"The large-scale homogeneity of the universe makes it very difficult to believe that the structure of the universe is determined by anything so peripheral as some complicated molecular structure on a minor planet orbiting a very average star in the outer suburbs of a fairly typical galaxy."

— Steven Hawking

Astronomy

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Are these trees growing on Mars?


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Tidally locked in


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Big beautiful barred spiral


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An interstellar expanse of glowing gas and obscuring dust presents


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Is there a


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It's raining stars.


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Polycystic ovary syndrome may be passed on via chemical tags on DNA

New Scientist Space - Space Headlines - Mon, 06/30/2025 - 7:01pm
Eggs and embryos from people with polycystic ovary syndrome have altered patterns of so-called epigenetic tags, which could explain how the condition is inherited
Categories: Astronomy

A Spacecraft Carrying Human Remains and Cannabis Crashes into the Ocean

Universe Today - Mon, 06/30/2025 - 7:01pm

Failed Orbital Mission Loses Human Remains, Space Pot

Categories: Astronomy

Menstrual Cups Tested in Space Flight Conditions for the First Time

Universe Today - Mon, 06/30/2025 - 7:01pm

For long-duration missions, female astronauts generally use hormonal contraception to suppress their periods. But this method has potential health risks and requires special storage. Pads and tampons create waste in space. Now researchers have tested menstrual cups on a sub-orbital rocket flight, where they experienced the force of launch, and found they performed identically to ground control cups. This could provide a new option to female astronauts on future missions.

Categories: Astronomy

Tracking Macroplastics Leeching Into Rivers from Space

Universe Today - Mon, 06/30/2025 - 7:01pm

Rivers are one of the main ways that plastics get into the world's oceans, and now we can identify where plastic waste accumulates from space. Researchers used data from the Worldview-3 satellite to identify and map plastic material and polymer-coated surfaces in a watershed on the US-Mexico border. They collected different waste from stream channels and then identified their specific infrared absorption features, matching them to satellite imagery.

Categories: Astronomy

Galaxy Clusters Have Been Surrounded by High-Energy Particles for Almost Their Entire History

Universe Today - Mon, 06/30/2025 - 7:01pm

If you could see the Universe through a radio-wave "eye", you'd detect mini-halos of relativistic particles creating radio emissions around some galaxy clusters. Astronomers long figured those halos are relative "recent" happenings in the nearby Universe and didn't occur in the early epochs of cosmic history. That's all changed now that the Low Frequency Array (LOFAR) radio observatory in Europe has revealed newborn galaxies in the early Universe already surrounded by a halo of particles. It's a rare look at what such clusters were like soon after they formed.

Categories: Astronomy

Correcting Radius Biases in TESS Exoplanet Discoveries

Universe Today - Mon, 06/30/2025 - 7:01pm

How accurate are the exoplanet radius measurements obtained by NASA’s Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS)? This is what a recent study accepted to The Astrophysical Journal hopes to address as a team of researchers investigated how hundreds of exoplanetary radii measured by TESS during its mission might be incorrect and the data could be underestimating the radii measurements. This study has the potential to help astronomers develop more efficient methods more estimating exoplanetary characteristics, which could influence whether or not they are Earth-sized.

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GJ 12 b: Earth-Sized Planet Orbiting a Quiet M Dwarf Star

Universe Today - Mon, 06/30/2025 - 7:01pm

What can Earth-sized exoplanets teach scientists about the formation and evolution of exoplanets throughout the cosmos? This is what a recently submitted study hopes to address as an international team of researchers announced the discovery of an Earth-sized exoplanet that exhibits temperatures and a density comparable to Earth. This study has the potential to help scientists better understand the formation and evolution of Earth-sized exoplanets and what this could mean for finding life beyond Earth.

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The Oceans on Enceladus Are Highly Alkaline

Universe Today - Mon, 06/30/2025 - 7:01pm

What can the pH level of the subsurface ocean on Enceladus tell us about finding life there? This is what a recent study accepted to Icarus hopes to address as a team of researchers investigated the potential pH level of Enceladus’ subsurface ocean based on current estimates. This study has the potential to help scientists better understand the composition of Enceladus’ subsurface ocean and what this can mean for finding life as we know it.

Categories: Astronomy

Worldwide Team of Citizen Scientists Help Confirm a Tricky Exoplanet

Universe Today - Mon, 06/30/2025 - 7:01pm

Distant exoplanets can be dodgy to spot even in the best of observations. Despite the challenges, a team of astronomers just reported the discovery of a gas giant exoplanet that lies about 400 light-years from Earth. It's called TOI-4465 b and it takes 12 hours to transit across the face of its star during its 102-day orbit.

Categories: Astronomy

In Situ Resource Utilization and the Importance of Lunar Ice for Artemis III

Universe Today - Mon, 06/30/2025 - 7:01pm

What is the importance of studying and utilizing lunar polar volatiles during the Artemis program, and specifically for first crewed mission, Artemis III? This is what a recent study presented at the Lunar and Planetary Science Conference hopes to address as an international team of researchers investigated using lunar polar volatiles for in situ resource utilization (ISRU) purposes. In geology, volatiles are substances that vaporize at low temperatures, and examples include water, carbon dioxide, and sulfur dioxide. In the case of the Moon, key volatiles are water located in permanently shadowed regions (PSRs) at the lunar south polar region.

Categories: Astronomy

A Dense Group of Quasars Form the "Cosmic Himalayas"

Universe Today - Mon, 06/30/2025 - 7:01pm

Quasars provide some of the most spectacular light shows in the universe. However, they are typically exceedingly rare since they are caused by massive astrophysical forces that don’t happen very often. So it came as quite a surprise when scientists found a group of 11 of them hanging on in the same general area, in what appeared to be equivalent to the galactic countryside. A new paper from Yongming Liang and their co-authors at the University of Tokyo describes this finding, which they dubbed the Cosmic Himalayas, and some of the weird astronomical circumstances that place the discovery in context.

Categories: Astronomy

Roman Telescope Core Components Complete Vibration Testing

Universe Today - Mon, 06/30/2025 - 7:01pm

Spacecraft violently shake, rattle, and roll on their way into space aboard a giant explosion. Therefore, they must also be tested to make sure they can withstand those forces before getting to their orbit for deployment. One of NASA’s major observatories recently completed part of its trials, with the core portion of the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope successfully completing its shock and vibration testing a few weeks ago.

Categories: Astronomy