An international team of astronomers led by the University of Cambridge has used data from the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope to discover methane and carbon dioxide in the atmosphere of K2-18…
Category: Astronomy
“1,000 Year-Old Alien Corpses” in Mexico: Simple Reason Why This is Not True
Recently, a news story about the alleged ancient ‘alien remains’ dating back 1,000 years appeared on multiple online websites. But if you are skeptical about this particular ‘discovery‘, you are…
The Lunar Alarm Clock: New Study Characterizes Regular Moonquakes
Every morning and afternoon, like clockwork, the surface of the Moon trembles with tiny “moonquakes.” Now, new analysis of seismic activity on the Moon has characterized these events and discovered…
On the Road to Spotting Alien Life
The focal plane mask for the Coronagraph Instrument on NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope. Each circular section contains multiple “masks” – carefully engineered, opaque obstructions designed to block starlight.…
NASA’s Swift Learns a Trick, Spots a Snacking Black Hole
Using NASA’s Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory, launched in 2004, scientists have discovered a black hole in a distant galaxy repeatedly nibbling on a Sun-like star. The object heralds a new era of…
X-ray Mission Lifts Off To Study High-Energy Universe
The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency’s (JAXA) X-Ray Imaging and Spectroscopy Mission (XRISM) lifted off on a H-IIA rocket from the Tanegashima Space Center in Japan at 08:42 JST / 00:42…
XRISM: Next Major X-ray Mission Launched
The X-Ray Imaging and Spectroscopy Mission (XRISM) launched successfully on 7 September 2023 to observe the most energetic objects and events in the cosmos. In doing so, it will unveil…
Final Images Before Aeolus Demise
Looking at the ground track, the path on Earth that Aeolus was likely to fly over, it was clear that the Fraunhofer Institute in Germany would get a good view. Using their 34-m TIRA…
Webb Reveals New Structures Within Iconic Supernova
NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope has begun the study of one of the most renowned supernovae, SN 1987A (Supernova 1987A). Located 168,000 light-years away in the Large Magellanic Cloud, SN…
Removal of Caltech Submillimeter Observatory Telescope from Maunakea Underway
Disassembly of the Caltech Submillimeter Observatory’s 34-foot diameter telescope on Maunakea has begun. The current plan is to disassemble the telescope and its mirror into smaller parts and transport them…
