Phys.org Astronomy and Space

• NASA missions help explain and predict severity of solar storms

  An unexpectedly strong solar storm rocked our planet on April 23, 2023, sparking auroras as far south as southern Texas in the U.S. and taking the world by surprise.

• High-velocity molecular clouds in M83 provide new insight into how galaxies evolve

  A new result from the molecular gas survey in the Southern Pinwheel Galaxy M83 using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) Telescope reveals a discovery of 10 high-velocity clouds composed of molecular gas, moving at velocities significantly different from M83's overall rotation, an indication that the influx of these gases—which help to form stars—are from outside the galaxy.

• Menstrual cups tested in space flight conditions for the first time

  Scientists have launched menstrual cups into space for the first time, testing whether these reusable devices can withstand the extreme conditions of space travel. The AstroCup mission represents a key step toward giving female astronauts sustainable menstrual health options during long-duration missions to the moon and Mars.

• A spacecraft carrying human remains and cannabis crashes into the ocean

  We've sent some pretty interesting payloads to space since the first satellite (Sputnik 1) launched on October 4, 1957. As access to space has increased, thanks largely to the commercial space industry, so too have the types of payloads we are sending. Consider the Nyx capsule created by German aerospace startup The Exploration Company, which launched on June 23 from the Vandenberg Space Force Base atop a Falcon-9 rocket as part of a rideshare mission (Transporter-14).

• MTG-S1 satellite hosting the Sentinel-4 instrument is ready for liftoff

  The Meteosat Third Generation Sounder (MTG-S1) satellite, which is hosting the instrument for the Copernicus Sentinel-4 mission, has been placed inside the nose cone of the Falcon 9 launch rocket and is ready for the scheduled liftoff at 23:03 CEST on Tuesday, 1 July.

• A new alloy is enabling ultra-stable structures needed for exoplanet discovery

  A unique new material that shrinks when it is heated and expands when it is cooled could help enable the ultra-stable space telescopes that future NASA missions require to search for habitable worlds.

• Public takes the lead in discovery of new exploding star

  Previously described as playing astronomical "spot the difference," Kilonova Seekers asks the public to compare the latest images of a section of night sky to an image of the same section of space taken on previous nights. Their goal—to spot new stars or significant changes in light intensity that may indicate that something remarkable has happened in space.

• Radio observations shed more light on the properties of Pandora's Cluster

  Using the Very Large Array (VLA), astronomers have performed radio observations of a galaxy cluster Abell 2744, nicknamed Pandora's Cluster. As a result, they obtained the deepest high-resolution radio image of this cluster, which provides more insights into its properties. The new findings were published June 25 on the arXiv pre-print server.

• NASA eyes summer streaming liftoff on Netflix

  Streaming giant Netflix said Monday it will soon allow viewers to binge rocket launches and spacewalks through a partnership with US space agency NASA.

• Image: Hubble captures an active galactic center

  The light that the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope collected to create this image reached the telescope after a journey of 250 million years. Its source was the spiral galaxy UGC 11397, which resides in the constellation Lyra (The Lyre). At first glance, UGC 11397 appears to be an average spiral galaxy: it sports two graceful spiral arms that are illuminated by stars and defined by dark, clumpy clouds of dust.

• Webb refines Bullet Cluster mass and maps dark matter distribution

  NASA's James Webb Space Telescope recently zeroed in on the Bullet Cluster—delivering highly detailed images that show a greater abundance of extremely faint and distant galaxies than ever before. Using Webb's crisp near-infrared observations of this region, researchers have more completely mapped the colliding galaxy clusters' contents.

• Could the first images from the Vera Rubin telescope change how we view space for good?

  We are entering a new era of cosmic exploration. The new Vera C Rubin Observatory in Chile will transform astronomy with its extraordinary ability to map the universe in breathtaking detail. It is set to reveal secrets previously beyond our grasp. Here, we delve into the first images taken by Rubin's telescope and what they are already showing us.

• Astronomers get front-row seats for ultimate movie of the cosmos

  The decade-long wait for U.K. astronomers ends as the NSF–DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory reveals dazzling first images.

• Exoplanet hunters may be misrepresenting the likelihood of their findings

  There's nothing to get a scientist's heart pumping like a good, old-fashioned statistical debate. When it comes to topics like finding Earth analogs or hints of a biosignature in an atmosphere, those statistical debates could have real-world consequences, both for the assignment of additional observational resources, but also for humanity's general understanding of itself in the universe.

