Carolyn Collins Petersen, Author at Universe Today

March 17, 2024March 17, 2024 by Carolyn Collins Petersen

Webb Reveals Secrets of Neptune’s Evolution

JWST's view of Neptune in infrared. The telescope also studied the surfaces of two icy asteroids in the Kuiper Belt that lie beyond Neptune. Courtesy: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI

A twinset of icy asteroids called Mors-Somnus is giving planetary scientists some clues about the origin and evolution of objects in the Kuiper Belt. JWST studied them during its first cycle of observations and revealed details about their surfaces, which gives hints at their origins. That information may also end up explaining how Neptune got to be the way it is today.

March 15, 2024March 15, 2024 by Carolyn Collins Petersen

The Maximum Mass of a Neutron Star is 2.25 Solar Masses

An outbursting, magnetically strong neutron star called a magnetar is seen here in an artist's illustration. Courtesy: NASA.

When stars grow old and die, their mass determines their ultimate fate. Many supermassive stars have futures as neutron stars. But, the question is, how massive can their neutron stars get? That’s one that Professor Fan Yizhong and his team at Purple Mountain Observatory in China set out to answer.

March 13, 2024March 13, 2024 by Carolyn Collins Petersen

Webb Sees a Star-Forming Region Blowing Vast Bubbles

JWST's near-infrared view of the star-forming region NGC 604 in the Triangulum galaxy. Credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI

Star birth is a messy and chaotic event. Some of the process remains well hidden behind clouds of gas and dust that make up star-forming regions. However, part of it happens in wavelengths of light we can detect, such as visible light and infrared. It’s an intricate process that the Webb telescope (JWST) can study in detail.

March 10, 2024March 10, 2024 by Carolyn Collins Petersen

Cyborg Jellyfish Could Help Explore Oceans Autonomously

A scene from a video about cyborg jellyfish created at Caltech. Courtesy Jahn Dabiri

Earth’s oceans are—like space—a largely unexplored frontier. Relatively few humans have explored either place, using specialized life-support equipment. Unlike space, however, the oceans also have other beings that can explore them: jellyfish. They can head to places underwater that humans can never go. That makes them interesting candidates for autonomous ocean exploration.

March 7, 2024March 8, 2024 by Carolyn Collins Petersen

This Galaxy Was Already Dead When the Universe Was Only 700 Million Years Old

False-color JWST image of a small fraction of the GOODS South field, with the galaxy JADES-GS-z7-01-QU highlighted Credit: JADES Collaboration

When a galaxy runs out of gas and dust, the process of star birth stops. That takes billions of years. But, there’s a galaxy out there that was already dead when the Universe was only 700 million years old. What happened to it?

March 6, 2024March 6, 2024 by Carolyn Collins Petersen

What’s the Best Way to Pack for Space?

The QASIS system won first place in the Artemis Lunar Gateway Cargo Packing and Storing Challenge for use in space. This design maximizes stowage capacity, uses lightweight structures, and shows ease of use without the complexities of motors, batteries, and electronics. QASIS / NASA — The QASIS system by designer Kriso Leinfellner won first place in the Artemis Lunar Gateway Cargo Packing and Storing Challenge for use in space. This design maximizes stowage capacity, uses lightweight structures, and shows ease of use without the complexities of motors, batteries, and electronics. QASIS / NASA

Packing to go to space is a lot like getting ready for a plane ride with only a carry-on bag. You have to maximize the use of the space in your bag at the same time you want to make sure you have what you need. That’s the challenge astronauts face in the upcoming Artemis moon missions. So, NASA held a competition to figure out the best and most innovative ways to store cargo for the missions.

March 3, 2024March 3, 2024 by Carolyn Collins Petersen

Curiosity Rover is Climbing Through Dramatic Striped Terrain on Mars

HiRISE spots Curiosity driving toward upper Gediz Vallis. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona

Just about every day we here on Earth get a breathtaking picture of Mars’s terrain sent back by a rover. But, the view from space can be pretty amazing, too. The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) just sent back a thought-provoking picture of Curiosity as it makes its way up a steep ridge on Mount Sharp.

February 27, 2024February 27, 2024 by Carolyn Collins Petersen

Planets in Binary Star Systems Could be Nice and Habitable

An AI-generated artist's concept of a planet in a binary star system where the orbits may not yet be in alignment. Credit: Michael S. Helfenbein.

The Star Wars world Tatooine is one of the most recognizable planets in the realm of science fiction. It’s a harsh place, and its conditions shaped the hero Luke Skywalker in many ways. In the reality-based Universe, there may not be many worlds like it. That’s because, according to a new study out from Yale researchers, the Universe likes to be more orderly, and that affects planets and their environments.

February 25, 2024February 25, 2024 by Carolyn Collins Petersen

A Planetary Disk in the Orion Nebula is Destroying and Replenishing Oceans of Water Every Month

A closeup of the inner region of the Orion Nebula as seen by JWST. There's a protoplanetary disk there that is recycling an Earth's ocean-full of water each month. Credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, PDRs4All ERS Team; Salomé Fuenmayor image

Planet-forming disks are places of chaotic activity. Not only do planetesimals slam together to form larger worlds, but it now appears that the process involves the destructive recycling of water within a disk. That’s the conclusion from scientists studying JWST data from a planetary birth crèche called d203-506 in the Orion Nebula.

February 23, 2024February 23, 2024 by Carolyn Collins Petersen

A Star Passed Through the Oort Cloud Less Than 500,000 Years Ago. It Wasn’t the Only One.

Stars travel throughout the Galaxy. It's inevitable that some will pass near the Sun and perhaps even through our Oort Cloud, with interesting consequences. Credit: NASA/ESA/STScI.

As stars in the Milky Way move through space, some of them have an unexpected effect on the Solar System. Over time, one comes closer to the Sun during its orbit in the galaxy. Some of them actually get within a light-year of our star and pass through the Oort Cloud. Such close flybys can affect the orbits of the outer planets and send cometary nuclei on a long inward rush to the Sun.