Astronomy and Planetary Science Thread

[Flyaway]

The Cool Worlds Lab have won time on JWST to study a very Jupiter like Exoplanet for Exomoons, and not just a small amount of time but seemingly what is a large amount of time some three days of telescope time, you can clearly tell how happy he is by this grant of time:

View: https://youtu.be/4sv_sa_tLPg?si=4YIP3luTw_Gyc7qQ


He states their target exoplanet is 2.2AU from its host star which is a K type. They had two other proposals that were rejected by high ranked. He also states that a team from Harvard has also been granted time to look for exomoons, but doesn’t know what their target is, and they have been granted less time than they have for their target.

 

[Flyaway]

Astronomers have performed multi-wavelength photometric observations of a nearby planetary-mass object known as SIMP J013656.5+093347. Results of the observational campaign, presented February 22 on the pre-print server arXiv, suggest that the object hosts patchy cloud layers in its atmosphere.

Observations find evidence of patchy cloud layers in the atmosphere of a nearby planetary-mass object

Astronomers have performed multi-wavelength photometric observations of a nearby planetary-mass object known as SIMP J013656.5+093347. Results of the observational campaign, presented February 22 on the pre-print server arXiv, suggest that the object hosts patchy cloud layers in its atmosphere.

phys.org

Related paper:

[2402.15001] Multiple Patchy Cloud Layers in the Planetary Mass Object SIMP0136+0933

 

[Flyaway]

Some 100 light-years from the Solar System dwells the most mathematically perfect planetary system we've ever seen.

The star at its center – a temperate orange dwarf called HD 110067 – is orbited by six exoplanets, each of which travels in harmony with its adjacent worlds. Such a perfect chain of orbital resonances is extremely rare, and it means that the system has remained relatively stable and undisturbed since it formed, around a billion years ago.

Perfectly Synchronized Planetary System Probed For Signs of Alien Technology

Some 100 light-years from the Solar System dwells the most mathematically perfect planetary system we've ever seen.

www.sciencealert.com

Related paper:

Radware Bot Manager Captcha

 

[Flyaway]

Well, you can relax. Astronomers Paul Wiegert of Western University and Ben Hyatt of the University of Waterloo in Canada have projected the orbits of over 1.3 million known asteroids in the inner Solar System and reached a comforting conclusion: Not a single asteroid is going to collide with Apophis in the next few years.

"Given how closely Apophis will pass Earth, there is a possible risk that a deflection from its current trajectory may move Apophis closer to impacting us," Hyatt says.

"Hypothetically, another asteroid colliding with Apophis could cause such a deflection, motivating us to study this scenario however unlikely it may be."

Astronomers Confirm Giant Asteroid 'Apophis' Will Not Hit Earth

A few years ago, astronomers ruled out the chance of a potentially hazardous asteroid named Apophis redirecting and hitting Earth as it whizzes by.

www.sciencealert.com

Related paper:

[2403.00541] Encounter circumstances of asteroid 99942 Apophis with the catalogue of known asteroids

 

[Flyaway]

NASA’s Juno Mission Measures Oxygen Production at Europa

NASA’s Juno Mission Measures Oxygen Production at Europa - NASA

The ice-covered Jovian moon generates 1,000 tons of oxygen every 24 hours – enough to keep a million humans breathing for a day.

www.nasa.gov

NASA Science Live: Juno Spacecraft Makes Historic Flyby of Jupiter’s Moons

plus.nasa.gov

 

[Flyaway]

For the first time, scientists have been able to explain the mystery behind the unusual chemical composition in one of the universe's most distant galaxies. The state-of-the-art theoretical model that the breakthrough research has established could be a key to our better understanding of the far universe.

…

But Professor Kobayashi's research has not only disproved that hypothesis of super-massive stars and possibly also the remnant super-massive black hole. Instead, she has established a new means of understanding early galaxies.

