Astronomy and Planetary Science Thread

[Flyaway]

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/check-out-the-stunning-new-images-of-jupiter-from-nasas-juno-spacecraft-180985417/

 

[Flyaway]

The Miyake Events and the Sun’s Apocalyptic Betrayal:

View: https://youtu.be/jmyyUEGJFho?si=oIVIktPP-kpEryRv

Miyake event - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

 

[NMaude]

Here's a video about the smallest gas-dwarf found:

How small can gas engulfed planets get? Well, a large part of that depends on what counts as a gas dwarf. However despite the problem with the definition, this video covers examples of planets that definitely do lean into the territory of being gas dwarfs, such as the Kepler-138 system and HD 110067 system. Still both of those systems among all other mini neptunes found, has planets that likely mostly have water vapor gas instead of hydrogen and helium, so the final exoplanet talked about LHS 1140 b is used as an example of not a planet that is a gas dwarf, but one that potentially has plenty of hydrogen and helium exactly due to the size, mass and likely temperatures present there, and yet no other example of a mini neptune in that temperature range is found so far.

 

[publiusr]

Perfect for PROFAC

News from space

Astronomers discover ultra-dense 'super-Earth' with outer companion offering clues about its formation

An international team led by researchers in Japan and Europe has discovered a new multi-planet system around a sun-like star, including an ultra-short period planet with one of the highest densities ever measured. The findings, published in Scientific Reports on 8 November, shed new light on the...

phys.org

Sunspots and solar flares, created by the sun's magnetism, can affect the Earth's surface

Since ancient times, the sun has been known as a giver of light and heat, a source of life. Plants are coaxed from the Earth by its rays, bringing spring, followed by bountiful harvests.

phys.org

Kinetic Alfvén waves may be key to mystery of solar corona heating

Syed Ayaz, a researcher at The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH), has published a paper in Scientific Reports that builds on an earlier first-of-its-kind study that examined kinetic Alfvén waves (KAW) as a possible explanation for why the solar corona, the outermost layer of the sun's...

phys.org

Team reveals how current sheets in turbulent plasma form in Earth's magnetosheath

Magnetic reconnection is a fundamental physical process in plasmas, through which the magnetic energy is converted into plasma kinetic energy and thermal energy rapidly. Current sheets in turbulent plasma are the key trigger for magnetic reconnection. However, how current sheets come into being...

phys.org

AI-enhanced model could improve space weather forecasting

"Killer electrons" that travel at nearly light speed inside Earth's Van Allen belts—the zone that surrounds the planet and traps energetic charged particles—pose a major threat to equipment in space by causing malfunctions in electronics.

phys.org

Wearable tech for space station research

Many of us wear devices that count our steps, measure our heart rate, track sleep patterns, and more. This information can help us make healthy decisions—research shows the devices encourage people to move more, for example—and could flag possible problems, such as an irregular heartbeat.

phys.org

Hubble sees aftermath of galaxy's scrape with Milky Way

A story of survival is unfolding at the outer reaches of our galaxy, and NASA's Hubble Space Telescope is witnessing the saga.

phys.org

Scientists compile library for evaluating exoplanet water

By probing chemical processes observed in the Earth's hot mantle, Cornell scientists have started developing a library of basalt-based spectral signatures that not only will help reveal the composition of planets outside of our solar system but could demonstrate evidence of water on those...

phys.org

Student-led study reveals extraterrestrial explosions may blow hot and cold

Mount Vesuvius, Krakatoa, Mount St. Helens: Since the formation of Earth approximately 4.5 billion years ago, the convection and release of hot magma in its mantle layer has famously led to some of the deadliest eruptions in history. But what if the same explosions occurred when a geological...

phys.org

Solar wind power likely governs Uranus' thermosphere temperature

Uranus's upper atmosphere has been cooling for decades—and now scientists have shown why. Observations from Earth have shown Uranus' upper atmosphere has been cooling for decades, with no clear explanation.

phys.org

Scientists identify flaw in astrophysics models of massive stars and supernovae

An international team of researchers has uncovered evidence that astrophysics models of massive stars and supernovae are inconsistent with observational gamma-ray astronomy.

phys.org

 

[NMaude]

Perfect for PROFAC

I haven't heard that name in a LONG time.

