Infinity Cosmos

  This artist’s concept shows NASA’s Lunar Trailblazer in lunar orbit, 60 miles (100 kilometers) from the Moon's surface. The spacecraft weighs 440 pounds (200 kilograms) and measures 11.5 feet (3.5 meters) wide with solar panels fully deployed. NASA’s upcoming Lunar Trailblazer mission aims to uncover the elusive presence of water on the Moon, targeting key questions about its location, form, and behavior. Launching next year, this small satellite will orbit the Moon, utilizing advanced instruments to map water in unprecedented detail. Despite previous findings indicating water could exist in various forms—such as surface ice in permanently shadowed craters and as molecules scattered across the surface—scientists lack a comprehensive understanding of the lunar water cycle. Lunar Trailblazer will address this gap by analyzing the abundance and distribution of lunar water over time. Bethany Ehlmann, principal investigator for the mission at Caltech, highlights its significance: “Und...

  This image displays nine candidate landing regions for NASA’s Artemis III mission, highlighting multiple potential sites for the first crewed Moon landing in over 50 years, with a background mosaic from the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter's Wide Angle Camera. As NASA gears up for its first crewed Moon landing in over fifty years, the agency has unveiled an updated list of nine potential landing regions near the lunar South Pole for its upcoming Artemis III mission. These sites will undergo further scientific and engineering evaluations as part of the agency's preparations. “Artemis will return humanity to the Moon and explore uncharted territories,” said Lakiesha Hawkins, assistant deputy associate administrator for the Moon to Mars Program Office. “Our selection of these regions underscores our commitment to ensuring crew safety while unlocking new scientific discoveries on the lunar surface.” The refined candidate landing regions, selected by NASA’s Cross Agency Site Selection...

  A recent study conducted by a team of astronomers utilizing NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory has unveiled critical insights into the challenging environments for planet formation within the star cluster Cygnus OB2. Located approximately 4,600 light-years from Earth, Cygnus OB2 is home to hundreds of massive stars that emit high-energy radiation capable of disrupting the delicate disks of dust and gas that form new planets. The researchers employed a combination of X-ray, ultraviolet, optical, and infrared data to map the cluster, revealing areas where the chances of planetary formation are significantly reduced. The study highlights the impact of massive stars on their surroundings, particularly through the process of “photoevaporation,” where radiation accelerates the evaporation of planet-forming disks, diminishing their potential to coalesce into planets. In regions with high concentrations of massive stars, the fraction of young stars retaining their disks plummets to about 1...

  NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory captured images of a solar flare on Oct. 26, 2024, displaying bright flashes in three panes, each showcasing extreme ultraviolet light in teal, gold, and red to highlight the hot material in the flare. On October 26, 2024, at 3:19 a.m. ET, the Sun unleashed a powerful solar flare, peaking in intensity as recorded by NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory. This event has been classified as an X1.8 class flare, indicating it is among the most potent solar flares observed. Solar flares are explosive bursts of energy that can disrupt radio communications, affect electric power grids, and interfere with navigation signals. They also pose potential risks to spacecraft and astronauts in orbit. For updates on the potential impact of this solar event on Earth, NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center offers real-time forecasts and alerts. NASA continues to monitor the Sun's activity through a dedicated fleet of spacecraft, studying solar phenomena and their ...

  Recent research in the journal *Astrobiology* explores the provocative idea that life might not require a planet to exist. Traditionally, planets like Earth are seen as ideal for supporting life due to their gravity, atmosphere, and abundance of essential elements. However, scientists are challenging this notion, suggesting that life could potentially flourish in space. One example of life surviving without a planetary surface is the astronauts aboard the International Space Station, who rely on Earth for resources. Yet, simpler organisms, like tardigrades, demonstrate resilience in the harsh conditions of space, raising questions about the potential for more complex life forms to do the same. For a community of organisms to thrive in space, several challenges must be addressed. First, a colony would need to maintain pressure against the vacuum of space, achievable through a membrane or shell. This is comparable to the pressure difference experienced underwater at depths of about...

