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Sharper than ever: New algorithm brings the stars into greater focus

Johns Hopkins applied mathematicians and astronomers have developed a new method to render images from ground-based telescopes as clear as those taken from space, a process that stands to expand the benefits of Earth-based instruments.

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Scientists discover 63 new young asteroid families—more than doubling the previous number

Young asteroids—which formed much later than those that were created during the formation of our solar system—are typically created when larger asteroids, planetesimals, or comets collide and break up into smaller pieces. These smaller pieces form “asteroid families” that share certain properties, like their semimajor axis, eccentricity, and inclination—all of which describe their orbital paths. […]

Moon-forming disk around massive planet offers insight into how the moons of gas giants might have formed

The NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope has provided the first direct measurements of the chemical and physical properties of a potential moon-forming disk encircling a large exoplanet. The carbon-rich disk surrounding the world called CT Cha B, which is located 625 light years away from Earth, is a possible construction yard for moons, although no […]

Mars’s atmospheric ‘mille-feuille’—high-resolution images capture fine layers of clouds and dust

Slices from the edge of Mars reveal a layered atmosphere of delicate complexity. A European spacecraft has captured a luminous mille-feuille of dust enveloping the red planet in unprecedented detail.

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Hubble captures puzzling galaxy with gas-free center and dusty ring

This NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope image features a galaxy that’s hard to categorize. The galaxy in question is NGC 2775, which lies 67 million light-years away in the constellation Cancer (the Crab). NGC 2775 sports a smooth, featureless center that is devoid of gas, resembling an elliptical galaxy. It also has a dusty ring with […]

Uranian moon Ariel’s surface features point to a past ocean over 100 miles deep

Growing evidence suggests that a subsurface ocean lurks beneath the icy surface of Uranus’ moon Ariel, but new research, published in Icarus, characterizes the possible evolution of this ocean, and found that it may have once been over 100 miles (170 kilometers) deep. For perspective, the Pacific Ocean averages 2.5 miles (4 kilometers) deep.

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The asteroid belt’s slow disappearing act

The asteroid belt is found orbiting between Mars and Jupiter and is a vast collection of rocks that is thought to be a planet that never formed. When our solar system formed 4.6 billion years ago, the material in this region should have coalesced into a planet; however, Jupiter’s gravitational influence prevented this from happening, […]

New instrument at SOAR achieves first light with observations of remarkable binary star system

The SOAR Telescope, located on Cerro Pachón in Chile, has received a major upgrade with the installation of the SOAR Telescope Echelle Spectrograph (STELES). The long-awaited instrument achieved first light in August with observations of the binary star system Eta Carinae, along with 13 other targets. SOAR is part of U.S. National Science Foundation Cerro […]

Astronomers determine new origins of double-peaked emission lines in galactic centers

A research team from the Shanghai Astronomical Observatory (SHAO) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences has uncovered the origins of double-peaked narrow emission-line characteristics in galactic centers.

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Modeling quark star merger ejecta: Study reveals three possible outcomes

A recent Physical Review Letters study presents a new model for quark star merger ejecta that could resolve whether these cosmic collisions generate ordinary matter or something different.

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Clues from the deep sea that an exploding star sent debris to the Earth 10 million years ago

Scientists trying to work out whether a star exploded and the resulting debris crashed into Earth 10 million years ago may be one step closer to solving the mystery. They discovered an unusual amount of Beryllium-10 (10Be) at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean, which may be explained by a supernova, an exploding star.

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Scientists discover first evidence of lava tubes on Venus

Venus is often called Earth’s “sister planet” because of their similarities in size, mass, and composition. Both are rocky worlds that formed about the same time in the inner solar system; however, despite these similarities, Venus evolved into a world vastly different from Earth, with surface temperatures around 465°C, crushing atmospheric pressure 90 times greater […]

Space dust is spongier than we thought, say scientists

Cosmic dust—the tiny particles that help form stars, planets and the chemical building blocks of life—might be much spongier and fluffier than long assumed, according to an international group of scientists.

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Geomagnetic disturbances caused by sun may influence occurrence of heart attacks, especially among women

An article published in the journal Communications Medicine points to a correlation between disturbances in Earth’s magnetic field resulting from solar storms and an increase in the frequency of heart attacks, especially among women.

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Image: Lake Balkhash viewed from the International Space Station

Golden sunglint highlights Lake Balkhash in this May 31, 2016, photo taken from the International Space Station. The large lake in Kazakhstan is one of the largest lakes in Asia and is the 15th largest lake in the world.

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