Sun pulses with several solar flares late Christmas Day with four M-class flares from sunspots within a few hours.

© NOAA/SWPC/GOES 16 via Spaceweather.gov

Monoculars offer a highly portable option for powerful stargazing wherever you are. Our handy guide will help you use them to spot objects in the night sky.

© Matt Morris

Our Lego Marvel Avengers Helicarrier review: Boring to build and flimsy in places, even if it does resemble the actual thing.

© Future

The Hubble Space Telescope is nearing its 35th anniversary and skywatchers can celebrate the mighty telescope with a year-long observation challenge.

© NASA

A NASA spacecraft has survived a historic close fly of the sun. The mission team received a beacon tone from the Parker Solar Probe, signaling it was still functioning after the record approach.

© NASA/Johns Hopkins APL/Steve Gribben

E-Day is on the horizon, so we thought it'd be a good time to dive into the mad world of Gears of War and rank every entry from worst to best.

© Microsoft Studios

We look ahead to 2025 as the sun ramps up its activity, driven by the peak of the current solar cycle.

© Created in Canva Pro by Daisy Dobrijevic

Friday, December 27By 8 P.M. local time, Gemini is well above the eastern horizon, rising to the left of the widely recognizable constellation Orion. The Twins’ two standout stars are Castor and Pollux in the northeastern reaches of the constellation, but tonight, look toward the opposite end of this star pattern: southwestern Gemini, near Orion’sContinue reading "The Sky This Week from December 27 to January 3: The Quadrantid meteor shower peaks"

The post The Sky This Week from December 27 to January 3: The Quadrantid meteor shower peaks appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.

Apple TV+'s successful sci-fi series "Silo" will return for a third and fourth season

© Apple TV+

The spacecraft made the closest ever flyby if the sun on Christmas Eve, but it's been silent since Dec. 20.

© NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center

Trillions of tons of hydrogen gas are likely buried in rocks and reservoirs beneath Earth's surface, but researchers aren't sure where it is yet.

© Terryfic3D via Getty Images

Despite tons of praise back in the day, the heated debate around Doom 3 continues. After 20 years, what does it represent for the series?

© Bethesda Softworks

Night vision monoculars are hi-tech pieces of kit, but can they help us see celestial objects in areas with light pollution?

© Getty Images

A new image from the Very Large Telescope captures a cosmic cloud referred to as the Running Chicken Nebula, given its bright 'beak' and characteristic shape.

© ESO/VPHAS+ team

Episode 5 of Skeleton Crew is a colorful romp through a luxurious resort full of strange aliens, new friends and foes, and many hidden secrets.

© Disney

SpaceX launched more than 130 missions this year and made significant progress with its new Starship vehicle, the biggest and most powerful rocket ever built.

© SpaceX

A magnificent totality across North America, raging northern lights and a naked-eye comet were just three skywatching highlights in 2024. Here's how they all unfolded.

© Top left: Medios y Media/Getty Images, Top right: Ian Forsyth/Getty Images, bottom: Sacharias Rundquist / 500px via Getty Images

An intricately plotted festive tale checks into a hotel that takes guests everywhere in history.

© BBC

Surrounded by candy canes and a makeshift snowman made out of stowage bags, the astronauts on the International Space Station gathered together to wish a Merry Christmas to everyone back on Earth.

© NASA

For better or for worse, a small part of the Apollo 11 spacecraft will now be Jon Mesick's to have and to hold for all the days of his life. The tape is the centerpiece of Mesick's wedding band.

© Honest Hands Ring Co.

NASA administrators play a vital role in deciding what NASA does and how it does it, and they also help build political support for space exploration.

© NASA/Bill Ingalls

A pair of massive thunderstorms have been spotted swirling in Jupiter's "South Equatorial Belt" and are likely unleashing massive bolts of green lightning. Some experts think the pale clouds could end up altering the rusty band's color — and potentially even making it "disappear."

© Michael Karrer

Mars is on the cusp of becoming bigger and brighter than at any point since 2022 as it comes into alignment with Earth and the sun.

© NASA/ESA, J. Bell (Cornell U.) and M. Wolff (SSI)

Dark matter, antimatter, W bosons and neutron lifetimes all feature in our top 10 stories.

© W. M. Keck Observatory/Adam Makarenko

United Launch Alliance (ULA) says its new, powerful Vulcan Centaur upper stage rocket could play a key role in defending satellites from potential threats in space.

© United Launch Alliance

Snow dots the Martian landscape in these images from ESA's Mars Express orbiter and NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter.

© ESA/DLR/FU Berlin

As black holes slowly vanish through Hawking radiation, their information may be preserved in subtle space-time ripples, a new theory suggests.

© ESA

Take a look back at the best sci-fi movies of 2024: A journey across sci-fi worlds with these top 8 titles.

© Paramount Pictures

Your guide to viewing the visible planets of the solar system in the night sky of 2025.

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HBO's "Dune" prequel spinoff, "Dune: Prophecy," scores a second season

© HBO

A recap of the "Dune: Prophecy" season finale

© HBO/Max

What did you get fot X-mas? Scientists may have been gifted with a solution to the mystery of juMBOs, strange celestial bodies that seem to be neither planets nor stars.

© Robert Lea

On Christmas Eve (Dec. 24) NASA's parker Solar Probe made its closest approach to the sun yet, passing through the blisteringly hot outer atmosphere of our star.

© Applied Physics Lab and NASA Goddard Space Flight Center

Space.com's 24 space images of 2024! The most awe-inspiring space photos of the year from our Space Images of the Day.

© SpaceX

Aurora chasers are on high alert for minor geomagnetic storm conditions on Dec. 25. Northern lights could be visible over some northern and upper Midwest states.

© Paolo Graziosi via Getty Images

Although these frosty fields look like a picturesque winter wonderland blanketed in snow, this ice is actually composed of frozen carbon dioxide over the southern Australe Scopuli region of Mars. The European Space Agency’s (ESA) Mars Express spotted this scene using its High Resolution Stereo Camera (HRSC) during its 23,324th orbit of the Red Planet.Continue reading "Mars Express captures the beauty of a martian frostscape"

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Scientists theorize there could be subatomic particles we have yet to discover. Here are five of the weirdest, rarest hypothetical particles in the universe.

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If all goes to plan, the sun should give NASA's Parker Solar Probe a hard time.

© NASA/Johns Hopkins APL/Steve Gribben

The satellite was one of China's first-ever commercial Earth imaging satellites. RIP, SuperView 1-02.

© Luke Matheson

Keep watch for Jolly Old St. Nick on NORAD's official website and festive Santa Claus tracker.

© NORAD

An object that orbits in the space between Jupiter and Neptune has chemistry that could tell us more about the birth of the solar system.

© William Gonzalez Sierra

The Doctor checks in to a very unusual hotel – here's how to watch "Doctor Who" Christmas special "Joy to the World" online on BBC iPlayer in the UK and on Disney Plus in the US.

© Disney Plus/BBC

How do spacecraft avoid collisions when passing through the asteroid belt? Val-David SmithsonPleasant Grove, Utah Let’s begin by reviewing some astronomical “history”: Han Solo and his rebel cohorts Leia Organa, Chewbacca, and C-3PO are nestled uncomfortably together in the Millennium Falcon’s cockpit while their ship is pursued by a battalion of Imperial fighters. Unable toContinue reading "How do spacecraft avoid collisions in the asteroid belt?"

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The sun released over 50 X-class solar flares in 2024! Here we take a look at some of the best.

© NASA/SDO

NASA has pushed its first two crewed Artemis moon missions back to 2026 and 2027, and the move could have big ramifications.

© NASA

Author(s): Rainer Klages

A new theory related to the second law of thermodynamics describes the motion of active biological systems ranging from migrating cells to traveling birds.

[Physics 17, 182] Published Mon Dec 23, 2024

Author(s): Rachel Berkowitz

A proposed method could detect vortex states of high-energy particles through a scattering phenomenon called a superkick.

[Physics 17, s157] Published Mon Dec 23, 2024

An explanation of the dead robot in the new James Gunn "Superman" teaser trailer

© DC Studios

A bright streak of light in the pre-dawn skies above the U.K. could easily be mistaken for Santa Claus getting an early start to his Christmas deliveries.

© Alan Dyer/Stocktrek Images via Getty Images

A recap of Apple TV+'s "Silo" Season 2 Episode 6, "Barricades"

© Apple TV+

Over the past 200 years, astronomers have cataloged over a million asteroids in the solar system’s main belt, down to the size of around a kilometer in diameter. But smaller asteroids were elusive — until recently, when a team of scientists utilized data from the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) to spot some tiny asteroidsContinue reading "Smallest main-belt asteroids ever detected found hiding in JWST data"

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Astronomers have accidently spotted a new type of cosmic explosion called a "millinova" triggered by white dwarfs feeding on stars. If that sounds familiar get ready for a suprise!

© Krzysztof Ulaczyk / Astronomical Observatory, University of Warsaw

Parker Solar Probe will make an immensely close pass by the sun on Dec. 24 — but its scientists aren't worried. They have faith in their explorer.

© NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center

Find meteorites, scale models, flown-in-space artifacts, and more at The Space Store.

The post Own a piece of the cosmos with Cosmic Collectibles appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.

SpaceX has the FAA’s green light to launch more test missions of its colossal Starship spacecraft, the largest and most powerful rocket to ever fly. The aviation regulator last week issued SpaceX a modified Part 450 launch license, allowing the firm to conduct multiple missions of Starship and the Super Heavy booster under the configurationContinue reading "FAA approves SpaceX for more Starship test missions"

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John Quach 2024 was a banner year for aurora chasers, as the Sun reached solar maximum. This shot of the aurorae dancing above Mount Stuart in the Central Cascades of Washington was taken on Oct. 10 at 7:30 p.m. local time. The photographer used a Canon DSLR and 11mm f/2.8 lens to take a singleContinue reading "All lit up"

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SpaceX launched 21 Starlink internet satellites from Florida's Space Coast early Monday morning (Dec. 23) and landed the returning rocket on a ship at sea.

© SpaceX

Set your Parker Solar Probe sun flyby clocks for Dec. 24 at 6:53 a.m. EST (1153 GMT), Space Fans.

© NASA/Johns Hopkins APL/Steve Gribben

Explorers, astronauts and filmmakers described life in space and on Earth in an epic livestream from the Drake Passage.

© Future of Space/Space2Sea

Daffy Duck's full moon is on display in teaser trailer has landed for "The Day The Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie"

© Ketchup Entertainment

NASA's Apollo spacecraft had briefcase-size computers that for their day would normally have filled two rooms. Apollo Instruments has been able to shrink the Apollo Guidance Computer even more.

© Apollo Instruments

Exclusive bonus feature clips from new "Ahsoka" and "The Mandalorian" S3 4K UHD Steelbooks

© Disney

Recent sightings of unidentified aircraft in New Jersey and other states have triggered another round of unanswered questions — and fueled conspiracy theories.

© Grant Parpan/Newsday RM via Getty Images

On Episode 141 of This Week In Space, Rod and Tariq are joined by producer Anthony and Ant Pruitt to celebrate the end of the year.

© TWiT

After years of only new Star Wars shows, the franchise is ready to return to the big screen. But which upcoming Star Wars movies should you watch out for?

© Lucasfilm

While black holes are perplexing at any size, some of the most mysterious are hypothetical primordial black holes, those that sprung into existence in the first second after the Big Bang and some of which are featherweights on the black hole scale.  Because black holes collapse matter down to nothing, a black hole with theContinue reading "Want to find a black hole? Pick up a rock"

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The winter solstice marks the official start of the astronomical winter, as the sun reaches its most southerly point in the sky as seen from Earth. This seasonal change occurs on Dec. 21, 2024.

© Matt Champlin/Getty Images

Smart undershirts and AI algorithms will keep astronauts healthy on NASA's planned Gateway moon-orbiting space station.

© CSA/NASA

دوگانگی کهکشانی^۱، وجود دو گروه متمایز از کهکشا‌ن‌ها است که بر اساس ویژگی‌هایی مانند رنگ، ریخت‌شناسی^۲ و نرخ ستاره‌زایی^۳ کهکشان‌ها از یک‌دیگر متمایز می‌شوند. این مفهوم اشاره به تفاوت بین کهکشان‌های نوع پیشین^۴ که معمولاً قرمز، بیضوی و از نظر ستاره‌زایی غیرفعال هستند، و کهکشان‌های نوع پسین^۵ که آبی، مارپیچی و ستاره‌زا می‌باشند، دارد. در نمودار رنگ-قدر مطلق (شکل ۱)، این دوگانگی به صورت دو توزیع مجزا دیده می‌شود: یک رشته‌ی قرمز که شامل کهکشان‌های بیضوی است و یک ابر آبی که کهکشان‌های مارپیچی را در بر می‌گیرد. کهکشان‌های دارای هسته‌ی فعال^۶ که معمولا در مرحله‌ی گذار هستند مابین این دو گروه، در ناحیه‌ای به نام دره‌ی سبز^۷ قرار می‌گیرند؛ این دسته از کهکشان‌ها یا در حال گذار به سمت خاموش شدن^۸ هستند و یا در حال جوان سازی^۹ و تشکیل مجدد ستاره می‌باشند.

مقاله‌ی پیش رو به بررسی دوگانگی کهکشان‌ها بر اساس ریخت‌شناسی جنبشی آن‌ها و رابطه‌ی این دوگانگی به مسیرهای متفاوت خاموش شدن ستاره‌زایی در کهکشان‌ها می‌پردازد. نویسندگان با تحلیل داده‌های طیف‌نگاری پروژه‌ی MaNGA و بررسی بیش از ۳۰۰۰ کهکشان، به این نتیجه رسیده‌اند که توزیع پارامتر چرخش ذاتی^۱۰ ستاره‌‌ای (λ_{_Re}) در کهکشان‌هایی با جرم ستاره‌ای یکسان در تمامی حالات ستاره‌زایی و محیط‌ها به طور جهان‌شمولی دوگانه است.

پارامتر چرخش ذاتی ستاره‌ای (λ_{_Re}) یکی از معیارهای کلیدی در توصیف ریخت‌شناسی جنبشی کهکشان‌ها است و میزان چرخش منظم ستاره‌ها را نسبت به حرکت تصادفی آن‌ها در یک سیستم کهکشانی نشان می‌دهد. این پارامتر به طور مستقیم به تکانه‌ی زاویه‌ای ویژه‌ی به‌هنجارشده‌^۱۱ی ستاره‌ها مرتبط است و اطلاعات مهمی درباره‌ی تاریخچه‌ی شکل‌گیری و تحول کهکشان‌ها ارائه می‌دهد. بر اساس نظریه‌ی تشکیل ساختار سلسله‌مراتبی^۱۲، رویدادهای شدید و آشوبناکی مانند ادغام کهکشان‌ها، می‌توانند چرخش کهکشان‌ها را کاهش دهند و یا از بین ببرند و آن‌ها را تبدیل به سیستم‌های ستاره‌ای با چرخش کند و ساختارهای کروی کنند. برعکس، کهکشان‌هایی که تاریخچه‌ی ستاره‌زایی آرام و منظمی داشته‌اند، معمولاً ساختارهای دیسکی با چرخش سریع دارند.

در این مقاله ابتدا توزیع پارامتر چرخش ذاتی ستاره‌ای در یک جرم ستاره‌ای و نرخ ستاره‌زایی مطالعه شده است. نمودار سمت چپ در شکل ۲ نرخ ستاره‌زایی را در مقابل جرم ستاره‌ای کهکشان‌های MaNGA نشان می‌دهد. این نمودار توسط سه خط زردرنگ به سه ناحیه تقسیم شده‌است: گروه کهکشان‌های فعال یا ستاره‌زا، گروه کهکشان‌های در حال گذار یا دره‌ی سبز، و گروه کهکشان‌های غیرستاره‌زا یا منفعل^۱۳. در دو نمودار سمت راست، کهکشان‌های MaNGA به دو دسته‌ی کم‌جرم و پرجرم تقسیم شده‌اند و رابطه‌ی بین پارامتر چرخش ذاتی ستاره‌ای آ‌ن‌ها با نرخ ستاره‌زایی‌شان نشان داده شده‌است. در این دو نمودار از بالا به پایین نرخ ستاره‌زایی کاهش می‌یابد. همان‌طور که دیده می‌شود، چرخش ذاتی ستاره‌ای کهکشان‌های پرجرم با کاهش نرخ ستاره‌زایی، کندتر می‌شود. طبق نمودارهای شکل ۲، در هر بازه‌ی جرمی و هر میزان ستاره‌زایی، دوگانگی آشکاری در رفتار جنبشی کهکشان‌ها وجود دارد. با افزایش جرم و کاهش نرخ ستاره‌زایی، کهکشان‌هایی با چرخش ستاره‌ای کند (منحنی قرمز) غالب‌ می‌شوند. درحالی که کهکشان‌های در حالت گذار (کهکشان‌های دره‌ی سبز)، ترکیب متعادل‌تری از هر دو جمعیت را دارند. این خود می‌تواند شاهدی بر مسیرهای متفاوت خاموش‌شدن در کهکشان‌ها باشد. برای مثال کهکشان‌های دیسکی (با چرخش سریع) می‌توانند تاریخچه‌ی آرام‌تری داشته باشند و کهکشان‌های کروی (با چرخش کند) می‌توانند تاریخچه‌ی پرآشوب‌تری (مانند ادغام کهکشانی) داشته باشند.

