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“Part of the atmosphere of this planet is moving towards us at a high velocity while another part is moving away from us at the same speed,” said Dr. Lisa Nortmann.

Do habitable exoplanets exist that possess life as we know it? Scientists have pondered this longstanding question ever since the first exoplanet was confirmed in the mid-1990s, and this will be the goal of NASA’s upcoming Pandora mission, which is due for launch in the second half of 2025. In preparation for its launch, engineers recently finished assembly of the spacecraft bus, which will house the primary systems of the spacecraft, including its power.

“This is a huge milestone for us and keeps us on track for a launch in the fall,” said Dr. Elisa Quintana, who is the principal investigator for Pandora at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, although the mission operations center for Pandora will be located at the University of Arizona (U of A) Space Institute. “The bus holds our instruments and handles navigation, data acquisition and communication with Earth – it’s the brains of the spacecraft.”

The primary science objectives for Pandora will be to analyze the atmospheres of 20 confirmed exoplanets during the science operations phase of the mission, which is slated to last approximately one year. This will be accomplished when the exoplanet passes in front of its parent star, known as a transit, resulting in light passing through the exoplanet’s atmosphere which Pandora will analyze for the presence of water, hazes, and clouds.

Continue reading “Pandora to Explore Exoplanet Atmospheres Using Novel Telescope Technology” | >

“Part of the atmosphere of this planet is moving towards us at a high velocity while another part is moving away from us at the same speed,” said Dr. Lisa Nortmann.

Do weather patterns on exoplanets mimic those on Earth? This is what a recent study published in Astronomy & Astrophysics hopes to address as an international team of researchers explored unique weather patterns on WASP-127b, which is a hot Jupiter exoplanet located approximately 520 light-years from Earth. This study has the potential to help scientists better understand the formation and evolution of weather patterns on exoplanets throughout the cosmos and how these patterns compare to Earth’s.

For the study, the researchers used the CRyogenic high-resolution InfraRed Echelle Spectrograph (CRIRES+) instrument installed on the European Southern Observatory’s (ESO) Very Large Telescope (VLT) to observe the atmospheric characteristics during one transit of WASP-127b passing in front of its parent star, with one orbit being completed in approximately 4.2 days.

In the end, the researchers identified signals of water (H2O) and carbon monoxide (CO) within WASP-127b’s atmosphere, along with identifying supersonic jet winds occurring at the exoplanet’s equator estimated to be traveling at approximately 7.7 kilometers per second (4.8 miles per second) or 27,720 kilometers per hour (17,280 miles per hour). These winds were identified to only exist at the equator and not at the poles. For context, the fastest winds recorded at the Earth’s equator is only a few kilometers (miles) per hour. They also found significant temperatures differences between the dayside and night side of WASP-127b, which mimics planetary atmosphere behavior of Earth and other planets in our solar system.

Continue reading “Supersonic Winds Unveiled on Puffy Exoplanet WASP-127b” | >

When you press your fingernails together, do you see a tiny diamond-shaped window of light?

If you can’t see this ‘diamond gap’, you could have finger clubbing, which can be a sign of lung cancer. Finger clubbing is seen in 35% of people with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), and in 4% of those with small cell lung cancer.

Finger clubbing is when the ends of your fingers swell up, and it happens in stages. First, the base of the nail becomes soft and the skin next to the nail bed becomes shiny. Next, the nails begin to curve more than normal when looked at from the side. Finally, the ends of the fingers may get larger and swell; it’s thought to be caused by fluid collecting in the soft tissues of the fingers.

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Cosmic Radiation: A Supernova’s Deadly Reach

Around 2.6 million years ago, a supernova erupted just 150 light-years from Earth, creating a dazzling display in the sky. But its most significant impact may have occurred years later when a wave of cosmic radiation reached Earth, triggering a marine extinction event. Researchers led by Adrian Melott of the University of Kansas propose that this cosmic catastrophe may have contributed to the disappearance of marine giants, including the Megalodon. Their findings were published in Astrobiology.

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The Search for Quantum Gravity

Physics faces a profound crisis as it struggles to unify two foundational theories: general relativity and quantum mechanics. While general relativity explains gravity and large-scale phenomena, quantum mechanics governs the microscopic world of particles. Despite their individual successes, these theories conflict, prompting the need for a unified framework known as quantum gravity.

One promising approach is string theory, which posits that particles are actually vibrating strings in up to 11 dimensions. However, its lack of testable predictions has spurred alternative ideas, such as loop quantum gravity. This theory envisions space and time as a network of minuscule loops, challenging the notion of time as a fundamental construct. Remarkably, loop quantum gravity suggests time might not exist at all.

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Researchers leverage their understanding of molecular motors to improve nanoscale.

The term “nanoscale” refers to dimensions that are measured in nanometers (nm), with one nanometer equaling one-billionth of a meter. This scale encompasses sizes from approximately 1 to 100 nanometers, where unique physical, chemical, and biological properties emerge that are not present in bulk materials. At the nanoscale, materials exhibit phenomena such as quantum effects and increased surface area to volume ratios, which can significantly alter their optical, electrical, and magnetic behaviors. These characteristics make nanoscale materials highly valuable for a wide range of applications, including electronics, medicine, and materials science.

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