Astronomy and Planetary Science Thread

[Flyaway]

JWST Breakthrough: Capturing the Birth of Stars in Triangulum Galaxy. Read more here - https://www.jameswebbdiscovery.com/...uring-the-birth-of-stars-in-triangulum-galaxy

 

[publiusr]

Astronomy toolkit

Astronomy toolkit allows users to create their own sky map, find the weirdest stars and explore the surface of the moon

A new set of tools for astronomers and planetary explorers use interactive visual analytics and machine learning to reveal and contrast properties of objects in our galaxy.

phys.org

The lighthouse

Massive 'lighthouses' on the moon could light the way for future lunar astronauts

Honeybee Robotics has a plan to build massive lighthouses on the moon to provide light, power and communications infrastructure as part of a plan to develop a lunar economy.

www.space.com

Big flare

Biggest solar flare in years temporarily disrupts radio signals on Earth

A NASA telescope has captured the biggest solar flare in years, which temporarily knocked out radio communication on Earth.

phys.org

Space weather is chaotic and hard to predict. This new model could change that

The model already scored a major success by explaining how mysterious pearl-like apparitions form in aurora displays.

www.space.com

Aurora-like 'Steve' phenomenon and glowing 'picket fences' point to unknown exotic physics

"The Steve spectrum is telling us there's some very exotic physics going on. We just didn't know what it was."

www.space.com

stellar fission

Cosmic nuclear fission seen for 1st time in 'incredibly profound' discovery

"As we’ve acquired more observations, the cosmos is saying 'hey, there’s a signature here, and it can only come from fission.'"

www.space.com

Black hole battery

Humans could use black holes as batteries, physics paper claims. Here's how.

Black holes are some of the most powerful objects in the universe — and humans could devise ways to harness that power as an energy source, a new theoretical study claims.

www.space.com

Asteroids

Model suggests some asteroids that come close to Earth are torn apart by its gravity

A pair of astronomers, one with Luleå University of Technology's Asteroid Engineering Laboratory, in Finland, the other with the Southwest Research Institute, in the U.S., has found via computer simulation, that some large asteroids that come close to Earth can be torn apart by its gravity...

phys.org

'What is that material?': Potentially hazardous asteroid Bennu stumps scientists with its odd makeup

'I fully expect the cosmochemistry community is going to go to town on this.'

www.space.com

Could we defend Earth against a 'rubble pile' asteroid?

How do we deal with incoming space rocks that are double trouble: Bad for Earth, but also tough to deal with due to their makeup?

www.space.com

New nuclear deflection simulations advance planetary defense against asteroid threats

Researchers at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) have developed a modeling tool for assessing the potential use of a nuclear device to defend the planet against catastrophic asteroid impacts.

phys.org

Craters

Simulations of craters reveal characteristics of impactors such as spin speed, bond strength

A team of engineers at the University of Campinas, in Brazil has found that the unique characteristics of craters, both on Earth and on other bodies in space, are due to the unique features of both the impactor and the site where it strikes. In their study, reported in the journal Physical...

phys.org

Earth had all the tools

Earth may have had all the elements needed for life all along − contrary to meteorite origin theories

Scientists still debate the origins of Earth’s life-sustaining elements.

www.space.com

Answers

History and contents of the universe can be determined using radio telescopes on the moon, researchers say

A study from Tel Aviv University has predicted for the first time the groundbreaking results that can be obtained from a lunar-based detection of radio waves. The study's findings show that the measured radio signals can be used for a novel test of the standard cosmological model to determine...

phys.org

Habitability

A new way to characterize habitable planets

For decades, science fiction authors have imagined scenarios in which life thrives on the harsh surfaces of Mars or our moon, or in the oceans below the icy surfaces of Saturn's moon Enceladus and Jupiter's moon Europa. But the study of habitability—the conditions required to support and sustain...

phys.org

Or lack thereof

Permian marine mass extinction linked to volcanism-induced anoxia

Mass extinctions are rapid global decreases in Earth's biodiversity, with five key events identified over the planet's history, arguably the most famous of which occurred ~66 million years ago during the Cretaceous, which brought the rein of dinosaurs to an end. However, the largest mass...

phys.org

Astronomy

Nube, the almost invisible galaxy that challenges the dark matter model

Nube is an almost invisible dwarf galaxy discovered by an international research team led by the Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (IAC) in collaboration with the University of La Laguna (ULL) and other institutions.

phys.org

Astronomers observe three iron rings in a planet-forming disk

The origin of Earth and the solar system inspires scientists and the public alike. By studying the present state of our home planet and other objects in the solar system, researchers have developed a detailed picture of the conditions when they evolved from a disk made of dust and gas...

phys.org

Discovery of unusual star may change our picture of how stars explode and elements are made

Scientists have found a star unlike any other one recorded—which may change our understanding of how stars die.

phys.org

NASA scientists discover a novel galactic 'fossil'

Researchers at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, have discovered X-ray activity that sheds light on the evolution of galaxies.