نویسندگان برای بررسی تاریخچه‌ی ستاره‌زایی این کهکشان‌ها به سراغ اندازه‌گیری نرخ ستاره‌زایی در دو بازه‌ی زمانی رفته‌اند: یک بازه‌ی زمانی کوتاه و یک بازه‌ی زمانی بلند. آن‌ها از این واقعیت استفاده کرده‌اند که درخشندگی خط نشری هیدروژن-آلفا در طیف کهکشان‌ها می‌تواند فوتون‌های یونیزه شده توسط ستاره‌های پرجرم‌ با طول عمر کوتاه را ردیابی کند و در نتیجه، نرخ ستاره‌زایی را در بازه‌ی زمانی حدود ۱۰ میلیون سال اخیر نشان دهد. در حالی که نرخ ستاره‌زایی که بر اساس توزیع انرژی طیفی در بازه‌ی طول موجی فرابنفش و مادون قرمز میانه اندازه‌گیری می‌شود، میانگین نرخ ستاره‌زایی را در بازه زمانی ۱۰۰ میلیون ساله نشان می‌دهد. این بازه‌ی زمانی مربوط به طول عمر ستاره‌های جوان است که در ناحیه‌ی فرابنقش تابش می‌کنند. در کهکشان‌هایی با تاریخچه‌ی ستاره‌زایی یکنواخت (مثل کاهش تدریجی نرخ ستاره‌زایی)، این دو روش نتایح یکسانی را برای نرخ ستاره‌زایی کهکشان می‌دهند. اما در کهکشان‌هایی که دچار تغییرات سریع در نرخ ستاره‌زایی شده‌اند (مانند فوران یا توقف ناگهانی ستاره‌زایی)، ناسازگاری بین نتایج این دو روش دیده می‌شود. این ناسازگاری ناشی از این است که ستارگان پرجرم و کوتاه‌عمر به پایان عمر خود رسیده‌اند، اما ستارگان جوان‌تر (ستارگانی که در مراحل اولیه‌ی عمر خود هستند) و کم‌جرم‌تر همچنان در بازه‌ی ۱۰۰ میلیون ساله تابش دارند.

در شکل ۳ رابطه‌ی بین تاریخچه‌ی ستاره‌زایی حاصل از این دو روش و پارامتر چرخش ستاره‌ای برای دو گروه کهکشان‌های ستاره‌زا و دره‌ی سبز نشان داده شده‌است. در این شکل کهکشان‌های غیرستاره‌زا (منفعل) نشان داده‌نشده‌اند زیرا طبق تعریف این کهکشان‌ها دارای تابش هیدروژن-آلفا که نشان دهنده‌ی فعالیت اخیر ستاره‌زایی است، نیستند. طبق این شکل، کهکشان‌هایی که میزان تابش هیدروژن-آلفای آن‌ها با نرخ ستاره‌زایی حاصل از روش توزیع انرژی طیفی رابطه‌ی یک‌به‌یک دارد، معمولاً چرخش سریع‌تری دارند (آبی‌تر هستند، در این شکل متمایل به رنگ سبز). این نشان‌دهنده‌ی تاریخچه‌ی ستاره‌زایی پایدارتر آن‌ها است. کهکشان‌هایی که از روند کلی منحرف شده‌اند (یعنی هیدروژن-آلفا کم‌تر از انتظار در مقابل نرخ ستاره‌زایی صد ساله دارند)، معمولاً چرخش آهسته‌تری دارند (رنگ متمایل به صورتی) که این نشان‌دهنده‌ی توقف سریع ستاره‌زایی در این کهکشان‌ها است، زیرا ستارگان پرجرم در این کهکشان‌ها سریع‌تر به پایان عمر خود رسیده‌اند. همچنین در این شکل مشاهده می‌شود که در میان کهکشان‌های ستاره‌زا، ردیف اول، اکثر کهکشان‌ها دارای پارارمتر چرخش ستاره‌ای سریع هستند در حالی که در میان کهکشان‌های دره‌ی سبز شاهد دو گروه مجزا از کهکشان‌های سریع و کند هستیم که نشان‌دهنده‌ی تحول کهکشان‌ها به سمت خاموش شدن و طی مسیر‌های متفاوت می‌باشد.

به منظور بررسی مسیرهای متفاوت تکامل کهکشان‌ها، نویسندگان میزان فلزیت این کهکشان‌ها را نیز بررسی کرده‌اند. زیرا فلزیت می‌تواند سرنخ‌های کلیدی درباره فرآیندهای فیزیکی که منجر به خاموشی کهکشان‌ها شده‌اند را بدهد. از دست دادن سریع گاز می‌تواند منجر به تشکیل کهکشانی منفعل با فلزیتی مشابه کهکشان اولیه‌ی ستاره‌زا شود. در صورتی‌که اگر کهکشان‌ها به طور تدریجی منابع گازی خود را از دست بدهند، ستاره‌زایی رفته‌رفته کاهش می‌یابد و فلزیت، به دلیل غنی شدن محیط بین ستاره‌ای افزایش می‌یابد. کهکشان‌هایی با چرخش سریع، تمایل دارند دیسکی‌شکل و پایدارتر باشند. این پایداری به آن‌ها اجازه می‌دهد که فرآیند از دست دادن گاز را به آرامی تجربه کنند، بدون این‌که به طور ناگهانی دچار اختلال شوند. این درحالی است که اگر کهکشان‌ها به صورت ناگهانی خاموش شوند، گاز خود را توسط فرآیندهای شدید و آشوبناک از دست می‌دهند و فلزیت کم‌تری پیدا می‌کنند. کهکشان‌هایی با چرخش آهسته، معمولاً کروی یا بیضوی هستند و اغلب از طریق ادغام‌های بزرگ و شدید شکل گرفته‌اند. این ادغام‌ها می‌توانند گاز را به سرعت از کهکشان خارج کنند. ستارگان پرجرم و فعال و یا سیاه‌چاله‌های ابرپرجرم^۱۴ می‌توانند گاز میان‌ستاره‌ای را با فوران‌های قوی به خارج پرتاب کنند. کهکشان‌هایی که در خوشه‌های کهکشانی قرار دارند، ممکن است گاز خود را به دلیل حرکت سریع در میان محیط چگال میان‌خوشه‌ای^۱۵ از دست بدهند. با حذف گاز، کهکشان به طور ناگهانی و سریع خاموش می‌شود. حذف ناگهانی گاز فرصت زیادی برای غنی‌سازی عناصر سنگین باقی نمی‌گذارد. در نتیجه، فلزیت کهکشان‌های با چرخش آهسته نسبت به کهکشان‌های با چرخش سریع کم‌تر است.

شکل ۴ نشان می‌دهد که فلزیت کهکشان‌هایی با چرخش سریع با کاهش نرخ ستاره‌زایی (از ستاره‌زا (آبی) تا عیر ستاره‌زا (قرمز)) افزایش می‌یابد. این رفتار نشان‌دهنده‌ی فرایند خاموشی تدریجی در کهکشان‌هایی است که به تدریج منابع گازی خود را از دست می‌دهند و در نتیجه فلزیت ستاره‌ای آن‌ها افزایش می‌یابد. فلزیت کهکشان‌هایی با چرخش آهسته به نرخ ستاره‌زایی بستگی ندارد زیرا هر سه گروه کهکشانی فلزیت مشابهی را برای کهکشان‌ها با جرم‌های مختلف نشان می‌دهند. این نشان‌دهنده‌ی فرآیند خاموشی سریع است که در آن کهکشان‌ها گاز خود را از طریق فوران‌های قوی یا ادغام‌های بزرگ به سرعت از دست می‌دهند، بدون اینکه فرصت کافی برای افزایش فلزیت داشته باشند.

به طور خلاصه این مقاله نشان می‌دهد که دوگانگی در پارامتر چرخش ستاره‌ای کهکشان‌هایی که در یک گروه جرمی و با یک میزان از نرخ ستاره‌زایی هستند، وجود دارد و این دوگانگی نشان‌دهنده‌ی مسیرهای تحولی متفاوت آن‌ها می‌باشد.

 

 

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying 30 payloads as part of the Bandwagon-2 mission launches from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California on Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024.

© SpaceX via X

Space2Sea Antarctica: A student journalist's expedition to bottom of the world begins

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The recent furor over drones, planes, helicopters, aliens, or whatever centered on aerial sightings in New Jersey is causing a flap. Given the huge number of sightings and the tenor of alarm from many, the Federal Aviation Administration has issued 22 temporary flight restrictions along the approach paths to Newark International Airport and a fewContinue reading "You’re almost certainly not being visited by aliens"

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According to climate data from NOAA, you might not have to only dream about having a white Christmas this year in some parts of the United States.

© Per Breiehagen/Getty Images

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket ignites each its engines just as an abort is called at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida on Saturday, Dec. 20, 2024.

© SpaceX via X

Axiom Space has decided to change up the method for assembling its commercial space station, meaning the outpost could be free-flying as soon as 2028.

© Axiom Space

NASA's Orion spacecraft recently completed an 11-month test campaign, during which it was subjected to extreme conditions of a launch abort scenario and electromagnetic effects of lightning strikes.

© NASA/Quentin Schwinn 

Author(s): Michael Schirber

A method for imaging spin waves in magnetic materials uses flash-like intensity variations in a laser beam to capture the wave motion at specific moments in time.

