Astrophysics News - SciTechDaily

Cosmic Mystery Solved? New Evidence Shows Planets Influence Sun’s Magnetic Cycles

Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf — Tue, 13 Aug 2024 21:57:28 +0000

The new physical model supports the planetary hypothesis. Researchers at the Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR) and the University of Latvia have proposed the first comprehensive physical explanation for the sun’s various activity cycles. They identify vortex-shaped currents on the sun, known as Rossby waves, as mediators between the tidal influences of Venus, Earth, and Jupiter and [...]

Backward and Beyond: Unraveling the Mystery of Eccentric Exoplanet Orbits

Penn State — Tue, 13 Aug 2024 15:01:04 +0000

An exoplanet’s strange elongated, backward orbit holds clues to the formation history and future trajectories of hot Jupiters. Astronomers have identified an exoplanet with the most eccentric orbit known, characterized by its cucumber-like shape and backward motion around its star. This discovery offers insights into the formation and evolution of hot Jupiters. Key instruments such [...]

Astronomical First: JWST Has Discovered Carbon Ices in the Far Reaches of the Solar System

University of Central Florida — Tue, 13 Aug 2024 00:31:13 +0000

A research team led by UCF discovered a significant presence of ancient carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide ices on trans-Neptunian objects, indicating that carbon dioxide may have been present during the formation of our solar system. For the first time, ices of carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide have been detected on trans-Neptunian objects (TNOs) in [...]

Alfvén Waves: The Hidden Force Superheating the Sun’s Corona

The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH) — Mon, 12 Aug 2024 01:01:55 +0000

A new study delved into the mysterious heating of the solar corona, significantly hotter than the Sun’s surface, through the lens of kinetic Alfvén waves (KAWs). Research at the University of Alabama in Huntsville investigated how these waves transport energy and contribute to solar coronal heating. The study explored the role of electromagnetic energy in [...]

Alien Search Intensifies: Detecting Gravitational Waves From Collapsing Warp Drives

Queen Mary University of London — Sun, 11 Aug 2024 19:01:35 +0000

Researchers have simulated gravitational waves emitted by a collapsing warp drive, a concept traditionally reserved for science fiction but grounded in Einstein’s theory of General Relativity. This groundbreaking study conducted by international physicists doesn’t claim to make warp drives a reality but opens new paths for detecting such phenomena with future gravitational wave detectors, providing [...]

Unveiling the Secrets of Cygnus X-3: A Hidden X-Ray Marvel in the Milky Way

University of Turku — Sat, 10 Aug 2024 11:36:24 +0000

Astronomers discovered that a well-known X-ray binary, whose exact nature has been a mystery to scientists until now, is actually a hidden ultraluminous X-ray source. X-ray binary systems, which include a normal star and a compact object like a black hole, are highly efficient at releasing gravitational energy. Cygnus X-3, discovered in the early 1970s, [...]

Could These Nearby Stars Harbor Another Earth?

Chandra X-ray Observatory — Sat, 10 Aug 2024 07:27:16 +0000

Through a 3D star map, researchers analyze how nearby stars might impact their planets’ atmospheres with X-rays, helping guide the search for habitable exoplanets by future telescopes. X-ray observations of nearby stars are helping astronomers identify the best targets to search for exoplanets with conditions suitable for life. Such planets could be directly imaged in [...]

Webb Unveils Scorching Storms on Distant Worlds in Unprecedented Detail

University of Edinburgh — Fri, 09 Aug 2024 07:12:32 +0000

Astronomers used the James Webb Space Telescope to create a comprehensive weather report for two brown dwarfs located about six light years from Earth. Researchers have created the most detailed weather report ever for two distant worlds beyond our own solar system. The international study – the first of its kind – reveals the extreme [...]

Debunking Kugelblitze: Quantum Limits Smash Black Hole Theories

Melodie Roschman, University of Waterloo — Thu, 08 Aug 2024 20:44:00 +0000

The impossibility of the kugelblitz: quantum effects forbid the formation of black holes from high concentrations of intense light. Researchers have concluded that kugelblitze, black holes formed from light, are theoretically impossible. This finding was derived from a mathematical model incorporating quantum effects, revealing that the light intensity required far exceeds that found in the [...]

Secrets of Rapid Planet Formation: Protoplanetary Puzzles Solved at Hyper Speed

Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, — Wed, 07 Aug 2024 00:10:57 +0000

Researchers have developed a new model for planet formation that shows how disturbances in protoplanetary disks can quickly form gas giants. This process is more efficient than previously thought and aligns with recent observations of distant gas giants. Our immediate cosmic neighborhood is our solar system. We know it well: the Sun at the center; [...]

First-Ever Sighting: Neutron Star’s Bizarre “Garden Sprinkler” Jet Captured

Royal Astronomical Society — Tue, 06 Aug 2024 04:51:04 +0000

For the first time, astronomers have captured an image of a neutron star emitting a ‘garden sprinkler-like’ S-shaped jet in the binary system Circinus X-1, located over 30,000 light-years away. This phenomenon, similar to precession observed in black holes, illustrates the jet’s direction change due to the gravitational pull from a disc of hot gas. [...]

Faster Than Light Travel: New Simulations Explore Warp Drive Gravitational Effects

University of Potsdam — Mon, 05 Aug 2024 03:04:21 +0000

Researchers have been delving into the concept of warp drives, theoretically allowing spaceships to surpass the speed of light, using principles from Einstein’s General Relativity. Physicists have been exploring the theoretical possibility of spaceships driven by compressing the four-dimensional spacetime for decades. Although this so-called “warp drive” originates from the realm of science fiction, it [...]

