our solar system. They orbit the star Kepler 51, located 2,600 light-years away. Hubble spectroscopic observations allowed researchers to refine mass estimates for these worlds--independently confirming their "puffy" nature.
Grain traits traced to 'dark matter' of rice genome
Washington University in St. Louis
Domesticated rice has fatter seed grains with higher starch content than its wild rice relatives -- the result of many generations of preferential seed sorting and sowing. But even though rice was the first crop to be fully sequenced, scientists have only documented a few of the genetic changes that made rice into a staple food for more than half the world's population.
A day in the life of a telescope camera assembler
SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory
The LSST camera is the biggest digital camera ever constructed for ground-based astronomy. Within the year, Hannah and her teammates will finish assembling and testing the camera and it will be shipped to its home at the summit of Cerro Pachon in Chile.
Ivan Bazarov: Then and Now
Department of Energy, Office of Science
Ivan Bazarov is a professor in the Department of Physics at Cornell University.
New Space Image Reveals a Cosmic 'Candy Cane'
Johns Hopkins University
Deep in our Milky Way galaxy's center, a candy cane emerges as the centerpiece of a new, colorful composite image from a NASA camera, just in time for the holidays.
NASA's Webb Telescope to Search for Young Brown Dwarfs and Rogue Planets
Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI)
A nearby stellar nursery will be the subject of study with NASA's upcoming James Webb Space Telescope. Astronomers will peer into the stellar cluster NGC 1333 to examine its tiniest, faintest residents, including the smallest brown dwarfs and "rogue planets."
The Big Questions: Josh Frieman on Dark Energy
Department of Energy, Office of Science
The Big Questions series features perspectives from the five recipients of the Department of Energy Office of Science's 2019 Distinguished Scientists Fellows Award describing their research and what they plan to do with the award. Josh Frieman is the division head of particle physics at Fermilab.
University of North Dakota student experiment aboard Blue Origin suborbital rocket deemed a success
University of North Dakota
A team of University of North Dakota's Space Studies student researchers, called the "Dinonauts," recently assisted with the successful launch into space and recovery of a research project, aboard Amazon Founder Jeff Bezo's Blue Origin reusable launch vehicle "New Shepard." The launch and recovery took place on Wednesday Dec. 11 at the West Texas Launch Site near Van Horn.
Image Release: Distant Milky Way-like Galaxies Reveal Star Formation History of the Universe
National Radio Astronomy Observatory
Thousands of galaxies are visible in this radio image of an area in the Southern Sky, made with the MeerKAT telescope. The numerous faint dots are distant galaxies like our own Milky Way, that have never been observed in radio light before.
Meteorites lend clues to origins of earliest history of solar system
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) scientists and a collaborator from the University of Munster reviewed recent work that shows how meteorites exhibit a fundamental isotopic dichotomy between non-carbonaceous (NC) and carbonaceous (CC - rocks or sediments containing carbon or its compounds) groups, which most likely represent material from the inner and outer solar system.
STScI Astronomers Kathryn Flanagan and Colin Norman Elected AAAS Fellows
Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI)
The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Council has elected Kathryn Flanagan and Colin Norman of the Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) in Baltimore, Maryland, and 441 other AAAS members as Fellows of the AAAS.
A Galactic Dance
NSF's National Optical-Infrared Astronomy Research Laboratory
Galaxies lead a graceful existence on cosmic timescales. Over millions of years, they can engage in elaborate dances that produce some of Nature's most exquisite and striking grand designs. Few are as captivating as the galactic duo known as NGC 5394/5, sometimes nicknamed the Heron Galaxy. This image, obtained by the Gemini Observatory of NSF's National Optical-Infrared Astronomy Research Laboratory, captures a snapshot of this compelling interacting pair.
Simulations Attempt to Reconstruct One of the Most Explosive Events in the Universe: A Neutron Star Merger
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
A team led by scientists that included Berkeley Lab researchers has simulated the formation of a disc of matter, a giant burst of ejected matter, and the startup of energetic jets in the aftermath of a merger by two neutron stars.