phys.org

Astronomers make rare exoplanet discovery, and a giant leap in detecting Earth-like bodies

Astronomers have made the rare discovery of a small, cold exoplanet and its massive outer companion—shedding light on the formation of planets like Earth.

phys.org

Jupiter has at least three magnetosheath jets, finds Voyager 2 data study

A team of astrophysicists and astronomers from Harbin Institute of Technology, Johns Hopkins University and Peking University has found evidence from Voyager 2 data showing that Jupiter has at least three magnetosheath jets. The study is published in Nature Communications.

phys.org

Researchers reveal new findings on diamond rain on ice planets

An international team of researchers led by Dr. Mungo Frost from the SLAC research center in California has gained new insights into the formation of diamond rain on icy planets such as Neptune and Uranus, using the X-ray laser European XFEL in Schenefeld. The results also provide clues to the...

phys.org

Old stars may be the best places to search for life

Once upon a cosmic time, scientists assumed that stars apply an eternal magnetic brake, causing an endless slowdown of their rotation. With new observations and sophisticated methods, they have now peeked into a star's magnetic secrets and found that they are not what they expected. The cosmic...

phys.org

Meteorite analysis shows Earth's building blocks contained water

When our sun was a young star, 4.56 billion years ago, what is now our solar system was just a disk of rocky dust and gas. Over tens of millions of years, tiny dust pebbles coalesced, like a snowball rolling larger and larger, to become kilometer-sized "planetesimals"—the building blocks of...

phys.org

NASA telescopes chase down 'Green Monster' in star's debris

By bringing together data from two NASA telescopes, astronomers may have solved a mystery around a bizarre structure found in the debris field of an exploded star. Their work has uncovered new details about the star's remains, and about the explosion itself.

phys.org

The first 3D map of magnetic fields in our galaxy explains star-forming regions

A team of astronomers including those from the University of Tokyo have created the first-ever map of magnetic field structures within a spiral arm of our Milky Way galaxy. Previous studies on galactic magnetic fields only gave a very general picture, but the new study reveals that magnetic...

phys.org

Centaurs gain comet-like characteristics through close encounters with Jupiter, Saturn

A rapid reshaping of orbits resulting from a close encounter with Jupiter or Saturn can lead Centaurs to exhibit comet-like activity, according to a Planetary Science Institute Senior Scientist Eva Lilly paper.

phys.org

Scientists flip around gravitational-wave data analysis: Have LIGO and Virgo detected a merger of dark-matter stars?

Gravitational waves are ripples in the fabric of spacetime that travel at the speed of light. These are produced in some of the most violent events in the universe, such as black-hole mergers, supernovae, or the Big Bang itself. Since their first detection in 2015, and after three observing...

phys.org

Webb data suggest many early galaxies were long and thin, not disk-like or spherical

Columbia researchers analyzing images from NASA's James Webb Space Telescope have found that galaxies in the early universe are often flat and elongated, like breadsticks—and are rarely round, like balls of pizza dough.

phys.org

Discovery of second ultra-large structure in distant space further challenges our understanding of the universe

The discovery of a second ultra-large structure in the remote universe has further challenged some of the basic assumptions about cosmology.

phys.org

The implications of 'Oumuamua on the panspermia theory

On October 19, 2017, astronomers with the Pan-STARRS survey detected an interstellar object (ISO) passing through our solar system for the first time. The object, known as 1I/2017 U1 'Oumuamua, stimulated significant scientific debate and is still controversial today. One thing that all could...

phys.org

Black holes

From black hole entropy to the complexity of plant leaves: An intriguing linkage

Complexity of biological forms has fascinated humankind over the years. Different species of plants have different leaf shapes. Have you ever wondered why it is so? Why does this shape diversity exist? Plants can change their leaf shapes over time and space. But how?

phys.org

Astronomers detect oldest black hole ever observed

Researchers have discovered the oldest black hole ever observed, dating from the dawn of the universe, and found that it is 'eating' its host galaxy to death.

phys.org

Origin of intense light in supermassive black holes and tidal disruption events revealed

A significant breakthrough in understanding Tidal Disruption Events (TDEs) involving supermassive black holes has been discovered. The new simulations, for the first time ever, accurately replicate the entire sequence of a TDE from stellar disruption to the peak luminosity of the resulting flare.

phys.org

Moon dust

Moon rocks with unique dust found

The moon is almost completely covered in dust. Unlike on Earth, this dust is not smoothed by wind and weather, but is sharp-edged and also electrostatically charged. This dust has been studied since the Apollo era at the end of the 1960s. Now, an international research team led by Dr. Ottaviano...

phys.org

Research sheds new light on moon rock formation solving major puzzle in lunar geology

New research has cracked a vital process in the creation of a unique rock type from the moon. The discovery explains its signature composition and very presence on the lunar surface at all, unraveling a mystery that has long eluded scientists.