Professor Chiaki Kobayashi, professor of astrophysics at the University of Hertfordshire, said, "The galaxy is not telling us about an unusual star but an unusual episode of galaxy life. We found that early galaxies have 'bursty' star formation, which causes this unusual chemical composition. "

Scientists solve the riddle of nitrogen-rich galaxy 440 million light years away

For the first time, scientists have been able to explain the mystery behind the unusual chemical composition in one of the universe's most distant galaxies. The state-of-the-art theoretical model that the breakthrough research has established could be a key to our better understanding of the far...

phys.org

Related paper:

Radware Bot Manager Captcha

 

[Flyaway]

View: https://www.youtube.com/live/N5qGhyBfEOc?si=-r_4O3qUwhvv9yrW

 

[Flyaway]

A team of planetary scientists affiliated with multiple institutions in the U.S. has found a jet in Jupiter's atmosphere that fluctuates in roughly four-year periods. In their paper published in the journal Nature, the group describes how they found the jet and studied its characteristics using data from the Juno spacecraft.

Jet in Jupiter's atmosphere found to fluctuate in roughly four-year periods

A team of planetary scientists affiliated with multiple institutions in the U.S. has found a jet in Jupiter's atmosphere that fluctuates in roughly four-year periods. In their paper published in the journal Nature, the group describes how they found the jet and studied its characteristics using...

phys.org

Related paper:

A rapidly time-varying equatorial jet in Jupiter’s deep interior - Nature

An axisymmetric, equatorial jet in Jupiter’s interior has a wavelike fluctuation with a 4-year period, revealing hidden aspects of the magnetic field within the metallic hydrogen region and constraining the dynamo that generates the magnetic field.

www.nature.com

 

[Flyaway]

Disagreement on what sort of world they’ve actually detected with competing papers coming to opposite conclusions. All the papers linked to in the article. Also the possible biosignature detection they made can be produced by other processes, and they found no detection of another biosignature. They are also concerned that their announcement will be misreported.

Astronomers detect ‘waterworld with a boiling ocean’ in deep space | Exoplanets | The Guardian

Exclusive: Significant discovery, made by James Webb telescope, provokes disagreement over conditions on planet’s surface

amp.theguardian.com

 

[Michel Van]

this white dwarf has mark of impact on it surface !

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fXlYPAZPUYg

 

[FighterJock]

Truly weird Michel Van, that is quite possibly the most strangest thing that I have ever come across in all my years being interested in Astronomy.

 

[Flyaway]

Contentious claims that an interstellar meteor possibly containing alien technology hit Earth a decade ago is on even shakier ground – quite literally. Last year, pieces of the meteor were collected from the ocean off Papua New Guinea, though later analysis brought into question the "alien tech" nature of the spherules recovered. Now, it appears the soundwaves the team claimed were linked to the fireball were actually from the shaking of a nearby truck driving past.

…

Now, a team from Johns Hopkins University argues that their seismic analysis is wrong too. What they linked to the meteor was "almost certainly" the motion of a truck moving on a nearby road. What's more, they put forward evidence that the meteor entered the atmosphere elsewhere and if fragments did land in the ocean they did so in a completely different place to where Loeb and team calculated.

…

Based on their new analysis, Fernando’s team estimated that the more likely place for the meteor to have landed is over 160 kilometers (100 miles) from the area investigated.

…

But, you might say, they found "spherules" of alien origin! I read it online! Well, analysis from another researcher has already highlighted how the anomalous composition was consistent with human-made pollution, stating “the meteoritic evidence is disfavored.”

"Interstellar Alien Tech Meteor" Signal Was Actually Just... Vibrations Of Local Truck

Rigorous analysis should come before the boldest claims.

www.iflscience.com

 

[publiusr]

No alien tech either

Pentagon says no evidence of secret US work on alien tech

Has the United States confirmed sightings of alien craft, or worked to reverse-engineer extraterrestrial technology?

phys.org

What a headache

Do astronauts experience 'space headaches'?

