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Astronomers investigate the evolution of a newly detected supernova

An international team of astronomers has investigated a newly detected Type II supernova designated SN 2024jlf. The new study, detailed in a paper published Jan. 30 on the arXiv pre-print server, yields important information regarding the evolution of this supernova and the nature of its progenitor.

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Could a climate megaproject cloud Chile’s unparalleled views of universe?

As night falls on the Atacama desert in northern Chile four giant telescopes turn their gaze towards the star-strewn heavens.

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Massive stellar feedback influences star formation, finds study of W4 super-large HII region

A new study has unveiled new insights into the effects of massive stars on nearby molecular gas and star formation in the W4 super-large HII region.

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Does the universe behave the same way everywhere? Weak gravitational lensing could provide an answer

A study published in the Journal of Cosmology and Astroparticle Physics (JCAP) presents a methodology to test the assumption of cosmic homogeneity and isotropy, known as the Cosmological Principle, by leveraging weak gravitational lensing—a light distortion effect described by general relativity—in astronomical images collected by new observatories such as the Euclid Space Telescope. Finding evidence […]

Is methane the key to finding life on other worlds?

How would detecting methane help astronomers identify if exoplanets, or even exomoons, have life as we know it, or even as we don’t know it? This is what a recent study published in The Astronomical Journal hopes to address as a team of researchers led by the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center investigated how a […]

Dusting for a young star’s magnetic fingerprint illuminates planet formation

For the first time, astronomers have succeeded in observing the magnetic field around a young star where planets are thought to be forming. The team was able to use dust to measure the three-dimensional structure “fingerprint” of the magnetic field. This will help improve our understanding of planet formation.

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Enceladus study shows the physics of alien oceans could hide signs of life from spacecraft

Searching for life in alien oceans may be more difficult than scientists previously thought, even when we can sample these extraterrestrial waters directly.

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Meteorite discovery challenges long-held theories on Earth’s missing elements

Understanding where Earth’s essential elements came from—and why some are missing—has long puzzled scientists. Now, a new study reveals a surprising twist in the story of our planet’s formation.

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Solar cycle study reveals trends in charged particle numbers and interactions

A large team of researchers working on the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer Collaboration, which has been analyzing eleven years’ worth of data from the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer (AMS) aboard the International Space Station, has found trends in the number of particles moving around in the heliosphere and in the way they interact with one another.

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Efforts to find alien life could be boosted by simple test that gets microbes moving

Finding life in outer space is one of the great endeavors of humankind. One approach is to find motile microorganisms that can move independently, an ability that is a solid hint for life. If movement is induced by a chemical and an organism moves in response, it is known as chemotaxis.

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Lightning strikes link weather on Earth and weather in space

There are trillions of charged particles—protons and electrons, the basic building blocks of matter—whizzing around above your head at any given time. These high-energy particles, which can travel at close to the speed of light, typically remain thousands of kilometers away from Earth, trapped there by the shape of Earth’s magnetic field.

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International team captures direct high-definition image of the ‘cosmic web’

Matter in intergalactic space is distributed in a vast network of interconnected filamentary structures, collectively referred to as the cosmic web. With hundreds of hours of observations, an international team of researchers has now obtained an unprecedented high-definition image of a cosmic filament inside this web, connecting two active forming galaxies—dating back to when the […]

Optical observations explore the nature of supernova remnant G206.7+5.9

Astronomers from Turkey and Japan have performed optical observations of a recently discovered nearby supernova remnant known as G206.7+5.9. Results of their observations, published Jan. 28 on the arXiv pre-print server, provide more insights into the nature of this remnant.

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JWST unveils the mysteries of distant quiescent galaxies: Why do they stop growing?

Galaxies are astronomical objects composed of billions or even trillions of stars. Our Earth and solar system are just a tiny part of the Milky Way; it is one of countless galaxies in the universe. These immense systems are the fundamental building blocks of cosmic structure. During the universe’s 13.7 billion-year history, the first few […]

SETI researchers double-check 1 million objects for signs of alien signals

We can’t help ourselves but wonder about life elsewhere in the universe. Any hint of a biosignature or even a faint, technosignature-like event wrests our attention away from our tumultuous daily affairs. In 1984, our wistful quest took concrete form as SETI, the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence.

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