phys.org

Lovely aurora---muted

Image: An aurora in another light

The Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite sensor on the NOAA-NASA Suomi NPP satellite captured this image of the aurora borealis, or northern lights, over western Canada at 3:23 a.m. MST (5:23 a.m. EST) on November 5, 2023.

phys.org

Earthquake map

New map shows where damaging earthquakes are most likely to occur in US 

Nearly 75% of the U.S. could experience damaging earthquake shaking, according to a recent U.S. Geological Survey-led team of more than 50 scientists and engineers.

phys.org

 

[Flyaway]

NASA's Webb Rings in the Holidays with the Ringed Planet Uranus​

When Voyager 2 flew past Uranus in 1986, the planet appeared to be a nearly featureless, solid blue ball. Now, Webb shows us an infrared view that is much more dynamic and intriguing. Rings, moons, storms, and a bright, north polar cap grace these new images. Because Uranus is tipped on its side, the polar cap appears to become more prominent as the planet’s pole points towards the Sun and receives more sunlight — a time called solstice. Uranus reaches its next solstice in 2028, and astronomers will watch for changes in the planet’s atmosphere. Studying this ice giant can help astronomers understand the formation and meteorology of similarly sized planets around other suns.

https://webbtelescope.org/contents/news-releases/2023/news-2023-150.html

 

[Flyaway]

Something peculiar is going on a long way beneath our feet. The rotation of the Earth's inner core is not aligned with the rotation of the mantle, creating a wobble that affects the motion of the poles and even the length of the days that our planet experiences.

…

The new work suggests that the rotation axis of the inner core is 0.17 degrees off compared to the rotation of the mantle.

…

Since the late 1980s, researchers have suspected that a coupling between the inner core and the mantle could be responsible for a periodic variation on the order of 10 years. This study puts the wobble at 8.5 years, plus or minus 75 days. It was the discovery of a signal in the polar motion back in 2018, combined with the day-length fluctuations, that led the researchers to conclude that they were being caused by the same process, a small misalignment.

An 8.5-Year-Long Wobble Means Earth's Core And Mantle Are Not Aligned

The inner core has a wobble that affects the length of our day.

www.iflscience.com

Related paper:

Inner core static tilt inferred from intradecadal oscillation in the Earth’s rotation - Nature Communications

A static tilt of some 0.17° between the rotation axes of the solid inner core and the mantle is inferred from the observed approximate 8.5 year periodic inner core wobble in both polar motion and length-of-day variations of the Earth’s rotation.

www.nature.com

 

[Flyaway]

Some Icy Exoplanets May Have Habitable Oceans and Geysers

“Our analyses predict that these 17 worlds may have ice-covered surfaces but receive enough internal heating from the decay of radioactive elements and tidal forces from their host stars to maintain internal oceans,” said Dr. Lynnae Quick of NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. “Thanks to the amount of internal heating they experience, all planets in our study could also exhibit cryovolcanic eruptions in the form of geyser-like plumes.” Quick is lead author of a paper on the research published on October 4 in the Astrophysical Journal.

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They predict that surface temperatures are colder than previous estimates by up to 60 degrees Fahrenheit (about 33 degrees Celsius). Estimated ice shell thickness ranged from about 190 feet (58 meters) for Proxima Centauri b and one mile (1.6 kilometers) for LHS 1140 b to 24 miles (38.6 kilometers) for MOA 2007 BLG 192Lb, compared to Europa’s estimated average of 18 miles (almost 29 kilometers). Estimated geyser activity went from just 17.6 pounds per second (about 8 kilograms/second) for Kepler 441b to 639,640 pounds/second (290,000 kilograms/second) for LHS 1140 b and 13.2 million pounds/second (six million kilograms/second) for Proxima Centauri b, compared to Europa at 4,400 pounds/second (2,000 kilograms/second).

…

For planets like Proxima Centauri b that don’t cross their stars from our vantage point, geyser activity could be detected by powerful telescopes that are able to measure light that the exoplanet reflects while orbiting its star. Geysers would expel icy particles at the exoplanet’s surface which would cause the exoplanet to appear very bright and reflective.

NASA: Some Icy Exoplanets May Have Habitable Oceans and Geysers - NASA

A NASA study expands the search for life beyond our solar system by indicating that 17 exoplanets (worlds outside our solar system) could have oceans of

www.nasa.gov

 

[FighterJock]

So it is more or less like an enlarged Enceladus type scenario with it being a full scale Planet instead of a small Moon.

 

[Flyaway]

GJ 367b, a terrestrial exoplanet in orbit around an M-type star, captivates with its 0.633 Earth masses, a swift orbital period of 0.3 days, and a close proximity of 0.00709 AU to its stellar companion. Recent observations by the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) have further illuminated the mysteries surrounding this celestial body, adding depth to our understanding of its unique characteristics. Initially announced in 2021, the ongoing revelations about GJ 367b continue to shape our knowledge of distant exoplanetary systems. Image Credit: NASA.