 

[NMaude]

Anton Petrov has a video out about more new discoveries concerning that amazing, tough little critter, the Tardigrade:

Hello and welcome! My name is Anton and in this video, we will talk about recent discoveries about tardigrades
Links:
Quinten Geldhof / c4tutyirsce https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/s...https://www.youtube.com/redirect?ev...org/doi/10.1126/science.adl0799&v=tgkPFhAyxTY
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/1...https://www.youtube.com/redirect?ev....wiley.com/doi/10.1002/pro.4941&v=tgkPFhAyxTY
https://peerj.com/articles/17641/https://www.youtube.com/redirect?ev...tps://peerj.com/articles/17641/&v=tgkPFhAyxTY
https://www.instagram.com/reel/C4tUTy...https://www.youtube.com/redirect?ev...4tUTyIRSCe/?utm_source=ig_embed&v=tgkPFhAyxTY
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science...https://www.youtube.com/redirect?ev...e/article/pii/S1095643320302439&v=tgkPFhAyxTY

Previous videos:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pcN4c-vtu5E&t=0s
• Scientists Fire Tardigrades Out of a ...

• Unbelievable Discoveries About Tardig... • Study Claims Tardigrades Became First...

• Turns Out, Plastics Have Strange Effe...

• Surprising Ways How Life Is Adapting ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G6Ghe-3YW3U&t=0s

#tardigrade #biology #microplastics

0:00 Tardigrade updates!
2:08 Incredible video of a tardigrade rodeo
3:20 Gene that protects them from radiation and desiccation
4:30 What if we put these into human cells?
6:10 3 mechanisms that protect tardigrades from radiation
8:25 Microplastic resistance and a cool experiment
11:00 Conclusions

 

[NMaude]

Here's a video about a recently discovered trans-Plutonian object called (Rather amusingly*) "Gongong":

What if I told you there’s a mysterious planet in our Solar System, way beyond Neptune, that’s smaller than our Moon but has a moon of its own? Imagine a world so far away it takes 554 Earth years to complete just one orbit around the Sun. That’s Gonggong, a dwarf planet that breaks all the rules. If you thought Pluto was icy, wait until you see Gonggong—one of the coldest places in the Solar System, which, to scientists' amazement, is actually red! Most people are still in the dark about the true wonders of this fascinating planet. So, join us as we uncover the mysteries of the intriguing Gonggong dwarf planet.

Dwarf planets are among the most intriguing objects in our solar system, and they are even more interesting because they make us question our understanding of what makes a planet. Unlike the familiar planets like Earth or Mars, dwarf planets occupy the outer reaches of our Solar System, often residing in regions filled with icy bodies and debris. Pluto is often the first dwarf planet that comes to mind, but our Solar System is home to other fascinating worlds. Think of Pluto as the more famous cousin who made headlines, but there are several less-known, and some unofficial dwarf planets that are quiet, mysterious relative who lives in the outskirts of the Solar System. One such fascinating world is Gonggong. Unlike Pluto, which takes about 248 years to orbit the Sun, Gonggong's orbit stretches over 554 Earth years. Although it's smaller than Earth's Moon, Gonggong has its own moon, Xiangliu, and an icy surface that makes it one of the coldest places in the solar system. But the story of Gonggong gets more intriguing and mysterious when we consider its unique surface composition, appearance, and strange location in the Kuiper Belt. Keep watching as we explore this fascinating world and why it's not usually mentioned alongside the five IAU-recognized dwarf planets.

