"If you wish to make an apple pie truly from scratch, you must first invent the universe."

— Carl Sagan

Astronomy

How a surprising twist on rewilding could help settle our carbon debt

New Scientist Space - Space Headlines - Mon, 03/24/2025 - 12:00pm
We’ve pumped huge amounts of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere that needs to be paid back. Large animals like wolves, bison and whales may already be tackling the problem
Categories: Astronomy

Sunspots may be visible during the March 29 partial solar eclipse. Here's how to spot them.

Space.com - Mon, 03/24/2025 - 12:00pm
The upcoming partial solar eclipse on March 29 is the perfect time to watch the moon hide and then reveal dark patches on the surface of the sun.
Categories: Astronomy

The Most Distant Known Galaxy Already Had Oxygen

Universe Today - Mon, 03/24/2025 - 11:16am

One of the surprising discoveries of the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) is that galaxies formed very early in the Universe. JWST has discovered about two dozen galaxies at a redshift of around z = 14, meaning that we see them at a time when the cosmos was just 300-500 million years old. The most distant galaxy, JADES-GS-z14-0, is seen at an age of less than 300 million years. All of these galaxies are rich with stars and have a basic structure similar to what we see in more modern galaxies. This discovery challenged our understanding of galactic evolution. Now a new discovery challenges it even further.

Categories: Astronomy

Private SpaceX Fram2 mission ready for world's 1st crewed flight over Earth's polar regions (photos)

Space.com - Mon, 03/24/2025 - 10:58am
SpaceX plans to make spaceflight history this month, by launching the first crewed mission to explore Earth's polar regions.
Categories: Astronomy

Gorgeous Hubble telescope image was 20 years in the making: Space photo of the day

Space.com - Mon, 03/24/2025 - 10:32am
The Hubble Space Telescope captured an image of a star and a spiral galaxy, both in the constellation Virgo. But the photo is an optical illusion.
Categories: Astronomy

Webb unmasks true nature of the Cosmic Tornado

ESO Top News - Mon, 03/24/2025 - 10:00am

The NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope has captured a beautiful juxtaposition of the nearby protostellar outflow known as Herbig-Haro 49/50 with a perfectly positioned, more distant spiral galaxy. Due to the close proximity of this Herbig-Haro object to Earth, this new composite infrared image of the outflow from a young star allows researchers to examine details on small spatial scales like never before. With Webb, we can better understand how the jet activity associated with the formation of young stars can affect the environment surrounding them.

Categories: Astronomy

Meteorites and asteroids tracked back to their place of origin in the solar system

Space.com - Mon, 03/24/2025 - 10:00am
Astronomers have tracked several meteorites that dropped in on Earth back to their origin, space rocks in the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter.
Categories: Astronomy

Star Catcher sends electricity across NFL football field in key space power-beaming test (photos)

Space.com - Mon, 03/24/2025 - 9:00am
Space-based solar power is one step closer to reality, now that Florida startup Star Catcher has successfully beamed energy across the Jacksonville Jaguars' stadium.
Categories: Astronomy

Water can turn into a superacid that makes diamonds

New Scientist Space - Cosmology - Mon, 03/24/2025 - 7:00am
Simulations suggest that water can become a superacid under extremely high heat and pressure conditions. This may also explain how planets like Uranus and Neptune get diamond rain
Categories: Astronomy

Water can turn into a superacid that makes diamonds

New Scientist Space - Space Headlines - Mon, 03/24/2025 - 7:00am
Simulations suggest that water can become a superacid under extremely high heat and pressure conditions. This may also explain how planets like Uranus and Neptune get diamond rain
Categories: Astronomy

Setting Parental Controls Is Not As Complicated As You Think

Scientific American.com - Mon, 03/24/2025 - 7:00am

Programming devices with parental controls may seem daunting, but they can help parents ensure what their kids find on TV and the Internet is age-appropriate

Categories: Astronomy

A Prenatal Test of the Fetus Turns Up Cancers in Pregnant Mothers

Scientific American.com - Mon, 03/24/2025 - 6:45am

A test for abnormal fetal chromosomes can also detect maternal cancers—and physicians are struggling to incorporate that knowledge into routine care

Categories: Astronomy

Greenland has gained over 1600 km of new coastline as glaciers retreat

New Scientist Space - Cosmology - Mon, 03/24/2025 - 6:01am
Melting ice is revealing new coastal zones in the Arctic, but while this new landscape might fuel speculation about natural resources, it is vulnerable to rockfalls and landslides that can cause dangerous tsunamis
Categories: Astronomy

Greenland has gained over 1600 km of new coastline as glaciers retreat

New Scientist Space - Space Headlines - Mon, 03/24/2025 - 6:01am
Melting ice is revealing new coastal zones in the Arctic, but while this new landscape might fuel speculation about natural resources, it is vulnerable to rockfalls and landslides that can cause dangerous tsunamis
Categories: Astronomy

NASA Astronauts Return, Seals Hold Their Breath Underwater, and Penguin Poop Panics Kril

Scientific American.com - Mon, 03/24/2025 - 6:00am

In this week’s news roundup, two NASA astronauts finally return to Earth after nine unexpected months in space, gray seals hold their breath for more than an hour, and penguin poop panics krill.

Categories: Astronomy

Euclid 'dark universe detective' spacecraft discovers 2,674 new dwarf galaxies

Space.com - Mon, 03/24/2025 - 6:00am
Using data from the Euclid Space Telescope, astronomers have discovered a stunning 2,674 dwarf galaxies, the study of which could help better understand cosmic evolution.
Categories: Astronomy

Black holes may obey the laws of physics after all, new theory suggests

Space.com - Mon, 03/24/2025 - 5:00am
A new recipe for black holes could do away with central singularities, saving the laws of physics from troubling infinities.
Categories: Astronomy

We're One Step Closer to a Giant Interferometer on the Moon

Universe Today - Sun, 03/23/2025 - 11:12pm

What's on and in a star? What happens at an active galactic nucleus? Answering those question is the goal of a proposed giant interferometer on the Moon. It's called Artemis-enabled Stellar Imager (AeSI) and would deploy a series of 15-30 optical/ultraviolet-sensitive telescopes in a 1-km elliptical array across the lunar surface.

Categories: Astronomy

Why Can't Physicists Decide if Warp Drives are Real?

Universe Today - Sun, 03/23/2025 - 8:25pm

In the years since Miguel Alcubierre came up with a warp drive solution in 1994, you would occasionally see news headlines saying that warp drives can work. And then a few months later you’ll see that they’ve been ruled out. And then after that you’ll see that warp drives kind of work, but only in limited cases. It seems to constantly go around and around without a clear answer. What gives?

Categories: Astronomy