Cosmic Detective Work Leads to Stunning Black Hole Discovery in Our Galaxy

University of Cologne — Sun, 04 Aug 2024 20:55:22 +0000

An international research team has identified potential signs of an intermediate-mass black hole within the IRS 13 star cluster near the supermassive black hole at our galaxy’s center. This discovery suggests that such black holes, previously rare in observations, play a critical role in forming supermassive black holes. The IRS 13’s proximity to our galaxy’s [...]

Astronomers Uncover Vast Array of Strange Alien Worlds

University of Hawaii at Manoa — Sun, 04 Aug 2024 18:35:53 +0000

A collaborative international effort has produced a catalog detailing 126 (120 confirmed, 6 candidates) exoplanets using TESS and Keck Observatory data, broadening knowledge of their diverse types and potential for hosting life. An international team of scientists, including significant contributions from astronomers at the University of Hawaiʻi’s Institute for Astronomy (IfA), has released a new [...]

Unlocking the Habitable Universe: How X-Rays Reveal Safe Havens for Life

Chandra X-ray Center — Sun, 04 Aug 2024 13:58:42 +0000

Astronomers are using Chandra and XMM-Newton to evaluate whether nearby stars emit radiation levels compatible with habitable exoplanets. This research aims to help prioritize stars for detailed imaging with future telescopes, focusing on those whose radiation levels may support planetary atmospheres conducive to life. Exploring Exoplanet Habitability With Advanced Telescopes Using NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory [...]

How 400-Year-Old Sunspot Sketches Are Solving Modern Solar Puzzles

Nagoya University — Sun, 04 Aug 2024 07:03:11 +0000

Using updated statistical methods and historical data, scientists have reinterpreted Johannes Kepler’s sunspot drawings, shedding light on the solar cycles before the Maunder Minimum and the onset of the telescopic era of astronomy. Researchers have re-examined Johannes Kepler’s half-forgotten sunspot drawings using modern techniques and revealed previously hidden information about the solar cycles before the [...]

Mysteries of the Moon: What Craters Tell Us About Its Past

Beijing Institute of Technology Press Co., Ltd — Sat, 03 Aug 2024 17:31:46 +0000

This detailed examination of lunar crater chronology covers the development of dating methods through sample analysis, discusses the historical impact flux on the Moon starting from the solidification of the lunar magma ocean, and explores controversies in dating and impact source identification. It highlights the importance of recent findings like those from the Chang’e-5 mission [...]

Breaking the Rules: Rare Exoplanet’s Extremely Strange Orbit Stuns Astronomers

Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy (AURA) — Sat, 03 Aug 2024 09:42:22 +0000

An exoplanet’s elongated, backwards orbit holds clues to the formation history and future trajectories of high-mass gas giants. Astronomers have observed an exoplanet with a highly eccentric and retrograde orbit using the WIYN telescope. This exoplanet, named TIC 241249530 b, could significantly advance our understanding of the formation and migration of hot Jupiters, which are [...]

Astronomers Stunned by Strange Star: V889 Herculis Breaks Known Rules of Stellar Rotation

Johanna Pellinen, University of Helsinki — Sat, 03 Aug 2024 08:16:07 +0000

Researchers at the University of Helsinki have discovered that the star V889 Herculis rotates in a way that is unlike our Sun. While the Sun spins fastest at its equator, V889 Herculis rotates fastest at a latitude of about 40 degrees. This unique finding helps scientists better understand the complexities of how stars like the [...]

Astronomers Detect Potential Dark Matter Objects in Space Using Pulsars

Royal Astronomical Society — Fri, 02 Aug 2024 07:10:45 +0000

Evidence for potential dark matter objects has been detected using pulsars, which are neutron stars emitting regular beams of radio waves. These beams were analyzed by Professor John LoSecco, revealing variations and delays that indicate the presence of unseen mass, likely dark matter. LoSecco utilized data from the PPTA2 survey, involving precise measurements from several [...]

Rotating Winds Fuel Cosmic Giants: New Black Hole Insights From ALMA

Chalmers University of Technology — Thu, 01 Aug 2024 07:13:50 +0000

Scientists identified a magnetized wind in a nearby galaxy that supports the growth of its central supermassive black hole, indicating a common growth mechanism with star formation. Supermassive black holes pose unanswered questions for astronomers around the world, not least “How do they grow so big?” Now, an international team of astronomers, including researchers from [...]

Exploring the X-Ray Universe: 25 Stunning Images To Celebrate NASA’s Chandra 25th Anniversary

Chandra X-ray Center — Thu, 01 Aug 2024 00:40:10 +0000

NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory marks 25 years with new cosmic images and a history of significant contributions to space exploration and education. Since its launch in 1999, Chandra has helped unveil cosmic mysteries and supported the development of thousands of astronomers, maintaining its status as a cornerstone in astrophysical research. To celebrate the 25th anniversary [...]

NASA’s Parker Solar Probe Shatters Theory on Sun’s Extremely Hot Corona

Derek Smith, University of Michigan — Wed, 31 Jul 2024 08:16:51 +0000

NASA’s Parker Solar Probe found that S-shaped magnetic field bends are not responsible for the sun’s corona’s extreme heat. While these switchbacks appear in the solar wind, they are absent in the corona. This discovery challenges the idea that magnetic field collisions on the sun’s surface create switchbacks, suggesting other mechanisms at play. Further data [...]

Hubble Unmasks Universe’s “Invisible Glue” – Stellar Motions Reveal Dark Matter Secrets

Space Telescope Science Institute — Tue, 30 Jul 2024 02:56:41 +0000

The Hubble Space Telescope’s longevity is an asset in gaining clarity about the universe’s invisible glue. When theory and observations favor different results, how can astronomers determine which one is more feasible? Increasing confidence in one theory over another oftentimes requires building a richer dataset to improve current models and lower uncertainties. A team of [...]