Space travel and zero gravity can take a toll on the body. A new study has found that astronauts with no prior history of headaches may experience migraine and tension-type headaches during long-haul space flight, which includes more than 10 days in space. The study was published in Neurology.

phys.org

Space tech

Space company develops centrifuge to test impact of gravity on crystalline-structured drug molecules

Kanjakha Pal and Adrian Radocea, a pair of engineers at Varda Space Industries, a company working to develop space-based drug facilities, has developed a centrifuge-based device to test the impact of gravity on crystalline-structured drug molecules as they grow. Their paper is published in the...

phys.org

Zero-boil-off tank experiments to enable long-duration space exploration

Do we have enough fuel to get to our destination? This is probably one of the first questions that comes to mind whenever your family gets ready to embark on a road trip. If the trip is long, you will need to visit gas stations along your route to refuel during your travel.

phys.org

NASA lights 'beacon' on moon with autonomous navigation system test

For 30 total minutes in February, NASA lit a beacon on the moon—successfully testing a sophisticated positioning system that will make it safer for Artemis-era explorers to visit and establish a permanent human presence on the lunar surface.

phys.org

Commercial rocket trying to put a satellite into orbit explodes moments after liftoff in Japan

A commercial rocket trying to put a satellite into orbit was intentionally exploded shortly after liftoff Wednesday morning in central Japan following a problem that's still under investigation.

phys.org

Flying first on Ariane 6

With Europe's new Ariane 6 rocket now at its spaceport in French Guiana, the passengers it will launch to space are getting ready to be added to the top of the tall new rocket. Ariane 6 will launch several satellites, deployers and experiments from space agencies, companies, research institutes...

phys.org

Massive telescope

Condor telescope reveals a new world for astrophysicists

A new telescope called the "Condor Array Telescope" may open up a new world of the very-low-brightness universe for astrophysicists. Four new papers, published back to back in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society (MNRAS) this month, present the first scientific findings based on...

phys.org

Ultrablack thin-film coating could make next-gen telescopes even better

Sometimes, seeing clearly requires complete black. For astronomy and precision optics, coating devices in black paint can cut down on stray light, enhancing images and boosting performance. For the most advanced telescopes and optical systems, every little bit matters, so their manufacturers...

phys.org

Mars

Surprising insights about debris flows on Mars

The period that liquid water was present on the surface of Mars may have been shorter than previously thought. Channel landforms called gullies, previously thought to be formed exclusively by liquid water, can also be formed by the action of evaporating CO2 ice.

phys.org

Scientists propose new theory that explains sand ripples on Mars and on Earth

Sand ripples are fascinating. They are symmetrical, yet wind, which causes them, is very much not. Furthermore, they can be found on Mars and on Earth. It would be even more fascinating if the same effect found on Mars could be found here on Earth as well. What if one unified theory could...

phys.org

Giant volcano discovered on Mars

In a groundbreaking announcement at the 55th Lunar and Planetary Science Conference held in The Woodlands, Texas, scientists revealed the discovery of a giant volcano and possible sheet of buried glacier ice in the eastern part of Mars' Tharsis volcanic province near the planet's equator.

phys.org

Mars attracts: How Earth's interactions with the red planet drive deep-sea circulation

Scientists from the Universities of Sydney and Sorbonne University have used the geological record of the deep sea to discover a connection between the orbits of Earth and Mars, past global warming patterns and the speeding up of deep ocean circulation.

phys.org

Study brings scientists a step closer to successfully growing plants in space

New, highly stretchable sensors can monitor and transmit plant growth information without human intervention, report University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign researchers in the journal Device.

phys.org

Human urine boosts green bean growth on moon and Mars regolith simulants

There is the dream of living and working on the moon or planet Mars. But what are the inhabitants going to eat out there, and how are they going to grow their food? A circular and sustainable agricultural ecosystem for food production will be essential.

