Photosynthesis, a process that enables plants and other organisms to convert sunlight, water, and carbon dioxide into oxygen and energy in the form of sugar, is an integral part of Earth’s functioning. It is a process that is 2.3 billion years old and is responsible for the existence of life on our planet. However, as
Space
Solar power is the third largest source of renewable energy and is expected to grow exponentially in the coming decades, with renewables accounting for 90 percent of the energy market by mid-century. However, technical challenges need to be overcome for this transition to occur, with intermittency being the main limiting factor for solar power. To
The James Webb Space Telescope has made a remarkable discovery in a galaxy situated in the early Universe less than 1.5 billion years after the Big Bang. Astronomers have been able to detect complex molecules in the galaxy known as SPT0418-47, from light that traveled for over 12 billion years. The molecules, known as polycyclic
A new population of filaments has been discovered in the space surrounding the heart of the Milky Way. These magnetized strands are aligned along the galactic plane and point towards the galactic center. According to astrophysicist Farhad Yusef-Zadeh of Northwestern University, these filaments are likely the remnants of an outflow from the supermassive black hole
Astrophysicist Stephen Hawking proposed a theory that black holes gradually lose mass over time through a strange form of radiation, as the event horizon disrupts surrounding quantum fields. This radiation, known as Hawking radiation, is thought to occur due to the complex mix of fluctuations within the quantum fields being interfered with by the event
Enceladus, an ice-covered ocean moon of Saturn, has always been a topic of interest to scientists ever since the Cassini spacecraft discovered plumes of water vapor erupting from geysers on its surface almost 20 years ago. Recently, the James Webb Space Telescope has caught sight of the largest plume yet, providing direct evidence of how
Imagine being trapped inside a small sphere made of fabric with a tiny window and an air tank, suspended from the Canadarm. If the sphere moves, you will see the Earth, the damaged Space Shuttle and the Earth again. This is what NASA’s Personal Rescue Enclosure (PRE) was designed for. The PRE or rescue ball
M64, also known as the Evil Eye galaxy, is a peculiar galaxy that has long puzzled astronomers. Its outer disk of hydrogen-rich gas rotates in the opposite direction to its inner disk of stars, indicating that they may have different origins. However, recent research has shed light on this mystery. Astronomers using the Subaru telescope’s
A team of researchers from the Brera Astronomical Observatory in Italy and the University of Oxford in the UK have found a dead star moving away from its birth supernova, leaving a comet-like trail of radio emission. The star, named PSR J1914+1054g, is only the fourth known of its kind: a radio pulsar kicked at
Jupiter’s alternating bands of dark and light clouds have mystified scientists for years. However, a team of scientists from Japan, Spain, and the UK now think they have figured out the reason for the cyclic variations in Jupiter’s stripes. After studying data on Jupiter’s magnetic field collected by the Juno probe, the team suggests that
Uranus, the seventh planet from the sun, takes 84 years to orbit it. Due to this extended orbit, the last time Uranus’s north polar region was visible from Earth, radio telescope technology was in its early stages. However, the past few years have seen scientists using radio telescopes like the Very Large Array (VLA) to
Astrophysicists have long been intrigued by the nature of the first stars in the universe, which have left only traces of their presence. However, evidence traced in images from the James Webb Space Telescope now suggests that after the appearance of the first stars, there were fusion-powered balls of heat and fury, known as “chonker”
An astronomer from South Korea has recently reported that a sunspot four times the size of Earth is lined up with the Sun, and it is so large that it could be seen with the naked eye provided that the observer has the appropriate equipment to observe it safely. The astronomer has advised amateur astronomers
The Solar System is abundant in water, with planets and moons loaded with it, and comets from the far reaches carrying it. However, while water ice has been detected in the asteroid belt, its vapor has been strangely missing until now. But thanks to the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), scientists can now confirm that
Betelgeuse, the red giant star, has been exhibiting unusual behavior since the Great Dimming that occurred in 2019 and early 2020. The fluctuations in brightness that were a regular occurrence have changed, and the star has become uncharacteristically bright. Currently, Betelgeuse is at 142 percent of its normal brightness, with a steady upward trend for
