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Different Conditions From Earth Drive the Movement of Sand Dunes on Mars Mars is a sandy planet and the HiRISE camera on the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) has given us tons of beautiful pictures of Martian sand dunes. But Mars’ dunes are much different than dunes here on Earth. Their movement is governed by different factors than Earth dunes. The movement of sand dunes on Mars is … Continue reading “Different Conditions From Earth Drive the Movement of Sand Dunes on Mars” The post Different Conditions From Earth Drive the Movement of Sand Dunes on Mars appeared first on Universe Today. Universe Today Go toRead More →

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Photometric observations detect 28 new variable stars in NGC 4147 Using the Devasthal optical telescope in India, astronomers have conducted photometric observations of the globular cluster NGC 4147. The observational campaign yielded the discovery of 28 new variable stars in this cluster. The findings are detailed in a paper published May 20 on the arXiv pre-print server. phys.org Go to SourceRead More →

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Weekly Space Hangout: May 29, 2019 – Dr. Molly Peeples of the Space Telescope Science Institute Hosts: Fraser Cain (universetoday.com / @fcain) Dr. Kimberly Cartier (KimberlyCartier.org / @AstroKimCartier ) Dr. Morgan Rehnberg (MorganRehnberg.com / @MorganRehnberg & ChartYourWorld.org) Dr. Paul M. Sutter (pmsutter.com / @PaulMattSutter) Dr. Molly Peeples is a theorist at the Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) studying how galaxies evolve with a focus on the origin and fate of the … Continue reading “Weekly Space Hangout: May 29, 2019 – Dr. Molly Peeples of the Space Telescope Science Institute” The post Weekly Space Hangout: May 29, 2019 – Dr. Molly Peeples of the SpaceRead More →

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SpaceX satellites pose new headache for astronomers It looked like a scene from a sci-fi blockbuster: an astronomer in the Netherlands captured footage of a train of brightly-lit SpaceX satellites ascending through the night sky this weekend, stunning space enthusiasts across the globe. phys.org Go to SourceRead More →

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This Strange Feature on Mars was Probably the Result of an Ancient Volcanic Explosion A strange feature on the surface of Mars has kept scientists guessing about its origin. It’s a surface deposit of a mineral which is more common in the interiors of planets. A new study shows that this interior mineral was probably brought to the surface by an ancient explosive volcano. Nili Fossae is located in … Continue reading “This Strange Feature on Mars was Probably the Result of an Ancient Volcanic Explosion” The post This Strange Feature on Mars was Probably the Result of an Ancient Volcanic Explosion appeared first onRead More →

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Chandra finds stellar duos banished from galaxies Scientists have found evidence that pairs of stars have been kicked out of their host galaxies. This discovery, made using data from NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory, is one of the clearest examples of stellar pairs being expelled from their galactic base. phys.org Go to SourceRead More →

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Pushing stargazing to the limits with the world’s largest gamma-ray observatory To discover the secrets of exploding stars or black holes, scientists have been focusing on the gamma rays they emit. However, gamma rays don’t pass through the Earth’s atmosphere, making them difficult to study. To find what high-energy process a gamma ray originates from, scientists have been observing the cascades of secondary particles produced when these rays hit the atmosphere. The cascades—which create blue flashes of light called Cherenkov light after the Russian physicist who discovered them—only last a few billionths of a second and are invisible to the naked eye. What’s more, they’reRead More →

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Stolen comets and free-floating objects Our solar system may contain alien comets that were stolen from another star flying past 4.5 billion years ago. Far away in a distant cluster of young stars, a similar close encounter might have also sent the inter-stellar visitor “Oumuamua” flying on its way toward us, and there must be many more of these free-floating objects in the galaxy. These are results of a new study by astrophysicists at the University of Zurich. phys.org Go to SourceRead More →

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Evidence of new magnetic transitions in late-type dwarfs from Gaia DR2 Since the second Gaia data release on the 25th April 2018, astrophysicists have had at their disposal an unprecedented wealth of information not only on distances and motions of stars in the galaxy, but also on many other stellar parameters that came along by exploiting the instrumentation aboard the satellite and the unique characteristics of the mission. Multiple observations of the same star, required to derive its distance and motion, also produced parameters related to stellar variability. Data for stars with spots on the surface similar to those on our Sun, in particular, provideRead More →

