Lifeboat Foundation: Safeguarding Humanity
Toggle light / dark theme

Blog

Category: space – Page 4

Astronomers reveal flat ‘Diamond Ring’ in Cygnus X is a burst bubble remnant

An international team led by researchers from the University of Cologne has solved the mystery of an extraordinary phenomenon known as the “Diamond Ring” in the star-forming region Cygnus X, a huge, ring-shaped structure made of gas and dust that resembles a glowing diamond ring. In similar structures, the formations are not flat but spherical in shape. How this special shape came about was previously unknown.

The results have been published under the title “The Diamond Ring in Cygnus X: an advanced stage of an expanding bubble of ionized carbon” in the journal Astronomy & Astrophysics.

New monitor now operational in the Large Hadron Collider

A novel beam diagnostic instrument developed by researchers in the University of Liverpool’s QUASAR Group has been approved for use in the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), the world’s most powerful particle accelerator.

The new device, known as the Beam Gas Curtain (BGC) monitor, addresses one of the toughest challenges in modern accelerator physics: measuring the properties of very high-energy particle beams without disturbing them.

It has now been cleared for continuous operation (~2,000 hours per year).

Scientists Identify High-Risk Zones On Earth Where Interstellar Objects Could Strike

The study, led by Darryl Seligman of Michigan State University, used simulations to model ISO behaviour and paths. The findings suggest that certain regions are more exposed to potential impacts.

“In this paper we calculate the expected orbital elements, radiants, and velocities of Earth-impacting interstellar objects,” the paper is available online at arxiv.org.

A report by the Universe Today mentioned that the analysis doesn’t calculate the number of ISOs as are no constraints on the number to work with.

Saturn’s icy moon may host a stable ocean fit for life

A new study led by researchers from Oxford University, Southwest Research Institute and the Planetary Science Institute in Tucson, Arizona has provided the first evidence of significant heat flow at Enceladus’s north pole, overturning previous assumptions that heat loss was confined to its active south pole.

This finding confirms that the icy moon is emitting far more heat than would be expected if it were simply a passive body, strengthening the case that it could support life.

The research is published in the journal Science Advances.

The simulated Milky Way: 100 billion stars using 7 million CPU cores

Researchers have successfully performed the world’s first Milky Way simulation that accurately represents more than 100 billion individual stars over the course of 10 thousand years. This feat was accomplished by combining artificial intelligence (AI) with numerical simulations. Not only does the simulation represent 100 times more individual stars than previous state-of-the-art models, but it was produced more than 100 times faster.

Published in Proceedings of the International Conference for High Performance Computing, Networking, Storage and Analysis, the study represents a breakthrough at the intersection of astrophysics, high-performance computing, and AI. Beyond astrophysics, this new methodology can be used to model other phenomena such as and .

Chinese scientists discover lunar rust, revealing new oxidation process on the moon

Chinese scientists have, for the first time, identified micrometer-sized crystals of hematite and maghemite in lunar soil samples brought back by the Chang’e 6 mission from the moon’s far side.

This finding, published in the latest issue of the journal Science Advances, reveals a previously unknown oxidation process on the moon. It provides direct sample evidence for the origin of magnetic anomalies around the South Pole-Aitken Basin and challenges the long-standing view that the lunar surface is entirely in a reduced state with minimal oxidation, according to the China National Space Administration.

The research, conducted by Shandong University, the Institute of Geochemistry of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and Yunnan University, identified these iron oxides in the Chang’e 6 samples collected from the SPA Basin, the largest and oldest known impact basin in the solar system.

Chang’e-6 samples reveal first evidence of impact-formed hematite and maghemite on the moon

A joint research team from the Institute of Geochemistry of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (IGCAS) and Shandong University has for the first time identified crystalline hematite (α-Fe2O3) and maghemite (γ-Fe2O3) formed by a major impact event in lunar soil samples retrieved by China’s Chang’e-6 mission from the South Pole–Aitken (SPA) Basin. This finding, published in Science Advances on November 14, provides direct sample-based evidence of highly oxidized materials on the lunar surface.

Redox reactions are a fundamental component of planetary formation and evolution. Nevertheless, scientific studies have shown that neither the oxygen fugacity of the lunar interior nor the environment favors oxidation. Consistent with this, multivalent iron on the moon primarily exists in its ferrous (Fe2+) and metallic (Fe0) states, suggesting an overall reduced state. However, with further lunar exploration, recent orbital remote sensing studies using visible-near-infrared spectroscopy have suggested the widespread presence of hematite in the moon’s high-latitude regions.

Furthermore, earlier research on Chang’e-5 samples first revealed impact-generated sub-micron magnetite (Fe3O4) and evidence of Fe3+ in impact glasses. These results indicate that localized oxidizing environments on the moon existed during lunar surface modification processes driven by external impacts.

/* */