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A Neptune-Like Exoplanet Is Racing Through Space at Record Speed
Scientists have detected an exoplanet racing through space at 1.2 million mph, making it the fastest known planet. The Neptune-sized world orbits a hypervelocity star, first hinted at in 2011 via gravitational microlensing. Astronomers, using Keck Observatory and Gaia data, have confirmed the system’s extreme speed, suggesting it may even leave t...
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A Star With a Planet May Be Racing Through the Galaxy at Record Speed
Astronomers have identified a potential record-breaking exoplanet system moving at 1.2 million mph. Detected through microlensing, the discovery suggests a low-mass star with an orbiting planet is racing through the Milky Way. Data from the Keck Observatory and ESA’s Gaia satellite indicate a high-speed celestial body that may eventually escape t...
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Gravitational Waves Reveal Black Hole Ancestry Through Spin Analysis
A study published in Physical Review Letters explores how gravitational waves reveal the ancestry of black holes. By examining 69 black hole mergers, researchers found that spin shifts indicate repeated collisions in dense star clusters. This insight supports models suggesting black holes grow through sequential mergers. Observatories like LIGO and...
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Scientists Discover Hidden Clues to the Dark Universe in 3D Galaxy Maps
A breakthrough study has revealed new insights into the "dark universe," which consists of dark matter and dark energy. By using a novel technique called field-level inference (FLI), scientists have discovered previously hidden details in 3D galaxy maps. This method preserves the three-dimensional nature of the data, unlike traditional compression ...
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NASA SPHEREx Telescope to Map the Universe and Search for Life’s Ingredients
NASA’s SPHEREx mission, set to launch aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket on February 27, aims to explore the origins of the universe and the formation of galaxies. Using near-infrared light, the telescope will study over 450 million galaxies and 100 million stars in the Milky Way. It will also search for water and organic molecules in regions where ...
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Vera C. Rubin Observatory to Detect Millions of Exploding Stars
The Vera C. Rubin Observatory, set to begin its 10-year Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST) later this year, will track millions of Type Ia supernovae to advance our understanding of dark energy. These supernovae, resulting from white dwarf stars in binary systems, will be studied in detail to provide crucial data on the universe’s acceleratin...
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Asteroid 2024 PT5 Linked to Lunar Surface, Reveals Planetary Defense Insights
Asteroid 2024 PT5, sized like a school bus, passed Earth in January at 1.1 million miles. Research suggests it originated from the moon, ejected thousands of years ago by an impact. Spectral analysis matched it to Apollo 14 lunar rocks, ruling out artificial origins. This is the second known lunar asteroid after 469219 Kamo’oalewa. The study hint...
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Comet ATLAS Offers Stunning Display as It Nears the Sun
Comet C/2024 G3 (ATLAS) recently passed within 8 million miles of the Sun, capturing the attention of astronomers. Observed by NASA and ESA’s Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO), the comet’s tail extended dramatically as it encountered intense solar winds, providing a unique opportunity to study the Sun’s impact on comets. The event, wh...
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World’s Largest Telescope Dome Complete in Chile’s Atacama Desert
The construction of the Extremely Large Telescope (ELT) in Chile's Atacama Desert has reached a significant milestone with the completion of its dome's frame. The ELT, which will be the world’s largest visible- and infrared-light telescope, is being developed by the European Southern Observatory (ESO). The dome, measuring 305 feet in diameter and...
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Study Finds Coronal Loop Flickers Could Predict Solar Flares Hours in Advance
NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory has revealed a potential breakthrough in predicting solar flares. Scientists observed brightness fluctuations in coronal loops—plasma structures in the Sun's atmosphere—that intensify hours before solar flares occur. This discovery, with a prediction accuracy of 60–80%, may provide 2–6 hours of advance warn...
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Satellite Images Reveal the Widespread Destruction of Los Angeles Fires from Space
Satellite images have captured the widespread destruction caused by the ongoing wildfires in Southern California, with over 34,000 acres burned. The Palisades Fire is the largest and most destructive, having devastated Malibu and other areas. Firefighters have successfully protected vital infrastructure like Mount Wilson Observatory and NASA's Jet ...
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NASA's Solar Observatories Resume Data Operations After Flood Disruption
NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) and Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph (IRIS) have resumed data operations following a flood at Stanford University on November 26, 2024. The incident damaged systems at the Joint Science Operations Center (JSOC), impacting access to critical solar data. Despite challenges, partial database restoration h...
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Rubin Observatory’s 2025 Debut Could Unveil Hidden Dark Comets in Space
The Vera Rubin Observatory, set to begin operations in 2025, is expected to revolutionise the study of dark comets. These elusive objects, which lack visible tails but exhibit non-gravitational acceleration, have already been identified in our solar system, but their true numbers remain unknown. The observatory's advanced technology, including a po...
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James Webb and Chandra Capture Images of Star Clusters in Distant Galaxies
NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope and Chandra X-ray Observatory have unveiled stunning new images of two star clusters in the Small Magellanic Cloud. NGC 602, located approximately 200,000 light-years from Earth, showcases active star formation, with dust clouds and ionised gas revealing unique stellar birth conditions. Meanwhile, NGC 2264 featur...
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Arecibo Observatory Data Helps SETI Uncover Secrets of Pulsar Signals and Cosmic Distortions
Data from the now-collapsed Arecibo Observatory continues to drive major discoveries in space science. Sofia Sheikh and her team from the SETI Institute utilised archived data to investigate the signals of pulsars—dense neutron stars emitting radiation like cosmic lighthouses. Their study focused on how these signals are distorted by interstellar...