Credits: Ron Miller, Mark A. Garlick / MarkGarlick.com ,Elon Musk/SpaceX/ Flickr--
00:00 Intro
0:56 Gongong
2:25 important context
7:40 What Is Xiangliu? And What Role Does it Play?
9:32 Quaoar’s moon, Weywot
10:50 What’s Next For The Exploration Of Gonggong And Other Kuiper Belt Objects?
--
#insanecuriosity #gonggong #dwarfplanet

* Why not just call the planet, "JarJar"?

​

 

[Flyaway]

Scientists uncover a magnetic misunderstanding about Uranus

https://www.reuters.com/science/scientists-uncover-magnetic-misunderstanding-about-uranus-2024-11-11/

Related paper:

The anomalous state of Uranus’s magnetosphere during the Voyager 2 flyby - Nature Astronomy

A reanalysis of the Voyager 2 flyby of Uranus shows that it occurred during an extreme compression of the planet’s magnetosphere by the upstream solar wind. This would have had significant effects on the measurements made during the flyby.

www.nature.com

 

[Flyaway]

A distant planet seems to have a sulphur-rich atmosphere, hinting at alien volcanoes

Our team has now provided tentative evidence for a sulphur-rich atmosphere on a world that’s 1.5 times the size of Earth and located 35 light years away. If confirmed, it would be the smallest known exoplanet with an atmosphere. The potential presence of the gases sulphur dioxide (SO₂) and hydrogen sulphide (H₂S) in this atmosphere hint at a molten or volcanic surface.

A distant planet seems to have a sulphur-rich atmosphere, hinting at alien volcanoes

Astronomers have detected possible signs of gases released by volcanic activity.

theconversation.com

Related paper:

Radware Bot Manager Captcha

 

[NMaude]

A distant planet seems to have a sulphur-rich atmosphere, hinting at alien volcanoes

So its' atmosphere smells like a colossal fart?

 

[NMaude]

Anton Petrov has a video out about Vega's solar-system and apparently it's very strange:

Hello and welcome! My name is Anton and in this video, we will talk about the nearby star Vega and recent discoveries about its bizarre star system
Links:
https://arxiv.org/pdf/2410.24042https://www.youtube.com/redirect?ev...ttps://arxiv.org/pdf/2410.24042&v=jy-pEc_ecYE
https://arxiv.org/pdf/2410.23636https://www.youtube.com/redirect?ev...ttps://arxiv.org/pdf/2410.23636&v=jy-pEc_ecYE
https://arxiv.org/abs/2410.16551https://www.youtube.com/redirect?ev...ttps://arxiv.org/abs/2410.16551&v=jy-pEc_ecYE
https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10...https://www.youtube.com/redirect?ev...rticle/10.3847/1538-3881/abdec8&v=jy-pEc_ecYE
Fomalhaut: • JWST Finds a Lot of Strange Propertie...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rOku7zqaz0E&t=0s
• Planet Fomalhaut Disappeared, Turned ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rOku7zqaz0E&t=0s
Mars and zodiacal light: • To Everyone's Surprise, Mars Seems to... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hhvhpXnwzlQ&t=0s
#vega #star #jwsthttps://www.youtube.com/hashtag/jwst

0:00 One of the brightest stars, Vega
0:45 Contact and discoveries on Vega
1:25 How this compares to the Sun
2:00 Initial discoveries on Vega and Fomalhaut
3:20 Previous assumptions
4:35 Fomalhaut discoveries
5:50 New observations from JWST
7:48 New mystery of missing planets
8:45 Additional differences with the solar system
10:00 Additional discoveries and conclusions

 

[NMaude]

Here's a video about Haumea, one of the weirder KBOs:

It should be common knowledge by now that the Kuiper Belt, the ring of icy bodies that extends well beyond the orbit of Neptune, is home to some of the strangest objects in our solar system. Within this region are trillions of comets, asteroids, and large planetoids such as Pluto, Eris, and Makemake—a veritable planetary zoo, in short. But one of its strangest oddities of all is probably that represented by what was once known as 2003 EL61, an object capable of summing up in itself some truly unique features.

