Astronomers think they’ve found a plausible explanation of the Wow! signal
Magnetars could zap clouds of atomic hydrogen, producing focused microwave beams. Enlarge / The Wow! signal, represented as "6EQUJ5," was discovered in 1977 by astronomer Jerry Ehman. (credit: Public domain) An unusually.....»»
Globular cluster NGC 6558 explored with Gemini Observatory and Hubble Space Telescope
Using the Gemini Observatory and the Hubble Space Telescope (HST), an international team of astronomers has investigated a Galactic globular cluster known as NGC 6558. Results of the new study, published July 22 on the pre-print server arXiv, deliver.....»»
Astronomers find first emission spectra in brightest GRB of all time
Chance that first detected emission line is a noise fluctuation is one in half a billion. Enlarge / A jet of particles moving at nearly light-speed emerges from a massive star in this artist’s concept of the BOAT. (credit: NASA.....»»
Fermi Telescope finds new feature in brightest gamma-ray burst yet seen
In October 2022, astronomers were stunned by what was quickly dubbed the BOAT—the brightest-of-all-time gamma-ray burst (GRB). Now an international science team reports that data from NASA's Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope reveals a feature never s.....»»
Webb images nearest super-Jupiter, opening a new window to exoplanet research
Using the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), an MPIA-led team of astronomers imaged a new exoplanet that orbits a star in the nearby triple system Epsilon Indi. The planet is a cold super-Jupiter exhibiting a temperature of around 0 degrees Celsius a.....»»
Discovery of Piezo1"s new signaling mechanism may aid search for better pain and itch treatments
The human body's sense of touch is so important it can be found throughout the body, not just on the skin. Two tiny sensors of touch, Piezo1 and Piezo2, signal the lightest pressures and can be found monitoring the circulatory system, telling the bod.....»»
Astronomers discover technique to spot AI fakes using galaxy-measurement tools
Researchers use technique to quantify eyeball reflections that often reveal deepfake images. Enlarge / Researchers write, "In this image, the person on the left (Scarlett Johansson) is real, while the person on the right is AI-ge.....»»
Saturday Citations: Scientists study monkey faces and cat bellies; another intermediate black hole in the Milky Way
This is not a rerun of last week's roundup; another group of astronomers found a second intermediate-mass black hole in the Milky Way and I can't avoid highlighting it. They're cool! They may have formed in the primordial universe, they comprise the.....»»
Introducing Ramses, ESA"s 2029 mission to asteroid Apophis
Thirty years ago, on 16 July 1994, astronomers watched in awe as the first of many pieces of the Shoemaker-Levy 9 comet slammed into Jupiter with incredible force. The event sparked intense interest in the field of planetary defense as people asked:.....»»
A new explanation for Jupiter"s shrinking Great Red Spot
Jupiter's Great Red Spot—the biggest windstorm in the solar system—is shrinking, and a new study may help explain why......»»
Observations detect a nearby hypervelocity stellar/substellar object
Using the Keck II telescope, astronomers have detected an object that may be a brown dwarf or a low-mass star, exhibiting a very high radial velocity. The object, designated CWISE J124909.08+362116.0 is located some 400 light years away. The finding.....»»
This small change coming to the M5 MacBook Pro could mean much more
It's not due out until 2025, but a new report indicates that a change to the camera module could be coming. Could this signal a larger update in the works?.....»»
Astronomers spot a "highly eccentric" planet on its way to becoming a hot Jupiter
Hot Jupiters are some of the most extreme planets in the galaxy. These scorching worlds are as massive as Jupiter, and they swing wildly close to their star, whirling around in a few days compared to our own gas giant's leisurely 4,000-day orbit arou.....»»
Exoplanet caught in "hairpin turn" signals how high-mass gas giants form
Astronomers have discovered a planet that has the most oblong orbit ever found among transiting planets. The exoplanet's extreme circuit—which looks closer to a cucumber than a circle—follows one of the most drastically stretched-out orbits of al.....»»
Astronomers detect dozens of new pulsating white dwarfs
Using NASA's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS), astronomers have detected 32 new bright pulsating DA white dwarfs of the ZZ Ceti subclass. The finding was reported in a research paper published July 9 on the pre-print server arXiv......»»
Astronomers discover what may be 21 neutron stars orbiting sun-like stars
Most stars in our universe come in pairs. While our own sun is a loner, many stars like our sun orbit similar stars, while a host of other exotic pairings between stars and cosmic orbs pepper the universe. Black holes, for example, are often found or.....»»
Telescope tag-team discovers 10 strange and exotic pulsars
Towards the center of our Milky Way galaxy, in the constellation Sagittarius, astronomers have discovered 10 monstrous neutron stars. These particular stars, called pulsars, reside together in globular cluster Terzan 5, a crowded home for hundreds of.....»»
Scorching storms on distant worlds revealed in new detail
Astronomers have created the most detailed weather report so far for two distant worlds beyond our own solar system. The international study—the first of its kind—reveals the extreme atmospheric conditions on the celestial objects, which are swat.....»»
New low-mass galaxy discovered
Astronomers report the discovery of a new galaxy in the constellation Corvus. The newfound galaxy, which received designation Corvus A, has a relatively low mass, is gas-rich and isolated. The discovery was presented in a research paper published Jul.....»»
How astronomers are using pulsars to observe evidence of dark matter
Tantalizing evidence of potential dark matter objects has been detected with the help of the universe's "timekeepers." These pulsars—neutron stars which rotate and emit lighthouse-like beams of radio waves that rapidly sweep through space—were us.....»»
Saturday Citations: The first Goldilocks black hole; Toxoplasma gondii metabolism; pumping at the speed of muscle
This week: Physicists conducted a biological study, engineers built a waste-recycling suit for astronauts (and worm riders), and astronomers identified the first known intermediate-mass black hole, and it's right here in our own galactic back yard......»»