Brown dwarfs: too small to be stars, too big to be planets. Only discovered in the 1990s, these in-between cosmic objects aren’t big enough to burn as hot and bright…
Category: Space
Detection of phosphine in a brown dwarf atmosphere raises more questions
Schematic of the Wolf 1130ABC triple system, composed of the red dwarf star Wolf 1130A (l), its close and compact white dwarf companion Wolf 1130B (c), and the distant brown…
‘The Martian’ is 10 years old. Looking back at sci-fi’s answer to ‘The Shawshank Redemption’
“Get busy living or get busy dying.” It’s the mantra that motivates wrongly imprisoned Andy Dufresne throughout his brutal 20-year stretch in Shawshank State Prison, and it’s safe to assume…
Could dark energy change over time? Supercomputer simulations challenge ΛCDM assumption
Dark energy is responsible for the expansion of the Universe, but its true nature is still a subject of much debate. Computer simulations based on the latest astronomical data enable…
Dedicated amateur discovers supernova in remote galaxy
Filipp at his laptop. Credit: Filipp Romanov. Astronomy is increasingly becoming an online affair. Recent discoveries of interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS and R2 SWAN have highlighted this fact, when both were…
Data from dark-energy observatories indicate universe may ‘end in a big crunch’ at 33 billion years old
Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain The universe is approaching the midpoint of its 33-billion-year lifespan, a Cornell physicist calculates with new data from dark-energy observatories. After expanding to its peak size…
Erie Canal seen from space, is now 200 years old photo of the day for Oct 1. 2025
2025 marks the bicentennial of the Erie Canal, and NASA’s Earth Observatory commemorated the milestone with a satellite-based image tracing the canal’s historic route across New York State. What is…
Simulations show Saturn’s moon Enceladus shoots less ice into space than previous estimates
Saturn’s icy moon Enceladus loses ice mass to space by cryovolcanic geyers, and new TACC supercomputer simulations have improved estimates of ice mass loss. These findings help with understanding and…
‘Thunderbirds’ are 60! Looking back at the British puppet classic that was the ‘Star Wars’ of its day
“5… 4… 3… 2… 1. Thunderbirds are go!” John Williams fanfares, opening crawls, and Star Destroyers chasing blockade runners are all very well, but Gerry and Sylvia Anderson’s puppet classic…
