Universe Today

September 20, 2024September 20, 2024 by Mark Thompson

Second Generation Starlinks are 32 Times Brighter in Radio Wavelengths

Illustration Starlink satellites over LOFAR. Credit: Daniëlle Futselaar

Global internet access does seem like a worthy enterprise yet the rise of satellite megaconstellations there is a danger of the night sky becoming ruined. Astronomers the world over are keeping an eye on the impact these satellites are having on the night sky. Until recently the concerns have been relating to the reflection of visible light against the sky hindering night time observations. A recent study shows that the second-generation Starlink satellites leak 32 times the radio signal than the previous models. Are their presence putting at risk the radio sky now too?

September 20, 2024September 20, 2024 by Carolyn Collins Petersen

There’s Water All Over the Moon

Two images of the Moon from the Moon Mineralogy Mapper. The top is a black and white view of the north polar region while the bottom is a spectral map of water and hydroxyls seen in the south polar region. Credit: NASA/ISRO/M3 Team/PSI/R. Clark

When you look at the Moon, you don’t see any water on its surface. That doesn’t mean there isn’t any. In fact, there’s a lot of “wetness” on the Moon, but it’s in places and forms we can’t see. Understanding where all those resources are is the subject of a study based on NASA’s Moon Mineralogy Mapper (M3) data taken from aboard the Chandrayaan-1 spacecraft.

September 20, 2024September 20, 2024 by Evan Gough

Io’s Volcanoes are Windows into its Hot Interior

Juno captured this image of Io during Perijove 57. Data from Juno's JIRAM instrument is helping researchers understand how tidal heating shapes the moon's volcanic activity. Image Credit: NASA / SWRI / MSSS / Jason Perry © cc nc sa

NASA’s Juno spacecraft was sent to Jupiter to study the gas giant. But its mission was extended, giving it an opportunity to study the unique moon Io. Io is the most volcanically active body in the Solar System, with over 400 active volcanoes.

Researchers have taken advantage of Juno’s flybys of Io to study how tidal heating affects the moon.

September 20, 2024September 20, 2024 by Brian Koberlein

Could Stars Hotter Than the Sun Still Support Life?

A comparison of typical sizes of main sequence stellar classes. Credit: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center

Although most potentially habitable worlds orbit red dwarf stars, we know larger and brighter stars can harbor life. One yellow dwarf star, for example is known to have a planet teaming with life, perhaps even intelligent life. But how large and bright can a star be and still have an inhabited world? That is the question addressed in a recent article in the Astrophysical Journal.

September 19, 2024September 19, 2024 by Mark Thompson

Slime Mold Can Teach Us About the Cosmic Web

This image from Farhanul Hansan’s paper in the Astrophysical Journal shows the large-scale matter distribution and cosmic “filaments” of the universe are more faithfully captured by the slime mold model than the existing standard framework. (Image courtesy Farhanul Hasan)

Computers truly are wonderful things and powerful but only if they are programmed by a skilful mind. Check this out… there is an algorithm that mimics the growth of slim mold but a team of researchers have adapted it to model the large scale structure of the Universe. Since the Big Bang, the universe has been expanding while gravity concentrates matter into galaxies and clusters of galaxies. Between them are vast swathes of empty space called voids. The structure, often referred to as the cosmic web.

September 19, 2024September 19, 2024 by Evan Gough

Plants Would Still Grow Well Under Alien Skies

This is an artist's illustration of the rocky super Earth HD 219134. It orbits a K-type star, a long-lived stable type of main sequence star. The light from K-type stars is different than the Sun's. Can Earth plants photosynthesize effectively near these stars? Image Credit: By NASA/JPL-Caltech - http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/jpeg/PIA19833.jpg, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=41995148

Photosynthesis changed Earth in powerful ways. When photosynthetic organisms appeared, it led to the Great Oxygenation Event. That allowed multicellular life to evolve and resulted in the ozone layer. Life could venture onto land, protected from the Sun’s intense ultraviolet radiation.

But Earth’s photosynthetic organisms evolved under the Sun’s specific illumination. How would plants do under other stars?

September 19, 2024September 19, 2024 by Matt Williams

The Polaris Dawn Crew is Back on Earth

The Polaris Dawn crew (left to right): Anna Menon, Scott Poteet, Jared Isaacman, and Sarah Gillis. Credit: Polaris Program/John Kraus

On September 15th, 2024, the Polaris Dawn crew returned to Earth after spending five days in orbit. The mission was the first of three planned for the Polaris program, a private space project to advance human spaceflight capabilities and raise funds and awareness for charitable causes. The mission’s Dragon spacecraft safely splashed down off the coast of Florida at 3:36:54 a.m. EDT (12:36:54 p.m. PDT). Once their spacecraft was retrieved, the crew was flown to the Kennedy Space Center to see their families and undergo medical examinations before traveling to Houston to complete more of the mission’s studies.

September 19, 2024September 19, 2024 by Mark Thompson

Building a Worldwide Map of Light Pollution

As someone that has always lived in the UK countryside I am no stranger to the glory of a dark star-filled sky. Sadly 60% of the world’s population has already lost access to the night sky thanks to light pollution. Across Europe and the US that number climbs to nearer 80%. A team of researchers want to try and track the growth of light pollution and to that end have developed an inexpensive sensor made from “off-the-shelf” parts. Their hope is that people around the world will build and install these sensors to share their data enabling them to track the spread of light pollution. If you’ve got technical skills, this could be a fun project.

September 19, 2024September 19, 2024 by Evan Gough

Life Might Thrive on the Surface of Earth for an Extra Billion Years

This view of Earth from space is a fusion of science and art, drawing on data from multiple satellite missions and the talents of NASA scientists and graphic artists. This image originally appeared in the NASA Earth Observatory story Twin Blue Marbles. Image Credits: NASA images by Reto Stöckli, based on data from NASA and NOAA.

The Sun is midway through its life of fusion. It’s about five billion years old, and though its life is far from over, it will undergo some pronounced changes as it ages. Over the next billion years, the Sun will continue to brighten.

That means things will change here on Earth.

September 19, 2024September 19, 2024 by Brian Koberlein

Exoplanets Could be Hiding Their Atmospheres

Illustration of the tidally locked world TRAPPIST-1f. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

Most of the exoplanets we’ve discovered orbit red dwarf stars. This isn’t because red dwarfs are somehow special, simply that they are common. About 75% of the stars in the Milky Way are red dwarfs, so you would expect red dwarf planets to be the most abundant. This also means that most habitable worlds are going to orbit these small, cool stars, and that has some significant consequences for our search for life.