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Astronomy (General/Chat)

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  • Astronomy Picture of the Day - Globular Cluster Omega Centauri

    07/26/2025 6:11:13 PM PDT · by MtnClimber · 3 replies
    NASA ^ | 26 Jul. 2025 | Image Credit & Copyright: Data acquisition - SkyFlux Team, Processing - Leo Shatz
    Explanation: Globular star cluster Omega Centauri packs about 10 million stars much older than the Sun into a volume some 150 light-years in diameter. Also known as NGC 5139, at a distance of 15,000 light-years it's the largest and brightest of 200 or so known globular clusters that roam the halo of our Milky Way galaxy. Though most star clusters consist of stars with the same age and composition, the enigmatic Omega Cen exhibits the presence of different stellar populations with a spread of ages and chemical abundances. In fact, Omega Cen may be the remnant core of a small...
  • A Centuries-Old Solar Riddle Finally Uncovered by Scientists

    07/25/2025 8:52:44 PM PDT · by SunkenCiv · 10 replies
    The Daily Galaxy ^ | July 24, 2025 | Melissa Ait Lounis
    Sunspots, those mysterious dark patches on the Sun's surface, have been observed by astronomers for thousands of years. Yet, despite centuries of study, no one fully understood why these spots could remain stable for such extended periods. New research, however, has finally cracked the case, revealing that the secret lies in a delicate balance between the Sun's magnetic fields and the pressure of its plasma. Sunspots have been documented since at least 27 B.C., with Chinese astronomers recording the phenomenon long before Galileo peered at the Sun through his telescope. Some historical records even suggest that Greek philosopher Anaxagoras might...
  • Astronomy Picture of the Day - Twelve Years of Kappa Cygnids

    07/25/2025 11:34:06 AM PDT · by MtnClimber · 5 replies
    NASA ^ | 25 Jul, 2025 | Image Credit & Copyright: Petr Horálek, Josef Kujal, Tomáš Slovinský; Acknowledgement: Mahdi Zamani
    Explanation: Meteors from the Kappa Cygnid meteor shower are captured in this time-lapse composite skyscape. The minor meteor shower, with a radiant not far from its eponymous star Kappa Cygni, peaks in mid-August, almost at the same time as the much better-known and better-observed Perseid meteor shower. But, seen to have a peak rate of only about 3 meteors per hour, Kappa Cygnids are vastly outnumbered by the more popular, prolific Perseid shower's meteors that emanate from the heroic constellation Perseus. To capture dozens of Kappa Cygnids, this long term astro-imaging project compiled meteors in exposures selected from over 51...
  • Surprising JWST Observations Hint We Might Be Inside A Black Hole

    07/25/2025 6:08:37 AM PDT · by Red Badger · 40 replies
    IFL Science ^ | July 25, 2025 | James Felton
    While the study is intriguing, additional observations will be essential to verify or challenge its findings. Astudy analyzing JWST observations of the early universe has uncovered an intriguing mystery: most galaxies appear to be rotating in the same direction. This unexpected pattern, which defies current cosmological models, has led the study's authors to propose a bold possibility: that our universe might exist inside a black hole. The JWST has allowed astronomers to peer back further into the past than any other infrared or optical telescope, seeing infrared light that was emitted by distant galaxies just 300 million years after the...
  • “You were born a man and you’ll die a man… See you in court.”

    07/24/2025 6:30:16 PM PDT · by Racketeer · 185 replies
    X ^ | July 23, 2025 | Brian Allen
    🚨 WATCH: Candace Owens just poured gasoline on the Macron lawsuit, straight-up telling Brigitte, “You were born a man and you’ll die a man… See you in court.” She’s pledging to fight “on behalf of the entire world,” daring the French First Family to drag this into discovery.
  • Earth is starting to spin faster — and scientists are considering doing something unprecedented

    07/24/2025 2:56:39 PM PDT · by Signalman · 100 replies
    livesicence.com ^ | 1/24/2025 | Pandora Dewan
    Two days this summer have been unusually short, with the shortest expected on Aug. 5, leading global timekeepers to consider adding a negative leap second. The Earth's rotation has accelerated in recent decades, leading scientists to consider adding the first ever negative leap second. Earth is spinning so fast that global timekeepers are considering something that's never been done before: adding a negative leap second. So far this year, July 9 and July 22 have been unusually short — by about 1.3 and 1.4 milliseconds, respectively. However, Aug. 5 is expected to be even shorter, losing roughly 1.5 milliseconds, according...
  • Turning mercury into gold? Nuclear reactors may revive ancient dream of alchemy

    07/24/2025 11:28:52 AM PDT · by Red Badger · 67 replies
    Interesting Engineering ^ | July 24, 2025 | Abhishek Bhardwaj
    The company claims it has cracked a scalable method to make stable gold from mercury. Ever since the discovery of alchemy, or since humans thought gold was a precious object, a worldwide quest to turn common elements into the yellow metal has been ongoing. Folklore and fables sing praises of humans who went on this quest and those who received such blessings. No such claims have yet stood the test of science, and this could change quite soon. An engineering firm from the United States – Marathon Fusion – has claimed that making gold from mercury is possible, and they...
  • NASA, Oxford Discover Warmer Uranus Than Once Thought

