Twisted magnetic field around newborn star confirms decades-old jet theory

Astronomers using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA), of which the U.S. National Science Foundation National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NSF NRAO) is a partner, have captured the first direct, high-resolution images of a magnetic field wrapped tightly around the outflow of gas streaming away from a forming star—evidence that solves a decades-old puzzle about how […]

Webb reveals oxygen-rich dust and water surviving near Milky Way’s central black hole

Using the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope, an international team of astronomers has discovered that dust and water can form and survive surprisingly close to the supermassive black hole at the center of the Milky Way galaxy. The observations reveal that the evolved star IRS 3 continues to enrich its surroundings with newly formed material […]

Solar eclipse sparks scramble for protective glasses across Europe

The scramble for protective glasses has reached fever pitch across Europe ahead of Wednesday’s rare total solar eclipse, as pharmacies, opticians and other shops struggled to keep them in stock.

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The telescope that points itself

I’ll admit to using AI for things it was probably never designed for. When my van threw a fault I couldn’t immediately figure out—one that seems notorious for trips back and forth to a repair shop—I ended up in a long (but cheaper) back-and-forth with an AI system, working through the symptoms. The same happened […]

A smarter way to track satellites beyond Earth’s orbit

Most current space activities operate close to Earth in what is called near–Earth orbit. However, as more satellites and other infrastructure begin to extend beyond that region, maintaining situational awareness of those objects will be crucial.

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Rocket debris crashed into the moon—why this could threaten future lunar bases

In the early hours of Wednesday morning, Aug. 5, the upper stage of a Falcon 9 rocket crashed into the moon in an uncontrolled collision.

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Mars could have carried liquid water more recently than we thought

For decades, astronomers have assumed that the Martian surface froze solid around 3 billion years ago and has stayed that way ever since. If this were really the case, any liquid water would have long since either been locked away underground or lost to space.

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DESI releases biggest 2D map of the universe

Hold on to your telescopes: The DESI Legacy Imaging Surveys team has released the largest-ever 2D color map of the universe. The 5.6-trillion-pixel map contains nearly 4 billion celestial objects, primarily stars and galaxies. The data is available for all to use and publicly view through the Legacy Survey Sky Viewer.

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Slow spin could explain why planets become hellish

Hundreds of Venus-like planets could soon help determine why some worlds become sweltering greenhouse hellscapes while others remain capable of supporting life. But before answering that question, scientists first need to know how fast those planets are spinning.

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Astronomers find a new object from the early universe using Webb data

Since it became operational in 2022, the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has released some truly breathtaking views of the cosmos. These images highlight how advancements since the days of the venerable Hubble Space Telescope are now providing the deepest and clearest views of the cosmos to date. The work is published on the arXiv […]

How to spot the Perseid meteor shower, a summer light show that promises to dazzle

The Perseid summer light show is back—and viewing conditions are especially promising for the Northern Hemisphere.

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Cosmic filaments help set first limits on dark matter’s decay into gravitons

Composing some 85% of the universe’s total mass, dark matter betrays its presence only through gravity, unlike ordinary matter. Yet through new research published in Physical Review D, a team led by David Dunsky of New York University has proposed a new way to hunt for the elusive substance. Their approach involves searching for the […]

Rare Mars meteorite preserves 1.27-billion-year-old clues to planet’s deep interior

Boston College scientists have determined that a newly discovered meteorite from Mars is 1.27 billion years old and derived from a previously unsampled, pristine source on the Red Planet. The study is published in the journal Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta.

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The asteroid that may be three worlds

What shape is an asteroid? For (44) Nysa, the honest answer until now has been that nobody knew. It is one of the brightest and largest E-type asteroids in the main belt, a class with a surface rich in enstatite, and its oddness has made it a favorite target for well over a hundred years. […]

Reduced gravity pushes people toward simpler movement patterns, experiments suggest

From reaching for a cup of coffee to tying your shoelaces, gravity shapes nearly all human movement. So how do our bodies react when that familiar force begins to change? Texas A&M University researchers are exploring the answer through a multiphase project supported by NASA.

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