Astronomers have spotted auroras on a planet-sized object called SIMP 0136, which is currently roaming around our Milky Way galaxy without a star. The auroral activity seems to be warming the objects upper atmosphere, creating a steady blanket of sand like clouds. The scientists were able to track the weather on SIMP 0136 using the James Webb Space …
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Scientists have gotten a never-before-seen look at an area around a large exoplanet 625 light-years away where moons like the one orbiting Earth could potentially form. Using data from NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope, a team of researchers were able to study the chemistry surrounding a world called CT Cha b. Though no moons have yet been detected in this particular …
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Scientists armed with the immense observing power of the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) have detected faint traces of fluorescent flatulence leaking out from the dwarf planet Makemake, which lurks in the outer reaches of the solar system. This is only the second time that a gas has been detected on an object this far from Earth, and hints that …
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The James Webb Space Telescope has, for the first time, measured the carbon-rich concoction that forms a moon-forming disk of gas and dust around a newly formed planetary body. It is hoped the instrument’s findings will help us understand how moons in our solar system, particularly those of the giant planets, came to be. With the medium-resolution spectrograph on its …
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An illustration of a habitable zone planet orbiting the star called TRAPPIST – credit NASA, ESA, CSA, J. Olmsted (STScI) One of the major things that the mightily impressive James Webb Space Telescope was supposed to reveal has now potentially been revealed. Groundbreaking new research from the University of St. Andrews has identified signs of a possible atmosphere surrounding an …
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NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope has provided the first direct measurements of the chemical and physical properties of a potential moon-forming disk encircling a large exoplanet. The carbon-rich disk surrounding the world called CT Cha b, which is located 625 light-years away from Earth, is a possible construction yard for moons, although no moons are detected in the Webb data. …
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What can auroras on a rogue planet teach astronomers about planetary formation and evolution? This is what a recent study published in Astronomy & Astrophysics hopes to address as an international team of researchers investigated the atmospheric composition of a nearby rogue planet, including its atmospheric temperature and auroras. This study has the potential to help astronomers better understand rogue …
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Quick facts What it is: Sagittarius B2 (Sgr B2) molecular cloud Where it is: 25,000 light-years from Earth in the constellation Sagittarius When it was shared: Sept. 24, 2025 Why it’s so special: Stars in the Milky Way galaxy are born in huge molecular clouds. The most massive is Sagittarius B2, which is just a few hundred light-years from our …
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A maelstrom of star formation close to the center of our galaxy has been revealed in two different wavelengths by the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), its beautiful images highlighting the intensity of star-birth in the region and deepening the mystery of why star formation at the very heart of our galaxy is so sluggish. Sagittarius B2 is a dense …
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NASA’s powerful James Webb Space telescope has revealed a colorful spread of stars and cosmic dust in the Milky Way’s most active star-forming region. The telescope was studying Sagittarius B2, a massive molecular cloud, NASA said in a news release. The region is just a few hundred light-years from the supermassive black hole at the center of the Milky Way …
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