Infinity Cosmos

  Get ready for a cosmic collaboration that’s about to take Earth observation to the next level! The upcoming NISAR mission, a joint effort between NASA and ISRO, promises to offer groundbreaking insights into our planet's constantly changing surface. Think of it as a "super-powered spy satellite," but instead of tracking people, it’s tracking earthquakes, landslides, volcanic eruptions, and even glacier movements. It’s like a reality show where Earth is the drama queen, and NISAR’s the backstage pass. What makes NISAR stand out in the crowd? Well, it has a dual-band radar system—that’s NASA and ISRO flexing their muscle. You see, the L-band radar is all about spotting the big stuff, like boulders and tree trunks, while the S-band radar gets up close and personal with the smaller stuff, like leaves and rough surfaces. Together, they give us a high-definition view of Earth’s surface—down to the centimeter! It’s like the Earth’s Instagram feed but in super high-res, updated...

  The Hubble Space Telescope has recently captured a striking image of a supernova-hosting galaxy, located approximately 600 million light-years away in the constellation Gemini. This image, taken about two months after the discovery of supernova SN 2022aajn, reveals a bright blue dot at the center, signifying the explosive event. Although SN 2022aajn was first announced in November 2022, it has not yet been the subject of extensive research. However, Hubble's interest in this particular supernova lies in its classification as a Type Ia supernova, a type that is key to measuring cosmic distances. Type Ia supernovae occur when a star's core collapses, and they are particularly useful for astronomers because they have a predictable intrinsic brightness. No matter how far away a Type Ia supernova is, it emits the same amount of light. By comparing its observed brightness to this known luminosity, astronomers can calculate how far away the supernova — and its host galaxy — are from...

  In a groundbreaking study, astronomers have unveiled new evidence that the universe's most massive black holes can influence their own feeding process by generating outbursts that help cool down gas. Using data from NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory and the Very Large Telescope (VLT), the team has made significant progress in understanding how black holes feed on gas through a self-sustaining cycle. The research focused on seven clusters of galaxies, which house the largest galaxies and the most massive black holes, with masses ranging from millions to billions of times the size of our Sun. These black holes are known to produce powerful jets driven by the consumption of gas. The new findings suggest that these jets not only feed the black holes, but also play a role in regulating the temperature of surrounding gas, facilitating the black holes' continued feeding. Images captured by Chandra and VLT show the Perseus and Centaurus galaxy clusters, with Chandra’s X-ray data in bl...

NASA has awarded new study contracts aimed at advancing the capabilities necessary for long-term human exploration on the lunar surface. Announced Thursday, the agency awarded contracts to nine American companies across seven states as part of its ongoing efforts to support the Artemis program and deep space exploration. The Next Space Technologies for Exploration Partnerships Appendix R contracts will focus on overcoming everyday challenges associated with the lunar environment, as identified in NASA’s Moon to Mars architecture. These contracts are integral to developing sustainable solutions for life and work on the Moon, setting the stage for future missions, including those to Mars. “These contract awards are the catalyst for developing critical capabilities for the Artemis missions and the everyday needs of astronauts for long-term exploration on the lunar surface,” said Nujoud Merancy, Deputy Associate Administrator for NASA’s Strategy and Architecture Office. “The strong respons...

This NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope image captures a section of the Tarantula Nebula in the Large Magellanic Cloud.   A breathtaking new image from the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope showcases a dusty yet sparkling scene from the Large Magellanic Cloud, one of the Milky Way’s satellite galaxies. Located about 160,000 light-years away in the constellations Dorado and Mensa, the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) may be only 10–20% as massive as our own galaxy, but it is home to some of the most remarkable star-forming regions in the nearby universe. The image focuses on the outskirts of the Tarantula Nebula, the largest and most active star-forming region within the LMC, and indeed the entire local universe. In the heart of the Tarantula Nebula lie some of the most massive stars known, each weighing around 200 times the mass of the Sun. Within this section of the nebula, the telescope reveals serene blue gas clouds, patches of brownish-orange dust, and a scattered array of multicolored ...

  On January 17, 2025, a tropical low formed over the Indian Ocean off Western Australia. By January 19, the system had intensified into Tropical Cyclone Sean, marking the second tropical cyclone of Australia’s 2024–2025 season. NASA’s Terra satellite, using the MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) instrument, captured a detailed image of the storm at around 10 a.m. local time (02:00 Universal Time) on January 20, 2025. Later that same day, Cyclone Sean reached its peak strength as a Category 4 storm. Despite staying offshore and not making landfall, Cyclone Sean still brought significant impacts to the Pilbara coast. The Australian Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) reported that Karratha, a coastal city in the region, received a staggering 274.4 millimeters (10.8 inches) of rain in just 24 hours, setting a new single-day rainfall record for the city. The powerful storm caused widespread flooding, with roads submerged, homes affected, and power infrastructure damaged. Se...