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Hubble images of Saturn taken in 2018, 2019, and 2020 as the planet’s northern hemisphere summer transitions to fall. Image credit: NASA / ESA / STScI / A. Simon / R. Roth.

Hubble Sees Midsummer Atmospheric Changes in Northern Hemisphere of Saturn

Mar 19, 2021 by News Staff

Astronomers using the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope observed Saturn, the second largest planet in our Solar System, in 2018, 2019, and 2020, just after...

An artist’s impression of ‘Oumuamua as a piece of nearly pure nitrogen ice. Image credit: William Hartmann / Arizona State University.

Oumuamua is Nitrogen-Ice Fragment of Pluto-Like Exoplanet, New Theory Says

Mar 18, 2021 by News Staff

1I/‘Oumuamua, a strange object of extrasolar origin discovered on October 19, 2017 by the Pan-STARRS 1 telescope, was small, about half as long as a...

This composite image, taken by the Very Large Array and Hubble, shows the galaxy cluster MACS J0717.5+3745. Pullout shows the distant galaxy J0717+3745, far beyond the cluster, and likely the faintest radio-emitting object ever detected. The prominent red-orange objects are radio relics -- large structures possibly caused by shock waves -- inside MACS J0717.5+3745. Image credit: Heywood et al. / Sophia Dagnello, NRAO / AUI / NSF / STScI.

Gravity of Giant Cluster Magnifies Light and Radio Waves from Distant Galaxy

Mar 17, 2021 by Enrico de Lazaro

The newly-discovered galaxy, named VLAHFF-J071736+374506 (J0717+3745 for short), is likely the faintest radio-emitting object yet found, according to astronomers...

An artist’s impression of the hot rocky exoplanet TOI-540b and its parent star. Image credit: Sci-News.com.

Hot Rocky Exoplanets May Have Water-Rich Atmospheres, Study Says

Mar 16, 2021 by News Staff

Data suggest that 80% of ‘hot’ rocky exoplanets — rocky planets with orbital period less than 100 days — formed as gas-rich sub-Neptunes...

Blázquez-Salcedo et al. constructed a specific example of a class of traversable wormholes in four space-time dimensions. Image credit: NASA / G. Bacon, STScI.

New Research Explores Possibility of Traveling through Microscopic Wormholes

Mar 16, 2021 by News Staff

The wormholes are theoretical portals through space-time that could create shortcuts for long journeys across our Universe. They have entered modern physics...

Computer model of the Antikythera Mechanism’s display: in the center, the dome of the Earth, the phase of the Moon and its position in the Zodiac -- then rings for Mercury, Venus, true Sun, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn and Date, with ‘little sphere’ markers and smaller markers for oppositions. Scale marks and index letters for the synodic cycles of the planets are inscribed on the planet rings. Surrounding these, the Zodiac and the Egyptian Calendar. The true Sun ring has a ‘little golden sphere’ with ‘pointer.’ When the Moon and Sun pointers coincide, the Moon sphere shows black for New Moon; when the pointers are on opposite sides, the Moon sphere shows white for Full Moon. The Head of the Dragon Hand shows the ascending lunar node; the Tail the descending node. Small triangles on the true Sun ring, near the pointer, show wider and narrower eclipse limits. Eclipses are possible if the Dragon Hand is within these limits. When the Moon pointer is before the Head of the Dragon, the Moon is South of the node; after, it is North of the node -- conversely for the descending node. A Date pointer is attached to a narrow date ring, showing the date in the Egyptian Calendar. Image credit: Freeth et al., doi: 10.1038/s41598-021-84310-w.

Scientists Step Closer to Understanding Full Capabilities of Antikythera Mechanism

Mar 15, 2021 by News Staff

A team of researchers from University College London and the Cyprus Institute’s Science and Technology in Archaeology and Culture Research Center has...

This composite image by Hubble and Pan-STARRS1 telescopes shows Abell 78, a planetary nebula located 5,000 light-years away in the constellation of Cygnus. Image credit: NASA / ESA / Hubble / M. Guerrero / Judy Schmidt, www.geckzilla.com.

Planetary Nebula Abell 78 Revealed in Amazing New Photo

Mar 15, 2021 by Enrico de Lazaro

Astronomers using the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope and the 1.8-m Pan-STARRS1 telescope have captured a detailed image of the unusual planetary nebula...

This image shows the Sb-type spiral galaxy SDSS J043703.67+245606.8. Image credit: Sloan Digital Sky Survey.

Wandering Supermassive Black Hole Detected in Distant Spiral Galaxy

Mar 12, 2021 by News Staff

Using the Arecibo and Gemini observatories, astronomers have detected a mobile supermassive black hole in a galaxy called SDSS J043703.67+245606.8 (hereafter...

