Astronomy Archives - Page 2 of 3

New Research Sheds Light on Internal Structure of Dwarf Planet Eris

By Natali Anderson December 4, 2023

The trans-Neptunian dwarf planet Eris is tidally locked to its small moon Dysnomia. Recently obtained bounds on the mass of Dysnomia demonstrate that Eris must be unexpectedly dissipative (‘squishy’) for…

Scientists Recreate Extraterrestrial Atmospheric Hazes in the Lab

By News Staff November 27, 2023

The NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope has begun its scientific mission, which includes the atmospheric characterization of transiting exoplanets. Some of the first exoplanets to be observed by Webb have…

A rare, extremely energetic cosmic ray has mysterious origins

By obroe November 23, 2023

Efforts to find the particle’s birthplace led scientists to a mostly empty void in space In 1991, physicists spotted a particle from space that crashed into Earth with so much…

Astronomers Directly Detect Atomic Oxygen on Venus

By News Staff November 8, 2023

Atomic oxygen is produced on the dayside of Venus by photolysis of carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide. Atomic oxygen is a key species in the mesosphere and thermosphere of Venus.…

Novel AI Technique Reveals Sample’s Biological or Non-Biological Origin with 90% Accuracy

By News Staff September 26, 2023

The search for definitive biosignatures — unambiguous markers of past or present life — is a central goal of paleobiology and astrobiology. A team of researchers led by the Carnegie…

Europa’s Carbon Dioxide Originates from Source within Its Subsurface Ocean, Planetary Scientists Say

By News Staff September 22, 2023

Jupiter’s icy moon Europa has an ocean beneath a crust of water ice. Solid carbon dioxide has previously been observed on the surface, but the source was unknown. Two teams…

NASA’s UAP Study Team Releases Its Final Report

By News Staff September 18, 2023

On September 14, 2023, the NASA Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena independent study team published its final report containing a series of recommendations for how the agency could help to move our…

Webb Detects Hydrogen Peroxide on Ganymede

By News Staff July 30, 2023

Jupiter’s moon Ganymede is the only satellite in the Solar System known to have an intrinsic magnetic field. Interactions between this field and the magnetosphere of Jupiter are expected to…

Tiny Fragments of Interstellar Meteor May Have Been Found in Pacific Ocean

By Natali Anderson July 10, 2023

Harvard University’s Professor Avi Loeb and colleagues have discovered at least 50 tiny spherical iron fragments near the fireball path of the first recognized interstellar meteor, IM1. Tiny meteoritic spherules…

ESA’s Euclid Mission Launches to Explore Dark Matter and Energy

By News Staff July 3, 2023

The Euclid spacecraft, built and operated by ESA, with contributions from NASA, lifted off from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida at 11:12 a.m. EDT (17:12 CEST) on July…