Hear the strange music of distant planetary system TOI-178

In the animation in this post, the rhythmic movement of newly discovered planets around the star TOI-178 is represented through a musical harmony, created by attributing a note (in the pentatonic scale) to each of the planets. Hear the music of these planets. Source: https://earthsky.org/space/star-system-tio-178-planets-in-resonance-orbits-cheops…

Scientists expand space instrument’s capabilities

A new study by Southwest Research Institute scientists describes how they have expanded the capabilities of the prototype spaceflight instrument Chemistry Organic and Dating Experiment (CODEX), designed for field-based dating of extraterrestrial materials. CODEX now uses two different dating approaches based on rubidium-strontium and lead-lead geochronology methods. The instrument uses laser ablation resonance ionization mass spectrometry (LARIMS) to obtain dates using…

A One Hundred Thousand-Fold Enhancement In the Nonlinearity of Silicon

An anonymous reader quotes a report from Phys.Org: A team of researchers led by Osaka University and National Taiwan University created a system of nanoscale silicon resonators that can act as logic gates for light pulses. … [The scientists] have increased the nonlinearity of silicon 100,000 times by creating a nano-optical resonator, so that all-optical switches can be operated using a…

Saturn’s large moon Titan is drifting away 100 times faster than anyone knew

Saturn’s largest moon Titan is drifting away from the planet 100 times faster than previously thought, according to a new study from researchers in the U.S., France and Italy. Source: https://earthsky.org/space/saturn-moon-titan-drifting-away-100-faster…

Single-spin electron paramagnetic resonance spectrum with kilohertz spectral resolution

A high-resolution paramagnetic resonance detection method based on the diamond nitrogen-vacancy (NV) color center quantum sensor was proposed and experimentally implemented in a study led by academician DU Jiangfeng from CAS Key Laboratory of Microscale Magnetic Resonance of University of Science and Technology of China (USTC) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS). …

New quantum sensing technique allows high-resolution nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy

Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy is a widely used tool for chemical analysis and molecular structure recognition. Because it typically relies on the weak magnetic fields produced by a small thermal nuclear spin polarization, NMR suffers from poor sensitivity compared to other analytical techniques. A conventional NMR apparatus typically uses large sample volumes of about a milliliter—large enough to contain around…

Did ancient Mars have rings?

A new study of Mars’ smallest moon Deimos, by scientists from the SETI Institute and Purdue University, suggests that the planet used to have rings a few billion years ago. Source: https://earthsky.org/space/did-ancient-mars-have-rings-deimos…

Researchers discover a six-planet system with near 3:2 resonance

Almost visible to the naked eye in the Draco constellation, the star HD 158259 has been observed for the last seven years by astronomers using the SOPHIE spectrograph. This instrument, installed at the Haute-Provence Observatory in the South of France, acquired 300 measurements of the star. The analysis of the data which done by an international team led by researchers from…

Fossil skull suggests human ancestors emerged 200,000 years earlier than thought

This newly discovered fossil is a hugely important find, say scientists. It means that one of our earliest ancestors possibly originated in southern Africa. Read more Source: https://earthsky.org/human-world/fossil-skull-human-ancestors-emerged-200000-years-earlier…

Don’t miss Venus and the Pleiades around April 3

Watch for the close pairing of the brightest planet, Venus, with the little dipper-shaped Pleiades star cluster. Their conjunction is April 3, but any evening around then will be lovely! Source: https://earthsky.org/tonight/venus-pleiades-couple-up-on-april-2-3-and-4…