San Diego CA (SPX) Apr 14, 2025
Every galaxy is thought to form at the center of a dark matter halo - a region of gravitationally bound matter that extends far beyond the visible boundaries of a galaxy. Stars are formed when gravity within dark matter halos draws in gas, but astrophysicists don't yet know whether star-free dark matter halos exist. Now Ethan Nadler, a computational astrophysicist at UC San Diego, has calc

Tokyo, Japan (SPX) Apr 14, 2025
New research led by Satoya Nakano and Kengo Tachihara at Nagoya University has uncovered compelling evidence that the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC), one of the Milky Way's closest galactic neighbors, is undergoing tidal disruption due to gravitational forces from its larger companion, the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC). Published in The Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series, the findings offer ne

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Apr 14, 2025
The Solar Orbiter mission, a collaboration between NASA and ESA, has detected the most intense concentration of the rare helium-3 (3He) isotope ever recorded from the Sun, sparking new interest in the origin of solar energetic particles (SEPs). Scientists led by Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) have now traced the source of this extraordinary event to a diminutive solar jet on the Sun's surfa

Paris, France (SPX) Apr 14, 2025
ESA's XMM-Newton telescope has become instrumental in monitoring an extraordinary cosmic awakening: a massive black hole in a galaxy 300 million light-years away has transitioned from complete dormancy to producing the most powerful and extended X-ray eruptions ever observed. The black hole lies in SDSS1335+0728, an otherwise unremarkable galaxy in Virgo. After decades of inactivity, it be

Pasadena CA (JPL) Apr 14, 2025
Earth planning date: Wednesday, April 9, 2025: Our drive from Monday's plan was mostly successful, putting us ~22 meters down the "road" out of an expected 30 meters. A steering command halted the drive a little short when we tried to turn-in-place but instead turned into a rock, which also had the effect of making our position too unstable for arm activities. Oh well! APXS data has been showing

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Apr 14, 2025
Astronomers at W. M. Keck Observatory on Maunakea, Hawai'i, have traced the origin of 2024 YR4, an Earth-crossing asteroid discovered in December 2024, to a surprising location. Contrary to expectations, the solid, stony asteroid appears to have emerged from a central Main Belt asteroid family between Mars and Jupiter-a region not previously associated with Earth-crossing bodies. "YR4 spin

Washington DC (SPX) Apr 14, 2025
The asteroid 2024 YR4 made headlines in February with the news that it had a chance of hitting Earth on Dec. 22, 2032, as determined by an analysis from NASA's Center for Near Earth Object Studies (CNEOS) at the agency's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California. The probability of collision peaked at over 3% on Feb. 18 - the highest ever recorded for an object of its size. This sparked c

Pasadena CA (JPL) Apr 14, 2025
Scientists with NASA's Perseverance rover are exploring what they consider a veritable Martian cornucopia full of intriguing rocky outcrops on the rim of Jezero Crater. Studying rocks, boulders, and outcrops helps scientists understand the planet's history, evolution, and potential for past or present habitability. Since January, the rover has cored five rocks on the rim, sealing samples from th

Sydney, Australia (SPX) Apr 14, 2025
The Chang'e 6 mission has unveiled that the Moon's far side mantle holds significantly less water than its near side, offering crucial insight into the Moon's geological history. Analysis of rock samples from the mission indicates water content in the far side's mantle is as low as 1 to 1.5 micrograms per gram-less than 2 parts per million-marking the driest values ever recorded in lunar geology

Washington DC (UPI) Apr 12, 2025
SpaceX on Saturday launched Starshield satellites for the National Reconnaissance Office from California then 12 hours later 21 Starlink satellites from Florida. The Falcon 9 lifted off at 5:25 a.m. PDT from Vandenberg Space Force Base's pad 4E. The number of spy satellites wasn't revealed. At 8:53 p.m. EDT, another Falcon 9 lifted off from Kennedy Space Center's pad 39A.