Space Exploration News – Latest Headlines

Presence of airborne dust could signify increased habitability of distant planets

Scientists have expanded our understanding of potentially habitable planets orbiting distant stars by including a critical climate component - the presence of airborne dust.

June 9, 2020 Read more

Shock waves created in the lab mimic supernova particle accelerators

In experiments, researchers found new details about how supernovas boost charged particles to nearly the speed of light.

June 9, 2020 Read more

Cosmic quasars embrace 1970s fashion trend

Astronomers have studied more than 300 quasars - spinning black holes that produce beams of plasma. The team has found that the shape of these so-called astrophysical jets changes from parabolic to conical at some distance from the black hole, reminiscent of the iconic flared jeans of the '70s.

June 8, 2020 Read more

Eclipse data illuminate mysteries of Sun's corona

Observations from total solar eclipses are used to measure the shape of the Sun's magnetic field.

June 8, 2020 Read more

International effort reveals 157 day cycle in unusual cosmic radio bursts

Astronomers have been studying an object known as a repeating Fast Radio Burst (FRB), which emits very short duration bright radio pulses.

June 8, 2020 Read more

Chance of finding young Earth-like planets higher than previously thought

Research has found that the chance of finding Earth-like planets in their early stages of formation is much higher than previously thought.

June 5, 2020 Read more

Hubble makes surprising find in the early universe

New results from the Hubble Space Telescope suggest the formation of the first stars and galaxies in the early Universe took place sooner than previously thought.

June 4, 2020 Read more

New test of dark energy and expansion from cosmic structures

A new paper has shown how large structures in the distribution of galaxies in the Universe provide the most precise tests of dark energy and cosmic expansion yet.

June 3, 2020 Read more

Black holes? They are like a hologram

According to new research, black holes could be like a hologram, where all the information is amassed in a two-dimensional surface able to reproduce a three-dimensional image.

June 3, 2020 Read more

Ultra-bright X-ray source awakens near a galaxy not so far away

A new ultra-bright source of X-rays has awakened in between our galactic neighbours the Magellanic Clouds, after a 26-year slumber. This is the second-closest such object known to date, with a brightness greater than a million Suns.

June 3, 2020 Read more

Discovery of long sought tiny explosions on the Sun

The mechanism responsible for heating the corona to two million degrees, especially for the quiet Sun, has remained an enduring mystery. Scientists have now found the first direct observational evidence in support of one of the proposed mechanisms for heating the quiet corona. They have discovered tiny flashes of radio light from all over the Sun, smoking guns for tiny magnetic explosions which convert the copious magnetic energy present in the quiet corona into heat.

June 2, 2020 Read more

Large simulation finds new origin of supermassive black holes

In this theory, the precursors of supermassive black holes grow by swallowing up not only interstellar gas, but also smaller stars as well. This helps to explain the large number of supermassive black holes observed today.

June 2, 2020 Read more

Class of stellar explosions found to be galactic producers of lithium

Scientists have combined theory with both observations and laboratory studies and determined that a class of stellar explosions, called classical novae, are responsible for most of the lithium in our galaxy and solar system.

June 2, 2020 Read more

Study reveals asymmetry in spin directions of galaxies

An analysis of more than 200,000 spiral galaxies has revealed unexpected links between spin directions of galaxies, and the structure formed by these links might suggest that the early universe could have been spinning.

June 1, 2020 Read more

Scientists have discovered a new type of matter inside neutron stars

A research group has found strong evidence for the presence of exotic quark matter inside the cores of the largest neutron stars in existence. The conclusion was reached by combining recent results from theoretical particle and nuclear physics to measurements of gravitational waves from neutron star collisions.

June 1, 2020 Read more

Astronomers find cosmic golden needle buried for two decades

Astronomers made innovative use of their time while sheltering at home due to the pandemic by combing through W. M. Keck Observatory and NASA archive data. They rediscovered the first Einstein ring and found the distance of its source was never measured. The researchers are the first to make the calculation and found the quasar to be 10 billion light-years away, or a redshift of z=1.849.

June 1, 2020 Read more

4-billion-year-old nitrogen-containing organic molecules discovered in Martian meteorites

Using advanced techniques, scientists have detected organic compounds containing nitrogen in Martian meteorites which were ejected from Mars' surface some 15 million years ago, proving that evidence for early life can be preserved and detected today.

May 29, 2020 Read more

In planet formation, it's location, location, location

Astronomers are finding that planets have a tough time forming in the rough-and-tumble central region of the massive, crowded star cluster Westerlund 2. Located 20,000 light-years away, Westerlund 2 is a unique laboratory to study stellar evolutionary processes because it's relatively nearby, quite young, and contains a large stellar population.

May 28, 2020 Read more