Sky This Week is brought to you in part by Celestron. Friday, April 18Jupiter still rules the early-evening skies, standing prominently in Taurus in the west as darkness falls. Located between the two horns of Taurus the Bull and above its red giant eye, Aldebaran, Jupiter is the brightest point of light in the west,Continue reading "The Sky This Week from April 18 to 25: The Lyrid meteor shower peaks"

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Author(s): Marric Stephens

The distribution of dark matter around a pair of colliding galaxy clusters appears unaffected by a putative dark-sector version of electromagnetism.

[Physics 18, s48] Published Thu Apr 17, 2025

The Southern Pinwheel Galaxy (M83) in Hydra checks almost every box an amateur astronomer could desire. This stunning barred spiral spans a hefty 14′ and, at magnitude 7.5, ranks among the sky’s 10 brightest galaxies. Its only drawback is location — at a declination of –30°, it lies farther south than any other galaxy inContinue reading "M83: Big, bright, and beautiful"

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Scientists have reported new observations from NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) that strengthen the case that the exoplanet K2-18 b has molecules in its atmosphere that, on Earth, are produced only by life. The work, announced Wednesday, builds on previous observations from JWST published in 2023 by the same team that yielded weak hintsContinue reading "K2-18 b could have dimethyl sulfide in its air. But is it a sign of life?"

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Author(s): Rachel Berkowitz

Measurements reveal the physical processes occurring where a magnetic insulator and few-layer graphene abut each other.  

[Physics 18, s45] Published Wed Apr 16, 2025

Vast Space, one of several commercial firms vying to replace the International Space Station (ISS) following its planned deorbit at the end of the decade, this week signed key agreements that heighten the competition. At the 40th Space Symposium in Colorado, where Vast’s Haven-1 space station was on display, the company secured deals that give it direct ISS access andContinue reading "Vast bolsters commercial space station plans with key agreements"

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Shift4 Payments CEO Jared Isaacman, President Donald Trump’s nominee for NASA administrator, finally got his day in the Senate and laid out his vision for the space agency to pursue missions to both the Moon and Mars. During Isaacman’s confirmation hearing before the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation on Wednesday, the billionaire entrepreneur and civilian astronaut fieldedContinue reading "NASA Chief nominee Isaacman fields questions about Moon, Mars, Musk"

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Author(s): Samuel Jarman

New experiments with thin superconducting films reveal an unexpected coexistence between two superconducting states—one in the bulk, the other at the surface.

[Physics 18, 82] Published Tue Apr 15, 2025

Author(s): Katherine Wright

A new method for obtaining high-resolution images of cells from low-resolution ultrasound data enables longer, noninvasive monitoring of organisms.

[Physics 18, s49] Published Tue Apr 15, 2025

The U.S. is in the midst of a second Space Race, and NASA is in a time crunch. The space agency is preparing to send American astronauts to the Moon for the first time since the Apollo era. But after delaying the Artemis III lunar landing twice in 2024, there is much work to beContinue reading "Keeping up in the second Space Race takes diligence"

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On Monday morning, an all-female group of civilians including pop star Katy Perry and award-winning broadcast journalist Gayle King flew to the edge of space and back. Perry, King, and four others were selected as the crew of Blue Origin’s New Shepard Mission 31 (NS-31), which launched at 9:30 a.m. EDT from the company’s Launch Site OneContinue reading "Blue Origin flies Katy Perry, Gayle King, and other customers to space"

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Since it began collecting data, the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has shined a light on the early universe, helping us better understand the timeline of events that led to our modern-day cosmos.  In a paper published March 26 in Nature, a University of Copenhagen-led team reports finding a galaxy right at a crucial momentContinue reading "JWST spots the earliest galaxy yet clearing the universe’s hydrogen ‘fog’"

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Much of what scientists know about the early solar system comes from meteorites – ancient rocks that travel through space and survive a fiery plunge through Earth’s atmosphere. Among meteorites, one type – called carbonaceous chondrites – stands out as the most primitive and provides a unique glimpse into the solar system’s infancy. The carbonaceousContinue reading "Why meteorites that hit Earth have less water than the asteroid bits brought back by space probes — a planetary scientist explains"

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Author(s): Rachel Berkowitz

While seeking a visual metaphor to depict the wave-like behavior of matter, Julian Voss-Andreae forged a unique path merging quantum physics, art, and business.

[Physics 18, 76] Published Mon Apr 14, 2025

Author(s): Emanuele Polino

A powerful framework allows scientists to understand and classify joint quantum measurements—procedures essential for many quantum technologies.

