Science is a way of thinking
March 26, 2023
Mini-Neptunes and super-Earths may share more than just their superlative status. Four gaseous exoplanets, each slightly smaller than Neptune, appear to be forming super-Earths, rocky worlds up to 1.5 times the width of our own. This is because their stars’ intense radiation appears to be pushing away the planets’ thick atmospheres, according to a paper
Read More
An elusive black hole has been discovered in a nearby galaxy for the first time, according to a new study based on observations from the European Southern Observatory’s (ESO) Very Large Telescope. Dormant stellar-mass black holes, which form when massive stars reach the end of their lives, are especially difficult to detect because they have
Read More
The discovery should help astronomers better understand the extreme conditions at the center of our galaxy and what can survive there. Astronomers have discovered a star that orbits the supermassive black hole at the center of our galaxy every four years. That’s the shortest orbit ever observed around a supermassive black hole. The newly discovered
Read More
The galaxy started spinning just 500 million years after the Big Bang There is a galaxy spinning like a record in the early universe — far earlier than any others have been seen twirling around. Astronomers have spotted signs of rotation in the galaxy MACS1149-JD1, JD1 for short, which sits so far away that
Read More
NASA Two stunning new photos of ourselves have been secretly leaked solar system. The new images were taken by NASA’s new flagship device, the James Webb Space Telescope, which could give us a glimpse into the origins of the universe and help locate alien life. This week, NASA released the first images sent back from the telescope.
Read More
Analysis of a Martian meteorite reveals evidence of water 4.4 billion years ago A meteorite that originated on Mars billions of years ago reveals details of ancient impact events on the red planet. Certain minerals from the Martian crust in the meteorite are oxidized, suggesting the presence of water during the impact that created the
Read More
From a stellar birthplace to the deepest cosmic view yet, NASA’s telescope dazzles “First of all, it’s really gorgeous. And it’s teeming with galaxies,” said JWST Operations Scientist Jane Rigby at the July 12 briefing. “That’s been true of every image we’ve taken with Webb. We can’t take [an image of] blank sky. Everywhere we
Read More