phys.org

Astro-news

Detailed pictures show galaxy growth in the early universe was much faster than first thought

Astronomers are currently enjoying a fruitful period of discovery, investigating the many mysteries of the early universe. The successful launch of the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), a successor to NASA's Hubble Space Telescope, has pushed the limit of what we can see.

phys.org

Rethinking galactic origins of interstellar clouds with heavy-element mapping: Research challenges conventional theory

A groundbreaking study of the origins of intermediate-velocity clouds (IVCs) challenges a 20-year-old theory and suggests a new era of deep-space research.

phys.org

Einasto Supercluster: The new heavyweight contender in the universe

An international team of scientists led by astronomers from Tartu Observatory of the University of Tartu has discovered many superclusters in the universe, with the most prominent among them named the 'Einasto Supercluster' in honor of Prof. Jaan Einasto, a pioneering figure in the field, who...

phys.org

Dark Energy Camera captures remains of a massive star that exploded nearly 11,000 years ago in huge gigapixel image

This colorful web of wispy gas filaments is the Vela Supernova Remnant, an expanding nebula of cosmic debris left over from a massive star that exploded about 11,000 years ago. Located around 800 light-years away in the constellation Vela (the Sails), this nebula is one of the nearest supernova...

phys.org

Video: Complex chemistry in the cold depths of space

For years, scientists thought some complex molecules could only be formed on Earth.

phys.org

A 790,000 year-old asteroid impact could explain seafloor spherules

Our solar system does not exist in isolation. It formed within a stellar nursery along with hundreds of sibling stars, and even today has the occasional interaction with interstellar objects such as 'Oumuamua and Borisov. So it's reasonable to presume that some interstellar material has reached...

phys.org

No dark matter?

New research suggests that our universe has no dark matter

The current theoretical model for the composition of the universe is that it's made of normal matter, dark energy and dark matter. A new University of Ottawa study challenges this.

phys.org

Electric cool-aid acid test

Unraveling the origins of life: Scientists discover 'cool' sugar acid formation in space

A critical molecule for the metabolism of living organisms has been synthesized for the first time by University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa researchers at low temperatures (10 K) on ice coated nanoparticles mimicking conditions in deep space, marking a "cool" step in advancing our understanding of the...

phys.org

The eclipse game!

NASA launches Snap It! computer game to learn about eclipses

On April 8, 2024, a total solar eclipse will be visible to more than 30 million people across North America. To help kids learn about solar eclipses, NASA is launching Snap It! An Eclipse Photo Adventure.

phys.org

 

[Rhinocrates]

No alien tech either

Pentagon says no evidence of secret US work on alien tech

Has the United States confirmed sightings of alien craft, or worked to reverse-engineer extraterrestrial technology?

phys.org

They would, wouldn't they?

 

[Flyaway]

Dark matter is supposed to account for 85% of the mass in the universe, according to conventional scientific wisdom. But proponents of a radical new theory of gravity, in which space-time is “wobbly”, say their approach could render the elusive substance obsolete.

The proposition, outlined in a new paper, raises the controversial possibility that dark matter, which has never been directly observed, is a mirage that a substantial portion of the physics community has been chasing for several decades. The theory is viewed as quite left-field and is yet to be thoroughly tested, but the latest claims are creating a stir in the world of physics.

Announcing the paper on X, Prof Jonathan Oppenheim, of University College London, said: “Folks, something seems to be happening. We show that our theory of gravity … can explain the expansion of the universe and galactic rotation without dark matter or dark energy.”

Controversial new theory of gravity rules out need for dark matter

Exclusive: Paper by UCL professor says ‘wobbly’ space-time could instead explain expansion of universe and galactic rotation

www.theguardian.com

Here’s the related paper:

[2402.19459] Anomalous contribution to galactic rotation curves due to stochastic spacetime

 

[Flyaway]

Indian astronomers have conducted long-term X-ray observations of a nearby ultra-fast rotating active star known as AB Doradus A. Results of the observational campaign, published February 29 on the pre-print server arXiv, provide crucial insights into the short-term and long-term variability of this star.

