Study shows a sharp rise in detection rate of broad absorption line variations

Gas around black holes and interstellar medium distribution are key factors in understanding the growth of supermassive black holes and the evolution of their host galaxies. However, as a crucial parameter, gas density is hard to determine reliably, because the general method is not applicable to all quasars. Source: https://phys.org/news/2021-03-sharp-broad-absorption-line-variations.html…

Netflix’s Space Sweepers review: A silly but profound space opera

Space Sweepers on Netflix, may be a silly but lovable piece of space opera, but this South Korean film delivers sharp truths and a sense of the ungiving, soul-grinding nature of space Source: https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg24933230-600-netflixs-space-sweepers-review-a-silly-but-profound-space-opera/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=home…

A New Lens Technology Is Primed To Jump-Start Phone Cameras

An anonymous reader quotes a report from Wired: A new company called Metalenz, which emerges from stealth mode today, is looking to disrupt smartphone cameras with a single, flat lens system that utilizes a technology called optical metasurfaces. A camera built around this new lens tech can produce an image of the same if not better quality as traditional lenses, collect…

What’s the weather like on Titan?

Most of the planets in our solar system have some sort of atmosphere and many have dynamic weather systems. But only one moon in the solar system, Saturn’s large moon Titan, can say the same. Source: https://earthsky.org/space/titan-saturns-moon-weather-seasons-methane-rain-storms…

SEC To Review Brokers’ Restrictions on GameStop, AMC Trading

Securities regulators said Friday they plan to closely review the actions of some brokerage firms [Editor’s note: the link may be paywalled; alternative source] that restricted investors’ ability to trade volatile stocks such as GameStop this week. From a report: The Securities and Exchange Commission’s statement on Friday is the clearest indication yet that regulators are examining potential misconduct around the…

Was this mystery radio signal really from Proxima Centauri?

Astronomers with Breakthrough Listen have detected a mysterious radio signal coming from the direction of the nearest star to the sun, Proxima Centauri. But is it really an alien signal or something more terrestrial? Source: https://earthsky.org/space/wow-signal-2020-blc1-proxima-centauri…

Samsung May Discontinue High-End Galaxy Note Smartphones

Samsung may discontinue its premium Galaxy Note phone next year, Reuters reported Tuesday, citing sources with knowledge of the matter, a move that would reflect the sharp drop in demand for high-end smartphones due to the coronavirus pandemic. From the report: The Galaxy Note, known for its large screen and a stylus for note-taking, is one of two Samsung premium phone…

Curiosity rover spots signs of ancient megafloods on Mars

We already know that Gale Crater on Mars used to hold a lake or series of lakes a few billion years ago. Now, NASA’s Curiosity rover has found evidence for ancient giant floods that washed through the region as well. Source: https://earthsky.org/space/megafloods-gale-crater-mars-life-curiosity-rover…