Unraveling Exoplanet GJ 367b Mysteries with the James Webb Telescope

Unraveling Exoplanet GJ 367b Mysteries with the James Webb Telescope

www.jameswebbdiscovery.com

 

[Flyaway]

Hubble observes extreme weather on massive alien world:

View: https://youtu.be/zapzp_tR3Sc?si=VSGu0EIbOtMEUAp6

 

[Flyaway]

Hubble’s Inside The Image: The Eagle Nebula:

View: https://youtu.be/mjYR-mpVN-A?si=h1lm-3iwIZ6OTMC7

 

[Flyaway]

Strange disappearing “magic islands” spotted by Nasa’s Cassini spacecraft on Saturn’s moon Titan are actually blobs of organic molecules floating in seas of liquid methane, scientists say.

When the Cassini spacecraft conducted radar scans of Titan, it found that the moon’s surface was covered with dark dunes of organic material and seas of liquid methane.

Mysterious ‘islands’ in seas of Saturn’s moon are actually organic matter

Researchers previously thought these were phantom islands caused by waves

www.independent.co.uk

Researchers may have identified the missing component in the chemistry of the Venusian clouds that would explain their colour and 'splotchiness' in the UV range, solving a longstanding mystery.

Mysterious missing component in the clouds of Venus revealed

Researchers may have identified the missing component in the chemistry of the Venusian clouds that would explain their colour and 'splotchiness' in the UV

www.cam.ac.uk

Related paper:

https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.adg8826

 

[Flyaway]

In a remarkable discovery, astronomers using NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope have uncovered a cosmic enigma. They’ve identified a brown dwarf, known as W1935, that exhibits unusual infrared emission from methane that resembles an aurora.

This finding is noteworthy, particularly because W1935, a celestial body larger than Jupiter yet smaller than a star, is relatively cold and does not orbit a host star.

Cosmic enigma: Aurorae discovered on an isolated brown dwarf

Astronomers identified a brown dwarf, known as W1935, that exhibits unusual infrared emission from methane that resembles an aurora.

www.earth.com

 

[Flyaway]

This new paper theorises that the Sun may have picked up one or more wandering planets and added them to the outer solar system.

Now, theoretical astrophysicist Amir Siraj of Princeton University has worked out just how many alien planets might be out there, hidden from our view. According to his calculations, on a purely mathematical level, there could be 1.2 planets with a mass greater than Mars; 2.7 with a mass comparable to Mars; and 5.2 with a mass comparable to that of Mercury.

These are just educated guesses, based on other educated guesses, but the idea that there could be just one hidden world out there that has traveled from a distant star is certainly a fascinating one.

There Could Be Alien, Mars-Sized Planets Lurking Beyond Pluto

The outer Solar System is like the ultimate wilderness frontier.

www.sciencealert.com

Here’s the actual paper:

ShieldSquare Captcha

 

[Flyaway]

An exoplanet orbiting a small star some 50 light-years away from Earth may be a life-friendly water world, a new study has revealed — and the James Webb Space Telescope could determine if that is indeed the case.

The planet in question, called LHS 1140b, orbits in the habitable zone of a small, dim star called LHS 1140 that lies in the constellation Cetus. The exoplanet was discovered in 2017 and has been observed by multiple telescopes since.

These observations first convinced researchers that LHS 1140b is a rocky planet about 1.7 times wider than Earth. But a new analysis of all available observations has shown that LHS 1140b is not dense enough to be purely rocky and must either contain much more water than Earth or possess an extensive atmosphere full of light elements such as hydrogen and helium.

Nearby exoplanet may be rich in life-giving water, study finds

'If it's confirmed in the future, that would be the first indirect detection of liquid water on an exoplanet.'

www.space.com

Related paper:

ShieldSquare Captcha

 

[FighterJock]

Really good to see that an exoplanet probably has liquid water and it is in the habitable zone (Goldilocks Zone) of the parent star, so what are the chances of there being life on the planet? Where there is water there is life.

 

[Flyaway]

Astronomers have discovered a ring-shaped cosmic megastructure, the proportions of which challenge existing theories of the universe.

The so-called Big Ring has a diameter of about 1.3bn light years, making it among the largest structures ever observed. At more than 9bn light years from Earth, it is too faint to see directly, but its diameter on the night sky would be equivalent to 15 full moons.

The observations, presented on Thursday at the 243rd meeting of the American Astronomical Society in New Orleans, are significant because the size of the Big Ring appears to defy a fundamental assumption in cosmology called the cosmological principle. This states that above a certain spatial scale, the universe is homogeneous and looks identical in every direction.

Newly discovered cosmic megastructure challenges theories of the universe

A 1.3bn light year-sized ring discovered by PhD student in Lancashire appears to defy the cosmological principle assumption

www.theguardian.com

 

[Flyaway]

Astronomers have discovered an unusual Earth-sized exoplanet they believe has a hemisphere of molten lava, with its other hemisphere tidally locked in perpetual darkness. Co-authors and study leaders Benjamin Capistrant (University of Florida) and Melinda Soares-Furtado (University of Wisconsin-Madison) presented the details yesterday at a meeting of the American Astronomical Society in New Orleans. An associated paper has just been published in The Astronomical Journal. Another paper published today in the journal Astronomy and Astrophysics by a different group described the discovery of a rare small, cold exoplanet with a massive outer companion 100 times the mass of Jupiter.