Observations inspect variability of a nearby ultra-fast rotating active star

Indian astronomers have conducted long-term X-ray observations of a nearby ultra-fast rotating active star known as AB Doradus A. Results of the observational campaign, published February 29 on the pre-print server arXiv, provide crucial insights into the short-term and long-term variability of...

phys.org

Related paper:

[2402.19083] AB Dor: Coronal imaging and activity cycles

 

[Flyaway]

NASA says spending caps force “hard choices” for its 2025 budget

NASA says its fiscal year 2025 budget proposal is constrained by the second year of a debt-ceiling agreement that caps overall spending.

spacenews.com

NASA is also reducing spending on two of its existing space telescopes, the Chandra X-Ray Observatory and Hubble Space Telescope,...

The Chandra cuts, though, are more significant, from $68.3 million spent on it in 2023 to $41.1 million proposed for 2025. “The Chandra spacecraft has been degrading over its mission lifetime to the extent that several systems require active management to keep temperatures within acceptable ranges for spacecraft operations,” the agency’s budget request stated. “The reduction to Chandra will start orderly mission drawdown to minimal operations.” The proposal projects annual spending on Chandra to fall to just $5 million by 2029.

Jonathan McDowell implies the cut to Chandra funding would set back US X-ray astronomy for generations:

https://twitter.com/x/status/1767290626377121801

View: https://twitter.com/planet4589/status/1767290626377121801


He also states there's no major hardware issue with Chandra:

https://twitter.com/x/status/1767301094613360995

View: https://twitter.com/planet4589/status/1767301094613360995

 

[Flyaway]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1767678587161686291

View: https://twitter.com/planet4589/status/1767678587161686291

Pretty depressing day at work today with lots of staff updating their resumes as we grapple with NASA's decision to shut down Chandra, the world's only ever high resolution X-ray space telescope, still returning fabulous science discoveries. Still hoping this can be reversed

Some of the statements around the Chandra budget cut say that it's more expensive now because of its thermal control issues. This is flatly untrue - the thermal problems prevented us from *reducing* costs, but they didn't *increase* them....

and I think that $60M/yr is actually a really good deal for level of science discoveries we've continued to return, when compared with other missions.

 

[FighterJock]

Farewell Chandra. Surprised at the decision to shut it down, such madness.

 

[Flyaway]

Scientists from the Universities of Sydney and Sorbonne University have used the geological record of the deep sea to discover a connection between the orbits of Earth and Mars, past global warming patterns and the speeding up of deep ocean circulation.

They discovered a surprising 2.4-million-year cycle where deep currents wax and wane which, in turn, is linked to periods of increased solar energy and a warmer climate.

…

They found that the vigour of deep-sea currents shifts in 2.4-million-year cycles.

These cycles are called “astronomical grand cycles”, predicted to occur due to the interactions of Earth and Mars orbits. However, evidence for this is rarely detected in the geological record.

Mars attracts: How Earth’s interactions with the red planet drive deep-sea circulation

<p>Scientists from the Universities of Sydney and Sorbonne University have used the geological record of the deep sea to discover a connection between the orbits of Earth and Mars, past global warming patterns and the speeding up of deep ocean circulation. The patterns they discover suggest that...

www.eurekalert.org

Related paper:

Deep-sea hiatus record reveals orbital pacing by 2.4 Myr eccentricity grand cycles - Nature Communications

Cenozoic deep-sea hiatuses reveal a ~2.4 Myr eccentricity signal corresponding to orbitally-forced intensification of deep-water circulation. The signal is disrupted by a chaotic orbital transition in the Solar System at about 56 Ma.

www.nature.com

 

[Flyaway]

Betelgeuse’s boiling surface ‘mimics’ rotation in animation:

View: https://youtu.be/0-8_qf3BCl8?si=Axm2c783HEEr71Pv

 

[Flyaway]

Astronomers report the discovery of a new warm Jupiter exoplanet orbiting a distant star in the open cluster Messier 67. The newfound extrasolar world, designated S1429 b, is almost twice as massive as Jupiter. The finding was detailed in a paper published March 5 on the pre-print server arXiv.

