A team of Chinese astronomers has conducted a study aimed at inspecting formation scenarios for the millisecond pulsar PSR J1946+3417. They found that the pulsar was most likely formed as a result of a phase transition. The research was published June 10 on the arXiv pre-print server. Pulsars are highly...
Category: Astronomy
If astronomers see isoprene in the atmosphere of an alien world, there’s a good chance there’s life there
It is no exaggeration to say that the study of extrasolar planets has exploded in recent decades. To date, 4,375 exoplanets have been confirmed in 3,247 systems, with another 5,856 candidates awaiting confirmation. In recent years, exoplanet studies have started to transition from the process of discovery to one of...
Hubble spots double quasars in merging galaxies
NASA's Hubble Space Telescope is "seeing double." Peering back 10 billion years into the universe's past, Hubble astronomers found a pair of quasars that are so close to each other they look like a single object in ground-based telescopic photos, but not in Hubble's crisp view. The researchers believe the...
NASA’s Webb Telescope General Observer scientific programs selected
Mission officials for NASA's James Webb Space Telescope have announced the selection of the General Observer programs for the telescope's first year of science, known as Cycle 1. These specific programs will provide the worldwide astronomical community with one of the first extensive opportunities to investigate scientific targets with Webb....
NASA’s Ingenuity helicopter survives first night alone on Mars
NASA's Ingenuity mini-helicopter has survived its first night alone on the frigid surface of Mars, the US space agency said, hailing it as "a major milestone" for the tiny craft as it prepares for its first flight. The ultra-light aircraft was dropped on the surface on Saturday after detaching from...
Venus plots a comeback
In terms of space exploration, Mars is all the rage these days. This has left our closest neighbor, Venus—previously the most attractive planet to study because of its proximity and similar atmosphere to Earth—in the lurch. A new article in Chemical & Engineering News, the weekly newsmagazine of the American...
NASA’s Curiosity team names Martian hill that serves as mission ‘gateway’
The team of scientists and engineers behind NASA's Curiosity rover named a hill along the rover's path on Mars in honor of a recently deceased mission scientist. A craggy hump that stretches 450 feet (120 meters) tall, "Rafael Navarro mountain" is located on Mount Sharp in northwest Gale Crater. The...
SpaceX Starship rocket test ends in another failure: Musk
SpaceX chief Elon Musk confirmed on Twitter Tuesday that the latest prototype of the company's Starship rocket series had crashed, after the video feed of its test flight cut out. "At least the crater is in the right place!" he joked, in acknowledging the fourth failed test of the prototype....
Research contributes to understanding of hypersonic flow
Using data collected in a NASA Langley Mach 6 wind tunnel, researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign replicated the hypersonic flow conditions of a compression ramp flow by means of Direct Numerical Simulation. The simulation yielded an abundance of additional data, which can be used to better understand the...
Spacewalkers finish solar panel prep for station power boost
Spacewalking astronauts completed the first round of prep work Friday for new solar panels, part of a major power upgrade at the International Space Station. NASA's Kate Rubins and Japan's Soichi Noguchi installed mounting brackets and struts for the improved solar wings due to arrive in June. They also tightened...