Interstellar Comet 2I/Borisov Swings Past the Sun
Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI)
Hubble captured interstellar comet 2I/Borisov streaking past the Sun in a pair of images taken on November 16 and December 9. It is the first confirmed interstellar comet known to have passed through the solar system.
Research group confirm planet-mass objects in extragalactic systems
University of Oklahoma
A University of Oklahoma research group is reporting the detection of extragalactic planet-mass objects in a second and third galaxy beyond the Milky Way after the first detection in 2018.
Daylight saving time does not misalign human cycles
University of Seville
Professor Jose Maria Martin-Olalla, from the University of Seville, has published a new report where the impact of seasonal clock-changing in daily life is analyzed from time use surveys in United States, Spain, Italy,
ALMA Spots Most Distant Dusty Galaxy Hidden in Plain Sight
National Radio Astronomy Observatory
Astronomers using ALMA have spotted the light of a massive galaxy seen just 970 million years after the Big Bang!
One step closer to living on Mars: NAU scientists contribute to NASA's 'treasure map' of widespread water ice near planet's surface
Northern Arizona University
Northern Arizona University professor Christopher Edwards and postdoc Jennifer Buz are co-authors of a study published this week in Geophysical Research Letters that mapped several locations on Mars at high and mid-latitudes where water ice exists at a depth as little as an inch below the planet's surface.
Water common -- yet scarce -- in exoplanets
University of Cambridge
The most extensive survey of atmospheric chemical compositions of exoplanets to date has revealed trends that challenge current theories of planet formation and has implications for the search for water in the solar system and beyond.
Los Alamos National Laboratory Fellow Awarded Prestigious Fleming Medal
Los Alamos National Laboratory
Michelle Thomsen, a Los Alamos National Laboratory fellow and guest scientist, was awarded the John Adam Fleming Medal by the American Geophysical Union today at a ceremony in San Francisco, Calif.
Cosmic Ray Tool Repaired in Space
Department of Energy, Office of Science
Astronauts are extending the life of the DOE's Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer aboard the International Space Station.
Why It Matters: Space Jam
Council on Foreign Relations (CFR)
Space is getting crowded. The biggest challenge is space junk--the debris that results when satellites break up or get shot down. If we aren't careful, space junk, and space conflict, could cause a lot of problems down here on Earth.
Refueling Satellites in Space, With the Help of a Robot
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI)
Many technologies that are essential for daily life -- from communications to GPS navigation to weather forecasting -- rely on the thousands of satellites that are orbiting Earth. When those satellites run out of gas and stop working, there's not much that can currently be done to fix them. It's a costly, time-consuming, and increasingly problematic reality as broken-down satellites become part of the growing population of space debris. A team of researchers at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, led by Wen, are working with NASA on a solution: a robot that could capture a satellite in space and pull it in to dock, where it would refuel.
Scientists find further evidence for a population of dark matter deficient dwarf galaxies
Chinese Academy of Sciences
Researchers from the National Astronomical Observatories of the Chinese Academy of Science (NAOC), Peking University and Tsinghua University have found a special population of dwarf galaxies that could mainly consist baryons within radii of up to tens of thousands of light-years.
How Planets May Form After Dust Sticks Together
Rutgers University-New Brunswick
Scientists may have figured out how dust particles can stick together to form planets, according to a Rutgers co-authored study that may also help to improve industrial processes. In homes, adhesion on contact can cause fine particles to form dust bunnies. Similarly in outer space, adhesion causes dust particles to stick together. Large particles, however, can combine due to gravity - an essential process in forming asteroids and planets. But between these two extremes, how aggregates grow has largely been a mystery until now.
How to Build a 3D Map of the Universe - and Why
Department of Energy, Office of Science
In the 1980s, Saul Perlmutter at the Department of Energy's (DOE) Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) and his collaborators realized that they could use data about supernovae to research the history of the universe. They expected to see that very distant supernovae appear a bit brighter than they would in an expanding universe that wasn't slowing in its growth. The data revealed something else entirely.