Astronomers found ultra-hot, Earth-sized exoplanet with a lava hemisphere

Also: A separate team found a small, cold exoplanet with a massive outer companion.

arstechnica.com

 

[FighterJock]

Just 24 Hours on since the discovery of the Earth like planet with potential water on the surface then we now have this new Earth type exoplanet with a lava hemisphere. I wonder if the other hemisphere has also got lava, unless this planet is tidally locked so that only one hemisphere is pointing towards us?

 

[Flyaway]

Hubble Finds Weird Home of Farthest Fast Radio Burst

This new FRB is particularly weird because it erupted halfway across the universe, making it the farthest and most powerful example detected to date.

And if that's not strange enough, it just got weirder based on the follow-up Hubble observations made after its discovery. The FRB flashed in what seems like an unlikely place: a collection of galaxies that existed when the universe was only 5 billion years old. The large majority of previous FRBs have been found in isolated galaxies.

https://hubblesite.org/contents/news-releases/2024/news-2024-001.html

 

[Flyaway]

Since the 1980s, the planetary system around the star Beta Pictoris has continued to fascinate scientists. Even after decades of study, it still holds surprises.

NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope has unlocked an exciting new chapter of Beta Pic’s story, which includes new details about the composition of its debris disks and a never-before-seen dust trail resembling a cat’s tail. This feature is hypothesized by a team of astronomers to be a relatively recent addition to the planetary system — a tail not so old as time.

https://webbtelescope.org/contents/news-releases/2024/news-2024-101?news=true

 

[Flyaway]

Astronomers have discovered a pair of exoplanets orbiting an M dwarf star, one of which is the coldest M dwarf planet found by the TESS satellite observatory, making it accessible for follow-up studies of its atmosphere. The work is published in The Astrophysical Journal Letters.

Twins or cousins? Sub-Neptune exoplanets could provide an answer

Astronomers have discovered a pair of exoplanets orbiting an M dwarf star, one of which is the coldest M dwarf planet found by the TESS satellite observatory, making it accessible for follow-up studies of its atmosphere. The work is published in The Astrophysical Journal Letters.

phys.org

Related paper:

ShieldSquare Captcha

 

[Flyaway]

I’m guessing they mean from the last quoted paragraph that this exoplanet would need a dedicated mission with a particular instrument set to study it.

The rumors have been out there for a while now, percolating through respectable corners of the astronomy and astrobiological community, that the James Webb Space Telescope has found a planet with strong evidence of life.

Some of this sentiment recently bubbled into the public view when the British news magazine The Spectator published an item titled "Have we just discovered aliens?" In accordance with Betteridge's law of headlines, the answer to the question posed in this headline is no.

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Although she didn't say so, Colón is certainly referring to K2-18 b, an exoplanet 8.6 times as massive as Earth that is 120 light years from our Solar System. Astronomers believe this may be a "hycean" exoplanet, meaning it has water oceans on its surface and a hydrogen-rich atmosphere.

…

So here, as best as I can tell, is the real story. Scientists are definitely intrigued by the observations that Webb has made of the exoplanet K2-18 b. However, there is a robust debate ongoing about the telescope's measurements of water, methane, and dimethyl sulfide. They're promising but not conclusive. As Colón said, we need more data and possibly new instruments to make a definitive call.

No, the James Webb Space Telescope hasn’t found life out there—at least not yet

There is a robust debate ongoing in the scientific community.

arstechnica.com

 

[Broken]

I’m guessing they mean from the last quoted paragraph that this exoplanet would need a dedicated mission with a particular instrument set to study it.



…



…

No, the James Webb Space Telescope hasn’t found life out there—at least not yet

There is a robust debate ongoing in the scientific community.

arstechnica.com

Why does it go on about K2-18b? The rumours don't seem to be about that planet. As the article itself admits, Knicole Colón doesn't appear to mention K2-18b either. Rebecca Smethurst spoke about the results for that planet before hinting about this possible separate new paper. Given further followup observations of K2-18b haven't even happened yet as far as I know, the new rumours aren't likely about that planet.

To clear something up about the process; prior to observers publishing their results, it isn't necessarily the case that a JWST project scientist would know anything about what a team had discovered from an observation.

A NASA-employed scientist can be PI or a team member on observations, but most of the time observers are from academia. An individual or team of scientists (typically from universities/research institutes) requests a particular set of observations which the NASA technicians on the JWST program complete for them. The raw(ish) data is then sent to and analysed by the requesting observers themselves, not NASA, and typically analysed in relative secret so as not to get scooped on any potential discovery. There aren't groups of NASA scientists pouring over every observation JWST makes, analysis is all done by the academic researchers themselves. Although it can happen (everybody knows everybody/gossip from Peer Reviewers etc) there's no reason to believe a NASA scientist on the JWST program would automatically know about this result before it is made public. This is all standard practice with observatories, same with Hubble etc.

