Nothing is the bridge between the future and the further future. Nothing is certainty. Nothing is any definition of anything.

— Peter Hammill

Astronomy

Chemical injection brings dying batteries back to life

New Scientist Space - Space Headlines - Fri, 03/08/2024 - 12:00pm
Researchers restored degraded lithium-ion batteries to nearly full capacity by injecting them with a chemical that creates more charged particles inside them
Categories: Astronomy

Chemical injection brings dying batteries back to life

New Scientist Space - Cosmology - Fri, 03/08/2024 - 12:00pm
Researchers restored degraded lithium-ion batteries to nearly full capacity by injecting them with a chemical that creates more charged particles inside them
Categories: Astronomy

Astronomers Image 62 Newly-Forming Planetary Systems

Universe Today - Fri, 03/08/2024 - 11:39am

Astronomers using the Very Large Telescope in Chile have now completed one of the largest surveys ever to hunt for planet-forming discs. They were able to find dozens of dusty regions around young stars, directly imaging the swirling gas and dust which hints at the locations of these new worlds.

Just like the wide variety in the types of exoplanets that have been discovered, these new data and stunning images show how protoplanetary systems are surprisingly diverse, with different sizes and shapes of disks.

In research presented in three new papers, researchers imaged 86 young stars and found 62 of them had a wide range of star-forming regions surrounding them. The astronomers say this study provides a wealth of data and unique insights into how planets arise in different regions of our galaxy.

Planet-forming discs around young stars and their location within the gas-rich cloud of Taurus, roughly 600 light-years from Earth. The background image shows an infrared view of Taurus captured by the Infrared Astronomical Satellite. Credit: ESO/A.Garufi et al.; IRAS

“Some of these discs show huge spiral arms, presumably driven by the intricate ballet of orbiting planets,” said Christian Ginski, from the University of Galway, Ireland, and lead author of one of the three papers published in Astronomy & Astrophysics.

“Others show rings and large cavities carved out by forming planets, while yet others seem smooth and almost dormant among all this bustle of activity,” said Antonio Garufi, an astronomer at the Arcetri Astrophysical Observatory, Italian National Institute for Astrophysics (INAF), and lead author on another paper.

As of this writing, there are 5595 confirmed exoplanets that have been discovered, with more than another 5000 candidate planets yet to be confirmed. From these strange new worlds, we’ve found a wide variety of planetary systems, very different from our own. In order to understand this variety, a large international group of astronomers combined forces to observe the dust- and gas-rich discs that envelop young stars, where the very early stages of planet formation takes place.

Planet-forming discs around young stars and their location within the gas-rich cloud of Orion, roughly 1600 light-years from Earth. The background image shows an infrared view of Orion captured by the Infrared Astronomical Satellite. Credit: ESO/P.-G. Valegård et al.; IRAS

The 86 stars studied were in three different star-forming regions of our galaxy: Taurus and Chamaeleon I, both about 600 light-years from Earth, and Orion, a gas-rich cloud about 1,600 light-years from us that is known to be the birthplace of several stars more massive than the Sun.

In total, the team observed 43 stars in the Taurus region, and found planet-forming disks around 39 of them; 20 stars in the Chamaeleon I region, detecting discs around 13; and 23 stars in the Orion region, with planet-forming discs around 10 of them.

They used the Spectro-Polarimetric High-contrast Exoplanet REsearch instrument (SPHERE) mounted on ESO’s VLT, and were able to image discs around stars with masses as low as half the mass of the Sun, which are typically too faint for most other instruments. Additional data for the survey were obtained using the VLT’s X-shooter instrument, which allowed astronomers to determine how young and how massive the stars are. The Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA), also in Chile provided data on the amount of dust surrounding some of the stars.

One of the key findings from the observations of young stars in Orion showed that stars that are in systems with two or more stars were less likely to have large planet-forming discs. The astronomers said this is a significant result given that, unlike our Sun, most stars in our galaxy have companions. Additionally, they found that any uneven appearance of the planet-forming discs suggests the possibility of massive planets embedded within them, which could be causing the discs to warp and become misaligned.

Planet-forming discs around young stars and their location within the gas-rich cloud of Chamaeleon I, roughly 600 light-years from Earth. The stunning images of the discs were captured using the Spectro-Polarimetric High-contrast Exoplanet REsearch (SPHERE) instrument mounted on ESO’s Very Large Telescope (VLT). The background image shows an infrared view of Chamaeleon I captured by the Herschel Space Observatory. Credit: ESO/C. Ginski et al.; ESA/Herschel

The researchers say they will continue to study the data gathered, but so far the beautiful images and insightful data have provided a wealth of information to help study the mysteries of planet formation.

“It is almost poetic that the processes that mark the start of the journey towards forming planets and ultimately life in our own Solar System should be so beautiful,” concludes Per-Gunnar Valegård, a doctoral student at the University of Amsterdam, the Netherlands, who led the Orion study.

Further reading:
ESO press release 
Papers on ChamaeleonTaurusOrion

The post Astronomers Image 62 Newly-Forming Planetary Systems appeared first on Universe Today.

