Free Republic

Both the James Webb Space Telescope and NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory observatory SPHEREx snapped new images of 3I/ATLAS this week, almost two months after it was first spotted in the skies above Chile. 3I/ATLAS glows red in the new images with a seemingly threatening aura, though most scientists believe the object to be merely a 12-mile-wide interstellar comet. The snaps showed that 3I/ATLAS is “outgassing” as it approaches the Sun, which was expected. However, the object is dumping out a conspicuous amount of carbon dioxide and a surprisingly small amount of water and carbon monoxide, according to experts, including Harvard...

The Webb Space Telescope has spotted a new tiny moon orbiting Uranus. The new member of the lunar gang, announced Tuesday by NASA, appears to be just six miles (10 kilometers) wide. It was spotted by the telescope’s near-infrared camera during observations in February. Scientists think it hid for so long — even eluding the Voyager 2 spacecraft during its flyby about 40 years ago — because of its faintness and small size. Uranus has 28 known moons that are named after characters from Shakespeare and Alexander Pope. About half are smaller and orbit the planet at closer range. This...

Artist representation of CAPERS-LRD-z9, home to the earliest confirmed black hole. The supermassive black hole at its center is believed to be surrounded by a thick cloud of gas, giving the galaxy a distinctive red color. Credit: Erik Zumalt, The University of Texas at Austin ================================================================== Astronomers have discovered the most distant confirmed black hole, hidden inside a rare galaxy known as a “Little Red Dot.” Its enormous size and early existence challenge current theories about how galaxies and black holes formed in the young universe. A global team of astronomers, led by The University of Texas at Austin’s Cosmic...

Astronomers using the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope have observed the Hubble Ultra Deep Field (HUDF), an area of deep space with nearly 10,000 galaxies in the constellation Fornax. This Webb image shows the Hubble Ultra Deep Field, an area of deep space with thousands of galaxies in various shapes and sizes on a black background. Image credit: NASA / ESA / CSA / Webb / G. Östlin / P. G. Perez-Gonzalez / J. Melinder / JADES Collaboration / M. Zamani, ESA & Webb. ================================================================================= The original HUDF images were pioneering deep-field observations with Hubble published in 2004. They probed...

Astronomers at MIT, Columbia University, and elsewhere have used NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope to peer through the dust of nearby galaxies and into the aftermath of a black hole’s stellar feast. Credit: NRAO/AUI/NSF/NASA Unlike active galaxies that endlessly devour nearby matter, these black holes remain in slumber, stirring only momentarily to consume an unlucky passing star. Astronomers from MIT, Columbia University, and other institutions have used NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) to look through thick layers of dust in nearby galaxies and examine the aftermath of black holes consuming stars. According to a new study published on July...

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...

NASA's James Webb Space Telescope recently detected a planet that could possibly sustain life based on temperature readings, which has a mass approximately 100 times the size of Earth. The planet, which astronomers believe is orbiting a young red dwarf star approximately 34 light years away, has been dubbed TWA 7b and is roughly the size of Saturn. An initial analysis suggests the planet has a temperature of near 120 degrees Fahrenheit, which is warm enough to support life. Scientists believe life can grow and reproduce starting at about 5 degrees Fahrenheit and as high as 251 degrees Fahrenheit, per...

Exoplanet TWA 7 b (Credit: ESA/Webb, NASA, CSA, A.M. Lagrange, M. Zamani (ESA/Webb)). In a groundbreaking first, NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has captured its first direct image of a distant exoplanet unrecognized from past astronomical surveys. The milestone achievement was made possible with help from a special coronagraph aboard Webb’s MIRI instrument that allows Webb to capture imagery under conditions that mimic those which occur naturally during an eclipse. The discovery made in research lead by researcher Anne-Marie Lagrange with the French National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS) and the Paris Observatory, in collaboration with Grenoble Alpes University....

A last-minute observation from the Webb telescope has sharpened predictions for asteroid 2024 YR4, slightly increasing its odds of hitting the Moon but confirming no threat to Earth. (Artist’s concept.) Credit: SciTechDaily.com ============================================================ NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope recently made a final observation of asteroid 2024 YR4 before it drifted out of range. This rare data update refined the asteroid’s projected path and revealed a small uptick in its chance of striking the Moon, though Earth remains in the clear. Webb Telescope Captures Final Glimpse Asteroid 2024 YR4 may be out of sight now, but before it slipped too far...

A distant star system that scientists described as abnormal, chaotic, and strange is finally coming into focus, thanks to NASA's James Webb Space Telescope. Using its powerful Near-Infrared Camera (NIRCam), Webb has captured a rare image of one of two known planets orbiting the star 14 Herculis, located about 60 light-years from Earth in the Milky Way.The planet, known as 14 Herculis c, stands out for how incredibly cold it is. While astronomers have discovered nearly 6,000 exoplanets, only a small handful have been directly imaged, and most of those are extremely hot, with temperatures soaring into the hundreds or...

