Fast radio burst pinpointed to distant galaxy

Fast radio bursts (FRBs) are among the most enigmatic and powerful events in the cosmos. Around 80 of these events—intensely bright millisecond-long bursts of radio waves coming from beyond our galaxy—have been witnessed so far, but their causes remain unknown. Source: https://phys.org/news/2019-07-fast-radio-distant-galaxy.html…

Would You Pay $30 a Month To Check Your Email?

The year is 2019, and the brainy engineers of Silicon Valley are hunkered down, working on transformative, next-generation technologies like self-driving cars, digital currencies and quantum computing. Meanwhile, the buzziest start-up in San Francisco is … an expensive email app? From a report: A few months ago, I started hearing about something called Superhuman. It’s an invitation-only service that costs $30…

Atmosphere of mid-size planet revealed by Hubble and Spitzer

Two NASA space telescopes have teamed up to identify, for the first time, the detailed chemical “fingerprint” of a planet between the sizes of Earth and Neptune. No planets like this can be found in our own solar system, but they are common around other stars. Source: https://phys.org/news/2019-07-atmosphere-mid-size-planet-revealed-hubble.html…

Methane vanishing on Mars: Researchers propose new mechanism as an explanation

The processes behind the release and consumption of methane on Mars have been discussed since methane was measured for the first time for approximately 15 years ago. Now, an interdisciplinary research group from Aarhus University has proposed a previously overlooked physical-chemical process that can explain methane’s consumption. Source: https://phys.org/news/2019-07-methane-mars-mechanism-explanation.html…

Redefining the limits of measurement accuracy

For centuries, humans have been expanding their understanding of the world through more and more precise measurement of light and matter. Today, quantum sensors achieve extremely accurate results. An example of this is the development of atomic clocks, which are expected to neither gain nor lose more than a second in thirty billion years. Gravitational waves were detected via quantum sensors…

Total solar eclipses reveal the dark and stormy side of the sun we never see

In astronomy, we have a common saying: “good luck, and clear skies.” For an eclipse chaser like me, this is especially important. We have two minutes and no second chance—one small cloud can spoil everything. Source: https://phys.org/news/2019-07-total-solar-eclipses-reveal-dark.html…