There are more than 12,000 active satellites circling Earth at the moment, a growing figure that has nearly doubled in less than three years. This recent boom in the satellite industry has been a major headache for astronomers, with bright satellites appearing as streaks in telescope images of the universe and tarnishing views of the night skies. A new paper …
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IN A NUTSHELL 🔭 Astronomers have identified a potential candidate for the elusive Planet Nine beyond Neptune. 🛰️ The discovery was made using archival data from the IRAS and AKARI satellites. ❓ There is significant skepticism due to the candidate’s orbit not aligning with Planet Nine predictions. 🔍 The Vera C. Rubin Observatory could provide definitive evidence to confirm or …
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Astronomers have discovered a hungry baby planet gobbling up material around an infant star located around 430 light-years from Earth. The planet has been given the suitably cute name WISPIT 2b. WISPIT 2b is estimated to be a gas giant around the size of Jupiter and around just 5 million years old. If this seems ancient, remember our solar system …
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Scientists have devised a new method for mapping the spottiness of distant stars by using observations from NASA missions of orbiting planets crossing their stars’ faces. The model builds on a technique researchers have used for decades to study star spots. By improving astronomers’ understanding of spotty stars, the new model — called StarryStarryProcess — can help discover more about …
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Facebook Tweet Email Link Astronomers have spotted the brightest fast radio burst yet coming from a nearby galaxy. Observations of this phenomenon, a powerful flash of radio waves that lasts only about a millisecond, could shed light on one of the most mysterious cosmic phenomena ever studied. Fast radio bursts, or FRBs, were first discovered in 2007, but their exact …
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Your support helps us to tell the story From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it’s investigating the financials of Elon Musk’s pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, ‘The A Word’, which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know …
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IN A NUTSHELL 🌌 Astronomers discovered the Midpoint cloud, a Giant Molecular Cloud spanning 650 trillion miles within the Milky Way. 🔭 This discovery was made using the Green Bank Telescope and provides new insights into galactic processes. 💫 The Midpoint cloud contains dense gas clumps and masers, indicating active star formation. 🚀 Researchers believe the cloud is crucial for …
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IN A NUTSHELL 🌌 Astronomers discovered a massive molecular cloud in the Milky Way, weighing as much as 160,000 suns. 🔭 The Green Bank Telescope played a key role in identifying this cloud, located 23,000 light-years away. ⭐ Giant Molecular Clouds are essential for understanding star formation and galactic evolution. 🛰️ Future observations could reveal more about the mechanisms behind …
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Pulsar B1509-58 and a hand-shaped nebula known as MSH 15-52 – credit, NASA / CXC / Un Hong Kong Zhang et al. via SWNS A coalition of telescopes have allowed astronomers to produce an image of the nebula MSH 15-52 in unprecedented color and detail. Centered in the middle of the nebula is a pulsar, or the rapidly-spinning, extremely dense …
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When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. An X-ray jet blasts through wreckage surrounding a supernova. | Credit: NASA/Swift/Cruz deWilde Astronomers have used a newly discovered and still mysterious class of cosmic explosions to better understand the process of stellar life and death in the distant universe. The blasts in …
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