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How we might look for life in the universe — even if we can’t recognize it

Alison Klesman — Tue, 10 Dec 2024 20:00:00 +0000

We have only one example of biology forming in the universe – life on Earth. But what if life can form in other ways? How do you look for alien life when you don’t know what alien life might look like? These questions are preoccupying astrobiologists, who are scientists who look for life beyond Earth. Astrobiologists haveContinue reading "How we might look for life in the universe — even if we can’t recognize it"

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The Moon as it never was

Klaus R. Brasch — Mon, 09 Dec 2024 14:00:00 +0000

In 1874, James Nasmyth and James Carpenter published a remarkable book: The Moon: Considered as a Planet, a World, and a Satellite. Lavishly illustrated with spectacular images of lunar features based on their own observations and exquisite plaster models, it served as a platform for the authors to advance their views on the nature andContinue reading "The Moon as it never was"

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NASA releases new infrared images from retired NEOWISE mission

Samantha Hill — Fri, 06 Dec 2024 17:00:00 +0000

Although it completed its mission in July, NASA’s Near-Earth Object Wide-Field Infrared Survey Explorer (NEOWISE) still has interesting archival data covering the solar system thanks to the team at the Infrared Processing & Analysis Center (IPAC) at Caltech. After the spacecraft burned up in the atmosphere in November, IPAC completed a final data release ofContinue reading "NASA releases new infrared images from retired NEOWISE mission"

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Low-level clouds play surprise role in global warming

Randall Hyman — Thu, 05 Dec 2024 20:34:40 +0000

In a study published today in Science, researchers say they have solved a climate enigma — the inexplicable surge in global temperature in 2023, rising faster than climate models predicted. By analyzing satellite data and weather records, a team of climatologists in Germany have found that the culprit is likely fewer clouds at low altitudesContinue reading "Low-level clouds play surprise role in global warming"

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This distant star is about to die — and astronomers caught it in close-up

Mark Zastrow — Thu, 05 Dec 2024 17:42:14 +0000

After years of effort, astronomers at the European Southern Observatory (ESO) announced they managed to capture the first closeup image of a star beyond our galaxy. This remarkable achievement offers more than just stunning visuals — it provides a rare glimpse into the final moments of a star that will inevitably explode as a spectacularContinue reading "This distant star is about to die — and astronomers caught it in close-up"

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Proba-3 launches, ready to eclipse the Sun

Korey Haynes — Thu, 05 Dec 2024 14:42:51 +0000

UPDATE: Proba-3 launched successfully Thursday morning at 5:34 A.M. EST (10:34 GMT). You can watch a replay of the launch here. In a fabulous feat of formation flying, the European Space Agency’s (ESA) Proba-3 mission, now set to launch Thursday morning, will fly two spacecraft 490 feet (150 meters, or one and a half footballContinue reading "Proba-3 launches, ready to eclipse the Sun"

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Is it time to rename the Hubble constant?

Joseph Marcus — Tue, 03 Dec 2024 14:00:00 +0000

Most people associate the discovery that faraway galaxies are receding from us — and thus, that the universe is expanding — with Edwin Hubble, thanks to his landmark 1929 paper. It was one of the most fundamental discoveries in the history of science. But Hubble did not discover the expansion. In the 1910s, a LowellContinue reading "Is it time to rename the Hubble constant?"

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What is Vega’s smooth-surface secret?

Mark Zastrow — Tue, 03 Dec 2024 11:00:00 +0000

Vega, located in the constellation Lyra, is the fifth-brightest star in the night sky. It is known to be surrounded a disk of particle debris that’s almost 100 billion miles (160 billion kilometers) in diameter. The star and its orbiting disk have been photographed countless times by several observatories and satellites, although it was onlyContinue reading "What is Vega’s smooth-surface secret?"

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Does dark matter affect our solar system?

Astronomy Staff — Mon, 02 Dec 2024 19:00:00 +0000

Why do we not see effects of dark matter in our solar system and other nearby star systems? Curran RodeAmmannsville, Texas Dark matter refers to material that does not absorb, reflect, or emit any electromagnetic radiation. Astronomers have ascertained the existence of dark matter through the gravitational influence it exerts over visible matter. In fact,Continue reading "Does dark matter affect our solar system?"

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Venus may never have had oceans

Mark Zastrow — Mon, 02 Dec 2024 18:15:53 +0000

The story of the inner early Solar System goes something like this: Billions of years ago, there were three rocky worlds with oceans of liquid water. Perhaps all three could have been primed for life. But as Mars lost its atmosphere and Venus’ atmosphere experienced a runaway greenhouse effect, only Earth could support life byContinue reading "Venus may never have had oceans"

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