    07/24/2025 1:02:26 PM PDT · by Red Badger · 43 replies
    NASA ^ | July 17, 2025 | By Emma Friedman NASA Science Editorial Team
    KEY POINTS Jupiter, Saturn, and Neptune each emit more energy than they receive from the Sun, meaning they have comparatively warm interiors. NASA’s Uranus flyby with Voyager 2 in 1986 found the planet colder than expected, which challenged ideas of how planets formed and evolved. However, with advanced computer modeling and a new look at old data, scientists think the planet may actually be warmer than previously expected. ==================================================================== For millennia, astronomers thought Uranus was no more than a distant star. It wasn’t until the late 18th century that Uranus was universally accepted as a planet. To this day, the...
  • Astronomy Picture of the Day - Titan Shadow Transit

    07/24/2025 12:19:30 PM PDT · by MtnClimber · 7 replies
    NASA ^ | 24 Jul, 2025 | Image Credit & Copyright: Volodymyr Andrienko
    Explanation: Every 15 years or so, Saturn's rings are tilted edge-on to our line of sight. As the bright, beautiful ring system grows narrower and fainter it becomes increasingly difficult to see for denizens of planet Earth. But it does provide the opportunity to watch transits of Saturn's moons and their dark shadows across the ringed gas giant's still bright disk. Of course Saturn's largest moon Titan is the easiest to spot in transit. In this telescopic snapshot from July 18, Titan itself is at the upper left, casting a round dark shadow on Saturn's banded cloudtops above the narrow...
  • Astronomy Picture of the Day - Fireball over Cape San Blas

    07/23/2025 1:50:58 PM PDT · by MtnClimber · 7 replies
    NASA ^ | 23 Jul, 2025 | Image Credit & Copyright: Jason Rice
    Explanation: Have you ever seen a fireball? In astronomy, a fireball is a very bright meteor -- one at least as bright as Venus and possibly brighter than even a full Moon. Fireballs are rare -- if you see one you are likely to remember it for your whole life. Physically, a fireball is a small rock that originated from an asteroid or comet that typically leaves a fading smoke trail of gas and dust as it shoots through the Earth's atmosphere. It is unlikely that any single large ground strike occurred -- much of the rock likely vaporized as...
  • NASA Warns of Plane-Sized Asteroid Approaching Earth Next Week

    07/23/2025 12:12:59 PM PDT · by Red Badger · 33 replies
    Daily Galaxy ^ | July 23, 2025 | Jessica Bennett
    On July 28, a plane-sized asteroid, named 2025 OW, is scheduled to pass Earth at a distance of 393,000 miles. While this event has captured public attention, NASA experts are quick to remind us that it’s not as extraordinary as it may seem. In fact, according to NASA specialists, close encounters with asteroids like 2025 OW are routine occurrences in the solar system and pose no threat to Earth. As Ian J. O’Neill, media relations specialist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), told ABC News, “This is very routine. If there was a threat, you would hear from us. We...
  • Betelgeuse has a companion star! Astronomers see it for first time [1:21]

    07/22/2025 1:13:28 PM PDT · by SunkenCiv · 8 replies
    YouTube ^ | July 21, 2025 | VideoFromSpace
    The companion star of Betelgeuse, seen for the first time by the Gemini North Telescope. Betelgeuse has a companion star! Astronomers see it for first time | 1:21 VideoFromSpace | 2.02M subscribers | 5,713 views | July 21, 2025
  • Astronomy Picture of the Day - A Double Detonation Supernova

    07/22/2025 12:46:31 PM PDT · by MtnClimber · 9 replies
    NASA ^ | 22 Jul, 2025 | Image Credit: ESO, P. Das et al.; Background stars (NASA/Hubble): K. Noll et al.
    Explanation: Can some supernovas explode twice? Yes, when the first explosion acts like a detonator for the second. This is a leading hypothesis for the cause of supernova remnant (SNR) 0509-67.5. In this two-star system, gravity causes the larger and fluffier star to give up mass to a smaller and denser white dwarf companion. Eventually the white dwarf's near-surface temperature goes so high that it explodes, creating a shock wave that goes both out and in -- and so triggers a full Type Ia supernova near the center. Recent images of the SNR 0509-67.5 system, like the featured image from...
  • Uranus Has A New Dance Partner Orbiting The Sun Every 113 Years – And Might Even Be In A Throuple

