First interstellar comet may be the most pristine ever found
New observations with the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope (ESO's VLT) indicate that the rogue comet 2I/Borisov, which is only the second and most recently detected interstellar visitor to our Solar System, is one of the most pris.....»»
NASA Releases New Photos of Jupiter - and a Recording of Its Moon that Sounds Like R2-D2
"As it seeks answers about the cosmos and what they mean for Earth's origins, NASA on Friday announced a slew of discoveries about Jupiter," reports the Washington Post "And scientists brought home an interstellar tune from the road." The Juno sp.....»»
How to get shiny statues in Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl
You'll want these pristine statues for more than just decorations. Here's how you can get your own Shiny Statues in Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl......»»
Is Santa"s sleigh zero carbon? The answer lies in reindeer poo
Santa's sleigh is famously pulled by eight reindeer, nine if you include the luminous Rudolf who pitches in when it's foggy. The classic eight are Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Comet, Cupid, Donner, Vixen and Blitzen. Those last two are an easy-on-the-ear.....»»
How to see comet Leonard, according to the researcher who discovered it
Now is the best time to get a glimpse of Comet C/2021 A1, better known as Comet Leonard. It's named for its discoverer, Gregory Leonard, a senior research specialist at the University of Arizona Lunar and Planetary Laboratory......»»
Don’t Look Up is fiction. Here’s the real science of that doomsday scenario
Ars chats with Amy Mainzer about why we don't need comet and asteroid insurance just yet. Enlarge / Leonardo DiCaprio and Jennifer Lawrence co-star as low-level astronomers in Don't Look Up (credit: Netflix) Two low-level astr.....»»
Netflix"s "Don"t Look Up" is sci-fi fatalism at its most comically bleak
If an extinction-level comet ever does threaten Earth, then I imagine Don't Look Up might be something I'd want to watch. But sitting in my living room at the end of two remarkably shitty years, Adam McKay's latest movie feels about as welcome as a k.....»»
NASA’s skywatching tips for December include a comet called Leonard
December's night sky offers a good look at Venus, a comet called Leonard, and the annual Geminids meteor shower. Check it out!.....»»
The Largest Comet We"ve Ever Seen Just Delivered a Curious Surprise
schwit1 shares a report from ScienceAlert: The comet Bernardinelli-Bernstein (BB) -- the largest our telescopes have ever spotted -- is on a journey from the outer reaches of our Solar System that will see it flying relatively close to Saturn's orbit.....»»
Researchers propose a simpler design for quantum computers
Today's quantum computers are complicated to build, difficult to scale up, and require temperatures colder than interstellar space to operate. These challenges have led researchers to explore the possibility of building quantum computers that work us.....»»
New study shows the largest comet ever observed was active at near-record distance
A new study by University of Maryland astronomers shows that comet Bernardinelli-Bernstein (BB), the largest comet ever discovered, was active long before previously thought, meaning the ice within it is vaporizing and forming an envelope of dust and.....»»
Cells" replication of DNA is more "error-prone" in microgravity
On 22 May 2019, scientists from Queen's University boarded a modified Falcon 20 aircraft at Ottawa airport. Scheduled was a 'vomit comet' flight, where the plane repeatedly climbs to 8km in a steep parabola, alternating with a descent in freefall. Du.....»»
Comet A1 Leonard brightens in December
Now is the time to start tracking Comet C/2021 A1 Leonard, as it starts its dawn dive sunward......»»
New findings about ions around comets
Sofia Bergman, Swedish Institute of Space Physics (IRF) and Umeå University, will defend her doctoral thesis on low-energy ions around comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko on 26 November. Observing low energy ions is notoriously difficult because their p.....»»
New Mission To Scour Our Interstellar Neighbourhood for Planets that Could Sustain Life
A new space mission to hunt for potentially habitable planets around Earth's closest neighbouring star system is under way. From a report: In a project with echoes of the 2009 film Avatar, an international collaboration of scientists in Australia and.....»»
Amazon Rainforest birds" bodies transform due to climate change
The most pristine parts of the Amazon rainforest devoid of direct human contact are being impacted by human-induced climate change, according to new research by LSU scientists. New analyses of data collected over the past four decades show that not o.....»»
Micro-scale current sheets unleash macro-scale space weather
While movies show Earth as existing in a calm, pristine corner of the universe, in reality the near-Earth space environment is dangerous and dynamic. On any given day, hot charged particles and blobs of plasma, called the solar wind, travel from the.....»»
Vast patches of glassy rock in Chilean desert likely created by ancient exploding comet
Around 12,000 years ago, something scorched a vast swath of the Atacama Desert in Chile with heat so intense that it turned the sandy soil into widespread slabs of silicate glass. Now, a research team studying the distribution and composition of thos.....»»
Nanoplastics found in the Alps were transported by air from Frankfurt, Paris and London
A team of researchers have found nanoplastics at the pristine high-altitude Sonnblick Observatory in the Alps. This is the first time that nanoplastics have been found in this area. The researchers were originally looking for certain organic particle.....»»
A radical shift to link soot formation and interstellar evolution
Unusual reaction pathways to hydrocarbon clusters could bring a paradigm shift to the understanding of soot and interstellar chemistry......»»
The biggest comet ever seen will get as close as Saturn in 2031
A mega-comet—potentially the largest ever discovered—is heading from the Oort Cloud towards our direction. Estimated to be 100–200 kilometers across, the unusual celestial wanderer will make its closest approach to the Sun in 2031. However, the.....»»