  In a groundbreaking study published in *Nature*, physicists from MIT and Caltech have revealed the first observed "black hole triple" system, prompting new questions about the formation of black holes. This unique system features a central black hole that is actively consuming a small star every 6.5 days, while a second, more distant star orbits the black hole every 70,000 years. Traditionally, black holes are believed to form from the explosive deaths of massive stars in a process known as supernovae. However, the presence of the outer star raises significant questions about this narrative. If the central black hole had formed through a typical supernova, it would have expelled nearby objects due to the immense energy released. The fact that this second star remains in orbit suggests a different origin: a more gentle “direct collapse,” where a star collapses under its own gravity without a violent explosion. Kevin Burdge, a Pappalardo Fellow at MIT and co-author of the stu...

  This NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope image features the spiral galaxy IC 3225, a striking cosmic entity that resembles a comet racing through the cosmos. In a stunning image captured by the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope, the spiral galaxy IC 3225 appears to soar through space, resembling a comet with a trailing stream of gas. Located approximately 100 million light-years from Earth, this galaxy is a dynamic participant in the bustling Virgo galaxy cluster, which houses over 1,300 members. The interactions within the Virgo cluster create a dense field of hot gas, known as the intracluster medium, exerting significant pressure on galaxies like IC 3225. As it moves through this medium, the galaxy experiences "ram pressure," a force that can strip away star-forming gas and dust, potentially halting new star formation. Interestingly, ram pressure can also compress regions of a galaxy, possibly leading to increased star formation. IC 3225's structure hints at a history of t...

  NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory captured this image of a solar flare on Oct. 23, 2024, showcasing the bright flash on the left. The image highlights extremely hot material in flares, shown in colorized orange extreme ultraviolet light. On October 23, 2024, a powerful solar flare peaked at 11:57 p.m. ET, as recorded by NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory. This event, classified as an X3.3 class flare, marks it among the most intense solar flares observed. Solar flares are sudden bursts of energy that can disrupt radio communications, electric power grids, navigation signals, and pose risks to spacecraft and astronauts. The X-class designation signifies the flare's high intensity, with the number indicating its strength. To learn more about potential impacts of this solar activity on Earth, visit NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center at https://spaceweather.gov/ . This official resource provides forecasts, watches, warnings, and alerts related to space weather. NASA continuously m...

  Galaxies have been merging into increasingly larger structures throughout cosmic history, and with these mergers come the inevitable convergence of supermassive black holes at their centers. For decades, astrophysicists have grappled with a crucial question: how can these black holes get close enough to spiral together and merge, given that they seem to stall at a critical distance known as the final parsec? Recent evidence suggests that these black holes do merge, supported by observations of gravitational waves—ripples in spacetime detected by pulsar timing arrays. These waves likely originate from closely orbiting supermassive black holes, challenging the long-held belief that they would indefinitely orbit each other without merging.  A new theory proposes that dark matter, the elusive substance constituting about 85% of the universe's mass, might play a key role in overcoming this final-parsec problem. Recent studies indicate that complex forms of dark matter, such as se...

  An international team of astronomers has made a groundbreaking discovery using the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), identifying the first rich population of brown dwarf candidates in the star cluster NGC 602, located in the Small Magellanic Cloud, approximately 200,000 light-years from Earth. NGC 602, a young star cluster, serves as an analogue for conditions in the early Universe, characterized by low metallicity and the presence of dense dust clouds and ionised gas indicative of ongoing star formation. This environment, along with the cluster's HII region N90, offers a unique opportunity to study star formation in a setting vastly different from our solar neighborhood. Led by Peter Zeidler from AURA/STScI for the European Space Agency, the team’s observations revealed candidates for young brown dwarfs—objects too massive to be considered planets but not quite stars, with masses ranging from about 13 to 75 times that of Jupiter. “Only with the incredible sensitivity and spatia...

  NOAA has released the inaugural images from the Compact Coronagraph (CCOR-1), the world's first operational, space-based coronagraph, aboard the newly launched GOES-19 satellite. CCOR-1 began its observations of the sun's corona—the faint outermost layer of the solar atmosphere—on September 19, 2024. The primary function of CCOR-1 is to monitor the corona to predict coronal mass ejections (CMEs), which are significant expulsions of plasma and magnetic fields from the sun. These events can trigger geomagnetic storms on Earth, impacting satellites, navigation systems like GPS, aviation communications, and electric power grids. The stunning auroras seen in the night sky are a direct result of these storms interacting with Earth's upper atmosphere. CCOR-1 offers continuous coverage of the solar corona, capturing a new image every 15 minutes. It employs an occulting disk to obscure the bright sun, allowing scientists to observe the faint corona. The initial video showcases a w...