• How to make building blocks for a lunar habitat

  By 2028, NASA intends to land the "first woman and first person of color" on the moon as part of the Artemis III mission. This will be the first time humans have been to the lunar surface since the Apollo astronauts last walked there in 1972.

• Enceladus's highly alkaline subsurface ocean may affect search for life

  What can the pH level of the subsurface ocean on Enceladus tell us about finding life there? This is what a recent study accepted to Icarus hopes to address as a team of researchers investigated the potential pH level of Enceladus's subsurface ocean based on current estimates.

• Video: Plato's eyes meet brain

  On 11 June, engineers at OHB's facilities in Germany joined together the two main parts of ESA's Plato mission.

• Astronomers detect five young stars in the Chamaeleon cloud complex

  Using the Australia Telescope Compact Array (ATCA), astronomers have performed large-scale radio observations of a star-forming region known as the Chamaeleon cloud complex. The observational campaign, which detected five young stars in Chamaeleon, may shed more light on the properties of this complex. The findings were detailed in a paper published June 19 on the arXiv pre-print server.

• Scientists look to black holes to know exactly where we are in the Universe. But phones and Wi-Fi are blocking the view

  The scientists who precisely measure the position of Earth are in a bit of trouble. Their measurements are essential for the satellites we use for navigation, communication and Earth observation every day.

• Growing evidence for evolving dark energy could inspire a new model of the universe

  The birth, growth and future of our universe are eternally fascinating.

• Serendipitous satellite snapshots show Venus's weather evolving over nearly a decade

  Have you ever found something unexpected in the background of a photo? Scientists looking at images of Earth taken by weather satellites found that Venus shows up in the background of some of the images. By collecting and analyzing these serendipitous observations of Venus, scientists were able to track temperature variations in Venus's atmosphere over nearly 10 years.

• GJ 12 b: Earth-sized planet orbiting a quiet M dwarf star

  What can Earth-sized exoplanets teach scientists about the formation and evolution of exoplanets throughout the cosmos? This is what a study recently posted to the arXiv preprint server hopes to address as an international team of researchers announced the discovery of an Earth-sized exoplanet that exhibits temperatures and a density comparable to those of Earth.

• Meteorite hunters chase treasures after fireball streaks across Georgia

  It only took Ed Albin a few steps on Sunday to spot it as he wandered onto an empty construction site in Henry County, about 45 minutes southeast of Atlanta.

• Japan launches a climate change monitoring satellite on mainstay H2A rocket's last flight

  Japan on Sunday successfully launched a climate change monitoring satellite on its mainstay H-2A rocket, which made its final flight before it is replaced by a new flagship model designed to be more cost competitive in the global space market.

• A strange bright burst in space baffled astronomers for more than a year. Now, they've solved the mystery

  Around midday on June 13 last year, my colleagues and I were scanning the skies when we thought we had discovered a strange and exciting new object in space. Using a huge radio telescope, we spotted a blindingly fast flash of radio waves that appeared to be coming from somewhere inside our galaxy.

• Powerful magnets could unlock detection of high-frequency gravitational waves

  New research published in Physical Review Letters suggests that superconducting magnets used in dark matter detection experiments could function as highly precise gravitational wave detectors, thereby establishing an entirely new frequency band for observing these cosmic ripples.

• Residents express amazement after seeing fireball streak across the southern sky

  More than 200 people across a half-dozen southern U.S. states have now reported witnessing a mysterious object streak across the sky on Thursday, and the nation's space agency now believes it was a remarkably bright meteor known as a bolide.

• Hey Siri, fix my spacecraft! A virtual assistant could help astronauts handle unexpected space mission issues

  When astronauts make the long journey to Mars in the not-so-distant future, communication with mission control will be impossible for days to weeks at a time. Enter Daphne-AT: a virtual assistant (VA) designed to help astronauts safely and efficiently solve problems that arise on their spacecraft.

• Will asteroid 2024 YR4 hit the moon?

  Asteroid 2024 YR4 made headlines earlier this year when its probability of impacting Earth in 2032 rose as high as 3%. While an Earth impact has now been ruled out, the asteroid's story continues.

• A new way to detect primordial black holes through their Hawking radiation

  Scientists may have found a new way to detect some of the universe's most mysterious objects, primordial black holes (PBHs), using Hawking radiation. This groundbreaking approach relies upon watching for their radiation signatures as they pass through the solar system. This technique could finally help us to solve one of cosmology's biggest puzzles: what makes up the invisible dark matter that comprises 85% of all matter in the universe.