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Space & Cosmos
Learn more about supernovae through stardust
A pair of presolar particles from the Murchison meteorite. Credit: Argonne National Laboratory, Department of Energy Most of the diverse elements in the universe are born from supernovae. We are literally made from the dust of long-dead stars and other astrophysical processes. But the details of how that happens are what astronomers are still trying to understand. How do the…
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Space & Cosmos
Black hole research questions Kerr solution assumptions
Left: A concrete realization of the Meisner-Sharp mass of Eq. (18) and parameters 𝑀0=10, ℓ=1, 𝑣𝑖=−20, 𝑣𝑓=1000, 𝑠1=1, 𝑠2=1/40. The radius of the outgoing shell is initially set to 𝑅(𝑣=30)=5. Right: As an illustrative example, the Meisner-sharp mass in the interior region of the output shell 𝑀+(𝑣,𝑅(𝑣)) 𝑚(𝑣)=−𝛽(1+𝜀cos(𝜔𝑣 ) )/𝑣)/𝑣𝑝 is 𝛽=1, 𝜔=1, 𝑝=2, 𝜀=0 (green solid line) or 𝜀=1…
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Space & Cosmos
Astronomers predict potentially dangerous comet’s trajectory from meteor shower
Illustration of a long-period comet and the Oort cloud. Credit: National Astronomical Observatory of Japan Comets have long been considered omens and omens, and it’s easy to understand why. They first appear as faint smears of light in the sky, sometimes quickly disappearing, sometimes brighter than the planets, and accompanied by long, glowing tails. Although they have been observed throughout…
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Space & Cosmos
Space researchers urge caution as Musk aims to launch tens of thousands of Starlink satellites
Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain More than 100 space researchers have written to the federal government asking the federal government to conduct an environmental review before allowing SpaceX to continue launching thousands of satellites for its Starlink internet service. Signed. The Federal Communications Commission has given Elon Musk’s company permission to launch about 12,000 satellites into space, more than twice the…
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Space & Cosmos
Innovative model offers new way for astronomers to analyze powerful cosmic explosions
The explosion of a massive star leads to the ejection of its outer shell, and this “ejecta” expands outward over time and interacts with the star’s surrounding medium upon its death. This interaction creates two shock waves and a contact discontinuity (collectively known as a “shell”) that dissipates kinetic energy in exchange for producing more light. Eric Coughlin’s new model…
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Space & Cosmos
Astronomers map ‘danger zone’ of planet-forming disks in star clusters
X-ray: NASA/CXC/SAO/J. Drake et al, IR: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Spitzer; Image processing: NASA/CXC/SAO/N. walk Most stars form collections called clusters or federations that contain very massive stars. These massive stars emit large amounts of high-energy radiation that can destroy relatively fragile disks of dust and gas that are in the process of merging to form new planets. A team of astronomers uses NASA’s…
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Space & Cosmos
NASA astronaut hospitalized after returning from ISS
SpaceX’s Dragon Endeavor spacecraft just after splashdown off the coast of Florida on October 25, 2024. A NASA astronaut who just returned from the International Space Station was hospitalized with an unknown illness but is in stable condition, the U.S. space agency said Friday. The four-member Crew-8 mission splashed down off the coast of Florida early Friday after spending nearly…
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Space & Cosmos
Boeing considers sale of space business: report
The statement came after Boeing reported a huge loss of $6.2 billion. Boeing is considering the possibility of selling its space business as its new CEO seeks to improve the company’s struggling financial situation, The Wall Street Journal reported Friday. The newspaper reported, citing people familiar with the matter, that the company is considering selling its NASA operations, including the…
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Space & Cosmos
Ion engines could take us to the Sun’s gravitational lens within 13 years, paper suggests
ion thruster. Credit: NASA Sending objects to other stars is still science fiction. But with some specific missions, you might be able to get at least halfway there. These “interstellar precursor missions” involve trips to the Sun’s gravitational lensing point, which is 550 astronomical units from the Sun. This is further away than any previous man-made object, including Voyager. Getting…
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Space & Cosmos
Carbon-storing molecules discovered in distant interstellar clouds may shed light on how our own solar system formed
The Taurus Molecular Cloud, where TMC-1 is located, appears at the top of the image as a dark cloud blocking light from background stars, as seen from Charlottesville, Virginia. Credit: Brett A. McGuire A team led by MIT researchers has discovered that distant interstellar clouds are rich in pyrene, a type of large carbon-containing molecule known as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons…
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