Space Exploration News – Latest Headlines

Gravitational waves could indicate transition to strange quark matter

Telltale signatures in gravitational-wave signals from merging neutron stars should reveal what happens to matter at the extreme pressures generated during such mergers.

April 10, 2023 Read more

How to see the invisible: Using the dark matter distribution to test our cosmological model

A team of astrophysicists has measured a value for the 'clumpiness' of the universe's dark matter that suggests the standard cosmological model might need to be revised.

April 8, 2023 Read more

Webb reveals never-before-seen details in Cassiopeia A

Glowing dust and elements display complex structures that are challenging for scientists to explain.

April 7, 2023 Read more

Hubble sees possible runaway black hole creating a trail of stars

This supermassive black hole, weighing as much as 20 million Suns, has left behind a never-before-seen 200,000-light-year-long 'contrail' of newborn stars, twice the diameter of our Milky Way galaxy.

April 6, 2023 Read more

Hubble unexpectedly finds double quasar in distant universe

Astronomers have made an unexpected and rare discovery: a pair of gravitationally bound quasars, both blazing away inside two merging galaxies. They existed when the universe was just 3 billion years old.

April 5, 2023 Read more

Researchers devise new membrane mirrors for large space-based telescopes

Lightweight flexible mirrors could be rolled up during launch and then precisely reshaped after deployment.

April 4, 2023 Read more

How to see the invisible: Using dark matter distribution to test our cosmological model

An international team of astrophysicists and cosmologists have submitted a set of five papers, measuring a value for the 'clumpiness' of the universe's dark matter, known to cosmologists as S8, of 0.76, which aligns with values that other gravitational lensing surveys have found in looking at the relatively recent universe - but it does not align with the value of 0.83 derived from the Cosmic Microwave Background.

April 4, 2023 Read more

Galaxy clusters yield new evidence for standard model of cosmology

A new study probing the structure and evolution of galaxy clusters shows good agreement with the predictions of standard cosmological models.

April 3, 2023 Read more

'Taffy galaxies' collide, leave behind bridge of star-forming material

A head-on collision between the two galaxies UGC 12914 (left) and UGC 12915 (right) 25-30 million years ago appears to have resulted in a different kind of structure - a bridge of highly turbulent material spanning the two galaxies. Though this intergalactic bridge is teeming with star-forming material, its turbulent nature is suppressing star formation.

March 30, 2023 Read more

How cosmic winds transform galactic environments

Much like how wind plays a key role in life on Earth by sweeping seeds, pollen and more from one place to another, galactic winds - high-powered streams of charged particles and gases - can change the chemical make-up of the host galaxies they form in, simply by blowing in a specific direction.

March 30, 2023 Read more

Blinded by the light: gamma ray burst brighter than any seen before

Astronomers have provided vital information in the global effort to understand the brightest-ever detected gamma ray burst, which swept through our Solar System in October last year.

March 28, 2023 Read more

Webb telescope measures the temperature of a rocky exoplanet

An international team of researchers has used the James Webb Space Telescope to measure the temperature of the rocky exoplanet TRAPPIST-1 b. The measurement is based on the planet's thermal emission: heat energy given off in the form of infrared light detected by Webb's Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI).

March 28, 2023 Read more

Researchers find new water reservoir on Moon

Scientists have discovered that impact glass beads present in the Chang'e-5 lunar soil samples contain water.

March 28, 2023 Read more

How football-shaped molecules occur in the universe

For a long time it has been suspected that fullerene and its derivatives could form naturally in the universe. An international team of researchers has now shown how this reaction works.

March 27, 2023 Read more

The search for the missing gravitational signal

A new study proposes an array of interferometers in space to detect subtle fluctuations in the background gravitational signals that may reveal the secrets of black hole mergers.

March 27, 2023 Read more

Neutron star that behaves like a black hole discovered

Researchers have found a neutron star that captures matter from a companion star in a violent and unstable process. This process, previously observed only in very bright black holes, opens the door to new insights into the behaviour of stars.

March 27, 2023 Read more

Project to 3D print batteries from lunar and Martian soil

A project led by NASA plans to leverage 3D-printing processes with the aim of manufacturing rechargeable batteries using lunar and Martian regolith, which is the top layer of materials that covers the surface of the moon and Mars.

March 23, 2023 Read more

Artificial intelligence discovers secret equation for 'weighing' galaxy clusters

Astrophysicists have leveraged artificial intelligence to uncover a better way to estimate the mass of colossal clusters of galaxies. The AI discovered that by just adding a simple term to an existing equation, scientists can produce far better mass estimates than they previously had.

March 23, 2023 Read more