Tokyo, Japan (SPX) Jun 30, 2023
An international research team used the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) to observe disks around 19 protostars with a very high resolution to search for the earliest signs of planet formation. This survey was motivated by the recent findings that planet formation may be well-underway in the more-evolved proto-planetary disks, but until now there had been no systematic study to

Paris (ESA) Jun 30, 2023
Euclid of Alexandria is considered to be the 'father' of geometry. In his most famous work, 'Elements', he brought together the knowledge of mathematics available in his time, presented it in a consistent way and defined a strict method of proof that became the model for later mathematics. Many structures, theorems and proofs are therefore named after Euclid - and now also a space telescope. The

Washington DC (SPX) Jun 30, 2023
From visible starlight to radio waves, the Milky Way galaxy has long been observed through the various frequencies of electromagnetic radiation it emits. Scientists have now revealed a uniquely different image of our galaxy by determining the galactic origin of thousands of neutrinos - invisible "ghost particles" which exist in great quantities but normally pass straight through Earth undetected

Helsinki, Finland (SPX) Jun 30, 2023
How are plasma eruptions in near-Earth space formed? Vlasiator, a model designed at the University of Helsinki for simulating near-Earth space, demonstrated that the two central theories on the occurrence of eruptions are simultaneously valid: eruptions are explained by both magnetic reconnection and kinetic instabilities. Rapid plasma eruptions known as plasmoids take place on the nightsi

Kashiwa, Japan (SPX) Jun 30, 2023
New images from the James Webb Space Telescope have revealed, for the first time, starlight from two massive galaxies hosting actively growing black holes - quasars - seen less than a billion years after the Big Bang. A new study in Nature this week finds the black holes have masses close to a billion times that of the Sun, and the host galaxy masses are almost one hundred times larger, a ratio

Greenbelt MD (SPX) Jun 30, 2023
Galaxies are not scattered randomly across the universe. They gather together not only into clusters, but into vast interconnected filamentary structures with gigantic barren voids in between. This "cosmic web" started out tenuous and became more distinct over time as gravity drew matter together. Astronomers using NASA's James Webb Space Telescope have discovered a thread-like arrangement

Charlottesville VA (SPX) Jun 30, 2023
Scientists using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) to study the protoplanetary disk around a young star have discovered the most compelling chemical evidence to date of the formation of protoplanets. The discovery will provide astronomers with an alternate method for detecting and characterizing protoplanets when direct observations or imaging are not possible. The results

Pasadena CA (JPL) Jun 28, 2023
We made it! We are peeking up over the edge of the ridge that we have been trying to climb for a few weeks now. The view ahead is spectacular but it's worth pausing for a minute to look back down into the canyon. You can faintly see rover tracks in the centre of the image, left behind as we slowly made our way up the hill. Lots of slipping and sliding, and drives ending too soon or terminating o

Sydney, Australia (SPX) Jun 30, 2023
The Indian Space Research Agency (ISRO) is preparing for the anticipated launch of its third lunar expedition, dubbed Chandrayaan-3. Officials from the agency disclosed that the mission is tentatively scheduled for mid-July. A high-ranking ISRO official mentioned, "We have the launch window between July 12 and July 19. The exact date has not been finalised." The Chairman of ISRO and

Providence RI (SPX) Jun 30, 2023
A study led by Brown University researchers offers new insights into how water from melting ice could have played a recent role in the formation of ravine-like channels that cut down the sides of impact craters on Mars. The study, published in Science, focuses on Martian gullies, which look eerily similar to gullies that form on Earth in the Dry Valleys of Antarctica and are caused by wate