[Physics 18, 80] Published Mon Apr 14, 2025

Pete Scifres from Westlake Village, California Reflection Canyon, located at the end of an 8-mile hike into Utah’s Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument, serves as the foreground for this view of the spring Milky Way. The photographer captured the sky with a Canon mirrorless camera and a 15-second exposure at f/1.8 and ISO 4000 withContinue reading "Upon further reflection"

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Jared Isaacman, billionaire, CEO and nominee to become the next NASA administrator, faced questions on April 9, 2025, from members of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation during his confirmation hearing for the position. Should the Senate confirm him, Isaacman will be the first billionaire – but not the first astronaut – to head NASA. Perhaps evenContinue reading "Trump’s nomination for NASA leader boasts business and commercial spaceflight experience"

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Before Einstein, special relativity, and E = mc2, what was the prevailing theory on the Sun’s seemingly eternal energy? William FieldsDayton, Ohio The question of what energy source powers the Sun has been around for literally centuries. During the 1800s, some thought that a constant shower of meteors onto the Sun might do the trick.Continue reading "Before Einstein, what did astronomers think powered the Sun?"

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In this episode, Astronomy magazine Editor Dave Eicher invites you to head out and view a close grouping of planets in the early morning hours of April 21. That morning, you’ll be able to see Venus, Mercury, and Saturn low in the east. You won’t need a telescope or binoculars to view them, just use your eyes.Continue reading "This Week in Astronomy with Dave Eicher: A conjunction of planets"

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Time under dark skies is precious, and for a lot of us, getting out to those sites can be tough. When we do, often we end up observing alone, or with a few intrepid others at an astronomy club observing session. And sometimes that solitude is what we’re looking for: just you and the sky.Continue reading "Don’t want to observe alone? Go to a star party!"

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Exceptions announced late Friday night to the Trump administration’s so-called “reciprocal tariffs” are unlikely to provide any relief to the amateur astronomy industry, as they do not cover categories for telescopes, mounts, or digital cameras. The updated guidance from U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) affects the reciprocal tariffs imposed by U.S. President Donald TrumpContinue reading "No relief for astronomy industry in new tariff exemptions"

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Author(s): Mark Buchanan

Observations link turbulence in the ionosphere—a region essential for communications—with far-away disturbances associated with Earth’s magnetic field.

[Physics 18, 81] Published Fri Apr 11, 2025

Author(s): Ryan Wilkinson

Improved methods for using electron spins to sense and control nuclear spins could benefit many quantum technologies.

[Physics 18, s38] Published Fri Apr 11, 2025

NASA could see a 20 percent cut to its overall 2026 budget, with funding for its science division slashed in half, if a preliminary budget proposal from the White House is enacted. The cuts would, among other impacts, cancel several missions and shut down NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center. The proposed cuts were laid outContinue reading "NASA faced with massive budget cuts in White House proposal"

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In late March, three amateur astronomers discovered Comet C/2025 F2 (SWAN). Immediately, predictions began appearing online stating the brightness this object might reach. But, as comet discoverer David Levy says, “Comets are like cats. They have tails and do what they want.”  In other words, don’t bet the house that current predictions will come true.Continue reading "C/2025 F2 (SWAN): A new comet is in the spring sky"

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Sky This Week is brought to you in part by Celestron. Friday, April 11An hour after sunset, the bright planet Jupiter stands out in eastern Taurus, forming a V with the two tips of the Bull’s horns, Zeta (ζ) Tauri and Gamma (γ) Aurigae. Below Jupiter shines Aldebaran, the Bull’s alpha star, a magnitude 0.9Continue reading "The Sky This Week from April 11 to 18: The April Full Pink Moon shines"

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The telescope industry in the U.S. has been thrown into chaos as a result of the Trump administration’s escalating trade conflict with China, as manufacturers contemplate price hikes and worry about the possibility of slowing demand. In the latest round of tariffs, U.S. President Donald Trump announced April 9 that duties on goods imported fromContinue reading "Amateur astronomy industry grapples with tariff chaos"

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Author(s): Rachel Berkowitz

A processor made of five-level, trapped-ion “ququints” captures the intricate particle–antiparticle interactions of quantum electrodynamics theory.

[Physics 18, 78] Published Thu Apr 10, 2025

Author(s): Charles Day

A new experiment challenges the notion that only exotic materials exhibit nonlinear transport phenomena.