Categories: Astronomy

'Space: The Longest Goodbye' is an intimate glimpse at how astronauts cope with isolation (review)

Space.com - Fri, 03/08/2024 - 11:30am
A review of director Ido Mizrahy's new documentary, "Space: The Longest Goodbye," which examines the toll that long-duration spaceflight can have on mental health.
Categories: Astronomy

Mystery of Jupiter's Great Blue Spot deepens with strangely fluctuating jet

Space.com - Fri, 03/08/2024 - 11:00am
A time-changing jet in Jupiter's atmosphere may finally shed light onto the gas giant’s mysterious dynamo.
Categories: Astronomy

Oldest 'dead' galaxy ever seen defies current models of the ancient universe

Space.com - Fri, 03/08/2024 - 10:40am
Astronomers have discovered the oldest known "dead" galaxy in recent observations from the James Webb Space Telescope, challenging current models of the early universe.
Categories: Astronomy

Week in images: 04-08 March 2024

ESO Top News - Fri, 03/08/2024 - 10:10am

Week in images: 04-08 March 2024

Discover our week through the lens

Categories: Astronomy

SpaceX employee sues company for alleged sexual discrimination, retaliation

Space.com - Fri, 03/08/2024 - 10:00am
SpaceX employee Michelle Dopak has filed a lawsuit against the company, alleging, among other things, that the company retaliated against her for reporting sexual harassment.
Categories: Astronomy

This Whispering of Huginn

ESO Top News - Fri, 03/08/2024 - 10:00am
Video: 00:04:00

Andreas Mogensen launched on his Huginn mission in August 2023 to the International Space Station, becoming the first non-US astronaut to pilot SpaceX’s Crew Dragon spacecraft. Andreas became commander of the International Space Station in September 2023, becoming the longest serving European commander in January 2024. His mission was spent on more than 30 European experiments and plenty of international ones as well, ranging from water purification to studies of human physiology and thunderclouds. After 6 months on the International Space Station, Andreas will come down to Earth together with his Crew-7 crewmates Jasmin Moghbeli (NASA), Satoshi Furukawa (JAXA), and Konstantin Borisov (Roscosmos).

Access the related broadcast quality video material 

Categories: Astronomy

Astro Chat with Rosemary Coogan | ESA Explores podcast

ESO Top News - Fri, 03/08/2024 - 10:00am
Video: 00:21:52

Rosemary Coogan, one of ESA’s five astronaut candidates currently undergoing basic astronaut training at the European Astronaut Centre in Cologne, Germany, shares her journey from studying the stars to training for space travel. Join us as we discuss her experiences in astronaut training, her favorite lessons, and her excitement for the future of space exploration.

This is Episode 4 of our ESA Explores podcast series introducing the ESA astronaut class of 2022, recorded in November 2023.

Music and audio editing by Denzel Lorge. Cover art by Gaël Nadaud.

Access all ESA Explores podcasts.

Categories: Astronomy

Paying Attention to Sensations Can Help Reset the Mind

Scientific American.com - Fri, 03/08/2024 - 10:00am

Learning to observe bodily sensation is a powerful strategy for improving mental health

Categories: Astronomy

How Arguments that Embryos Are People Pose a Threat to IVF

Scientific American.com - Fri, 03/08/2024 - 9:30am

Designating an IVF embryo as a person reveals the radical impact of an extreme antiabortion argument gone mainstream

Categories: Astronomy

AI chatbot models ‘think’ in English even when using other languages

New Scientist Space - Cosmology - Fri, 03/08/2024 - 9:00am
When answering questions posed in Chinese, French, German or Russian, large language models seem to process the queries in English, which could create cultural issues
Categories: Astronomy

AI chatbot models ‘think’ in English even when using other languages

New Scientist Space - Space Headlines - Fri, 03/08/2024 - 9:00am
When answering questions posed in Chinese, French, German or Russian, large language models seem to process the queries in English, which could create cultural issues
Categories: Astronomy

NASA’s Hopes for Space Solar Power Are Looking Dim

Scientific American.com - Fri, 03/08/2024 - 8:00am

Exorbitant launch costs and daunting engineering challenges make the dream of space- based solar power look dicey for the space agency

Categories: Astronomy

How Big Is Space?

Scientific American.com - Fri, 03/08/2024 - 7:45am

The scale of the cosmos exceeds the bounds of human comprehension. But that doesn’t mean the universe is beyond our understanding

Categories: Astronomy

1 month to go until the total solar eclipse 2024: Here's what you need to know

Space.com - Fri, 03/08/2024 - 7:00am
There is just one month to go until the total solar eclipse on April 8, 2024. Here's how to make sure you are eclipse-ready.
Categories: Astronomy

Engineers are diverting Mississippi river to restore Louisiana’s coast

New Scientist Space - Cosmology - Fri, 03/08/2024 - 7:00am
South of New Orleans, a project to divert the Mississippi river could restore ecosystems destroyed by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill and build new land to protect against sea level rise
Categories: Astronomy

Engineers are diverting Mississippi river to restore Louisiana’s coast

New Scientist Space - Space Headlines - Fri, 03/08/2024 - 7:00am
South of New Orleans, a project to divert the Mississippi river could restore ecosystems destroyed by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill and build new land to protect against sea level rise
Categories: Astronomy