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Astronomers observe white dwarf star transforming into massive celestial diamond

They believe the process could take roughly a quadrillion years.

A team of astronomers discovered a star that is gradually crystallizing into an enormous diamond. Scientists believe it is at the beginning of a process that takes roughly a quadrillion years, a report from Space.com reveals. As the universe is 13.6 billion years old, no star has ever fully crystallized.

The discovery sheds new light on the evolution of stars as they gradually transform over time.


MARK GARLICK/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY/Getty.

Scientists believe it is at the beginning of a process that takes roughly a quadrillion years, a report from Space.com reveals. As the universe is 13.6 billion years old, no star has ever fully crystallized.

NASA’s Curiosity rover sends “postcard” showing Mars during different times of the day

Once in the hands of NASA scientists, the photos were turned into panoramic images. Color was also added to the photos, creating what NASA referred to as a “postcard,” and further emphasizing the difference between the two times the photos were taken.

The panoramic postcard shows a number of Mars landmarks, including “Marker Band Valley,” where Curiosity once found evidence that there may have been a lake on the site, and two hills named “Bolivar” and “Deepdale.” At the edge of the photo is the rim of the Gale Crater, which Curiosity is currently exploring. Because the photograph was taken on a clear day, Curiosity’s image even shows a mountain that is 54 miles from the edge of the crater.

Math You Can Wear: Fibonacci Spiral LED Badge

Fibonacci numbers are seen in the natural structures of various plants, such as the florets in sunflower heads, areoles on cacti stems, and scales in pine cones. [HackerBox] has developed a Fibonacci Spiral LED Badge to bring this natural phenomenon to your electronics.

To position each of the 64 addressable LEDs within the PCB layout, [HackerBox] computed the polar (r,θ) coordinates in a spreadsheet according to the Vogel model and then converted them to rectangular (x, y) coordinates. A little more math translates the points “off origin” into the center of the PCB space and scale them out to keep the first two 5 mm LEDs from overlapping. Finally, the LED coordinates were pasted into the KiCad PCB design file.

An RP2040 microcontroller controls the show, and a switch on the badge selects power between USB and three AA batteries and a DC/DC boost converter. The PCB also features two capacitive touch pads. [HackerBox] has published the KiCad files for the badge, and the CircuitPython firmware is shared with the project. If C/C++ is more your preference, the RP2040 MCU can also be programmed using the Arduino IDE.

The ‘world’s first space factory’ has successfully been deployed

Varda Space Industries aims to kickstart a new era of mass production of pharmaceuticals and other materials from Earth’s orbit.

A California-based startup co-founded by a SpaceX veteran, Varda Space Industries, announced it has successfully deployed its first satellite, W-Series 1, in orbit.

The company aims to kickstart the mass production of materials in space that either can’t be produced on Earth or are developed faster and with higher quality in microgravity conditions.

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