[Physics 17, 186] Published Fri Dec 20, 2024

Photos of the dormant InSight lander captured from Mars orbit are providing researchers new data on how dust accumulates and evolves over time on the Red Planet.

© NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona

A new exact launch date for the Strix satellite launch by Rocket Lab has yet to be announced.

© Rocket Lab

An ancient exoplanet dated at 12.7 billion years old could have formed over a long period in a giant disk of gas, according to new JWST observations.

© SCIENCE: NASA, ESA, CSA, Olivia C. Jones (UK ATC), Guido De Marchi (ESTEC), Margaret Meixner (USRA) IMAGE PROCESSING: Alyssa Pagan (STScI), Nolan Habel (USRA), Laura Lenkić (USRA), Laurie E. U. Chu (NASA Ames)

Using the NASA space telescopes Hubble and Chandra astronomers have discovered a strange black hole that has been knocked on its side in a cosmic crime scene.

© NASA/STScI, M. A. Malkan, B. Boizelle, A.S. Borlaff. HST WFPC2, WFC3/IR/UVIS. 

The last meteor shower of the year peaks in the early morning hours of Dec. 22.

© Jean Clark

Plenty of worlds in our solar system have oceans — and not all of them are made of water. Io, Jupiter’s innermost moon, was purported to have one made of basalt and bits of sulfur just under its surface, powering its volcanic eruptions. But according to a study published in Nature last week, a globalContinue reading "Io’s magma ocean may not exist after all"

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As the U.S. Space Force celebrates its fifth anniversary, the service's leadership looked back on its accomplishments so far while looking ahead to the future.

© U.S. Space Force

Anushtup Roychoudhury from Kolkata, India The crowded core of the Milky Way (at top) and the colorful Rho Ophiuchi cloud complex (at right) hang over the Drang-Drung Glacier in India’s Ladakh region. The imager captured the sky with a Sony mirrorless camera and a 50mm lens, taking 2-minute subframes at f/3.5 and ISO 2500 forContinue reading "Cosmic confluence"

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Friday, December 20Now that the evening sky is Moon-free, it’s time to aim for fainter targets, including 12th-magnitude Comet 333P/LINEAR. Located in far northern Cygnus, close to where that constellation’s border meets those of Cepheus and Draco, LINEAR sits some 8.4° northeast of magnitude 3.8 Kappa (κ) Cygni tonight. The comet is roughly halfway alongContinue reading "The Sky This Week from December 20 to 27: Welcome the winter solstice"

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Rocket Lab launched a radar satellite for the Earth-observation company Synspective to orbit today (Dec. 21) on its final mission of the year.

© Rocket Lab

Russian cosmonauts Alexey Ovchinin and Ivan Vagner installed an X-ray detector and jettisoned trash during a spacewalk outside the International Space Station on Thursday, Dec. 19, 2024.

© NASA+

California-based company Vast Space has booked two crewed flights to the ISS with SpaceX, though the missions still must be approved by NASA.

© SpaceX

The James Webb Space Telescope used a galaxy as a cosmic magnifying glass to find transient objects in the "Christmas Tree" cluster, a Winter Wonderland of even more galaxies.

© NASA/CXC/SAO; Optical: Clow, M.; Image Processing: NASA/CXC/SAO/L. Frattare and K. Arcand

Forty years ago, this lesser-known sequel attempted to explain the mysteries of one of sci-fi's greatest movies.

© MGM

Krypto saves the day in this heroic look at the Man of Steel's new reboot from the 'Guardians of the Galaxy' Trilogy director

© DC

The BepiColombo spacecraft has captured the 1st mid-infrared portrait of Mercury.

© MERTIS/DLR/University of Münster & NASA/Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory/Carnegie Institution of Washington

NASA and SpaceX are targeting mid-January for the launch of Firefly Aerospace's Ghost Riders in the Sky mission to the lunar surface.

© Firefly Aerospace

A "missing link" black hole in Omega Centauri is still missing. What appeared to be an intermediate-mass black hole was a cluster of stellar-mass black holes.

© ESO/Robert Lea

Author(s): Matteo Rini

An independent analysis of data on the hotly debated superconductivity of certain hydrogen-rich compounds, or hydrides, concludes that the phenomenon is likely genuine.

[Physics 17, 184] Published Thu Dec 19, 2024

Author(s): Michael Schirber

New experiments with cuprate materials explore a connection between so-called charge-density waves and a light-induced state that resembles superconductivity.

[Physics 17, s154] Published Thu Dec 19, 2024

Author(s): Rachel Berkowitz

A theory outlines an immunization protocol that fosters powerful antibodies while avoiding immune-cell death.

[Physics 17, s159] Published Thu Dec 19, 2024

'The New Next Generation' is the last-ever episode of 'Lower Decks', but it almost feels like a backdoor pilot for a new 'Star Trek' show.

© Paramount

Russian cosmonauts Alexey Ovchinin and Ivan Vagner will perform a six-and-a-half-hour spacewalk on Dec. 19 to install new equipment outside the ISS. Watch it live here, courtesy of NASA.

© NASA

Investigating a young exoplanet called PDS 70b in its cocoon of natal gas and dust has shown that planets don't always resemble the environments they form in.

© Robert Lea (created with Canva)

Meet HD 65907, an imposter. It’s a star that appears far too young for its age. Astronomers have finally cracked the case of this mysterious object, which has not led a normal life. Instead, the star appears to be the result of the merger of two much older stars. Astronomers have a name for starsContinue reading "‘Blue straggler’ likely born from a collision of stars"

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Astronomers just took a big step toward a better understanding of white dwarfs, a discovery that could shed light on mysterious dark matter.

© Roberto Molar Candanosa/Johns Hopkins University

Firefly Aerospace and Japanese company ispace are putting their moon landers on the same SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, which is scheduled to lift off in January.

© ispace

Author(s): Julie Gould and Matteo Rini

Researchers from the Berkeley Lab Laser Accelerator Center talk about their latest results on a laser-based particle-acceleration technique that could lead to cheaper and more compact x-ray sources and particle accelerators.

[Physics 17, 185] Published Wed Dec 18, 2024

Japanese startup Space One lost its second Kairos 2 rocket shortly after liftoff due to an unknown failure.

© STR/JIJI PRESS/AFP via Getty Images

Tune into a live webinar on Dec. 19 as several cultural and scientific icons will answer questions about mysteries of the universe and space travel from an Antarctica-bound luxury expedition vessel.

© Space2Sea via Instagram

The James Webb Space Telescope has caught a napping monster black hole in the early universe. The cosmic giant is slumbering after a massive meal like a reveller on Christmas Day.

© Jiarong Gu

The innermost Earth-like planet in the famous TRAPPIST-1 system might be capable of supporting a thick atmosphere after all, according to new research.

© Thomas Müller (HdA/MPIA)

Chris Schur from Payson, Arizona A magnificent arcade of coronal loops appeared on the Sun’s limb Sept. 1, 2024, captured here with a 3.2-inch refractor, CMOS camera, and a Calcium-K filter. These arcing features are caused by glowing plasma trapped in the Sun’s magnetic field. While often seen in Hα, they are less frequently visibleContinue reading "Calcium arcade"

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Earth and the Moon are forever locked in a gravitational embrace that has played a critical role in determining the fate of both worlds. Although they have grown more distant since their formative years, new research published today in Nature shows just how powerful their attraction was in their youth: According to the study, Earth’sContinue reading "Earth’s gravity gave the Moon an early facelift"

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Archetype Entertainment's Matthew McConaughey-led sci-fi RPG adventure is looking alright alright alright.

© Wizards of the Coast

This impressive Lego set would make a fantastic Christmas present for any Star Wars fan.

© Future/Walmart

The moon may have received a volcanic facelift, making it more than 100 million years older than rocks collected from its surface might suggest, a new study finds.

© NASA

Author(s): Marlene Turner

A laser-driven electron accelerator delivers beams of $\sim$10-GeV electrons—an approach that could lead to cheaper, more compact alternatives to large-scale x-ray sources and particle accelerators.

[Physics 17, 183] Published Wed Dec 18, 2024

Author(s): Marric Stephens

By measuring the melting temperature of iron under high transient pressure, researchers set a limit on the temperature at the boundary between the inner and outer cores.

[Physics 17, s139] Published Wed Dec 18, 2024

The disagreement in the rate of expansion of the universe, the Hubble tension, could arise from the fact Earth sits in an under-dense supervoid region of space.

© Robert Lea

All three eruptions were not Earth-directed.

© GOES R/NOAA/NASA/Helioviewer.org

Still from Star Wars: Skeleton Crew TV series. A disheveled girl with long hair is wearing a long-sleeved shirt and some shoulder armor. She is holding a T-shaped piece of metal.

© Disney Plus

A Long March 5B rocket launched 10 big broadband satellites to orbit on Dec. 16, beginning the assembly of China's Guowang ("national network") megaconstellation.

© Chinese Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology

Two Chinese astronauts spent more than nine hours outside the nation's Tiangong space station on Dec. 16 and Dec. 17, beating the old EVA duration record by 10 minutes.