  The universe is filled with enigmatic objects that challenge our understanding of physics, and black holes are among the most mysterious. The term "black hole" was popularized by physicist John Wheeler in 1967 during a lecture on gravitational collapse. It perfectly captures the essence of these dark regions that swallow light and matter, rendering them invisible and unknowable. Understanding Black Holes. Today, black holes are better understood, with evidence suggesting that supermassive black holes exist at the centers of most galaxies, including our own Milky Way. The first images of a black hole’s shadow were captured in 2019, revealing the eerie glow of material swirling around these cosmic giants. Scientists have also detected gravitational waves from black hole collisions, indicating that the universe is filled with the aftermath of these dramatic events. Yet, the core of a black hole—the singularity—remains a profound mystery. As theoretical astrophysicist Eliot Qua...

  This illustration shows a black hole's corona, depicted as a purple haze above the bright inner accretion disk. While the disk would emit a blinding blue-white light, its brightness is toned down for contrast. The purple color represents X-ray emissions, invisible in regular light, and the warped disk realistically illustrates how the black hole's gravity distorts our view. Recent findings from NASA’s Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE) mission have significantly advanced our understanding of black hole coronae, the superheated plasma regions surrounding these cosmic giants. While black holes are known for their intense gravitational pull, which prevents light from escaping, they are often encased in accretion disks—spirals of gas and debris—and may also produce relativistic jets, which are high-speed outflows of matter. The corona around a black hole, akin to the Sun's corona but at billions of degrees Fahrenheit, has long puzzled astrophysicists. Researchers have ...

  Orionid meteors grace our skies annually as Earth passes through a region filled with debris from Halley’s Comet. As 2024 continues to delight both amateur and professional skywatchers, the October skies promise yet another spectacular event: the Orionids Meteor Shower, peaking in the early hours of October 20 and 21. This celestial display follows a year that has already offered a total solar eclipse in April and a partial lunar eclipse during September's Harvest Moon. The Orionids are renowned for their bright, fast meteors, but visibility this year may be hampered by a bright waning gibbous Moon, which can outshine fainter meteors. Nonetheless, observers in both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres should have the opportunity to see a number of meteors between midnight and dawn on both mornings. “Find an area well away from city lights,” advises Bill Cooke, head of NASA’s Meteoroid Environment Office. “Bring a blanket, lie flat on your back, and let your eyes adjust to the da...

  This captivating image presents a fresh perspective of the spiral galaxy Messier 90, captured by the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope. A stunning new image of the spiral galaxy Messier 90 (M90) has been captured by the Hubble Space Telescope, showcasing the galaxy's intricate structures and star-forming regions. Located in the constellation Virgo, M90 is approximately 55 million light-years from Earth.  This latest image builds on earlier observations made with Hubble’s Wide Field and Planetary Camera 2 (WFPC2) in 1994, which displayed a distinctive stair-step pattern due to its sensor layout. In 2009, WFPC2 was replaced by the Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3), which was used for the recent images taken in 2019 and 2023. The new data reveals M90’s dusty disk, gaseous halo, and bright core in much greater detail. M90’s inner regions are active sites of star formation, visible in red H-alpha light from glowing nebulae. As a member of the Virgo Cluster, M90's trajectory brought it nea...

  This captivating image presents a fresh perspective of the spiral galaxy Messier 90, captured by the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope. A stunning new image of the spiral galaxy Messier 90 (M90) has been captured by the Hubble Space Telescope, showcasing the galaxy's intricate structures and star-forming regions. Located in the constellation Virgo, M90 is approximately 55 million light-years from Earth.  This latest image builds on earlier observations made with Hubble’s Wide Field and Planetary Camera 2 (WFPC2) in 1994, which displayed a distinctive stair-step pattern due to its sensor layout. In 2009, WFPC2 was replaced by the Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3), which was used for the recent images taken in 2019 and 2023. The new data reveals M90’s dusty disk, gaseous halo, and bright core in much greater detail. M90’s inner regions are active sites of star formation, visible in red H-alpha light from glowing nebulae. As a member of the Virgo Cluster, M90's trajectory brought it nea...