-
A Neptune-Like Exoplanet Is Racing Through Space at Record Speed
Scientists have detected an exoplanet racing through space at 1.2 million mph, making it the fastest known planet. The Neptune-sized world orbits a hypervelocity star, first hinted at in 2011 via gravitational microlensing. Astronomers, using Keck Observatory and Gaia data, have confirmed the system’s extreme speed, suggesting it may even leave t...
-
A Star With a Planet May Be Racing Through the Galaxy at Record Speed
Astronomers have identified a potential record-breaking exoplanet system moving at 1.2 million mph. Detected through microlensing, the discovery suggests a low-mass star with an orbiting planet is racing through the Milky Way. Data from the Keck Observatory and ESA’s Gaia satellite indicate a high-speed celestial body that may eventually escape t...
-
Gravitational Waves Reveal Black Hole Ancestry Through Spin Analysis
A study published in Physical Review Letters explores how gravitational waves reveal the ancestry of black holes. By examining 69 black hole mergers, researchers found that spin shifts indicate repeated collisions in dense star clusters. This insight supports models suggesting black holes grow through sequential mergers. Observatories like LIGO and...
-
Scientists Discover Hidden Clues to the Dark Universe in 3D Galaxy Maps
A breakthrough study has revealed new insights into the "dark universe," which consists of dark matter and dark energy. By using a novel technique called field-level inference (FLI), scientists have discovered previously hidden details in 3D galaxy maps. This method preserves the three-dimensional nature of the data, unlike traditional compression ...
-
NASA SPHEREx Telescope to Map the Universe and Search for Life’s Ingredients
NASA’s SPHEREx mission, set to launch aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket on February 27, aims to explore the origins of the universe and the formation of galaxies. Using near-infrared light, the telescope will study over 450 million galaxies and 100 million stars in the Milky Way. It will also search for water and organic molecules in regions where ...
-
Vera C. Rubin Observatory to Detect Millions of Exploding Stars
The Vera C. Rubin Observatory, set to begin its 10-year Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST) later this year, will track millions of Type Ia supernovae to advance our understanding of dark energy. These supernovae, resulting from white dwarf stars in binary systems, will be studied in detail to provide crucial data on the universe’s acceleratin...
-
Asteroid 2024 PT5 Linked to Lunar Surface, Reveals Planetary Defense Insights
Asteroid 2024 PT5, sized like a school bus, passed Earth in January at 1.1 million miles. Research suggests it originated from the moon, ejected thousands of years ago by an impact. Spectral analysis matched it to Apollo 14 lunar rocks, ruling out artificial origins. This is the second known lunar asteroid after 469219 Kamo’oalewa. The study hint...
-
Comet ATLAS Offers Stunning Display as It Nears the Sun
Comet C/2024 G3 (ATLAS) recently passed within 8 million miles of the Sun, capturing the attention of astronomers. Observed by NASA and ESA’s Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO), the comet’s tail extended dramatically as it encountered intense solar winds, providing a unique opportunity to study the Sun’s impact on comets. The event, wh...
-
World’s Largest Telescope Dome Complete in Chile’s Atacama Desert
The construction of the Extremely Large Telescope (ELT) in Chile's Atacama Desert has reached a significant milestone with the completion of its dome's frame. The ELT, which will be the world’s largest visible- and infrared-light telescope, is being developed by the European Southern Observatory (ESO). The dome, measuring 305 feet in diameter and...
-
Study Finds Coronal Loop Flickers Could Predict Solar Flares Hours in Advance
NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory has revealed a potential breakthrough in predicting solar flares. Scientists observed brightness fluctuations in coronal loops—plasma structures in the Sun's atmosphere—that intensify hours before solar flares occur. This discovery, with a prediction accuracy of 60–80%, may provide 2–6 hours of advance warn...
-
Satellite Images Reveal the Widespread Destruction of Los Angeles Fires from Space
Satellite images have captured the widespread destruction caused by the ongoing wildfires in Southern California, with over 34,000 acres burned. The Palisades Fire is the largest and most destructive, having devastated Malibu and other areas. Firefighters have successfully protected vital infrastructure like Mount Wilson Observatory and NASA's Jet ...
-
NASA's Solar Observatories Resume Data Operations After Flood Disruption
NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) and Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph (IRIS) have resumed data operations following a flood at Stanford University on November 26, 2024. The incident damaged systems at the Joint Science Operations Center (JSOC), impacting access to critical solar data. Despite challenges, partial database restoration h...
-
Rubin Observatory’s 2025 Debut Could Unveil Hidden Dark Comets in Space
The Vera Rubin Observatory, set to begin operations in 2025, is expected to revolutionise the study of dark comets. These elusive objects, which lack visible tails but exhibit non-gravitational acceleration, have already been identified in our solar system, but their true numbers remain unknown. The observatory's advanced technology, including a po...
-
James Webb and Chandra Capture Images of Star Clusters in Distant Galaxies
NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope and Chandra X-ray Observatory have unveiled stunning new images of two star clusters in the Small Magellanic Cloud. NGC 602, located approximately 200,000 light-years from Earth, showcases active star formation, with dust clouds and ionised gas revealing unique stellar birth conditions. Meanwhile, NGC 2264 featur...
-
Arecibo Observatory Data Helps SETI Uncover Secrets of Pulsar Signals and Cosmic Distortions
Data from the now-collapsed Arecibo Observatory continues to drive major discoveries in space science. Sofia Sheikh and her team from the SETI Institute utilised archived data to investigate the signals of pulsars—dense neutron stars emitting radiation like cosmic lighthouses. Their study focused on how these signals are distorted by interstellar...
