Researchers using NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope have detected evidence of quartz nanocrystals in the high-altitude clouds of WASP-17 b, a hot Jupiter exoplanet 1,300 light-years from Earth. Artist’s rendering…
Category: Astronomy
Pulsars May Make Dark Matter Glow
The central question in the ongoing hunt for dark matter is: what is it made of? One possible answer is that dark matter consists of particles known as axions. A…
Intense Jet Stream in Jupiter’s Atmosphere Discovered by Webb
NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope has discovered a fast-moving jet stream in Jupiter’s atmosphere blowing twice as fast as the visible cloud layers below it, creating wind shears that far…
Clouds of Tiny Quartz Crystals Fill Skies of Searing-hot Exoplanet
This artist’s concept shows what the exoplanet WASP-17 b could look like. Image credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, Ralf Crawford (STScI) Quartz, also known as silica, exists everywhere: in beach sands,…
Sensitive Instruments to Explore Metal-Rich Asteroid
NASA’s space mission to the asteroid Psyche—located in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter—will help us better understand our own Earth. DTU supplies instruments that can measure and map…
Rare Lenses, Cluster Cores and Unforeseen Science in Latest Gaia Data Release
The European Space Agency’s Gaia mission has released a goldmine of knowledge about our galaxy and beyond. Among other findings, the star surveyor has surpassed its planned potential to reveal half a…
Ionic Crystal Generates Molecular Ions upon Positron Irradiation
Positron―surface interactions generate positive molecular ions via formation of positronic compounds, opening doors to generating novel molecular ions. Positron, the antiparticle of electron, has the same mass and charge as…
Keeping Beds in the Goldilocks Zone
For Mark Aramli, the bed was a battlefield. He liked the bed a little cool, while his partner liked to stay warm under the covers. The constant fight over the…
First-ever Afterglow of Huge Planetary Collision in Outer Space
Image shows a visualisation of the huge, glowing planetary body produced by a planetary collision. In the foreground, fragments of ice and rock fly away from the collision and will…
Plot Thickens in Hunt for Ninth Planet
Outer reaches of the solar system could harbor another – ninth planet—or evidence modifying laws of gravity. An artist’s impression of a Kuiper Belt object (KBO), located on the outer…