…

According to the paper, S1429 b has a minimum mass of 1.8 Jupiter masses and orbits its host star every 77.48 days on a most likely circular orbit, at a distance of approximately 0.384 AU from it. The equilibrium temperature of the planet was estimated to be about 683 K.

Warm Jupiter exoplanet orbiting distant star detected

Astronomers report the discovery of a new warm Jupiter exoplanet orbiting a distant star in the open cluster Messier 67. The newfound extrasolar world, designated S1429 b, is almost twice as massive as Jupiter. The finding was detailed in a paper published March 5 on the pre-print server arXiv.

phys.org

Related paper:

[2403.02911] Search for giant planets in M67 V: a warm Jupiter orbiting the turn-off star S1429

 

[Michel Van]

more news on Betelgeuse

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f2WPVThTklo

 

[Flyaway]

Gaia maps largest ever collection of quasars in space and time​

Gaia maps largest ever collection of quasars in space and time

www.esa.int

 

[Flyaway]

The icy crust that protects Europa’s ocean from the cold of space is at least 20 kilometers (12 miles) thick, an analysis of data from the Galileo mission suggests. The conclusion sheds no light on the question of whether that ocean contains life, but indicates how hard it will be to find a conclusive answer.

…

Europa’s crust may not be the same thickness everywhere. Just as Enceladus’s ocean is thought to be much closer to the surface near the south pole than elsewhere, Europa may have regions of thinner ice. The authors consider it unlikely the variation is large, and the similarity of the results they get at two locations doesn’t favor the idea we’d just need to land a drilling rig in the right spot.

…

Jovian moons Ganymede and Callisto are also thought to possibly contain internal oceans but with much thicker shells than Europa. The authors suggest that past estimates of 80-105 kilometers (50-60 miles) may be considerably underestimating these moons’ crustal thickness.

Europa’s Ocean Is Covered By An Icy Shell At Least 20 Kilometers Thick

It’s among the places we most want to visit in the Solar System, but getting there won’t be easy.

www.iflscience.com

Related paper:

https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.adj8455

 

[Flyaway]

Astronomers have discovered that a distant, scorching hot planet twice the size of Jupiter is on a death-spiral trajectory that will send it careening into its parent star. A crash is expected to happen relatively soon, cosmically speaking.

…

"According to our calculations, the planet will crash into the star [WASP-12] in just 3 million years, an incredibly short amount of time considering the star only appears to be 3 billion years old," Pietro Leonardi, research lead author and University of Padova scientist, told Space.com.

…

That isn't the only thing, however, that makes this doomed world an extreme exoplanet unlike anything found in the solar system. The immense gravity felt by WASP-12b at just 2.1 million miles from its star generates such great tidal forces that it is now shaped like an egg.

Doomed egg-shaped exoplanet is death-spiraling into its star

"According to our calculations, the planet will crash into the star in just 3 million years."

www.space.com

Related paper:

[2402.12120] TASTE V. A new ground-based investigation of orbital decay in the ultra-hot Jupiter WASP-12b

 

[Flyaway]

The Rocket Lab mission to Venus next year gets a mention in the article. Not surprising as the lead scientist on the mission is one of the author’s of the paper.

A new study from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is forcing us to rethink just how unlikely life on Venus might be. The researchers discovered that some of the core building blocks of life on Earth are surprisingly stable when exposed to the corrosive sulfuric acid found in Venus’s atmospheric clouds.

