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Category: space – Page 193
Breakthrough discovery puts astronomers one step closer to solving the mystery of the origin of elements that are heavier than iron. An international team of astronomers â including Clemson University astrophysicist Dieter Hartmann â obtained observational evidence for the creation of rare heavy elements in the aftermath of a cataclysmic explosion triggered by the merger of two neutron stars.
The massive explosion unleashed a gamma-ray burst, GRB230307A, the second brightest in 50 years of observations and about 1,000 times brighter than a typical gamma-ray burst. GRB230307A was first detected by NASAâs Fermi Gamma-Ray Space Telescope on March 7, 2023.
Using multiple space-and ground-based telescopes, including NASAâs James Webb Space Telescope, the largest and most powerful telescope ever launched into space, scientists were able to pinpoint the source of the gamma-ray burst in the sky and track how its brightness changed.
Organic materials discovered on Mars may have originated from atmospheric formaldehyde, according to new research, marking a step forward in our understanding of the possibility of past life on the Red Planet.
Scientists from Tohoku University have investigated whether the early atmospheric conditions on Mars had the potential to foster the formation of biomolecules â organic compounds essential for biological processes.
Their findings, published in Scientific Reports, offer intriguing insights into the plausibility of Mars harboring life in its distant past.
Research utilizing the James Webb Space Telescope highlights the destructive power of ultraviolet âwindsâ on the gas in protoplanetary disks surrounding young stars, shedding light on the intricate dynamics that limit the formation of gas giants in the cosmos.
Ultraviolet âwindsâ from nearby massive stars are stripping the gas from a young starâs protoplanetary disk, causing it to rapidly lose mass, according to a new study. It reports the first directly observed evidence of far-ultraviolet (FUV)-driven photoevaporation of a protoplanetary disk. The findings, which use observations from the James Web Space Telescope (JWST), provide new insights into the constraints of gas giant planet formation, including in our own Solar System.
Insights into gas giant planet formation.
Now, astronauts who witness solar eclipses do so from the International Space Station (ISS). But instead of looking at the sun, they look down at the Earth to observe a solar eclipse. âISS astronauts can see the [moonâs] shadow but not the eclipse itself, because their windows donât point toward the sun,â says Levasseur. Rather, remotely operated equipment on the station collects data from the eclipse, while astronauts peer at the darkened ground on the planet below.
The first time anyone got this unique view was in 1999, when Russian cosmonauts Viktor Afanasyev and Sergei Avdeyev, as well as French astronaut Jean-Pierre HaignerĂ©, witnessed the 20th centuryâs final total solar eclipse from the former Russian space station, Mir. On August 11, they saw the moonâs shadow pass over England.
What can Titanâs methane-rich atmosphere teach us about finding life beyond Earth? This is what a recent study published in Planetary and Space Science hopes to address as a team of international researchers investigated the photochemistry of Saturnâs largest moon, which is also the only moon in the solar system with a dense atmosphere, to ascertain if the moonâs methane-rich atmosphere can support life. This study holds the potential to help researchers better understand the conditions necessary for life to emerge, along with where to search for it beyond Earth.
âTitanâs atmosphere works like a planetary-sized chemical reactor, producing many complex carbon-based molecules,â said Rafael Rianço-Silva, who is a masterâs degree student at the University of Lisbon and lead author of the study. âOf all the atmospheres we know in the Solar System, the atmosphere of Titan is the most similar to the one we think existed on the early Earth.â
For the study, the team used the European Southern Observatoryâs Very Large Telescope Ultraviolet and Visual Echelle Spectrograph (VLT-UVES) to conduct high resolution analyses of Titanâs hazy and methane-rich atmosphere. Using this data, the team identified possible traces of the tricarbon molecule (C3), which is known for being a building block for the development of complex molecules and has been previously identified in cometary comas and interstellar clouds, the latter of which was found using VLT-UVES. If confirmed, Titan will be the first planetary body to possess tricarbon either in its atmosphere or on its surface.
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The view was âawe-inspiring and a little scary,â Shang Yang told Newsweek, noting âit was definitely not part of normal aurora activity.â
At SXSW Jeff Cardenas, CEO of Austin-based Apptronik along with Shaun Azimi, of NASAâs discussed the possibilities of humanoid robots in space.
Jupiter is iconic, with its swirls of water and ammonia vapor that characterize its outer surface and its distinctive Giant Red Spot, a gigantic storm raging across its face.
But its mysteries abound â such as Jupiterâs strange and asymmetrical magnetic field, which has a strong area of magnetism in its equator called the âGreat Blue Spotâ â blue because thatâs how itâs color-coded in maps tracing the magnetic field.
In an effort to understand the planetâs magnetic field better, a team of American scientists from Harvard University, the California Institute of Technology, NASA and the Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio, Texas studied an atmospheric jet â a high speed current in the gas giantâs atmosphere â in the Great Blue Spot. Their finding? Itâs a dynamic system that fluctuates every four years or so.