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”
Space
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
The Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope has provided incredible, new images of the Sun, revealing intricate details of the solar atmosphere with a resolution of around 20 kilometers. The telescope has captured images of sunspots, revealing the roiling convective cells, and the motion of plasma. In addition, the telescope’s observations provide a glimpse of the
Satellites have traditionally been made of metal but a new project called LignoSat, by a team of Japanese researchers, has tested magnolia wood as a housing material for satellites. Wood has several advantages over metal, such as flexibility, strength, and relatively lightweight. Moreover, when metal enclosures burn up during reentry, aluminum shavings remain as space
A recent study published in Geophysical Research Letters aimed to answer the question of how thick Mars’ crust is. The study reported on data from a magnitude 4.7 marsquake recorded in May 2022 by NASA’s InSight lander, which is the largest quake ever recorded on another planetary body. The data helped estimate Mars’ global crustal
Astronomers have imaged a radiation belt around an extrasolar object for the first time. The object is a red dwarf star named LSR J1835+3259, which has about 77 times the mass of Jupiter and sits some 20 light-years away. This discovery is significant because all planets in our Solar System with global magnetic fields have
Supermassive black holes (SMBHs) at the center of active galactic nuclei (AGNs), also known as quasars, emit powerful space winds known as ultra-fast outflows (UFOs). These winds move at relativistic speeds close to the speed of light and regulate the behavior of SMBHs during their active phase. These emissions are believed to fuel the process
Saturn’s rings are one of the most iconic features of the Solar System, but a new study suggests their time is limited. The rings are estimated to be between 100 million and 400 million years old, making them a recent addition to the Solar System and a fraction of the age of Saturn itself. The
Saturn has regained its title of the planet with the most known moons after the discovery of 62 previously unknown satellites, bringing its total to 145 recognized moons. This surpasses Jupiter’s paltry 92 known moons, prompting astronomers to search for more ways to locate small moons orbiting Jupiter and Saturn. A team led by astronomer
NASA has been working on an AI-based early warning system for solar storms, which could provide the world with a 30-minute notice before a potentially devastating event strikes. Utilizing AI models to analyze solar storm data, the system aims to predict the severity and impact of a solar storm on Earth. Challenges and Solutions One
NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has made progress in its study of exoplanets, which are planets beyond the Solar System, including the TRAPPIST-1 system that hosts seven Earth-sized worlds. One of the most common exoplanet types are mini-Neptunes, which are widespread throughout the Milky Way. In this regard, the astronomers have chosen their targets
The Milky Way has a pair of symmetrical gas blobs that extend above and below the galactic plane. These are known as eROSITA bubbles after the X-ray telescope that discovered them in 2020. The bubbles are located in the Milky Way’s circumgalactic medium, which extends 45,661 light-years on either side of the galactic center. New
Astronomers have made an accidental discovery of the “largest” cosmic explosion ever observed, which occurred over three years ago. The fireball is 100 times the size of our Solar System and is estimated to be around two trillion times brighter than the Sun. The explosion, named AT2021lwx, was first spotted by the Zwicky Transient Facility