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AI-powered model enhances atmospheric calibration precision for astronomical observation and geodetic measurement

Researchers from the Xinjiang Astronomical Observatory of the Chinese Academy of Sciences have developed a hybrid deep learning model that can accurately predict atmospheric delay, a key source of error in astronomical observations and geodetic measurements. The study is published in Research in Astronomy and Astrophysics.

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SpaceX hits landmark 500th Falcon 9 booster landing after Space Coast launch

The 85th orbital launch from the Space Coast in 2025 also marked a milestone for SpaceX with the 500th successful landing of a Falcon 9 rocket booster.

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Planet formation depends on when it happens: New model shows why

A new study led by UNLV scientists sheds light on how planets, including Earth, formed in our galaxy—and why the life and death of nearby stars are an important piece of the puzzle.

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Two green comets shine bright. How to spot them in the night sky

Two bright green comets are streaming through the skies and are visible to skygazers in the Northern Hemisphere.

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Mysterious glow in Milky Way could be evidence of dark matter

Johns Hopkins researchers may have identified a compelling clue in the ongoing hunt to prove the existence of dark matter. A mysterious diffuse glow of gamma rays near the center of the Milky Way has stumped researchers for decades, as they’ve tried to discern whether the light comes from colliding particles of dark matter or […]

A hitchhiker’s guide to the galaxy of space immunology

With the advent of commercial spaceflight, an increasing number of people may be heading into space in the coming years. Some will even get a chance to fly to the moon or live on Mars.

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Unexpected discovery on Saturn’s moon challenges view on chemistry before life emerged

Researchers at Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden and the US space agency NASA have made an unexpected discovery that challenges one of the basic rules of chemistry and provides new knowledge about Saturn’s enigmatic moon Titan.

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Webb sheds more light on composition of planetary debris around nearby white dwarf

Using the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), astronomers have performed infrared observations of a planetary debris disk around a nearby white dwarf known as GD 362. Results of the new observations, presented October 8 on the arXiv preprint server, yield important insights into the chemical composition of this disk.

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Foldable solar sails could help with aerobraking and atmospheric reentry

Use cases for smart materials in space exploration keep cropping up everywhere. They are used in everything from antenna deployments on satellites to rover deformation and reformation.

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First-ever detection of ‘heavy water’ in a planet-forming disk

The discovery of ancient water in a planet-forming disk reveals that some of the water found in comets—and maybe even Earth—is older than the disk’s star itself, offering breakthrough insights into the history of water in our solar system.

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A new attempt to explain the accelerated expansion of the universe

Why is the universe expanding at an ever-increasing rate? This is one of the most exciting yet unresolved questions in modern physics. Because it cannot be fully answered using our current physical worldview, researchers assume the existence of a mysterious “dark energy.” However, its origin remains unclear to this day.

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Team uncovers intrinsic binary fraction of blue horizontal-branch stars

A research team from the Yunnan Observatories of the Chinese Academy of Sciences has conducted a study on the binary fraction of blue horizontal-branch (BHB) stars. Their findings, recently published in Astronomy & Astrophysics, provide the intrinsic binary fraction and reveal its relationship with metallicity, kinematics, and effective temperature.

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Are there living microbes on Mars? Check the ice, researchers say

Frozen in time, ancient microbes or their remains could be found in Martian ice deposits during future missions to the red planet. By recreating Mars-like conditions in the lab, a team of researchers from NASA Goddard Space Flight Center and Penn State demonstrated that fragments of the molecules that make up proteins in E. coli […]

SpaceX veteran lays out impulse space’s roadmap for making deliveries to the moon

Impulse Space, the California-based venture founded by veteran SpaceX engineer Tom Mueller, today unveiled its proposed architecture for delivering medium-sized payloads to the moon by as early as 2028.

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Astronomers detect radio signals from a black hole tearing apart a star—outside a galactic center

An international team of astronomers has discovered the first tidal disruption event (TDE) producing bright radio emission outside the center of a galaxy. The findings are published in The Astrophysical Journal Letters.

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