  The white material in this Martian gully, captured by NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter in 2009, is believed to be dusty water ice, which scientists consider a promising site for searching for microbial life on Mars today. These holes on Alaska's Matanuska Glacier, formed by cryoconite melting into the ice, create small pockets of water. Scientists believe similar pockets could form within dusty water ice on Mars. While no definitive evidence of life has been found on Mars, a recent NASA study suggests that meltwater beneath the planet's icy surface may provide a suitable environment for microbial life.  Using computer modeling, the study demonstrates that sunlight can penetrate Martian water ice, potentially allowing photosynthesis in shallow pools of meltwater below. Similar ecosystems on Earth, found within ice, support various life forms, including algae and cyanobacteria. Lead author Aditya Khuller from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory emphasizes the importance ...

  NASA's Hubble Space Telescope has delivered breathtaking close-up images of R Aquarii, a dynamic binary star system located about 700 light-years from Earth. This system exhibits violent eruptions, ejecting vast filaments of glowing gas and creating a striking spiral pattern in space, akin to a wildly spraying lawn sprinkler. R Aquarii comprises a red giant star and a white dwarf, classified as a symbiotic star system. The red giant, a Mira variable, is over 400 times the size of our Sun, pulsating and fluctuating in brightness up to 750 times during its 390-day cycle, reaching nearly 5,000 times the Sun's brightness at its peak. The white dwarf siphons hydrogen gas from the red giant as it orbits every 44 years. This accumulated material ignites in a powerful nuclear fusion explosion, causing massive outbursts that propel filaments of plasma into space at speeds exceeding 1 million miles per hour. The energetic radiation from the stars energizes these filaments, causing them...

  When massive stars reach the end of their brief lives, they explode in dazzling displays known as supernovae. These events are some of the most energetic phenomena in the universe, emitting intense bursts of light and material that can outshine entire galaxies for a short period. One prominent example is the spiral galaxy NGC 4051, located approximately 45 million light-years from Earth. This galaxy has witnessed several supernovae, including SN 1983I, SN 2003ie, and SN 2010br, which occurred in its central region and spiral arms. SN 1983I and SN 2010br are classified as Type Ic supernovae. These occur when a massive star undergoes core collapse after losing its outer hydrogen and helium layers, typically due to stellar winds or interactions with a companion star. Such stripped core-collapse supernovae highlight the complex life cycles of massive stars. NGC 4051 is situated in the southern part of the Ursa Major I Cluster, which is rich in spiral galaxies and part of the larger V...

  A SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket launched NASA’s Europa Clipper spacecraft from Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 12:06 p.m. EDT on October 14, 2024. NASA’s Europa Clipper has officially begun its mission to investigate Europa, one of Jupiter's moons, believed to harbor a vast subsurface ocean that may support life. The spacecraft launched at 12:06 p.m. EDT on Monday aboard a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket from Launch Pad 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. “Congratulations to our Europa Clipper team for beginning the first journey to an ocean world beyond Earth,” stated NASA Administrator Bill Nelson. He emphasized the significance of this mission in advancing our understanding of potential life in our solar system and beyond. The launch went smoothly, with the rocket’s second stage igniting approximately five minutes after liftoff. The Europa Clipper separated from the rocket about an hour later, and ground controllers established two-way communication...

  The European Space Agency (ESA) is making significant strides toward sustainability in space with its inaugural in-orbit servicing mission, RISE. A €119 million contract has been awarded to D-Orbit, which will act as the prime contractor for this commercial mission. Mission Overview. RISE aims to demonstrate the capability to rendezvous with and dock to geostationary satellites. Following the successful demonstration, D-Orbit plans to offer commercial life extension services for these satellites, enhancing their operational longevity. This initiative is a pivotal step in ESA's efforts to promote in-orbit services, including refueling, refurbishment, and assembly—key components for establishing a circular economy in space. Addressing Space Debris. ESA's commitment to a sustainable space environment is underscored by its Space Safety program, which focuses on reducing space debris. The agency aims to develop missions that prevent the generation of new debris by 2030. Josef Asch...