© CMSEO

Just as Homo sapiens once exploded out of Africa to colonize the Earth our influence is spreading in the solar system. New research says we must track the cosmic migration to Mars.

© NASA/Justin Holcomb

NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams will stay in space an extra month, until March 2025, giving SpaceX more time to complete a new Crew Dragon capsule.

© NASA

The FAA issued a launch license for SpaceX's upcoming Starship Flight 7, clearing the way for the company's next launch of the world's largest rocket from South Texas.

© SpaceX

SpaceX is hoping to officially make its Starbase launch site a new city in South Texas.

© Space.com / Josh Dinner

SpaceX test-fired the upper stage of its seventh Starship megarocket again recently, practicing an in-space engine burn.

© SpaceX via X

Winter does not officially arrive until the solstice. The 2024 winter solstice — the precise moment when the Sun appears farthest south in the sky — is at 4:21 a.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST) on Saturday, Dec. 21, in the Northern Hemisphere, according to the U.S. Naval Observatory. Throughout the Northern Hemisphere, the day ofContinue reading "Why the winter solstice is the longest night every year, and when it happens in 2024"

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Author(s): Elizabeth Fernandez

A black hole accreting mass above the so-called Eddington limit may explain how supermassive black holes reach billions of times the mass of our Sun.

[Physics 17, 180] Published Tue Dec 17, 2024

A new trailer for Obsidian Entertainment's "The Outer Worlds 2" was released at TGA 2024

© Obsidian Entertainment

The universe of U.S. postage stamps featuring James Webb Space Telescope imagery is set to expand again in 2025. The U.S. Postal Service revealed its Priority Mail and Express flat rate stamps.

© NASA/ESA/CSA/STScI / montage by collectSPACE.com

A new trailer for "Edge of Space," a short film about a daring X-15 pilot flying the rocket-powered experimental plane higher than any other piloted winged vehicle other than the space shuttle.

© Atticus Films

Veiled in gas and clouds, the Milky Way’s center does not easily give up secrets. The initial detection of its supermassive black hole (SMBH) decades ago posed as many riddles as it solved, including the puzzling absence of binary stars around it. The hot, massive stars that populate the region are almost always found asContinue reading "Binary star system finally discovered near Milky Way center"

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Author(s): Rachel Berkowitz

Minerals exposed during an ancient Mediterranean Sea desiccation should reveal damage caused by muons, providing evidence of enhanced cosmic-ray fluxes.

[Physics 17, s136] Published Tue Dec 17, 2024

Author(s): Ryan Wilkinson

Atomic simulations deepen the mystery of how engineered materials known as refractory high-entropy alloys can suffer so little damage by radiation.

[Physics 17, s156] Published Tue Dec 17, 2024

Astronomers have used the Very Large Telescope to discover the first binary stars around the supermassive black hole at the heart of the Milky Way.

© ESO/F. Peißker et al., S. Guisard

A pair of new behind-the-scenes videos for "Star Wars: Skeleton Crew"

© Disney

In this episode, Dave Eicher invites you to observe the nearly full Moon as it passes Mars on the evening of December 17. Both objects closely follow the Sun’s apparent path through the stars, called the ecliptic. This time, however, they’ll be quite close, only about 1 degree apart. That distance is twice the diameterContinue reading "The Moon passes Mars: This Week in Astronomy with Dave Eicher"

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SpaceX launched two communication satellites to orbit from Florida's Space Coast today (Dec. 17) on the second leg of a spaceflight doubleheader.

© SpaceX

Thirteen years before any other woman joined the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics – or the NACA, NASA’s predecessor – in a technical role, a young lab assistant named Pearl Young was making waves in the agency. Her legacy as an outspoken and persistent advocate for herself and her team would pave the way for women inContinue reading "Pearl Young, the first woman to work in a technical role at NASA, overcame barriers and ‘raised hell’"

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SpaceX launched the sixth batch of "proliferated architecture" spy satellites for the NRO this morning (Dec. 17) from California's central coast.

© SpaceX

An Astrobee robotic free-flyer with tentacle-like arms was tested in a demonstration experiment aboard the space station.

© NASA

NASA has begun blueprinting the Endurance rover to traverse the gigantic South Pole–Aitken (SPA) basin, a wonderland of promising geological surprises.

© NASA

Massimo Tamajo from Syracuse, Sicily, Italy A Last Quarter Moon lies above an erupting Mount Etna in this shot taken in the early morning of July 28, 2024. The imager used a Nikon Z 6II camera and 150mm lens at f/8 to take a 2-second exposure at ISO 2000.

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A relic galaxy has been uncovered from the early universe, revealing new clues about what our own Milky Way galaxy may have looked like back then.

© NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, Chris Willott (National Research Council Canada), Lamiya Mowla (Wellesley College), Kartheik Iyer (Columbia University)

A recap of HBO/Max's "Dune: Prophecy" Episode 5, "In Truth, Blood"

© HBO/Max

What became of the discarded lunar modules from the Apollo missions? James JarvisSan Francisco, California All but one of the Apollo program’s used lunar modules either crashed into the Moon’s surface or burned up in Earth’s atmosphere. Apollo 10’s lunar module, Snoopy, is still out there, drifting aimlessly around the solar system, waiting for someContinue reading "What happened to the jettisoned Apollo lunar modules? "

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Physics Magazine Editors pick their favorite stories from 2024.

[Physics 17, 181] Published Mon Dec 16, 2024

SpaceX fired up its next Starship for an engine test before the rocket's next launch to space.

© SpaceX

Citing environmental concerns, 120 astronomers and researchers implored the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in an Oct. 24 letter to halt launches of internet satellites like SpaceX’s Starlink. The letter, which was organized by the Public Interest Research Group, also urged FCC Space Bureau Chief Julie Kearney to investigate the potential negative environmental and health impactsContinue reading "Astronomers urge FCC to research impacts of space junk"

The post Astronomers urge FCC to research impacts of space junk appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.

In this episode, Dave Eicher invites you to observe the nearly full Moon as it passes Mars on the evening of December 17. Both objects closely follow the Sun’s apparent path through the stars, called the ecliptic. This time, however, they’ll be quite close, only about 1 degree apart. That distance is twice the diameterContinue reading "The Moon passes Mars: This Week in Astronomy with Dave Eicher"

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SpaceX's 31st robotic Dragon cargo capsule splashed down off the Florida coast today (Dec. 17), a day after undocking from the International Space Station.

© SpaceX

The Event Horizon Telescope, which captured the first image of a black hole, has done it again. The Earth-sized telescope spotted an unexpected explosion from the same supermassive black hole.

© EHT Collaboration, Fermi-LAT Collaboration, HESS Collaboration, MAGIC Collaboration, VERITAS Collaboration, EAVN Collaboration

Saturn's rings might not be younger than the dinosaurs as recently suggested, but nearly as old as the giant planet itself at billions of years in age, a new study says.

© NASA/JPL

Although it’s visible all year round from mid- and high-northern latitudes, now is a great time of the year for newcomers to stargazing to look for and find the famous star pattern known as the Big Dipper or the Plough. Many people grow up believing the Big Dipper is a constellation, but it’s not. It’sContinue reading "Explore the Big Dipper this winter"

The post Explore the Big Dipper this winter appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.

Author(s): Fabian Grusdt

By controlling the motion and interaction of individual atoms in a cold-atom ensemble, researchers have produced a correlated topological state of matter, called a fractional quantum Hall state.

[Physics 17, 178] Published Mon Dec 16, 2024

Astronomers modeled sunspot activity on a nearby red giant star to learn about its chaotic interior.

© Viktor Varga & Ádám Radványi (Moholy-Nagy University of Art and Design, Budapest)

Beginning in late November during the waning phases of the Moon, and then again in late December, you can investigate the possibility of a curious optical phenomenon. It involves a bright planet passing by a large and diffuse star cluster visible with the naked eye. On the evening of June 13, 2023, I went outContinue reading "The Red Planet lights up a famous star cluster this month"

The post The Red Planet lights up a famous star cluster this month appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.

The last full moon of 2024 did not disappoint.

© Ismael Adnan Yaqoob/Anadolu via Getty Images

On Dec. 17, the moon and Mars will appear close together in the night sky in the Gemini constellation.

© Chris Vaughan/Starry Night

A recap of the fifth episode of Apple TV+'s "Silo" Season 2

© Apple TV+

Donald Trump has nominated billionaire private astronaut Jared Isaacman to lead NASA. What do we know about the potential next administrator of America’s space agency?

© Polaris Program / John Kraus

Relive the prolific Geminid meteor shower with these dazzling photos.

© <a href="https://www.instagram.com/osama.fathi.nswatcher85/" rel="nofollow">Osama Fathi</a>

A rundown of the timeline for "Star Wars: Skeleton Crew," and where it fits into the franchise.

© Disney+

An explanation of Face Dancers and their Bene Tleilax makers in "Dune: Prophecy"

© HBO/Max

Enceladus' ice plumes might be the reason why a dark spot on the moon is disappearing. But what is the spot in the first place?

