New research confirms the Universe is expanding faster than theoretical models predict, intensifying the Hubble tension.
Using precise measurements of the Coma cluster, scientists recalibrated the cosmic distance ladder, suggesting flaws in existing cosmological models.
Expanding Universe: A Startling Discovery.
As NASA’s Europa Clipper embarks on its historic journey to Jupiter’s icy moon, Europa, Dr. Matt Powell-Palm, a faculty member at Texas A&M University’s J. Mike Walker ’66 Department of Mechanical Engineering, has unveiled groundbreaking research that could transform our understanding of icy ocean worlds across the solar system. The study published in Nature Communications, co-authored with planetary scientist Dr. Baptiste Journaux of the University of Washington, introduces a novel thermodynamic concept called the “centotectic” and investigates the stability of liquids in extreme conditions — critical information for determining the habitability of icy moons like Europa.
Revolutionizing the Search for Habitability.
The exploration of icy ocean worlds represents a new frontier in planetary science, focusing on understanding the potential for these environments to support life. Powell-Palm’s research addresses a fundamental question in this field: under what conditions can liquid water remain stable on these distant, frozen bodies? By defining and measuring the cenotectic, the absolute lowest temperature at which a liquid remains stable under varying pressures and concentrations, the team provides a critical framework for interpreting data from planetary exploration efforts.
Bright, twisted light can be produced with technology similar to an Edison light bulb, researchers at the University of Michigan have shown. The finding adds nuance to fundamental physics while offering a new avenue for robotic vision systems and other applications for light that traces out a helix in space.
“It’s hard to generate enough brightness when producing twisted light with traditional ways like electron or photon luminescence,” said Jun Lu, an adjunct research investigator in chemical engineering at U-M and first author of the study on the cover of this week’s Science.
“We gradually noticed that we actually have a very old way to generate these photons—not relying on photon and electron excitations, but like the bulb Edison developed.”
Our reality is a 3 + 1 pseudo-Riemannian spacetime manifold whose intrinsic curvature manifests itself as gravity, right? Well no, because descriptions are not reality, and math is not physics. Indeed, when taken at its most literal, face-value, what the \.
This episode focuses on the basic concepts and misconceptions of wars fought in space and examines the notions of weapons, defenses, stealth in space, and the distance involved.
Mars’s atmosphere and climate are impacted by interactions with solar wind, a stream of plasma comprised of protons and electrons that flows from the sun’s outermost atmosphere (corona), traveling at speeds of 400–1,000 kilometers per second.
As these charged particles interact with the planet’s magnetic field and atmosphere, we may see spectacular auroras over polar regions on Earth. Given Mars’s lack of a global magnetic field, auroras here are instead diffused across the planet.
However, sometimes this solar wind can “disappear” in rare events when there is a gap in the solar wind path as the sun increases its solar activity. This occurs when a faster portion of solar wind overtakes a slower one in a corotating interaction region and incorporates it, leaving a lower-density void in the solar wind path.
Mars has northern and southern hemispheres like Earth, but their defining characteristics are markedly different, a phenomenon known as Martian dichotomy. The Southern Highlands are older, higher in elevation and more cratered than the Northern Lowlands. The elevated terrain of the former acts as a natural barrier to airflow, resulting in varied wind patterns and contributing to localized weather phenomena.
Explanations for the origin of this dichotomy primarily surround giant impactors (~2,000 kilometers in diameter) from space and large-scale convective movements of the mantle caused by differences in its temperature and density.
Research published in Geophysical Research Letters has attempted to further unravel this origin story through study of Martian earthquakes, or marsquakes. Much like on Earth, this seismic activity can be used to explore driving mechanisms beneath Mars’s surface.
In a study published in the Astrophysical Journal, a team of researchers led by Kristen McQuinn, a scientist at the Space Telescope Science Institute and an associate professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at the Rutgers University-New Brunswick School of Arts and Sciences, has reported finding that Leo P, a small galaxy and a distant neighbor of the Milky Way, “reignited,” reactivating during a significant period on the timeline of the universe, producing stars when many other small galaxies didn’t.
By studying galaxies early in their formation and in different environments, astronomers said they may gain a deeper understanding of the universe’s origins and the fundamental processes that shape it.
McQuinn and other members of the research team studied Leo P through NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope, a space-based apparatus that features a large, segmented mirror and an expansive sunshield, both of which enable it to capture detailed images of distant celestial objects.
Have you read on social media about the “once in 396 billion years” planetary alignment happening on Jan. 25? Guess what? Social media is not reliable. Here’s what’s really going on — and why you don’t have to wait.
Four planets are easily visible to the naked eye this month. Next month, for a short period, there will be five. It’s not irregular, not particularly rare, and certainly not some kind of weird alignment—as the online hype would have you believe—but it is a spectacular sight. But is it one of the best stargazing and astronomy sights of 2025?
Here’s the truth about the so-called “planet parade” and when you can see it as its best all this month and during February.
