The James Webb Space Telescope.
The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST or Webb) is an orbiting infrared observatory that will complement and extend the discoveries of the Hubble Space Telescope. It covers longer wavelengths of light, with greatly improved sensitivity, allowing it to see inside dust clouds where stars and planetary systems are forming today as well as looking further back in time to observe the first galaxies that formed in the early universe.
An international team of astronomers reports the discovery of a new compact galaxy group using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA). The new group, designated CGG-z4, hosts two optically dark star-forming galaxies. The finding was detailed in a research paper published Jan. 9 on the pre-print server arXiv.
Galaxy groups are the smallest aggregates of galaxies, typically containing up to 50 members. For astronomers, overdense structures like protoclusters or galaxy groups are prime targets to help them investigate the growth of massive galaxies.
Recent observations performed by a group of astronomers led by Malte Brinch of the Technical University of Denmark, have uncovered the presence of a new galaxy group. They identified the new group with ALMA in the Cosmic Evolution Survey (COSMOS) field.
New research confirms the Universe is expanding faster than theoretical models predict, intensifying the Hubble tension.
Using precise measurements of the Coma cluster, scientists recalibrated the cosmic distance ladder, suggesting flaws in existing cosmological models.
Expanding Universe: A Startling Discovery.
As NASA’s Europa Clipper embarks on its historic journey to Jupiter’s icy moon, Europa, Dr. Matt Powell-Palm, a faculty member at Texas A&M University’s J. Mike Walker ’66 Department of Mechanical Engineering, has unveiled groundbreaking research that could transform our understanding of icy ocean worlds across the solar system. The study published in Nature Communications, co-authored with planetary scientist Dr. Baptiste Journaux of the University of Washington, introduces a novel thermodynamic concept called the “centotectic” and investigates the stability of liquids in extreme conditions — critical information for determining the habitability of icy moons like Europa.
Revolutionizing the Search for Habitability.
The exploration of icy ocean worlds represents a new frontier in planetary science, focusing on understanding the potential for these environments to support life. Powell-Palm’s research addresses a fundamental question in this field: under what conditions can liquid water remain stable on these distant, frozen bodies? By defining and measuring the cenotectic, the absolute lowest temperature at which a liquid remains stable under varying pressures and concentrations, the team provides a critical framework for interpreting data from planetary exploration efforts.
Bright, twisted light can be produced with technology similar to an Edison light bulb, researchers at the University of Michigan have shown. The finding adds nuance to fundamental physics while offering a new avenue for robotic vision systems and other applications for light that traces out a helix in space.
“It’s hard to generate enough brightness when producing twisted light with traditional ways like electron or photon luminescence,” said Jun Lu, an adjunct research investigator in chemical engineering at U-M and first author of the study on the cover of this week’s Science.
“We gradually noticed that we actually have a very old way to generate these photons—not relying on photon and electron excitations, but like the bulb Edison developed.”
Our reality is a 3 + 1 pseudo-Riemannian spacetime manifold whose intrinsic curvature manifests itself as gravity, right? Well no, because descriptions are not reality, and math is not physics. Indeed, when taken at its most literal, face-value, what the \.
This episode focuses on the basic concepts and misconceptions of wars fought in space and examines the notions of weapons, defenses, stealth in space, and the distance involved.
Mars’s atmosphere and climate are impacted by interactions with solar wind, a stream of plasma comprised of protons and electrons that flows from the sun’s outermost atmosphere (corona), traveling at speeds of 400–1,000 kilometers per second.
As these charged particles interact with the planet’s magnetic field and atmosphere, we may see spectacular auroras over polar regions on Earth. Given Mars’s lack of a global magnetic field, auroras here are instead diffused across the planet.
However, sometimes this solar wind can “disappear” in rare events when there is a gap in the solar wind path as the sun increases its solar activity. This occurs when a faster portion of solar wind overtakes a slower one in a corotating interaction region and incorporates it, leaving a lower-density void in the solar wind path.
Mars has northern and southern hemispheres like Earth, but their defining characteristics are markedly different, a phenomenon known as Martian dichotomy. The Southern Highlands are older, higher in elevation and more cratered than the Northern Lowlands. The elevated terrain of the former acts as a natural barrier to airflow, resulting in varied wind patterns and contributing to localized weather phenomena.
Explanations for the origin of this dichotomy primarily surround giant impactors (~2,000 kilometers in diameter) from space and large-scale convective movements of the mantle caused by differences in its temperature and density.
Research published in Geophysical Research Letters has attempted to further unravel this origin story through study of Martian earthquakes, or marsquakes. Much like on Earth, this seismic activity can be used to explore driving mechanisms beneath Mars’s surface.
