Space News, Exploration & Discoveries - SciTechDaily

Look Up! A Blue Supermoon Will Light Up the Sky

Gordon Johnston, NASA — Thu, 15 Aug 2024 20:29:33 +0000

The Next Full Moon is a Supermoon, a Blue Moon; the Sturgeon Moon; the Red, Corn, Green Corn, Barley, Herb, Grain, or Dog Moon; Raksha Bandhan or Rakhi Purnima; and Tu B’Av. August 2024 will feature a rare celestial event—a super blue Moon. This full Moon will be the first of four consecutive supermoons, offering [...]

Webb Telescope Uncovers Evidence of Hydration on Asteroid Psyche

Southwest Research Institute — Thu, 15 Aug 2024 10:22:58 +0000

NASA’s Webb telescope has identified hydroxyl molecules on Psyche, a metallic asteroid, hinting at a more intricate history. Psyche’s origin could challenge existing models, indicating it might have formed beyond the solar system’s “snow line.” This discovery will refine our understanding of asteroid compositions and water distribution in the solar system. Discovery of Hydroxyl Molecules [...]

Making Mars Livable: Efficient Terraforming With Engineered Nanoparticles

Louise Lerner , University of Chicago — Thu, 15 Aug 2024 03:15:39 +0000

University of Chicago and Northwestern researchers have developed a new method to warm Mars by over 50 degrees Fahrenheit using engineered dust particles, which could make the planet suitable for microbial life and future human colonization. This approach utilizes resources found on Mars and could be 5,000 times more efficient than previous methods, potentially accelerating [...]

Could Perseverance’s Mars Samples Hold the Secret to Ancient Life?

University of California - Berkeley — Wed, 14 Aug 2024 13:00:40 +0000

NASA’s Perseverance rover has gathered rock samples from Mars that could alter our understanding of water’s history on the planet and potentially reveal past life. These samples, collected over five months in 2022 from Jezero Crater, are crucial because they were transported and deposited by water, possibly retaining evidence of past microbial life. However, detailed [...]

Is There Anybody Out There? The Hunt for Life in Cosmic Oceans

Mike Peña, University of California - Santa Cruz — Wed, 14 Aug 2024 07:36:17 +0000

Researchers from UC Santa Cruz suggest that low-temperature hydrothermal vents, similar to those found on Earth, could exist on ocean worlds like Jupiter’s moons, potentially supporting life. Their study used computer models to simulate conditions on these extraterrestrial seafloors, considering factors like gravity and heat. The findings highlight the significance of understanding Earth’s own hydrothermal [...]

Subsurface Oceans on Mars? NASA’s InSight Uncovers Vast Reservoir of Liquid Water

University of California - Berkeley — Wed, 14 Aug 2024 03:01:42 +0000

Geophysicists using seismic data from NASA’s Insight lander have discovered a significant underground water reservoir on Mars, potentially enough to have once filled ancient oceans. This reservoir, trapped within the mid-crust of Mars, suggests that the red planet’s water did not entirely escape into space but was absorbed into its crust, altering previous theories about [...]

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 [...]

Potential Evidence of Life Discovered on Mars by NASA’s Perseverance Rover

Jet Propulsion Laboratory — Tue, 13 Aug 2024 08:26:06 +0000

NASA’s Perseverance rover has discovered an intriguing rock on Mars, named Cheyava Falls, showcasing potential signs of ancient life due to its unique chemical signatures and structural features. This finding, supported by the presence of organic compounds and distinct color patterns suggestive of microbial activity, fuels ongoing research to determine Mars’s habitability. Discovery of Cheyava [...]

Celestial Beauty: Exploring a “Ring Galaxy” That Defies Expectations

ESA/Hubble — Tue, 13 Aug 2024 07:15:42 +0000

In the Perseus Cluster lies the galaxy MCG+07-07-072, a barred spiral with an unusual near-circular structure. Its classification as an SBc(r) galaxy reveals the complexity of galactic forms. The subject of this mesmerizing circular Hubble Space Telescope image is situated in the Perseus Cluster, also known as Abell 426, 320 million light-years from Earth. It’s [...]