So when Knicole Colón says "JWST has not found definitive evidence of life on an exoplanet," she will only be referring to published, public results. She will not have direct access to what research teams are working on. Her next quote is a generic comment attempting to explain the difference between the discovery of biosignatures and the discovery of life. A biosignature is evidence, but not generally conclusive on its own.

 

[Flyaway]

Why does it go on about K2-18b? The rumours don't seem to be about that planet. As the article itself admits, Knicole Colón doesn't appear to mention K2-18b either. Rebecca Smethurst spoke about the results for that planet before hinting about this possible separate new paper. Given further followup observations of K2-18b haven't even happened yet as far as I know, the new rumours aren't likely about that planet.

To clear something up about the process; prior to observers publishing their results, it isn't necessarily the case that a JWST project scientist would know anything about what a team had discovered from an observation.

A NASA-employed scientist can be PI or a team member on observations, but most of the time observers are from academia. An individual or team of scientists (typically from universities/research institutes) requests a particular set of observations which the NASA technicians on the JWST program complete for them. The raw(ish) data is then sent to and analysed by the requesting observers themselves, not NASA, and typically analysed in relative secret so as not to get scooped on any potential discovery. There aren't groups of NASA scientists pouring over every observation JWST makes, analysis is all done by the academic researchers themselves. Although it can happen (everybody knows everybody/gossip from Peer Reviewers etc) there's no reason to believe a NASA scientist on the JWST program would automatically know about this result before it is made public. This is all standard practice with observatories, same with Hubble etc.

So when Knicole Colón says "JWST has not found definitive evidence of life on an exoplanet," she will only be referring to published, public results. She will not have direct access to what research teams are working on. Her next quote is a generic comment attempting to explain the difference between the discovery of biosignatures and the discovery of life. A biosignature is evidence, but not generally conclusive on its own.

You do have a fair point about the planet, and the article it’s possible does add two and two together to get give as to what planet the rumours might be about.

 

[Broken]

For what it's worth, Becky has said she was misinterpreted and wasn't talking about a specific discovery, just making a hopeful guess. So it sounds like the rumours are false.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1747542127083393383

Won't stop the UFOologists saying she was got at by the government...

 

[Flyaway]

For what it's worth, Becky has said she was misinterpreted and wasn't talking about a specific discovery, just making a hopeful guess. So it sounds like the rumours are false.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1747542127083393383

Won't stop the UFOologists saying she was got at by the government...

I’ve seen that video of her’s and she’s quite correct she was making a general guess, one that’s probably a well educated one.

View: https://youtube.com/shorts/eUpVNgYg1NU?si=UcLRYoUrNwmAOzjY

 

[Flyaway]

Using NASA's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS), an international team of astronomers has discovered nine new "hot Jupiter" exoplanets. One of the newly detected alien worlds is almost four times more massive than Jupiter. The finding was presented in a paper published January 11 on the pre-print server arXiv.

TESS discovers nine new 'hot Jupiters'

Using NASA's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS), an international team of astronomers has discovered nine new "hot Jupiter" exoplanets. One of the newly detected alien worlds is almost four times more massive than Jupiter. The finding was presented in a paper published January 11 on...

phys.org

Related paper:

[2401.05923] Migration and Evolution of giant ExoPlanets (MEEP) I: Nine Newly Confirmed Hot Jupiters from the TESS Mission

 

[Flyaway]

A global team of astronomers have created the most sensitive radio image ever of a globular cluster, an ancient ball of tightly-packed stars.

Astronomers produce most detailed sensitive image ever of ancient star cluster - ICRAR

A global team of astronomers have created the most sensitive radio image ever of a globular cluster, an ancient ball of tightly-packed stars. The image is of the second brightest globular cluster in the night sky—known as 47 Tucanae—and was produced by a team led by the Curtin University node of...

www.icrar.org

 

[Flyaway]

A team of scientists found a compact object 40,000 light-years from Earth that is either a very massive neutron star or an itsy-bitsy black hole, but they’re not sure which.

Mystery Object in Deep Space Is Confounding Astronomers

The super-dense object doesn't quite fit with what we know about black holes or neutron stars.

gizmodo.com

Related paper:

https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adg3005

 

[Flyaway]

Dozens of new planets spark major breakthrough in search for alien life​

MSN

 

[publiusr]

Mystery Object in Deep Space Is Confounding Astronomers

The super-dense object doesn't quite fit with what we know about black holes or neutron stars.

gizmodo.com

Related paper:

https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adg3005

Quark star perhaps? Some kind of collapsar...