© NASA/JPL-Caltech/SSI

An interview with "Dune: Prophecy's" Mark Addy and Edward Davis

© HBO/Max

On Episode 140 of This Week In Space, Rod and Tariq talk with Dan Erwin and Ryan Kraemer about amateur rocketry.

© TWiT

"'War of the Worlds' has become a huge part of local folklore in that part of the state, so anything touching on the subject of UFOs is going to remind people of the broadcast."

© Bettman/ Getty Images

Abhijit Patil, taken from Alabama Hills, California The jewels of the northern Milky Way stand out above this rock formation — from the Pleiades (M45) and the California Nebula (NGC 1499) on the right up to the Heart and Soul Nebulae (IC 1805 and IC 1848). At top center lies the Andromeda Galaxy (M31), ourContinue reading "The winter Milky Way"

The post The winter Milky Way appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.

NASA astronaut Don Pettit's latest photography from the International Space Station showcases not only his visual prowess, but also his engineering skills.

© NASA/Don Pettit

SpaceX has readied its next Starship vehicle for testing ahead of the megarocket's 7th test flight.

© SpaceX

Here's the full rundown of new space-related game titles from The Game Awards 2024.

© Wargaming Group

Off the coast of Baja California in December 2022, sun sparkled over the rippling sea as waves sloshed around the USS Portland dock ship. Navy officials on the deck scrutinized the sky in search of a sign. The glow appeared suddenly. A tiny spot at first, it gradually grew to a round circle falling atContinue reading "OPINION: An aerospace expert on NASA’s Orion crew capsule heat shield issues during Artemis I"

The post OPINION: An aerospace expert on NASA’s Orion crew capsule heat shield issues during Artemis I appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.

SpaceX launched an advanced GPS satellite to orbit Monday night (Dec. 16), on a mission that the U.S. Space Force said showcased a new level of responsiveness and readiness.

© SpaceX

The December full moon, the final full moon of 2024, rises overnight on Dec. 14 during the peak of the Geminid meteor shower.

© Jesus Merida/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

Author(s): Mark Buchanan

Measuring gravitational analogues of quantum phenomena could lead to high-precision measurement of gravitational forces, according to a theoretical proposal.

[Physics 17, 179] Published Fri Dec 13, 2024

SpaceX launched 22 more of its Starlink internet satellites from California's central coast on Friday (Dec. 13).

© SpaceX

Despite the nearly full moon illuminating the skies, the Geminid meteor shower could still put on a great show tonight.

© Created in Canva by Daisy Dobrijevic

To find advanced civilizations, you don’t need to go hunting for megastructures or hypothetical space probes. You could find civilizations just a few centuries ahead of us by looking for a key element: hydrogen.  While hydrogen is everywhere, not all of it is of the same type. Several hydrogen isotopes exist, and deuterium is oneContinue reading "Could deuterium be the key to finding aliens? "

The post Could deuterium be the key to finding aliens?  appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.

NASA has released a new document that highlights planned programmatic paradigm shifts in Mars exploration over the next 20 years.

© NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU/MSSS

We have only one example of biology forming in the universe – life on Earth. But what if life can form in other ways?

© kasezo via Getty Images

At its current solar maximum, our Sun has been pretty busy of late, flinging parts of itself at Earth and raising concerns about effects on satellites and power grids while also gracing us with incredible aurorae. Solar and space-weather scientists have been busy too. They’ve just released a mammoth, nearly 800-page report to set prioritiesContinue reading "What’s in the National Academies’ Decadal Survey for Solar and Space Physics?"

The post What’s in the National Academies’ Decadal Survey for Solar and Space Physics? appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.

Look up! The Geminds could put on quite the show tonight despite the bright moon.

© <a href="https://www.gettyimages.co.uk/search/photographer?photographer=Li%20Xiang" rel="nofollow">Li Xiang via</a>Getty Images

Humanity needs to address the growing space junk problem now, before it gets completely out of hand, scientists stress.

© NASA

Naughty Dog's first new IP in over a decade is taking the developer back to its light-hearted action roots.

© Sony

NASA's Perseverance rover has summited the rim of Mars' Jezero Crater, a climb of 1,640 vertical feet that took about 3.5 months.

© NASA/JPL-Caltech

Friday, December 13The bright gibbous Moon passes 4° north of Uranus at 5 A.M. EST. At that time, the Moon sits in Aries the Ram, while Uranus is just over the border in far western Taurus the Bull. The two set together around 5 A.M. local time.  You might have better luck spotting the iceContinue reading "The Sky This Week from December 13 to 20: 2024’s last Full Moon"

The post The Sky This Week from December 13 to 20: 2024’s last Full Moon appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.

Using NASA's Chandra X-ray telescope, astronomers witnessed a massive black hole jet slam into an unknown object in space.

© NASA/CXC/SAO/D. Bogensberger et al; Image Processing: NASA/CXC/SAO/N. Wolk;

By doubling the number of known "dark comets," astronomers have been able to split them into two camps depending on their location in the solar system.

© NASA/JPL-Caltech

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and FAA oversee investigations of aircraft accidents in U.S. airspace. But what happens when a crash occurs hundreds of millions of miles away in outer space? Engineers with NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in California and uncrewed aircraft systems (UAS) manufacturer Aerovironment, a prominent aerospace and defense contractor, areContinue reading "NASA conducts first otherworldly aircraft accident investigation"

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India continues to perfect hardware and recovery procedures for its Gaganyaan human spaceflight program.

© ISRO

A total of 50 nations have now joined NASA's efforts to establish peaceful and cooperative international space exploration.

© NASA/Joel Kowsky

Violent superflares erupt from sun-like stars about once a century, far more frequently than previously expected. As a civilization around such a star, what does this mean for us?

© NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center/Genna Duberstein

Solar flares are bright flashes of light from the Sun that release large amounts of electromagnetic radiation. And while normal flares can release as much as 1025 joules of energy, so-called superflares, observed on other stars, are up to 10,000 times more powerful. Even normal solar flares and the charged particles that often accompany themContinue reading "Sun-like stars experience superflares roughly once per century"

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Several brief flashes on the lunar surface were captured from Earth.

© <a href="https://www.gettyimages.co.uk/search/photographer?photographer=LeonardoFernndezLzaro%20%2F%20500px">LeonardoFernndezLzaro / 500px via </a>Getty Images

Author(s): Matteo Rini

Astrophysicist and science communicator Neil deGrasse Tyson shares some thoughts on why and how scientists should communicate to the public.

[Physics 17, 175] Published Thu Dec 12, 2024

A fireball lit up the skies over Indiana early Tuesday morning (Dec. 10), illuminating the cloud cover as it burned through the atmosphere.

© Mel Uberto

Author(s): Ryan Wilkinson

Researchers have devised a way to use atoms in optical lattices to model high-temperature superconductors, whose behavior is not yet fully understood.

[Physics 17, s144] Published Thu Dec 12, 2024

Author(s): Elizabeth Fernandez

A simplified model of how yarns interact shows that a piece of knitted fabric can have many stable resting states depending on its history of deformation.

[Physics 17, s153] Published Thu Dec 12, 2024

A documentary about the life and love of America's first woman in space will premiere at the Sundance Film Festival. "SALLY," from National Geographic, reveals the legacy of astronaut Sally Ride.

© National Geographic

The fate of multiple realities is in the hands of two Boimlers and a lot of Harry Kims in 'Star Trek: Lower Decks' season 5, episode 9 "Fissure Quest".

© Paramount

New measurements from NASA's Juno probe have seemingly put to bed the possibility of a magma ocean beneath the surface of Io.

© (left) NASA/JPL-Caltech/SwRI/MSSS Image processing by Emma Wälimäki; (inset) NASA/JPL-Caltech/SwRI/MSSS/AndreaLuck

The constellation Taurus the Bull is an easy one to find in the Northern Hemisphere’s fall and winter skies. It stands opposite the Sun at the beginning of December. The head of the figure is a large V of stars, and standing out among them is the ruddy 1st-magnitude star Aldebaran (Alpha [α] Tauri) markingContinue reading "The best deep-sky targets in Taurus"

The post The best deep-sky targets in Taurus appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.

A grand spiral galaxy takes center stage in a new image from the Hubble Space Telescope.

© ESA/Hubble & NASA, A. Riess, D. Thilker, D. De Martin (ESA/Hubble), M. Zamani (ESA/Hubble)

Games Workshop and Amazon have finally sealed the creative vision for several Warhammer 40,000 projects, with a TV show leading the charge.

© GamesWorkshop / Getty Images (Jerod Harris)

The space agency has learned a lot over 10 years observing the weather of our solar system's outer planets.

© NASA, ESA, Amy Simon (NASA-GSFC), Michael H. Wong (UC Berkeley); Image Processing: Joseph DePasquale (STScI)

Japanese company ispace signs agreement with Magna Petra for lunar collaboration and resource mining on future missions to the moon.

© ispace

NASA is aiming for February 2025 to launch its SPHEREx observatory, which will produce 3D maps of the entire visible sky.

