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Research reveals the cause of diffuse aurora formation dominated by chorus waves

Recently, a research team led by Prof. Lu Quanming and Prof. Gao Xinliang from the School of Earth and Space Sciences and the Deep Space Exploration Laboratory at the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC) has revealed the underlying cause of diffuse aurora formation dominated by chorus waves in the Earth’s inner magnetosphere. […]

Scientists help unravel life’s cosmic beginnings

Knowledge about the early forms of life in the universe that may have led to the development of life on Earth remains largely unknown. However, a group of scientists at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa are attempting to change that.

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What causes the different colors of the aurora? An expert explains the electric rainbow

Last week, a huge solar flare sent a wave of energetic particles from the sun surging out through space. Over the weekend, the wave reached Earth, and people around the world enjoyed the sight of unusually vivid aurora in both hemispheres.

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Dazzling auroras fade from skies as sunspot turns away

The spectacular auroras that danced across the sky in many parts of the world over the weekend are fading, scientists said Monday, as the massive sunspot that caused them turns its ferocious gaze away from Earth.

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Does the Milky Way have too many satellite galaxies?

The Large and Small Magellanic Clouds are well-known satellite galaxies of the Milky Way, but there are more. It is surrounded by at least 61 within 1.4 million light years (for context the Andromeda galaxy is 2.5 million light years away) but there are likely to be more.

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SpaceX shows off its new extravehicular activity suit

In February 2022, SpaceX and entrepreneur/philanthropist Jared Isaacman (commander of the Inspiration4 mission) announced they were launching a new program to “rapidly advance human spaceflight capabilities” while supporting important charitable and humanitarian causes here on Earth. It’s called the Polaris Program.

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FAA initiates environmental impact study for SpaceX Starship launches from Kennedy Space Center

SpaceX’s plans to build a Starship launch complex at Kennedy Space Center are moving closer to reality even as it potentially takes over a launch site from neighboring Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.

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Tiny satellites can provide significant information about space

CubeSats are satellites constructed of cubic units, or U, a bit smaller than a square tissue box, or about 10 centimeters (about 4 inches) on each side. (A 2U CubeSat, for instance, is about the size of a rectangular tissue box.) Initially developed two decades ago as an inexpensive platform for students to learn about […]

Discovery of biomarkers in space—conditions on Saturn’s moon Enceladus simulated in the laboratory

In 2018, very large organic molecules were discovered in ice particles on Saturn’s moon Enceladus. It is still unclear whether they indicate the existence of life or were created in some other way. A recent study could help to answer this question. It is possible, that conditions that support or maintain life in extraterrestrial oceans […]

Tracing the origins of organic matter in Martian sediments

Although Mars presents a barren, dusty landscape with no signs of life so far, its geological features such as deltas, lakebeds, and river valleys strongly suggest a past where water once flowed abundantly on its surface. To explore this possibility, scientists examine sediments preserved near these formations. The composition of these sediments holds clues about […]

Scientists discover huge magnetic toroids in the Milky Way halo

The origin and evolution of cosmic magnetic fields is a long-standing unsolved question at the frontier of astronomy and astrophysics research and has been selected as one of the key areas of investigation for many major world-class radio telescopes, including the Square Kilometer Array (SKA) under construction. To determine the large-scale magnetic field structures in […]

Raspberry in the sky: Astronomers discover a new supernova remnant candidate

Astronomers from the Western Sydney University in Australia and elsewhere report the detection of a new supernova remnant (SNR) candidate. The newfound SNR candidate, dubbed “Raspberry” due to its morphology, was identified in the near side of the Milky Way’s Scutum-Centaurus Arm. The findings were detailed in the Research Notes of the American Astronomical Society. […]

Student’s comparative analysis of primitive asteroids provides context for further research, future NASA missions

The primitive asteroids that UCF physics doctoral student Brittany Harvison studies carry with them traces of their origins and billions of years of our solar system’s history.

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Anticipating future discoveries: Scientists explore nontrivial cosmic topology

In a new Physical Review Letters (PRL) study, scientists explore the possibility of nontrivial or exotic topologies in the universe for explaining some of the anomalies seen in Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB).

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What deadly Venus can tell us about life on other worlds

Even though Venus and Earth are so-called sister planets, they’re as different as heaven and hell. Earth is a natural paradise where life has persevered under its azure skies despite multiple mass extinctions. On the other hand, Venus is a blistering planet with clouds of sulfuric acid and atmospheric pressure strong enough to squash a […]