This distant outpost of the solar system travels in orbit with an average distance from the Sun of about 43 AU, or 6.45 billion km, going from a perihelion of 34.6 AU to an aphelion of 51.6 AU, and taking a whopping 183 years to complete an entire revolution. A decidedly eccentric orbit, but one that nonetheless places EL61 in the category of so-called classical KBOs (Kuiper Belt Objects), which differ from scattered objects—a category to which the more famous Eris belongs, i.e., those KBOs with highly elliptical and highly inclined orbits, probably thrown into their present orbits through gravitational interactions with giant planets.

 

[Flyaway]

Was ‘Snowball Earth’ a global event? New study delivers the best proof yet

Geologists have uncovered strong evidence from Colorado that massive glaciers covered Earth down to the equator hundreds of millions of years ago, transforming the planet into an icicle floating in space.

The study, led by CU Boulder, is a coup for proponents of a long-standing theory known as Snowball Earth. It posits that from about 720 to 635 million years ago, and for reasons that are still unclear, a runaway chain of events radically altered the planet’s climate. Temperatures plummeted, and ice sheets that may have been several miles thick crept over every inch of Earth’s surface.

“This study presents the first physical evidence that Snowball Earth reached the heart of continents at the equator,” said Liam Courtney-Davies, lead author of the new study and a postdoctoral researcher in the Department of Geological Sciences at CU Boulder.

Was ‘Snowball Earth’ a global event? New study delivers the best proof yet | CU Boulder Today | University of Colorado Boulder

www.colorado.edu

Related paper:

https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2410759121

 

[NMaude]

Snowball Earth may as well been called "Hoth".

 

[Michel Van]

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9TApFtxuJwQ

0:00 Strange mystery from the Orion nebula
1:40 JWST discovery that makes no sense - JUMBOs
3:59 Potential explanations?
6:00 New study explains how they form: photoerosion
8:00 Conclusions and additional questions

Source:

Radware Captcha Page

[2410.09159] Formation of Jupiter-Mass Binary Objects through photoerosion of fragmenting cores

[2310.01231] Jupiter Mass Binary Objects in the Trapezium Cluster

[2403.07224] Free-Floating Planets, Survivor Planets, Captured Planets and Binary Planets from Stellar Flybys

 

[Michel Van]

Gravity without mass ?
if Richard Lieu theory is correct, it would be groundbreaking in physics !
No dark Matter, but negative and positive matter

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Suq_XW7kLbo

Source

https://academic.oup.com/mnras/article/531/1/1630/7673084?login=false

Chapters:
00:00 Introduction
00:48 Gravity and Dark Matter – Traditional View vs. Lieu’s Theory
03:17 Mechanisms of Gravitational Effects
06:01 Broader Implications, Relevant Theories, and Related Discoveries
07:49 Outro
08:06 Enjoy

 

[FighterJock]

An interesting find Michel Van and quite mind blowing as well, I was always a staunch supporter of Dark Matter but this whole new theory finds me at odds with the extablished thinking.

 

[Flyaway]

NSF NOIRLab Astronomers Discover the Fastest-Feeding Black Hole in the Early Universe

Observations from JWST and Chandra reveal a low-mass supermassive black hole that appears to be consuming matter at over 40 times the theoretical limit

NSF NOIRLab Astronomers Discover the Fastest-Feeding Black Hole in the Early Universe - Observations from JWST and Chandra reveal a low-mass supermassive black hole that appears to be consuming matter at over 40 times the theoretical limit

Using data from NASA's JWST and Chandra X-ray Observatory, a team of U.S. National Science Foundation NOIRLab astronomers have discovered a supermassive black hole at the center of a galaxy just 1.5 billion years after the Big Bang that is consuming matter at a phenomenal rate — over 40 times...

noirlab.edu

Related paper:

A super-Eddington-accreting black hole ~1.5 Gyr after the Big Bang observed with JWST - Nature Astronomy

A rapidly growing black hole in a very active phase has been observed with JWST ~1.5 billion years after the Big Bang. Bright in X-rays, it is accreting at a rate 4,000% in excess of the Eddington limit, offering insights into early black hole growth.

www.nature.com

 

[Flyaway]

Video about a new paper suggesting Trappist-1E may have an atmosphere after all:

View: https://youtu.be/EegNfVwEBoY?si=TN9oAAnrIZgAodKk

She states that’s she’s heard on the grapevine that the star decided to flare when they were taking observations of 1E, so the data will either take a very long time to interpret or is unusable and the relevant teams will have to reapply for JWST observing time.

