Tokyo, Japan (SPX) Nov 06, 2025
Researchers at the National Institutes of Natural Sciences have established a new method to determine the altitude distribution of blue aurora using a single hyperspectral camera. Inspired by laboratory plasma techniques, the team estimated auroral heights through analysis of sunlight-excited resonant scattering along the camera's line of sight. Traditional approaches for capturing auroral

London, UK (SPX) Nov 06, 2025
Astronomers from University College London and the University of Warwick have discovered that ageing stars may be responsible for destroying giant planets in close orbits. When stars similar to the Sun exhaust their hydrogen fuel, they expand and cool, entering the red giant phase. This transformation can lead to the engulfment and destruction of closely orbiting giant planets. The researc

Chicago, IL (SPX) Nov 06, 2025
Research led by UChicago's Eliza Kempton finds some 'mini-Neptunes' likely have solid surfaces rather than molten interiors A new study finds that many "mini-Neptunes" - perhaps the most common planets in the galaxy - are under so much pressure from their heavy atmospheres that the surface is likely compressed solid. Illustration courtesy NASA/JPL-Caltech/R. Hurt (IPAC) As telescopes

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Nov 06, 2025
Astronomers at the W. M. Keck Observatory have observed the innermost zones where planets begin to take shape, using the Near-Infrared Camera (NIRC2) on Maunakea, Hawaii. Their study targeted HD 34282, a young star surrounded by dust and gas roughly 400 light-years away. The telescope's advanced imaging tools enabled the team to study regions close to the star that were previously out of r

Berlin, Germany (SPX) Nov 06, 2025
Black holes are considered cosmic gluttons, from which not even light can escape. That is also why the images of black holes at the center of the galaxy M87 and our Milky Way, published a few years ago by the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) collaboration, broke new ground. "What you see on these images is not the black hole itself, but rather the hot matter in its immediate vicinity," explains Pro

London, UK (SPX) Nov 06, 2025
A new study led by scientists from Yonsei University suggests the universe has begun to slow its expansion, contradicting the widely held belief that this rate has been accelerating. Their research raises substantial doubts about the standard model that identifies dark energy as the cause for ongoing acceleration. The investigation, published in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical So

Berkeley, CA (SPX) Nov 06, 2025
The first dual-satellite mission to another planet, NASA's ESCAPADE (Escape and Plasma Acceleration and Dynamics Explorers), is scheduled for launch no earlier than Sunday, Nov. 9, from Cape Canaveral, Florida. The two identical spacecraft are managed and operated by the University of California, Berkeley, and will fly in formation to map the magnetic fields, upper atmosphere and ionosphere of M

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Nov 06, 2025
Starlab Space LLC has appointed Leidos to direct U.S.-based assembly, integration, and testing activities for its new commercial space station. Leidos will assemble and integrate station modules, ensuring their compatibility and verifying systems performance at facilities in Alabama. The agreement includes responsibilities for safety, mission assurance, and systems engineering, supporting Starla

Sydney, Australia (SPX) Nov 06, 2025
Rocket Lab has completed its 74th Electron mission, launching a synthetic aperture radar satellite, QPS-SAR-14 (YACHIHOKO-I), for Institute for Q-shu Pioneers of Space, Inc. (iQPS). This marks the sixth dedicated Electron launch for iQPS, and advances their Earth-imaging constellation. The 'Nation God Navigates' mission lifted off from Rocket Lab Complex 1 in New Zealand at 19:51 UTC on No

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This shimmering view of interstellar gas and dust was captured by the European Space Agency’s Euclid space telescope. The nebula is part of a so-called dark cloud, named LDN 1641. It sits at about 1300 light-years from Earth, within a sprawling complex of dusty gas clouds where stars are being formed, in the constellation of Orion.

In visible light this region of the sky appears mostly dark, with few stars dotting what seems to be a primarily empty background. But, by imaging the cloud with the infrared eyes of its NISP instrument, Euclid reveals a multitude of stars