[Physics 18, s44] Published Thu Apr 10, 2025

I’m leading another eclipse trip. No surprise there. I’ve traveled to observe 16 total solar eclipses, and on all but two of them I was the official astronomer. But this one’s special, even for me.  First, it boasts the longest totality — 6 minutes 23 seconds — that anyone alive will be able to witness.Continue reading "Come with Astronomy associate editor Michael Bakich to Egypt"

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Chris Schur from Payson, Arizona Comet C/2025 F2 (SWAN), discovered March. 29 by amateur astronomers in public imagery taken by the Solar Wind Anisotropies (SWAN) camera on ESA’s Solar and Heliospheric Observer (SOHO) spacecraft, has reached magnitude 7.5. This imager caught the comet on April 8 in the morning sky with an 8-inch RASA scopeContinue reading "A fledgling SWAN"

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Lucky is the word I’d use for any telescopic observers who got to see one of the most stunning spectacles in nature when Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 impacted Jupiter in July 1994. The collision left inky scars in the planet’s atmosphere that persisted for months, with the largest welts visible in even the smallest of telescopes.Continue reading "How you can observe impacts on Jupiter"

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Author(s): Katherine Wright

A single molecule provides a controllable connection between a normal metal and a superconductor.    

[Physics 18, 79] Published Wed Apr 09, 2025

Author(s): Agnese Curatolo

The interplay between microscopic and macroscopic dynamics in a brain-like network enhances the robustness of a state that optimizes the network’s performance.

[Physics 18, s54] Published Wed Apr 09, 2025

As of 2025, astronomers have identified at least 14 stars within 10 light-years of the Sun. After the Alpha Centauri system, the next closest is Barnard’s Star, a solo red dwarf roughly 6 light-years away. And thanks to new observations, we now know that Barnard’s Star is orbited by four small, rocky exoplanets. But it’sContinue reading "Three new planets found around Barnard’s Star"

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In this episode, Astronomy magazine Editor Dave Eicher invites you to head out and view the first major meteor shower of the spring, the Lyrids. Because more than one meteor shower originates from the constellation Lyra, these are the April Lyrids. This shower is visible from April 15 to April 29, with the peak coming on AprilContinue reading "This Week in Astronomy with Dave Eicher: The April Lyrid Meteor Shower"

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In the century or so since Edwin Hubble discovered that the Milky Way is just one of countless galaxies in the universe, our understanding of our home galaxy has grown in leaps and bounds. But as recent research into a new type of cosmic object shows, there’s still plenty left to learn. Astronomers found twoContinue reading "Mystery ‘interstellar icy objects’ are carrying the seeds of life"

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Author(s): Katherine Wright

Researchers are developing highly reflective thin films that could be installed on small light-propelled spacecraft.

[Physics 18, 77] Published Tue Apr 08, 2025

Author(s): Ryan Wilkinson

Arranging nonmagnetic atoms on the surface of an unconventional superconductor could induce a novel phenomenon called altermagnetic superconductivity.

[Physics 18, s42] Published Tue Apr 08, 2025

Gianni Tumino from Ragusa, Italy Evening views of the Milky Way’s central regions return to the Northern Hemisphere, as seen in this shot taken from Punta Castellazzo on the island of Sicily, Italy. To image the sky, the imager used a Canon EOS Ra and 28mm lens at f/3.2 with a dual-band filter to captureContinue reading "The summer Milky Way returns"

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Launch providers SpaceX, Blue Origin, and United Launch Alliance — a joint venture between Boeing and Lockheed Martin Space — on Friday snapped up billions of dollars in national security launch contracts. Space Systems Command, the branch of Space Force responsible for development, acquisition, launch, and logistics, estimated the value of the National Security Space Launch (NSSL)Continue reading "SpaceX, Blue Origin, ULA win Space Force contracts worth up to $13.7B"

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A new study by the European Southern Observatory (ESO) contradicts corporate claims that a proposed hydrogen fuel facility would not harm observatories in Chile. Earlier this year, ESO alerted the astronomy community that its facilities at Paranal — with some of the world’s darkest skies — were threatened by the plans to build a 7,400-acreContinue reading "ESO report shows energy plant would cause ‘devastating and irreversible’ impact"

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Author(s): Niseem Magdy Abdelrahman

Top quarks and antiquarks have been detected in heavy-ion collisions at the Large Hadron Collider, showing that all six quark flavors were present in the Universe’s first moments.

[Physics 18, 75] Published Mon Apr 07, 2025

The annual Northeast Astronomy Forum (NEAF) was held over the weekend of April 5 and 6 at Rockland Community College in Suffern, New York. Organized by the Rockland Astronomy Club, NEAF is one of the world’s premier annual astronomy expos. It brings together amateur astronomers, professionals, and industry leaders for a weekend of discovery andContinue reading "The best new astronomy products we saw at NEAF 2025"

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Is there evidence of a planet ever existing between Mars and Jupiter? MarkSmithtown, New York This splendid question gives us an opportunity to distinguish between what we know and what we believe might be true. First, we know that myriad small bodies orbit the Sun between Mars and Jupiter. These objects are the asteroids that comprise the mainContinue reading "Was there ever a planet between Mars and Jupiter? "

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