…

“If you consider the four major building blocks of life as nucleic acid bases, amino acids, fatty acids, and carbohydrates, we have demonstrated that some fatty acids can form micelles and vesicles in sulfuric acid, and the nucleic acid bases are stable in sulfuric acid,” said study co-author Maxwell Seager, an undergraduate at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI).

“Carbohydrates have been shown to be highly reactive in sulfuric acid. That only left us with amino acids as the last major building block to study.”

…

Moreover, a privately-funded mission with MIT’s Professor Sara Seager as the lead scientist is scheduled to launch in 2025. This probe will journey through Venus’ clouds, analyzing the chemical makeup on its quest for signs of life.

Venus' environment could support certain types of life

A new study from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is forcing us to rethink just how unlikely life on Venus might be

www.earth.com

Related paper:

https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/10.1089/ast.2023.0082

 

[Archibald]

Aye, 20 km thick ice ? take that, Antarctica ! Won't be easy to drill, for sure. And of course, Ganymede and Callisto are worse. The only one without ice is Io - no risk at all !

 

[Flyaway]

Using observations made with the Gran Telescopio Canarias (GTC) a study led from the Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (IAC) and the Universidad Complutense de Madrid (UCM) has confirmed that the asteroid 2023 FW14, discovered last year, is accompanying the red planet in its journey around the Sun, ahead of Mars and in the same orbit. With this new member, the group of Trojans which accompany Mars has increased in number to 17. But it shows differences in its orbit and chemical composition which may indicate that it is a captured asteroid, of a primitive type. The results are published in the prestigious journal Astronomy & Astrophysics.

Astronomers confirm a new “Trojan” asteroid that shares an orbit with Mars

Using observations made with the Gran Telescopio Canarias (GTC) a study led from the Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (IAC) and the Universidad Complutense de Madrid (UCM) has confirmed that the asteroid 2023 FW14, discovered last year, is accompanying the red planet in its journey around...

www.iac.es

Related paper:

Dynamics of 2023 FW14, the second L4 Mars trojan, and a physical characterization using the 10.4 m Gran Telescopio Canarias | Astronomy & Astrophysics (A&A)

Astronomy & Astrophysics (A&A) is an international journal which publishes papers on all aspects of astronomy and astrophysics

www.aanda.org

 

[publiusr]

Any implications for Mars Trojans as useful to SpaceX plans?

Mars trojan - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[Flyaway]

No one has been able to find any of those first generation of stars, but scientists have announced a unique finding: a star from the second generation that originally formed in a different galaxy from ours.

"This star provides a unique window into the very early element-forming process in galaxies other than our own," said Anirudh Chiti, a University of Chicago postdoctoral fellow and first author on a paper announcing the findings. "We have built up an idea of the how these stars that were chemically enriched by the first stars look like in the Milky Way, but we don't yet know if some of these signatures are unique, or if things happened similarly across other galaxies."

Scientists find one of the most ancient stars that formed in another galaxy

The first generation of stars transformed the universe. Inside their cores, simple hydrogen and helium fused into a rainbow of elements. When these stars died, they exploded and sent these new elements across the universe. The iron running in your veins and the calcium in your teeth and the...

phys.org

Related paper:

Enrichment by extragalactic first stars in the Large Magellanic Cloud - Nature Astronomy

Ten stars in the Large Magellanic Cloud exhibit very low elemental abundances, suggesting that they have experienced enrichment by the earliest generations of stars only. These stars provide a window into a distant region of the high-redshift universe.

www.nature.com

 

[Tuna]

Any implications for Mars Trojans as useful to SpaceX plans?

No. Trojans are very far away from their host body. Martian trojans are ~9 times further away from Mars than the Earth is at it's closest point in orbit. While the delta-v of a trajectory that would take to the trojans and then Mars is in principle very low, the travel time of such a low-energy orbit would be horrendously long.