 

[Michel Van]

Issue with Trappist-1 system is it age of 7 billions years
If its planets have same Geological development like Earth
They are long death in term of Geological activity like vulcanism.
i guess that other planets in system have thin co2 atmosphere like Mars...

 

[NMaude]

They are long death in term of Geological activity like vulcanism.

Given how tight their orbits are around Trappist-1 (They all have orbits smaller than Mercury's IIRC) they are likely still geologically active due to their tidal interactions with each other.

 

[NMaude]

Astrum has a new video out about the 100,000 year trip a photon takes from the core of the Sun to the surface of its' photosphere:

We peel back the layers of the Sun and discover where light comes from.

 

[publiusr]

Daisy, daisy...

https://phys.org/news/2024-11-daisy-worlds.html

Drake equation update?

A formula for life? New model calculates chances of intelligent beings in our universe and beyond

The chances of intelligent life emerging in our universe—and in any hypothetical ones beyond it—can be estimated by a new theoretical model which has echoes of the famous Drake Equation.

phys.org

Benford's Shipstar

New study examines how extraterrestrial civilizations could become 'stellivores'

One of the most challenging aspects of astrobiology and the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI) is anticipating what life and extraterrestrial civilizations will look like. Invariably, we have only one example of a planet that supports life (Earth) and one example of a...

phys.org

A spider stellar engine could move binary stars halfway across a galaxy

Eventually, every stellar civilization will have to migrate to a different star. The habitable zone around all stars changes as they age. If long-lived technological civilizations are even plausible in our universe, migration will be necessary, eventually.

phys.org

 

[NMaude]

Anton Petrov has a video out about a tunnel of plasma discovered in the Local Bubble:

Hello and welcome! My name is Anton and in this video, we will talk about the new 3D map of nearby space and an interstellar tunnel that seems to be inside of it
Links:
https://www.aanda.org/articles/aa/ful...https://www.youtube.com/redirect?ev...4/10/aa51045-24/aa51045-24.html&v=l_lg2Tdh2-o
https://www.mpe.mpg.de/8038794/news20...https://www.youtube.com/redirect?ev...mpe.mpg.de/8038794/news20241029&v=l_lg2Tdh2-o
https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/197...https://www.youtube.com/redirect?ev...bs/1974ApJ...189L.105C/abstract&v=l_lg2Tdh2-o
https://erosita.mpe.mpg.de/dr1/AllSky...https://www.youtube.com/redirect?ev...veyData_dr1/DiffuseBkg/k3d.html&v=l_lg2Tdh2-o

Local bubble: • Incredible Discovery About The 1000 L...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1sWMKaTand0&t=0s
• Wow! Magnetic Super Bubble Surroundin... Local cloud:

• How Supernovae and Dense Space Clouds...

• Evidence For a Major Solar System Enc... Geminga:

• Geminga Pulsar Helps NASA Solve an An... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A6Ng7mlY6Ws&t=0s

#localbubble #milkyway #solarsystem

0:00 Another discovery near the solar system: a tunnel!
0:45 Local bubble and how it formed
4:00 New observations of the bubble and how it was achieved
5:40 Results and what we see here
7:00 Tunnel and how it was predicted
8:10 Simulation and conclusions

 

[NMaude]

JWST has detected emissions from a "Strange space volcano", from Anton Petrov:

Hello and welcome! My name is Anton and in this video, we will talk about the strangest space volcano in the solar system: 29p
Links:
https://britastro.org/section_informa...https://www.youtube.com/redirect?ev...entaur-comet-observing-campaign&v=rsj1ciGHVNk
https://science.nasa.gov/missions/web...https://www.youtube.com/redirect?ev...atile-gas-from-icy-centaur-29p/&v=rsj1ciGHVNk
https://spaceweathergallery2.com/indi...https://www.youtube.com/redirect?ev...div_upload.php?upload_id=204529&v=rsj1ciGHVNk
Previous videos:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_A1jSszRXTY&t=0s
• This Is Not a Comet But a Massive Spa...