© BAE Systems

On Christmas Eve, NASA's Parker Solar Probe will break its own records for speed and closest approach to the sun.

© Applied Physics Lab and NASA Goddard Space Flight Center

Astronomers have discovered a new vast Odd Radio Circle, or "ORC," that could help determine the origin of this strange galaxy-encompassing phenomenon.

© Ray Norris., et al/ arxiv (2024)

"The Moonwalkers" is landing in Houston. More than a year after the immersive film debuted in London, "The Moonwalkers: A Journey with Tom Hanks" is set to make its US premiere at Space Center Houston.

© Lightroom/J. Sutcliffe / Space Center Houston / collectSPACE.com

Ingenuity may never fly above the surface of Mars again, but the downed helicopter is otherwise healthy and could serve as a weather station for decades, JPL says.

© NASA/JPL-Caltech/LANL/CNES/CNRS

Seismometers Track Atmospheric Shock Waves from Incoming Space Debris

© AMS/Christopher H.

In its third episode, Star Wars: Skeleton Crew gets into a groove and answers more questions than expected.

© Disney Plus

Two giant asteroids that struck Earth about 36 million years ago did not cause any long-lasting shifts to our planet's climate, according to new research.

© European Space Agency

Author(s): Rachel Berkowitz

Studies of influenza A’s unusual propulsion strategy suggest that drugs could target a critical protein.

[Physics 17, 177] Published Wed Dec 11, 2024

Author(s): Charles Day

Calculations have uncovered two previously unknown forces that act on nonspherical particles in a sound field.

[Physics 17, s155] Published Wed Dec 11, 2024

The follow-up to MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries feels like an alternative rather than an upgrade, but it's a perfect entry point for newcomers.

© Piranha Games

NASA has developed special probes that will fly aboard F-15B jets trailing closely behind its X-59 "quiet" supersonic jet in order to measure the shock waves it produces.

© NASA/Steve Freeman

When the sun's fury disrupts high-tech farming, precision turns to chaos.

© Tlillico via Getty Images/video converted to GIF.

Scientists are rethinking a long-held belief that the liquid responsible for shaping Mars' surface must have been water.

© gremlin/Getty Images

Rocket Lab's pioneering suborbital launch last month conducted hypersonic tests for the U.S. military, the company has revealed.

© Rocket Lab

Warmth on sunny days could be a major trigger for instigating dust storm activity on Mars.

© NASA/ESA/STScI

Emanuele La Barbera, taken from Piano Battaglia, Sicily, Italy The Pleiades (M45) star cluster is one of the most famous naked-eye objects in the sky, but only deep photographic exposures reveal the complexity of the fine strands of dust surrounding the stars. This imager took 28 hours of exposure with a 3.4-inch scope with aContinue reading "Hair of the Pleiades"

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Using the Large Hadron Collider and the ALICE detector scientists have found the heavist antimatter particle yet, generated in Big Bang like conditions.

© Janik Ditzel for the ALICE collaboration

We have only one example of biology forming in the universe – life on Earth. But what if life can form in other ways? How do you look for alien life when you don’t know what alien life might look like? These questions are preoccupying astrobiologists, who are scientists who look for life beyond Earth. Astrobiologists haveContinue reading "How we might look for life in the universe — even if we can’t recognize it"

The post How we might look for life in the universe — even if we can’t recognize it appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket illuminated the Christmas tree during the holiday lighting ceremony that coincided with a Starlink satellite launch at Vandenberg Space Force Base on Dec. 4.

© U.S. Space Force/Staff Sgt. Joshua LeRoi

We may be racing against the clock to identify signs of life on Mars — and it's all because of cosmic rays.

© NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU/MSSS

One possible reason why we haven't found any intelligent life in the cosmos the Great Filter argument, which says that very few civilizations make it to the advanced spacefaring stage.

© Yuga Kurita/Getty Images

PRESS RELEASEFor immediate release Contact:Erik Spangenberg(203)-550-3196erik@firecrown.com CHATTANOOGA, TN — The Space Store, an e-commerce retailer specializing in space-themed merchandise, has opened its first physical retail space in downtown Chattanooga. The Space Store got its start in 1996, as one of the first e-commerce businesses on the internet. For the past 28 years, The Space StoreContinue reading "The largest space merch retailer in the world opens its first brick-and-mortar retail store in downtown Chattanooga"

The post The largest space merch retailer in the world opens its first brick-and-mortar retail store in downtown Chattanooga appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.

NASA is developing autonomous software to recognize faults and hazards on worlds like Europa, and prevent or fix them without having to await commands from Earth.

© NASA

Author(s): Charles Day

Experiments with colloidal particles have uncovered conditions where an intermediate layer that separates a crystallizing liquid from its solid forms.

[Physics 17, s149] Published Tue Dec 10, 2024

A longtime amateur astronomer shares his favorite apps for enjoying time under the starry skies.

The post Best astronomy apps for stargazing in 2024 appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.

Spend time over the holidays with Pike and Number One in this latest 'Star Trek' adventure, "Strange New Worlds: Asylum" from Una McCormack.

© Pocket Books/Star Trek 

Astrophotographer Miguel Claro of Portugal captured a stunning display of Geminid meteors in these spectacular time-lapse photos.

© Miguel Claro

A "bizarre" E-shaped aurora was recently photographed dancing in the sky above Alaska. The unusual light show was caused by rare black auroras, a.k.a. anti-auroras, which catapult charged particles from the sun back out of Earth's atmosphere and into space.

© Todd Salat/<a href="https://www.aurorahunter.com/" target="_blank">aurorahunter.com</a>

A team of astronomers just spotted dozens of tiny asteroids in JWST date — including the smallest ever seen in the main belt between Mars and Jupiter.

© MIT/Ella Maru and Julien de Wit

A recap of "Dune: Prophecy" Episode 4, "Twice Born"

© HBO/Max

The astronaut and MIT engineer's monumental milestone was marred by misogyny: "Instead of being on cloud nine, I’m crying in my seat."

© Blue Origin

A new trailer and poster for "Star Trek: Section 31" were just released by Paramount+ and it's certainly explosive.

© Paramount+

SpaceX just test-fired the Super Heavy first stage of its seventh Starship megarocket, which is being prepped for a launch in the coming weeks.

© SpaceX

It’s back: Astronomy magazine’s free downloadable Sky Guide, your preview of everything happening in the sky next year.  Mars opens 2025 by reaching opposition the night of Jan. 15/16, when it shines brighter and appears larger through a telescope than at any time since December 2022. You’ll find it in Gemini, near the heads ofContinue reading "A look ahead to the sky next year: Sky Guide 2025"

The post A look ahead to the sky next year: Sky Guide 2025 appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.

Author(s): Matteo Rini and Michael Schirber

Researchers at Google Quantum AI have demonstrated “below-threshold” error correction, a necessary condition for building noise-resistant quantum computers that are sufficiently large to perform useful computations.

[Physics 17, 176] Published Mon Dec 09, 2024

The Hubble Space Telescope has peered deeper than ever before into the heart of the supermassive black hole-powered quasar 3C, 273 spotting "weird" structures.

© NASA, ESA, Bin Ren (Université Côte d’Azur/CNRS); Acknowledgment: John Bahcall (IAS); Image Processing: Joseph DePasquale (STScI)

Scientists have found that the moon's oldest crater is rounder than we thought, which may mean future moon astronauts in the region could find and study rocks from deep within the moon's mantle or crust.

© NASA/JPL/USGS

Stars in binaries with black holes usually suffer gruesome fates, but two systems discovered by Gaia hint at a survival mechanism.

© Robert Lea (created with Canva)

Is it possible to view Pluto from a backyard telescope? Ethan SpykerWadsworth, Ohio If I’m being honest, Pluto is difficult for an amateur astronomer to see. A standard 8-inch telescope just won’t do the trick. That’s because Pluto hasn’t been brighter than 14th magnitude since the fall of 2004. It reached perihelion (its closest approach toContinue reading "Can you view Pluto in a backyard telescope?"

The post Can you view Pluto in a backyard telescope? appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.

MIT scientists are developing an artificial intelligence (AI) tool that creates realistic satellite images of potential flooding scenarios.

© Planet Labs PBC

NASA's TESS satellite has discovered a Neptune-sized exoplanet closely orbiting its host star. It's just the fourth object of its kind ever identified.

© NASA/JPL-Caltech/K. Miller (Caltech/IPAC)

Author(s): Rachel Berkowitz

Through its interactions with a crystal, light becomes an opaque object—an effect that could be harnessed in applications.

[Physics 17, 174] Published Mon Dec 09, 2024

In this episode, Dave Eicher invites you to observe the Geminid meteor shower, which will peak during the early morning hours of December 14. The best time to view them is after midnight, but you may see some in the evening hours as well. Get comfortable and look straight overhead for fast moving (and quicklyContinue reading "This Week in Astronomy with Dave Eicher: the Geminid meteor shower"

The post This Week in Astronomy with Dave Eicher: the Geminid meteor shower appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.

