A new study suggests that many exoplanets – worlds orbiting distant stars – might have an overabundance of toxic gases in their atmospheres. If so, that would make the evolution of complex life forms more difficult. Source: https://earthsky.org/space/toxic-gases-habitable-zones-complex-life-exoplanets…
Tag: the universe
A miniature camera for the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope will help test the observatory and take first images
Scientists at the Department of Energy’s SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory are building the world’s largest digital camera for astronomy and astrophysics—a minivan-sized 3,200-megapixel “eye” of the future Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (LSST) that will enable unprecedented views of the universe starting in the fall of 2022 and provide new insights into dark energy and other cosmic mysteries. In the meantime, the…
Astronomers make first detection of polarised radio waves in Gamma Ray Burst jets
Good fortune and cutting-edge scientific equipment have allowed scientists to observe a Gamma Ray Burst jet with a radio telescope and detect the polarisation of radio waves within it for the first time—moving us closer to an understanding of what causes the universe’s most powerful explosions. Source: https://phys.org/news/2019-06-astronomers-polarised-radio-gamma-ray.html…
Largest data set in SETI history released to the public
Breakthrough Listen—the astronomical program searching for signs of intelligent life in the Universe—has submitted two publications to leading astrophysics journals, describing the analysis of its first three years of radio observations and the availability of a petabyte of radio and optical telescope data. This represents the largest release of SETI data in the history of its field. Source: https://phys.org/news/2019-06-largest-seti-history.html…
Oldest Known Galactic Get-Together Occurred Shortly After Big Bang
This is the earliest known galaxy merger in the universe. Source: https://www.livescience.com/65740-oldest-merger-galaxies.html
Does the gas in galaxy clusters flow like honey?
We have seen intricate patterns that milk makes in coffee and much smoother ones that honey makes when stirred with a spoon. Which of these cases best describes the behavior of the hot gas in galaxy clusters? By answering this question, a new study using NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory has deepened our understanding of galaxy clusters, the largest structures in the…
How to detect life on Mars
When MIT research scientist Christopher Carr visited a green sand beach in Hawaii at the age of 9, he probably didn’t think that he’d use the little olivine crystals beneath his feet to one day search for extraterrestrial life. Carr, now the science principal investigator for the Search for Extraterrestrial Genomes (SETG) instrument being developed jointly by the Department of Earth,…
AR Recreation of Apollo 11 Mission in Celebration of 50th Anniversary of Moon Landing
edX and the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library have partnered to bring an exciting experience to the edX community. In celebration of the 50th anniversary of the first Moon landing, the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library is launching the JFK Moonshot, a first-of-its-kind augmented reality app experience. From July 16th to the 20th, the app will provide users anywhere in the…
Apollo moon rocks help transform understanding of the universe
Moon rocks look rather nondescript—they are often gray in color—but for NASA planetary scientist Samuel Lawrence, they are the “most precious materials on Earth.” Source: https://phys.org/news/2019-06-apollo-moon-universe.html…
Breaks in the Perfect Symmetry of the Universe Could Be a Window Into Completely New Physics
If this fundamental symmetry of the universe doesn’t hold, it could break open new physics. Source: https://www.livescience.com/65713-symmetry-parity-could-reveal-new-physics.html