Space in the news

Webb Telescope captures massive star-forming complex

This image from the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope features an H II region in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC), a satellite galaxy of our Milky Way. This nebula, known as N79, is a region of interstellar atomic hydrogen that is ionized, captured here by Webb's Mid-InfraRed Instrument...

phys.org

Motion of satellite galaxies suggests younger universe

In standard cosmological models, the formation of cosmological structures begins with the emergence of small structures, which subsequently undergo hierarchical merging, leading to the formation of larger systems. As the universe ages, massive galaxy groups and clusters, being the largest...

phys.org

How NASA chases and investigates bright cosmic blips

Stephen Lesage's phone started vibrating just after halftime on Oct. 9, 2022, while he was watching a soccer game in Atlanta with a friend. When Lesage saw the incoming messages, the match no longer seemed important. There had been a rare cosmic event, and he needed to get to his computer...

phys.org

Rare decay of the Higgs boson may point to physics beyond the Standard Model

Particle physicists have detected a novel decay of the Higgs boson for the first time, revealing a slight discrepancy in the predictions of the Standard Model and perhaps pointing to new physics beyond it. The findings are published in the journal Physical Review Letters.

phys.org

Confirmation of ancient lake on Mars offers hope that Perseverance rover's soil and rock samples hold traces of life

If life ever existed on Mars, the Perseverance rover's verification of lake sediments at the base of the Jezero crater reinforces the hope that traces might be found in the crater.

phys.org

Stars travel more slowly at Milky Way's edge: Galaxy's core may contain less dark matter than previously estimated

By clocking the speed of stars throughout the Milky Way galaxy, MIT physicists have found that stars further out in the galactic disk are traveling more slowly than expected compared to stars that are closer to the galaxy's center. The findings raise a surprising possibility: The Milky Way's...

phys.org

Team discovers evidence of cometary dust hitting the asteroid Ryugu

Ryugu is a near-Earth asteroid that gained significant attention when the Japanese Hayabusa2 mission collected samples and returned them to Earth. These samples have proven to offer a treasure trove of insights into the solar system, including the possible role of asteroids in delivering organic...

phys.org

Moon age daydream: modern lunar exploration

Japan, whose unmanned "sniper" probe will attempt a lunar landing on Saturday, is one of many countries and private companies launching new missions to the moon.

phys.org

What could the Extremely Large Telescope see at Proxima Centauri's planet?

Proxima Centauri b is the closest exoplanet to Earth. It is an Earth-mass world right in the habitable zone of a red dwarf star just 4 light-years from Earth. It receives about 65% of the energy Earth gets from the sun, and depending on its evolutionary history could have oceans of water and an...

phys.org

Thirsty? Water is more common than you think

Water is abundant throughout the entire universe. What water has going for it is that its constituents, hydrogen and oxygen, are also ridiculously common, and those two elements really enjoy bonding with each other. Oxygen has two open slots in its outmost electron orbital shell, making it very...

phys.org

Why Venus died

Venus is only slightly smaller than the Earth, and so has enjoyed billions of years of a warm heart. But for this planet, sometimes called Earth's sister, that heat has betrayed it. That planet is now wrapped in suffocating layers of a poisonous atmosphere made of carbon dioxide and sulfuric...

phys.org

Rare green flash coming from Venus is captured in stunning image

A photo of Venus emitting a rare green flash might be the best photo taken of the phenomenon to date. The flash was captured by a photographer in Stockholm, Sweden earlier this month.

www.dailymail.co.uk

 

[FighterJock]

Quark stars are only theoretical at this point in time pubiusr, if the observation proves to be correct then it may well be the first Quark star discovered by Astronomers.

 

[Flyaway]

Hubble finds water vapour in small exoplanet's atmosphere

Astronomers are intrigued when finding evidence of water vapour on exoplanets. Based on observations with the Hubble Space Telescope, a recent example is the planet GJ 9827d, which may have a water-rich atmosphere around it. Water is one of the most common molecules in the Universe, and all life on Earth requires it. It functions as a superior solvent and enables critical chemical reactions in biological cells. No bigger than twice Earth’s diameter, GJ 9827d could be an example of potential water-rich worlds elsewhere in our galaxy. But don’t plan on buying real estate there. The planet is as hot as Venus, which makes it a steamy world.

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However, it remains too early to tell whether Hubble spectroscopically measured a small amount of water vapour in a puffy hydrogen-rich atmosphere or if the planet’s atmosphere is mostly made of water, left behind after a primaeval hydrogen/helium atmosphere evaporated under stellar radiation.

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Because the planet is as hot as Venus, at 400 degrees Celsius, it definitely would be an inhospitable, steamy world if the atmosphere were predominantly water vapour.

At present, the team is left with two possibilities. The planet is still clinging to a hydrogen-rich envelope laced with water, making it a mini-Neptune. Alternatively, it could be a warmer version of Jupiter’s moon Europa, which has twice as much water as Earth beneath its crust. “The planet GJ 9827d could be half water, half rock. And there would be a lot of water vapour on top of some smaller rocky body,” said Benneke.