• Updates From a Weird Comet That's Act... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EvXu1U2oF7Q&t=0s

#jameswebbspacetelescope #29p #comethttps://www.youtube.com/hashtag/comet

0:00 29p, a giant space volcano
2:00 Why it's mysterious and what it's done recently
2:55 Facts about 29p
4:15 Mysteries and unexplained questions
5:08 Recent eruptions that surprised everyone and recent observations
6:00 What these observations mean and how it's explained
7:50 Why it's important
8:40 Conclusions

 

[NMaude]

Here's a video about Kepler-70b which survived being engulfed by Kepler-70 when it went through its' red-giant phase:

Embark on an extraordinary journey through time and space, venturing from Earth to one of the most extreme worlds in the galaxy: Kepler-70b. Together, we’ll travel faster than the speed of light, leaving our solar system behind to explore the vast reaches of interstellar space. Our destination? A scorched remnant of a once-mighty gas giant, transformed into a charred, unrecognizable husk after being consumed by its own star. What secrets and wonders await us on this mysterious exoplanet? Let’s uncover them together!

This gives new meaning to the term "Cthonian planet", I have no doubt that the new planet (It was originally a gas-giant) will have a LOT of metals in it.

 

[publiusr]

First a space tunnel—now a hell planet…

Apokolips (Earth 1) - SirJeffCena

Apokolips is the planet associated with Darkseid. When Apokolips used the magnetic force of the Omega symbols burned into peoples' skulls to pull itself into the Earth, Clark Kent embraced his destiny as Superman and pushed it back into the depths of space. Apokolips appears as a massive sphere...

smallville-fanmade.fandom.com

 

[Michel Van]

The Mystery of Star that disappear

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QIP1HqFcZOk

0:00 Mystery of vanishing stars
1:50 Aliens?
2:45 What else could it be?
3:30 First intriguing evidence
6:10 Typical supernova scenarios
6:50 Why this is unusual
8:40 Main explanation
9:50 Conclusions

This explain why large mass stars just disappear with out trace...

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fg3G7DnoYzo

0:00 Mystery of missing stars
1:00 Dyson spheres?
1:40 Potential explanation: black holes
2:10 Previous observations of failed supernovae but JWST disagrees
3:25 New Andromeda observations
4:50 What this suggests and potential explanation
7:10 Additional discoveries and what's next
8:00 Conclusions

Source:

https://arxiv.org/pdf/2410.14778

 

[NMaude]

Anton Petrov has a video about a newly discovered relativistic effect on fluids:

Hello and welcome! My name is Anton and in this video, we will talk about a discovery of a new relativistic effect that affects fluids at speed of light
Links:
https://arxiv.org/pdf/2406.18434
https://www.youtube.com/redirect?ev...ttps://arxiv.org/pdf/2406.18434&v=VKmUNli0Kwg

Previous videos: • Ultra Relativistic Blades That Cut St...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DoFwVrMmkc0&t=0s
• Did Most Powerful Explosion Ever Seen... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DoFwVrMmkc0&t=0s
#einstein #relativity #fluidshttps://www.youtube.com/hashtag/fluids

0:00 Theory of relativity
1:20 Well known effects near the speed of light - Lorentz factor
2:20 Time dilation
4:00 Chemistry and relativity - why gold is gold
5:45 New discovery with regard to viscosity and fluids
7:10 Fluid thickening and why it matters
9:30 Conclusions