 

[Flyaway]

Exploring the icy moons of Saturn and Jupiter has long been a focal point for scientists in the quest for extraterrestrial life. According to new research, even microscopic amounts of cellular material ejected from moons or exoplanets could reveal signs of life to the instruments on missions slated for the near future.

This fascinating study, conducted by researchers from the University of Washington in Seattle and Freie Universität Berlin, offers promising insights for these upcoming exploration missions.

…

The Europa Clipper’s SUrface Dust Analyzer represents a leap forward in space exploration instruments, capable of detecting negatively charged ions and better suited for identifying fatty acids and lipids. Klenner finds the prospect of searching for lipids more exciting than searching for DNA’s building blocks due to their stability.

Senior author Frank Postberg from Freie Universität Berlin concludes, “With suitable instrumentation, such as the SUrface Dust Analyzer on NASA’s Europa Clipper space probe, it might be easier than we thought to find life, or traces of it, on icy moons.”

This optimistic outlook hinges on the presence of life and its incorporation into ice grains from subsurface water reservoirs, paving the way for exciting discoveries in the search for extraterrestrial life.

Extraterrestrial life can be detected from a single grain of ice floating in space

Exploring the icy moons of Saturn and Jupiter has long been a focal point for scientists in the quest for extraterrestrial life.

www.earth.com

Related paper:

https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.adl0849

 

[Justo Miranda]

…

Extraterrestrial life can be detected from a single grain of ice floating in space

Exploring the icy moons of Saturn and Jupiter has long been a focal point for scientists in the quest for extraterrestrial life.

www.earth.com

Related paper:

https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.adl0849

We have the technology to do that and aren't we able to do the same with all the Martian rovers?

 

[Flyaway]

An international team of astronomers reports the discovery of a new mini-Neptune exoplanet orbiting a nearby star. The newfound alien world, designated TOI-4438 b is about 2.5 times larger than the Earth. The finding was detailed in a paper published March 14 on the pre-print server arXiv.

New nearby mini-Neptune exoplanet discovered

An international team of astronomers reports the discovery of a new mini-Neptune exoplanet orbiting a nearby star. The newfound alien world, designated TOI-4438 b is about 2.5 times larger than the Earth. The finding was detailed in a paper published March 14 on the pre-print server arXiv.

phys.org

Related paper:

[2403.09833] TOI-4438 b: a transiting mini-Neptune amenable to atmospheric characterization

 

[Flyaway]

A polarised view of our black hole - ESO News:

View: https://youtu.be/X2Xi0U5nKAo?si=8MJ9AUeEQsqnivW_

 

[Michel Van]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1772995024193741250

View: https://twitter.com/Astropartigirl/status/1772995024193741250

 

[Archibald]

One smart guy on Youtube has decided to make simulations of diving into the gas giants... and the Sun. My favorite part is Neptune and Uranus compressing carbon into... diamonds.

https://www.youtube.com/@Stargaze_youtube/videos

 

[Flyaway]

While astrocombs have been used by scientists studying the cosmos for several years, they were previously limited mainly to the green-red part of the colour spectrum.

However, the breakthrough will allow scientists to utilise the ultraviolet to blue-green part of the spectrum, which means they will be able to discover even more secrets hidden in space.

…

“Until now, astrocombs operated mainly in the green-to-red part of the spectrum of light, but the shorter-wavelength ultraviolet to blue-green region is rich in the atomic absorption features of interest to astronomers.

“Our new approach for the first time provides a continuous sequence of optical markers from the ultraviolet to the blue-green that serve as a precision wavelength scale in this part of the spectrum.”

Prof Reid’s team is developing the technology for the Extremely Large Telescope, currently under construction in Chile.

Scientists invent laser that could uncover hidden planets

Researchers say the technology could also improve understanding of how the universe naturally expands

www.independent.co.uk

 

[Flyaway]

Related to the above black hole image:

https://twitter.com/x/status/1773048378630271092

View: https://twitter.com/ClaireLamman/status/1773048378630271092