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Giant planets and comets battling in the circumstellar disk around HD 163296 In a study appearing today in the Astrophysical Journal, an INAF-lead team of researchers explored whether the anomalous features in the dust and gas distributions of HD 163296’s disk revealed by ALMA’s observations could arise from the interaction of the giant planets with planetesimals, a component of the disk previously unaccounted for. phys.org Go to SourceRead More →

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NASA’s Long-Term Climate Predictions have Proven to be Very Accurate, Within 1/20th of a Degree Celsius There are a handful of major science institutions around the world that keep track of the Earth’s temperature. They all clearly show that the world’s temperature has risen in the past few decades. One of those institutions is NASA. NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Science Studies (GISS) is located in New York City. Recently, they … Continue reading “NASA’s Long-Term Climate Predictions have Proven to be Very Accurate, Within 1/20th of a Degree Celsius” The post NASA’s Long-Term Climate Predictions have Proven to be Very Accurate, Within 1/20th ofRead More →

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18 – Yes, 18 – New Earth-sized Exoplanets have been Found in Kepler’s Data Scientists working with data from the Kepler mission have discovered an additional 18 Earth-sized worlds. The team used a newer, more stringent method of combing through the data to find these planets. Among the 18 is the smallest exoplanet ever found. The Kepler mission was very successful and we now know of more than 4,000 … Continue reading “18 – Yes, 18 – New Earth-sized Exoplanets have been Found in Kepler’s Data” The post 18 – Yes, 18 – New Earth-sized Exoplanets have been Found in Kepler’s Data appeared first onRead More →

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Catching a Ride on the Starlink Satellite Train: Midnight Marvel, or Night Sky Menace? Have you seen Starlink? It all started, as all good breaking astronomical events seem to do, late on a Friday night. We got the notification first from veteran satellite tracker Dr. Marco Langbroek over in the Netherlands via the venerable See-Sat-L message board, and on Twitter soon after: “I could not help shouting ‘OAAAAH!!!’” says … Continue reading “Catching a Ride on the Starlink Satellite Train: Midnight Marvel, or Night Sky Menace?” The post Catching a Ride on the Starlink Satellite Train: Midnight Marvel, or Night Sky Menace? appeared first onRead More →

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Astronomers investigate pulsar wind nebula DA 495 Astronomers have carried out a multiwavelength investigation of a pulsar wind nebula (PWN), designated DA 495, to unveil its mysterious physical nature. Results of the study, based on observations using HAWC and VERITAS ground-based observatories as well as NASA’s NuSTAR spacecraft, are presented in a paper published May 17 on arXiv.org. phys.org Go to SourceRead More →

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Theory proposes that Venus could have been habitable, but a large ocean slowed down its rotation, killing it A new study supported by NASA has revealed that an ancient ocean on Venus might have been what slowed down its rotation, thus causing the runaway greenhouse effect that made it what it is today. The post Theory proposes that Venus could have been habitable, but a large ocean slowed down its rotation, killing it appeared first on Universe Today. Universe Today Go to SourceRead More →

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Sen has Launched a 4K Video Stream to Space In their drive towards “democratizing space”, the private aerospace company Sen recently demonstrated the capabilities of their 4K video streaming satellite. The post Sen has Launched a 4K Video Stream to Space appeared first on Universe Today. Universe Today Go to SourceRead More →

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World celebrates centenary of confirmation of relativity Celebrations are underway across the globe to commemorate 100 years since a UK-led expedition confirmed Einstein’s general theory of relativity. The theory fundamentally changed our understanding of physics and astronomy, and underpins critical modern technologies such as the satellite-based Global Positioning System (GPS). A series of public events in the UK and around the world will mark this seminal anniversary. phys.org Go to SourceRead More →

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SpaceX just launched 60 satellites for its Starlink Constellation. Internet service providers should be very worried. SpaceX just launched the first 60 satellites that will make up their Starlink broadband internet service provider. The post SpaceX just launched 60 satellites for its Starlink Constellation. Internet service providers should be very worried. appeared first on Universe Today. Universe Today Go to SourceRead More →