    07/22/2025 11:07:28 AM PDT · by Red Badger · 22 replies
    IFL Science ^ | July 22, 2025 | Dr. Alfredo Carpineti
    Neptune, too, might have a new companion around. Uranus can pull and push minor bodies around. Image credit: NASA Between the orbits of Saturn and Neptune, there is a population of minor space bodies known as the Centaurs. There could be up to 10 million of them, but they tend to have unstable orbits due to the gravitational influences of the giant planets. Occasionally, some enter a temporary stable orbit, joining one of the planets in a resonance. This is what is believed to have happened between Centaur 2015 OU194 and the planet Uranus, the first ever report of this...
  • Mysterious 'planet killer' hurtling towards us from distant part of the galaxy revealed

    07/22/2025 10:50:49 AM PDT · by DFG · 29 replies
    UK Daily Mail ^ | 07/22/2025 | Chris Melore
    Earth's famous Hubble Telescope has just revealed the first images of a mysterious interstellar object racing through our solar system. Spotted on Monday, Hubble has helped astronomers confirm that the massive, high-speed visitor is a comet from a distant part of the Milky Way galaxy. First spotted in late June, the comet named 3I/ATLAS has been on an 800-million-year journey to reach this solar system. The new images from Hubble captured what appears to be an icy tail that's ejecting rocky material from its 12-mile-long core. Those observations were reinforced by a new study published Tuesday morning which revealed 3I/ATLAS...
  • And Now For Something Completely Different--The Fermi Paradox and Drake Equation

    07/22/2025 6:02:46 AM PDT · by MtnClimber · 76 replies
    Hot Air ^ | 21 Jul, 2025 | David Strom
    I have always been bothered by the seeming perplexity that people have about the fact that we have yet to encounter intelligent life beyond planet Earth. It doesn't seem weird to me at all, even though I suspect life--even intelligent life--is not that uncommon in the universe. Enrico Fermi--a great physicist from the mid-20th century-- expressed the perplexity that many people have in what has come to be known as the "Fermi Paradox." At its most simple, the paradox is this: if the development of intelligent life is even moderately likely, why haven't we seen evidence of intelligent life elsewhere...
  • Scientists Create ‘Super Alcohol’ in Space-Like Lab

    07/21/2025 5:12:40 PM PDT · by nickcarraway · 25 replies
    Greek Reporter ^ | July 21, 2025 | Abdul Moeed
    Researchers at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa have successfully created a highly unstable alcohol molecule once thought impossible to observe, using conditions that mimic outer space. The compound, called methanetetrol, has now been confirmed for the first time after more than a century of scientific speculation. The breakthrough suggests that this so-called super alcohol can form in the extreme environments of deep space, challenging long-held assumptions in both chemistry and astronomy. The team produced methanetetrol by replicating the harsh conditions of interstellar clouds—environments filled with ice, radiation, and near-vacuum pressure. The molecule stands out because it carries four hydroxyl...
  • Astronomy Picture of the Day - Cat's Paw Nebula from Webb Space Telescope

    07/21/2025 1:01:06 PM PDT · by MtnClimber · 8 replies
    NASA ^ | 21 Jul, 2025 | Image Credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI
    Explanation: Nebulas are perhaps as famous for being identified with familiar shapes as perhaps cats are for getting into trouble. Still, no known cat could have created the vast Cat's Paw Nebula visible toward the constellation of the Scorpion (Scorpius). At 5,700 light years distant, Cat's Paw is an emission nebula within a larger molecular cloud. Alternatively known as the Bear Claw Nebula and cataloged as NGC 6334, stars nearly ten times the mass of our Sun have been born there in only the past few million years. Pictured here is a recently released image of the Cat's Paw taken...
  • How a Glamping Adventure Revealed the Secrets of New Mexico’s Chaco Canyon

    07/20/2025 5:27:51 PM PDT · by nickcarraway · 51 replies
    It was a trip ordained by the heavens. I arrived in Santa Fe—for the umpteenth time since I first saw the Land of Enchantment as a teenager—on the eve of the new moon, one of the darkest nights in the lunar calendar, to join a spring stargazing adventure. Destination: Chaco Culture National Historical Park, a vast Ancestral Puebloan complex located in the state’s northwestern quadrant, a region noted for its dark skies. Taos-based tour company Heritage Inspirations organized the trip in collaboration with Santa Fe’s storied Inn of the Five Graces. It promised archaeology by day and deluxe tented accommodations...
  • Astronomy Picture of the Day - Lunar Nearside

    07/20/2025 1:07:31 PM PDT · by MtnClimber · 47 replies
    NASA ^ | 20 Jul, 2025 | Image Credit: NASA / GSFC / Arizona State Univ. / Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter
    Explanation: About 1,300 images from the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter spacecraft's wide angle camera were used to compose this spectacular view of a familiar face - the lunar nearside. But why is there a lunar nearside? The Moon rotates on its axis and orbits the Earth at the same rate, about once every 28 days. Tidally locked in this configuration, the synchronous rotation always keeps one side, the nearside, facing Earth. As a result, featured in remarkable detail in the full resolution mosaic, the smooth, dark, lunar maria (actually lava-flooded impact basins), and rugged highlands, are well-known to earthbound skygazers. To...