Hubble finds water vapour in small exoplanet's atmosphere

Astronomers are intrigued when finding evidence of water vapour on exoplanets. Based on observations with the Hubble Space Telescope, a recent example is the planet GJ 9827d, which may have a water-rich atmosphere around it. Water is one of the most common molecules in the Universe, and all life...

www.mpia.de

Related video:

View: https://youtu.be/Dy-RuZMkEyI?si=6OfbPBiZK9WT-hG9

 

[Flyaway]

Astronomers have discovered a mysterious group of giant elderly stars at the heart of the Milky Way that are emitting solar system-sized clouds of dust and gas.

The stars, which have been named “old smokers”, sat quietly for many years, fading almost to invisibility, before suddenly puffing out vast clouds of smoke. The discovery was made during the monitoring of almost a billion stars in infrared light during a 10-year survey of the night sky.

‘Old smokers’: astronomers discover giant ancient stars in Milky Way

Stars sat fading quietly for years before suddenly puffing out vast clouds of smoke

www.theguardian.com

Related paper:

The most variable VVV sources: eruptive protostars, dipping giants in the nuclear disc and others

ABSTRACT. We have performed a comprehensive search of a VISTA Variables in the Via Lactea (VVV) data base of 9.5 yr light curves for variable sources with ΔKs ≥

academic.oup.com

 

[Rhinocrates]

Scientists Discover Water Ice Deposits on Mars That Are More Than 2 Miles Thick

Ready to move to Mars?

mymodernmet.com

Buried water ice at Mars's equator?

Windswept piles of dust, or layers of ice? ESA’s Mars Express has revisited one of Mars’s most mysterious features to clarify its composition. Its findings suggest layers of water ice stretching several kilometres below ground – the most water ever found in this part of the planet.

www.esa.int

https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1029/2023GL105490

Interestingly, they're close to the equator, not the poles.

 

[Rhinocrates]

Happy 75th!

75 Years Later, Palomar Observatory Still Shaping Astronomy

Formerly the world’s largest working telescope for more than 40 years, the facility remains cutting-edge thanks to new instrumentation

www.caltech.edu

 

[FighterJock]

Good to see that Palomar Observatory is still getting updated with new instrumentation Rhinocrates, that should keep it going for another forty to fifty years.

 

[Flyaway]

A team of scientists, using cutting-edge technology, has uncovered a fascinating star system named TOI-1136 in the Milky Way galaxy.

Located over 270 light years from Earth, this system, surprisingly close given the vast 100,000 light-year diameter of our galaxy, hosts a family of six, possibly seven, planets orbiting a dwarf star.

Six-planet system discovered just 270 light years away named TOI-1136

A team of scientists, using cutting-edge technology, has uncovered a fascinating star system named TOI-1136 in the Milky Way galaxy.

www.earth.com

Related paper:

[2312.04635] The TESS-Keck Survey XVII: Precise Mass Measurements in a Young, High Multiplicity Transiting Planet System using Radial Velocities and Transit Timing Variations

 

[Flyaway]

Using NASA's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS), an international team of astronomers has discovered a new ultra-short-period exoplanet. The newfound alien world, designated Wolf 327 b, is slightly larger and about 2.5 times more massive than the Earth. The finding was reported in a paper published January 22 on the pre-print server arXiv.

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Summing up the results, the authors of the paper say this is an interesting addition to the known sample of USP planets orbiting M-dwarf stars, due to its interesting internal structure and favorable metrics for secondary transit detection with the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). According to the authors, there is also a high probability that other planets also orbit Wolf 327, given that USPs are usually found in multi-planetary systems.

New Wolf in the pack: Astronomers discover an ultra-short-period super-Earth

Using NASA's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS), an international team of astronomers has discovered a new ultra-short-period exoplanet. The newfound alien world, designated Wolf 327 b, is slightly larger and about 2.5 times more massive than the Earth. The finding was reported in a...

phys.org

Related paper:

[2401.12150] Wolf 327b: A new member of the pack of ultra-short-period super-Earths around M dwarfs

 

[Flyaway]

Webb's Dazzling Collection Unveiled: A Mosaic of 19 Face-On Spiral Galaxies. This extraordinary collection, featuring 19 face-on spiral galaxies, reveals stars, gas, and dust on a minute scale beyond our own galaxy. Teams of researchers are delving into these images, unraveling the intricacies of galactic structures to uncover the origins of these celestial wonders. The collaborative analysis within the research community aims to enhance simulations and deepen our comprehension of star formation and the evolution of spiral galaxies. Read more here -

Webb's Dazzling Collection Unveiled: A Mosaic of 19 Face-On Spiral Galaxies

Webb's Dazzling Collection Unveiled: A Mosaic of 19 Face-On Spiral Galaxies

www.jameswebbdiscovery.com

https://twitter.com/x/status/1751990303337111739

View: https://twitter.com/NASAWebb/status/1751990303337111739/photo/1

 

[FighterJock]

Truly spectacular Flyaway.