This is an artist's impression of a rocky and water-rich asteroid being torn apart by the strong gravity of the white dwarf star GD 61. Image credit: Mark A. Garlick, Space-art.co.uk / University of Warwick / University of Cambridge.

Relatively Large Near-Earth Asteroid to Fly Safely Past Our Planet on March 21

Mar 12, 2021 by News Staff

2001 FO32, a near-Earth asteroid discovered two decades ago, will fly safely past Earth on March 21, 2021, at a distance of about 2 million (1.25 million...

An artist’s impression of Gliese 1132b. Image credit: NASA / ESA / R. Hurt, IPAC & Caltech.

Volcanic Activity Changed Atmosphere of Earth-Sized Planet Gliese 1132b: Study

Mar 11, 2021 by News Staff

Using the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope, astronomers have found evidence of volcanic activity reforming the atmosphere of Gliese 1132b, a rocky exoplanet...

A visualization of the Glashow resonance event detected by IceCube. Image credit: IceCube Collaboration.

High-Energy Antineutrino Detection Supports 60-Year-Old Theory

Mar 11, 2021 by News Staff

On December 6, 2016, a high-energy particle called an electron antineutrino hurtled to Earth from outer space at close to the speed of light carrying 6.3...

An artist’s illustration of a close-up view of a quasar and its jet, like the one in PJ352-52. Image credit: NASA / CXC / M. Weiss.

Chandra Spots Extremely Long Cosmic Jet in Early Universe

Mar 10, 2021 by News Staff

The source of the 160,000-light-year-long jet of particles is PSO J352.4034-15.3373 (PJ352-15 for short), a rapidly growing supermassive black hole, or...

This photo shows the zodiacal light as it appeared on March 1, 2021, in Skull Valley, Utah, the United States; the Pleiades star cluster is visible near the top of the light column; Mars is just below that. Image credit: Bill Dunford / NASA.

Martian Storms May Be Responsible for Interplanetary Dust behind Zodiacal Light

Mar 10, 2021 by News Staff

The zodiacal light is sunlight reflected by interplanetary dust in the inner Solar System. Variations in the zodiacal light with ecliptic latitude reveal...

Astronomers Discover Sixth Planet in K2-138 Planetary System

Mar 9, 2021 by Natali Anderson

Five sub-Neptunes and one super-Earth exoplanet orbit a moderately bright K-type star called K2-138. An artist’s impression of the six-planet system...

Massive Exoplanet Candidate Spotted around Vega

Mar 9, 2021 by News Staff

Astronomers have discovered evidence for a giant planet orbiting Vega, a young star located 25 light-years away in the constellation of Lyra. An artist’s...

This artist’s impression shows how the distant quasar PSO J172.3556+18.7734 and its radio jets may have looked. Image credit: M. Kornmesser / ESO.

Astronomers Discover Most Distant Known Cosmic Jet

Mar 8, 2021 by News Staff

Astronomers using several ground-based telescopes have spotted the most distant cosmic jet discovered so far. Its source is PSO J172.3556+18.7734, a radio-loud...

This Hubble image shows AFGL 5180, a stellar nursery located in the constellation of Gemini. Image credit: NASA / ESA / Hubble / J.C. Tan, Chalmers University & University of Virginia / R. Fedriani, Chalmers University / Judy Schmidt, www.geckzilla.com.

Hubble Space Telescope Spots Beautiful Stellar Nursery

Mar 8, 2021 by Enrico de Lazaro

The NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope has captured a striking new photo of the star-forming region AFGL 5180. This Hubble image shows AFGL 5180, a stellar...

This image from the SRG/eROSITA all-sky survey shows SNR Hoinga (marked); the large bright source in the lower quadrant of the image is from SNR Vela; the image colors are correlated with the energies of the detected X-ray photons; red represents the 0.3-0.6 keV energy range, green 0.6-1.0 keV and blue 1.0-2.3 keV. Image credit: SRG / eROSITA / Becker et al., doi: 10.1051/0004-6361/202040156.

eROSITA X-Ray Telescope Spots Enormous Supernova Remnant

Mar 5, 2021 by News Staff

Astronomers using data from the eROSITA X-ray telescope aboard the Spektrum-Roentgen-Gamma (SRG) observatory have detected the largest supernova remnant...

This Hubble image shows the huge nebula of material cast off by VY Canis Majoris. Image credit: NASA / ESA / Hubble / R. Humphreys, University of Minnesota / J. Olmsted, STScI.

VY Canis Majoris is Enshrouded in Giant Dust Clouds, Astronomers Say

Mar 5, 2021 by News Staff

Astronomers using the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope have discovered the reason for the dimming of a red hypergiant star called VY Canis Majoris. This...