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 [...]

Did We Just Find Liquid Water on Mars? NASA InSight Lander’s Surprising Data

University of California - San Diego — Mon, 12 Aug 2024 19:00:57 +0000

Recent findings from the Mars InSight mission indicate that Mars may have liquid water within its crust, a revelation that enhances the planet’s potential habitability and propels the search for life. Led by Vashan Wright, the research team analyzed Marsquake data to deduce the presence of sub-surface liquid water, providing exciting possibilities for understanding Mars’ [...]

Tracing Water on Mars: From Ice Caps to Hidden Oceans and the Quest for Life

Charles Q. Choi, NASA — Mon, 12 Aug 2024 16:01:34 +0000

Mars, though currently a frigid, dry landscape, harbors compelling signs of its wetter past and potential subterranean water sources that could support life or future human colonies. Research indicates ancient Martian rivers and lakes, frozen water at the poles, and minerals suggesting significant water presence. These findings shape the search for life and inform plans [...]

The Mind-Bending Phenomenon of the Einstein Ring

ESA/Hubble — Mon, 12 Aug 2024 07:04:53 +0000

Studying a Mysterious Image: A Multitude of Galaxies What are we looking at when we study this Hubble Space Telescope image? A very distant galaxy that lies 19.5 billion light-years from Earth? Or a much closer luminous red galaxy that is a (relatively) small 2.7 billion light-years away? Or a third galaxy that appears to [...]

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 [...]

Goodnight NEOWISE: NASA’s Asteroid-Hunting Space Telescope Shut Down After 10 Years

Jet Propulsion Laboratory — Sun, 11 Aug 2024 13:13:21 +0000

NEOWISE, NASA’s mission dedicated to tracking near-Earth objects, has been decommissioned after over ten years of service. The infrared space telescope relayed its final data to Earth before the project team at JPL sent a command that turned off its transmitter. The mission, which transitioned from WISE after a successful all-sky infrared survey, contributed significantly [...]

$50,000 Ariel Space Challenge: Exploring Exoplanet Atmospheres With AI

University College London — Sun, 11 Aug 2024 07:42:54 +0000

The Ariel Data Challenge 2024, hosted by UCL, invites data scientists and AI enthusiasts to analyze exoplanet atmospheres using data from the European Space Agency’s Ariel mission. With a $50,000 prize pool, the competition aims to refine techniques for interpreting faint signals in noisy telescope data. Supported by a consortium including national space agencies and [...]

Celestial Light Shows: Physicists Decode the Cosmic Dance of Auroras on Earth, Jupiter, and Saturn

The University of Hong Kong — Sat, 10 Aug 2024 22:43:44 +0000

A recent study reveals new insights into aurorae across Earth, Jupiter, and Saturn, highlighting the role of magnetic fields and solar winds in shaping these phenomena, with significant implications for space weather forecasting and planetary exploration. The breathtaking aurorae, commonly known as the Northern and Southern Lights, have captivated human imagination for centuries. From May [...]

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 [...]

Wonder Material Graphene Discovered in Lunar Soil Sample From Chinese Moon Mission

Science China Press — Fri, 09 Aug 2024 18:31:59 +0000

Scientists have discovered a unique type of graphene in moon soil, brought back by China’s Chang’e 5 mission. This graphene, which consists of several thin layers, may have formed billions of years ago due to volcanic activity and the effects of solar winds on the moon. This discovery is exciting because it shows us a [...]

Perseid Peak: Witness the Meteor Shower Spectacle Illuminating the Night Sky

Wayne Smith, NASA — Fri, 09 Aug 2024 12:43:05 +0000

The Perseids, an annual meteor shower caused by debris from Comet Swift-Tuttle, offers a brilliant display of meteors and fireballs each August. Optimal viewing is suggested between midnight and dawn on August 12, requiring dark skies and time for eyes to adjust. The speed of these meteors can reach up to 132,000 mph, creating stunning [...]

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 [...]