Physicists observationally confirm Hawking’s black hole theorem for the first time
There are certain rules that even the most extreme objects in the universe must obey. A central law for black holes predicts that the area of their event horizons —…
Astronomers uncover evidence that there could be many more Earth-sized planets than previously thought
Some exoplanet searches could be missing nearly half of the Earth-sized planets around other stars. New findings from a team using the international Gemini Observatory and the WIYN 3.5-meter Telescope…
Stellar explosion in 1054 C.E. may have been a third flavor of supernova
Astronomers have found convincing evidence that supernovae come in a third flavor, powered by a long-suspected explosive mechanism that may explain a bright supernova humans observed 1,000 ago and that…
Operations Underway to Restore Payload Computer on NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope
Not looking good! NASA is continuing to diagnose a problem with the payload computer on the Hubble Space Telescope after completing another set of tests on June 23 and 24.…
Molecular Clouds All the Way Down
Gas to Stars Each of the many hundreds of stars we can see with our naked eye, or the many thousands we can see with the aid of telescopes, has…
Curiosity’s skycrane maneuver
CURIOSITY'S SKYCRANE MANEUVER In this artist's concept, Curiosity is in the final moments of its descent toward Mars, and is being lowered from the descent stage to the surface on three…
The Milky Way’s Double Bubble
The Milky Way’s Double Bubble When it comes to blowing bubbles, never go toe-to-toe with a galaxy. Ten years ago, astronomers were astonished to discover large bubble-like structures emerging from the heart…
The new light-based quantum computer Jiuzhang has achieved quantum supremacy
The new light-based quantum computer Jiuzhang has achieved quantum supremacy A second type of quantum computer has now performed a calculation impossible for a traditional computer. Source: www.sciencenews.org/article/new-light-based-quantum-computer-jiuzhang-supremacy
The Search for Dark Matter Is Dramatically Expanding
The Search for Dark Matter Is Dramatically Expanding The Search for Dark Matter Is Dramatically Expanding Physicists are checking whether dark matter tickles different types of detectors, nudges starlight, warms…
‘WTF?’: newly discovered ghostly circles in the sky can’t be explained by current theories, and astronomers are excited
'WTF?': newly discovered ghostly circles in the sky can't be explained by current theories, and astronomers are excited In September 2019, my colleague Anna Kapinska gave a presentation showing interesting…
Solid phosphorus and fluorine in the dust from the coma of comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko
New research indicates comets carry all the elements required for life. ABSTRACT Here, we report the detection of phosphorus and fluorine in solid particles collected from the inner coma…
Amino acid found in the atmosphere of Venus
Amino acids are considered to be prime ingredients in chemistry, leading to life. Glycine is the simplest amino acid and most commonly found in animal proteins. It is a glucogenic…
This image shows a comparison of the new image (top) of the western wall of the Carina Nebula taken by the international Gemini Observatory, a Program of NSF’s NOIRLab, and an image of the same region without Adaptive Optics (bottom). The top image was taken with the Gemini South telescope with the GSAOI instrument using the GeMS adaptive optics system, and the bottom image was taken at the Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory with the Víctor M. Blanco 4-meter Telescope using the NEWFIRM instrument.
Comparison of images with and without Adaptive Optics
Adaptive optics control the surfaces of a telescope's optic - often the main mirror - to take into account the turbulence in the Earth's atmosphere. By doing this, the distortion…
SwRI instruments aboard Rosetta help detect unexpected ultraviolet aurora at a comet
SwRI instruments aboard Rosetta help detect unexpected ultraviolet aurora at a comet Data from Southwest Research Institute-led instruments aboard ESA’s Rosetta spacecraft have helped reveal auroral emissions in…