Yervant Terzian, who explored matter between stars, dies at 80
Cornell University
Yervant Terzian, the Tisch Distinguished Professor Emeritus in the Department of Astronomy at Cornell University, who studied the physical matter between stars, dedicated his career to education and chaired the department for two decades, died Nov. 25 in Ithaca. Terzian was 80.
Astronomy fellowship demonstrates effective measures to dismantle bias, increase diversity in STEM
University of Washington
Joyce Yen of the University of Washington worked with the Heising-Simons Foundation to dismantle bias and promote diversity in a prominent grant that the Foundation awards to postdoctoral researchers. Here, Yen shares the ways bias can work against greater diversity, equity and inclusion in STEM.
Signs of life: New field guide aids astronomers' search
Cornell University
A Cornell University senior has come up with a way to discern life on exoplanets loitering in other cosmic neighborhoods: a spectral field guide.
Gaseous disk around white dwarf 'intriguing' find for exoplanet hunters
Cornell University
Rutgers Researchers Teach Lessons on Extraterrestrial Life in Local Elementary Schools
Rutgers University-New Brunswick
Each week, researchers with Rutgers ENIGMA teach astrobiology lessons to children in grades four through eight at McKinley Community School and Greater New Brunswick Charter School. Astrobiology is a relatively new interdisciplinary field that seeks to understand whether life arose elsewhere and whether we can detect it.
First Parker Solar Probe scientific papers publish in Nature
University of Alabama Huntsville
The first published science from the Solar Wind Electrons Alphas and Protons (SWEAP) instruments aboard NASA's Parker Solar Probe (PSP) poses a major challenge to our understanding of the dynamics of the near-sun solar wind.
Meteorite-Loving Microorganism
University of Vienna
The archaeon Metallosphaera sedula can uptake and process extraterrestrial material. This is shown by an international team led by astrobiologist Tetyana Milojevic, who examines microbial fingerprints on meteorite materials. The researchers also conclude that M. sedula colonizes meteorite minerals faster than those of terrestrial origin.
Scientist Leads International Team to Crack 60-Year-Old Mystery of Sun's Magnetic Waves
Queen's University Belfast
A Queen's University Belfast scientist has led an international team to the ground-breaking discovery of why the Sun's magnetic waves strengthen and grow as they emerge from its surface, which could help to solve the mystery of how the corona of the Sun maintains its multi-million degree temperatures. For more than 60 years observations of the Sun have shown that as the magnetic waves leave the interior of the Sun they grow in strength but until now there has been no solid observational evidence as to why this was the case.
Astronomers Propose a Novel Method of Finding Atmospheres on Rocky Worlds
Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI)
A team of astronomers proposes a new method of using Webb to determine whether a rocky exoplanet has an atmosphere. The technique, which involves measuring the planet's temperature as it passes behind its star and then comes back into view, is significantly faster than more traditional methods of atmospheric detection.
Black Hole Eats Star
National Radio Astronomy Observatory
Join Melissa Hoffman of the National Radio Astronomy Observatory for a tour of one of the most disruptive events in Universe.
When space travel is a blur
Universite de Montreal
Working with the Canadian Space Agency and NASA, two Quebec-based researchers are keeping an eye on astronauts' ocular health.
Mercury Transit Observed at Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory
NSF's National Optical-Infrared Astronomy Research Laboratory
About 13 times per century, fleeting Mercury can be seen passing directly in front of the Sun in what is called a transit. The most recent Mercury transit occurred on 11 November 11, 2019. While the path of Mercury across the Sun in fact traced a straight line, in this image the path appears to loop backwards due to an effect called field rotation as the telescope and camera track across the sky.
Six Berkeley Lab Scientists Named AAAS Fellows
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
Six scientists from the Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) have been named Fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).
IMAGE: Giant Magnetic Ropes in a Galaxy's Halo
National Radio Astronomy Observatory
VLA observations reveal large-scale magnetic field that spirals outward into a galaxy's extended halo.
Shape-shifting metals transform lunar missions
Texas A&M University
In preparation for another lunar landing, NASA is investing $2 million in cutting-edge thermal technology to be developed by a team of researchers from Texas A&M, Boeing and Paragon.
