Scientists have discovered that a potentially habitable planet has been stripped of its atmosphere; This is a process that could eventually make the world, Trappist-1e, and life uninhabitable. The stripping appears to be caused by electrical currents generated as the planet orbits its red dwarf host star. This is an important discovery because the Trappist-1… Read More »
An artist’s impression shows a microquasar, allowing scientists to locate the natural particle accelerator.Science Communication Laboratory for MPIK/HESS A study has revealed how cosmic objects send accelerated particles into space. Jets from quasars and supernovae can send dangerous cosmic rays hitting Earth. For the first time, a study has shown how cosmic rays are accelerated… Read More »
Earth, our rocky, watery oasis in the universe, is an ideal place for life to develop for several reasons. We sit at just the right distance from our parent star for liquid water to exist on the planet’s surface. The gravitational pull of other large planets helps protect us from apocalyptic collisions with stray asteroids.… Read More »
Astronomers have discovered an unexpected and unexplained feature outside our Milky Way galaxy that emits high-energy light called gamma rays. The team behind the discovery, including NASA and University of Maryland cosmologist Alexander Kashlinsky, found the gamma ray signal while searching through 13 years of data from NASA’s Fermi Telescope. “This is a completely accidental… Read More »
Astronomers using NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) have detected a “failed star,” or brown dwarf, that shows signs of having an aurora. Auroras are more familiar as the northern and southern lights, which are caused by charged particles from the sun hitting molecules in the Earth’s atmosphere. They are usually only seen at high… Read More »
The Northern Lights recently appeared above the Castlerigg stone circle in the Lake District – Gregg Wolstenholme/Bav Media This winter will be historic for seeing the northern lights, with scientists predicting the best views of the aurora borealis in 20 years. Earlier this month, Aurora hunters were welcomed with Bonfire Night displays in Scotland and… Read More »