1.5TB of James Webb Space Telescope data dumped on the internet — new searchable database is the largest window into our universe to date | New imagery encompassing nearly 800,000 galaxies.

Over the decades, NASA has managed to capture a number of astonishing photos from space, showcasing how beautiful the cosmos really is. Take these unique details on Saturn’s moon Iapetus as the perfect example. Or how about an eerie snapshot taken by the so-called ‘most isolated man in the universe?’ These photos have a way of pulling you in and honestly, I could scroll through them for hours on end. I'm not alone; one social media user has re-shared two stunning photos of Uranus captured by NASA which have since gone viral. The US agency launched its James Webb Space...

Using data from the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), the astronomers, led by the University of Cambridge, have identified the chemical fingerprints dimethyl sulfide (DMS) and dimethyl disulfide (DMDS) – molecules that indicate life. Here on Earth, these molecules are only produced by living organisms – primarily microbial life such as marine phytoplankton. The molecules have been detected in the atmosphere of exoplanet K2-18b, which is located around 124 light-years from Earth in the constellation of Leo.

A dramatic twist in cosmic storytelling: A Jupiter-sized planet didn’t get swallowed by an expanding red giant, as astronomers once believed. Instead, NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope uncovered that the planet spiraled inward over time, ultimately plunging into its star in a fiery cosmic demise. Credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, Ralf Crawford (STScI) ********************************************************************** Lingering Brightness Provides Evidence for How the Planet Met Its Demise Each year, scientists from around the world compete for a chance to use NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope. Proposals go through a rigorous review process, and approved projects are added to Webb’s observation schedule, which is...

A close view on one of the most distant galaxies known: On the left are some 10,000 galaxies at all distances, observed with the James Webb Space Telescope. The zoom-in on the right shows, in the center as a red dot, the galaxy JADES-GS-z13-1. Its light was emitted 330 million years after the Big Bang and traveled for almost 13.5 billion years before reaching Webb’s golden mirror. Credit: ESA/Webb, NASA & CSA, JADES Collaboration, J. Witstok, P. Jakobsen, A. Pagan (STScI), M. Zamani (ESA/Webb). ================================================================== In a nutshell * A galaxy from just 330 million years after the Big Bang...

New James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) images show the first carbon dioxide-containing planet discovered outside of Earth’s solar system, displaying the telescope’s ground breaking research capabilities. One hundred thirty thousand lightyears from Earth, the multiplanet system HR 8799 has been a primary target for astronomers studying planet formation. The new research confirms JWST’s ability to measure an exoplanet’s atmospheric chemistry and suggests the four planets formed similarly to Jupiter and Saturn, coalescing around a solid core. Viewing a Young Solar System At only 30 million years old, HR 8799 is relatively young compared to Earth’s 4.6 billion-year-old solar system. Due...

Artist’s impression of GJ 1214 b passing in front of its host star. The “transit method” allows astronomers to study an exoplanet by seeing which wavelengths of light dim when the star’s light passes through the exoplanet atmosphere. (Credit: NAOJ) Scientists have classified a novel category of exoplanets spotted by the James Webb Space Telescope that appear to have no equivalent in our solar system. This newly proposed category of exoplanet, dubbed “Super Venus,” has often frustrated researchers due to its combination of properties that land it somewhere between Earth and Neptune. A team of researchers believes their analysis of...

Observations suggest that galaxies are moving apart at a higher rate than scientists have long expected. Many now wonder if the standard model of cosmology can fully explain what’s going on. Dan Scolnic is an associate professor of physics at Duke University. He and his team led a new study, published in the Astrophysical Journal Letters, that strengthens the case for a mismatch between data and predictions. Century of tracking

MIT astronomers discovered three of the oldest stars in the universe, and they live in our own galactic neighborhood. The stars are in the Milky Way’s “halo” — the cloud of stars that envelopes the main galactic disk — and they appear to have formed between 12 and 13 billion years ago, when the very first galaxies were taking shape. Credit: Serge Brunier; NASA ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Astronomers discovered three ancient stars circling the Milky Way’s halo, formed 12-13 billion years ago. MIT researchers have discovered three of the oldest stars in the universe, and they happen to live in our own...

In this zoomed-in detail of the Hubble image of Abell 370, the host galaxy where the 44 stars were discovered appears several times: in a normal image (left), and a distorted image appearing as a drawn-out smear of light. Credit: NASA ======================================================================================== Over 40 stars in a galaxy billions of light-years away were photographed, offering a glimpse into an era when the universe was only half as old as it is now. Astronomers using the James Webb Space Telescope have accomplished a monumental feat in the field of astronomy by observing individual stars in a galaxy over 6.5 billion light-years...