  NASA's Hubble Space Telescope (left) and NASA's New Horizon's spacecraft (right) image the planet Uranus. NASA's Hubble Space Telescope and New Horizons spacecraft recently targeted Uranus simultaneously, enabling scientists to directly compare the planet from two distinct perspectives. This collaboration provides valuable insights for future studies of similar exoplanets beyond our solar system. Astronomers utilized Uranus as a representative model for these distant worlds, analyzing high-resolution images from Hubble alongside New Horizons' more remote observations. This dual perspective enhances scientists' understanding of what to expect when imaging exoplanets with upcoming telescopes. "While we anticipated variations in Uranus's appearance across different observation filters, we were surprised to find that the planet was dimmer than expected in the New Horizons data," noted lead author Samantha Hasler from the Massachusetts Institute of ...

  The Mars Curiosity rover's controlled descent utilized propulsion rockets aimed at the surface for a gentle landing, relying on a pyrovalve to release rocket fuel during the process, as illustrated in Perseverance's sky crane landing system. The Curiosity and Perseverance rovers continue to enhance our understanding of Mars, thanks in part to their innovative sky crane landing systems. At the heart of their successful descents is a crucial component: a specially designed valve. According to Carl Guernsey, propulsion subsystem chief engineer for the Mars Sample Laboratory Mission, the rovers' engines, each producing approximately 750 pounds of thrust, required a unique solution for fuel delivery. "With the engines pointing down, we throttle up to slow down during descent," he explained. This process involves holding a constant velocity at a specific altitude to gather sensor data before proceeding with the landing. The precision of this landing process, which all...

  On October 10, 2024, the tail of comet C/2023 A3 Tsuchinshan-ATLAS stretched dramatically across the view of the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO). This stunning sight marked a significant moment for astronomers and skywatchers alike, as the comet dazzled observers with its brightness and intricate details. The European Space Agency (ESA) and NASA’s Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) have captured remarkable images of C/2023 A3 Tsuchinshan-ATLAS, the second-brightest comet observed by the spacecraft in its nearly 29-year mission. This comet has been a highlight for skywatchers, showcasing a long, dusty tail in pre-dawn skies throughout late September and early October. Between October 7 and 11, C/2023 A3 Tsuchinshan-ATLAS traversed the field of view of SOHO’s LASCO (Large Angle and Spectrometric Coronagraph Experiment) instrument. This device uses a disk to obscure the Sun's brightness, allowing detailed observations of nearby objects. An image taken on October 10,...

  The  image from the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope features the spiral galaxy NGC 5248, also known as Caldwell 45. This captivating galaxy showcases the intricate structures and vibrant star formations that make it a fascinating subject for astronomers. In a breathtaking display of cosmic beauty, the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope has unveiled a striking image of the spiral galaxy NGC 5248, located 42 million light-years away in the constellation Boötes. Also known as Caldwell 45, NGC 5248 is featured in the Caldwell catalog, which highlights visually captivating celestial objects that often elude the attention of amateur astronomers compared to more famous Messier objects. NGC 5248 is classified as a "grand design" spiral galaxy, characterized by its prominent, well-defined spiral arms that extend from its core into the surrounding disk. At its center lies a faint bar structure, subtly visible in this visible-light portrait from Hubble. Such features disrupt the galaxy...

  This artist’s concept illustrates a potential volcanic moon orbiting the exoplanet WASP-49 b, as new evidence suggests that a massive sodium cloud observed near the planet may originate from an exomoon rather than the planet or its star. The existence of a moon outside our solar system remains unconfirmed, but a new NASA-led study may offer indirect evidence for one. Research conducted at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory has revealed potential signs of a rocky, volcanic moon orbiting an exoplanet located 635 light-years from Earth. A significant clue is a sodium cloud that appears to be close to, yet slightly out of sync with, the exoplanet WASP-49 b, a Saturn-sized gas giant. However, further investigation is necessary to validate the cloud’s behavior. In our solar system, similar gas emissions from Jupiter’s volcanic moon Io create a comparable phenomenon. Although no exomoons (moons of planets outside our solar system) have been confirmed, several candidates have been identifi...