A recap of "Silo" Season 2 Episode 4 titled "The Harmonium"

© Apple TV+

'Hubble was right!' The largest cosmic survey from the James Webb Space Telescope indicates scientists may need another ingredient in their cosmic recipe.

© NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, Jose M. Diego (IFCA), Jordan C. J. D’Silva (UWA), Anton M. Koekemoer (STScI), Jake Summers (ASU), Rogier Windhorst (ASU), Haojing Yan (University of Missouri)

The Geminid meteor shower is one of the most anticipated meteor showers of the year and with good reason!

© Photo by Costfoto/NurPhoto via Getty Images

In 1874, James Nasmyth and James Carpenter published a remarkable book: The Moon: Considered as a Planet, a World, and a Satellite. Lavishly illustrated with spectacular images of lunar features based on their own observations and exquisite plaster models, it served as a platform for the authors to advance their views on the nature andContinue reading "The Moon as it never was"

The post The Moon as it never was appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.

Studying how much the Uranian moons sway in orbit may reveal whether or not they have oceans inside of them. NASA is in the early stages of planning a mission to do just that.

© NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI

Watch the moment an impulsive X-class solar flare explodes from the sun in a dramatic eruption.

© NOAA

Construction of the world's largest telescope moves forward with progress of the dome and housing for the primary mirror.

© ESO/G. Vecchia

Astronomers have discovered that large flows of cold gas created by collisions between galaxies in the early universe may have forged some of the most monstrous star systems.

© NASA/ ESA

A countdown is underway at NASA's Florida spaceport, ticking down until the public can experience a rocket engine test. Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex has announced The Gantry at LC-39.

© Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex

On Sunday (Dec. 8), the moon will pass near Saturn, sharing the same right ascension in an event known as a conjunction. Viewers can expect to see the moon near Saturn shortly after sunset.

© Chris Vaughan/Starry Night

SpaceX launched 23 more of its Starlink internet satellites from Florida's Space Coast early Sunday morning (Dec. 8).

© SpaceX

A proposed mission known as Uranus Orbiter and Probe would conduct a multiyear orbital tour to yield knowledge of ice giants in general and the Uranus system in particular.

© NASA/JPL-Caltech

Another Disney classic is getting a makeover: Lilo & Stitch are crash-landing on Earth in 2025.

© Disney

On Episode 139 of This Week In Space, Rod and Tariq talk with Leonard David to cover a broad swath, from the choice for the NASA Administrator to new delays for the Artemis program to UFOs/UAPs!

© TWiT

Space weather experts warn that solar activity will persist or even increase after solar maximum has ended and we enter a phase of the solar cycle dubbed the "battle zone."

© NASA/Solar Dynamics Observatory

The Arctic's ice cover could dip below a crucial threshold as soon as 2027, and will do so inevitably in the next 20 years if greenhouse gas emissions continue, scientists warn.

© Chase Dekker Wild-Life Images/Getty Images

Scientists may have discovered a limit to how massive black holes can grow. If they're right, we may have already discovered the largest possible ultramassive black hole!

© Robert Lea (created with Canva)/NASA

Santiago Ramos Avila, taken from Moratalla, Spain The dust clouds in this field near the border of Libra and Ophiuchus take on the appearance of an eagle, with a bright star (HD 142269) as its eye. The brighter emission in this field is associated with LBN 10, and the darker clouds — especially around theContinue reading "A dusty eagle"

The post A dusty eagle appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.

After an arduous ascent to the rim of Mars' Jezero Crater, NASA's Perseverance rover is doing a little sightseeing.

© NASA/JPL-Caltech

A car-sized asteroid will pass us at about half the distance between Earth and its moon tonight (Dec. 6).

© ESA - P.Carril

Main-belt comets that scientists keep finding could provide new insights into the birth of our solar system.

© Scott S. Sheppard, Carnegie Institution for Science/Audrey Thirouin, Lowell Observatory/Henry H. Hsieh, PSI

Jupiter will reach opposition on Dec. 7, rising opposite of the sun as seen from Earth. It will also make its closest approach to us, appearing brighter in our sky.

© Chris Vaughan/Starry Night

"Interstellar" returns to IMAX theaters for a one-week run today for its 10th anniversary.

© Paramount

A map of the universe in gravitational waves could reveal "hidden" black holes, supermassive black hole collisions, and the large-scale structure of the cosmos.

© Carl Knox, OzGrav, Swinburne University of Technology and South African Radio Astronomy Observatory

Author(s): Mark Buchanan

A proposed remote-sensing scheme could potentially probe targets hundreds of kilometers away and uses one of the strangest quantum properties of light.

[Physics 17, 173] Published Fri Dec 06, 2024

The NASA project NEOWISE, which has given astronomers a detailed view of near-Earth objects – some of which could strike the Earth – ended its mission and burned on re-entering the atmosphere after over a decade. On a clear night, the sky is full of bright objects – from stars, large planets and galaxies toContinue reading "A look back at NEOWISE, the NASA mission that cataloged objects around Earth for over a decade"

The post A look back at NEOWISE, the NASA mission that cataloged objects around Earth for over a decade appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.

Iranian state media claimed one of the country's Simorgh rockets launched its largest payload yet, sending three spacecraft into low-Earth orbit on Dec. 6.

© Iranian Ministry of Defense

Interstellar Arc will transport visitors on an "epic deep space adventure" when it blasts off next year.

© Felix & Paul Studios

Meet 'Blackbird': A flying taxi that spins and moves in any direction thanks to new propulsion system

© CycloTech

Although it completed its mission in July, NASA’s Near-Earth Object Wide-Field Infrared Survey Explorer (NEOWISE) still has interesting archival data covering the solar system thanks to the team at the Infrared Processing & Analysis Center (IPAC) at Caltech. After the spacecraft burned up in the atmosphere in November, IPAC completed a final data release ofContinue reading "NASA releases new infrared images from retired NEOWISE mission"

The post NASA releases new infrared images from retired NEOWISE mission appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.

A new celestial navigation system designed for drones could make them harder to detect by eliminating the need for GPS signal emissions.

© U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Harrison Rakhshani

For the second time this year, NASA has pushed back its timeline to land the first Americans on the Moon since the Apollo era. NASA Administrator Bill Nelson on Thursday revealed that due to an issue with the heat shield on NASA’s Orion capsule discovered during the 2022 Artemis 1 test mission, the Artemis 3Continue reading "NASA pushes first Moon landing since Apollo era to 2027"

The post NASA pushes first Moon landing since Apollo era to 2027 appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.

The December Geminids  —  one of the best meteor showers of the year  —  will be adversely affected by bright moonlight, appearing the on the night before the full moon.

© Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu via Getty Images

Data from a now defunct NASA spacecraft has revealed a massive internal reservior of organic material within the second wettest solar system body, Ceres.

© NASA/JPL-Caltech/UCLA/ASI/INAF/MPS/DLR/IDA

The Zwicky Transient Facility has reached an incredible milestone, classifying over 10,000 supernovas, cosmic explosions that mark the death of massive stars.

© NASA/DOE/Fermi LAT Collaboration, CXC/SAO/JPL-Caltech/Steward/O. Krause et al., and NRAO/AUI

A new video from the International Space Station shows SpaceX's Crew Dragon alongside the Milky Way, as the bright sun rises on the spacecraft's face.

© NASA

SpaceX's 31st robotic Dragon cargo capsule is set to depart the International Space Station this morning (Dec. 6), and you can watch the action live.

© NASA

Friday, December 6Asteroid 15 Eunomia is making its way through central Auriga this month, passing numerous deep-sky objects along the way.  By 9 P.M. local time this evening, the asteroid is nearly 50° high in the eastern sky. It’s skimming close to 5th-magnitude Phi (φ) Aurigae, just 1° east of the star tonight. Now magnitudeContinue reading "The Sky This Week from December 6 to 13: Jupiter reaches opposition"

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President-elect Donald Trump has picked private astronaut and billionaire tech entrepreneur Jared Isaacman as the administrator of NASA. Trump confirmed the nomination on Wednesday in a post on X. “Jared will drive NASA’s mission of discovery and inspiration, paving the way for groundbreaking achievements in Space science, technology, and exploration,” Trump wrote in the post. “OverContinue reading "Trump chooses first private spacewalker Jared Isaacman as NASA head"

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A small asteroid lit up the skies over northern Siberia Wednesday (Dec. 4) after burning up in Earth's atmosphere in a "spectacular" (yet harmless) fireball.

© Sakha Republic Ministry Of Internal Affairs

Scientists have gathered new evidence to suggest icy comets indeed brought water to Earth, long ago.

© ESA/Rosetta/NAVCAM – CC BY-SA IGO 3.0

In a study published today in Science, researchers say they have solved a climate enigma — the inexplicable surge in global temperature in 2023, rising faster than climate models predicted. By analyzing satellite data and weather records, a team of climatologists in Germany have found that the culprit is likely fewer clouds at low altitudesContinue reading "Low-level clouds play surprise role in global warming"

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