Carolyn Collins Petersen, Author at Universe Today

August 31, 2023August 31, 2023 by Carolyn Collins Petersen

A Neptune-sized Exoplanet is Denser Than Steel. The Result of a Catastrophic Collision?

An artist's conception of a hot Neptune. TOI-1538b is a super-dense version of this type of exoplanet and its core is denser than steel. Courtesy Pablo Carlos Budassi, CC BY-SA 4.0.

There’s an odd exoplanet out there posing a challenge to planetary scientists. It’s a hot Neptune denser than steel. The big question is: how did it form?

August 30, 2023August 30, 2023 by Carolyn Collins Petersen

There’s No Wind on the Moon, So How Does Dust Shift and Swirl So Quickly?

This is an image of the Reiner Gamma lunar swirl on the Moon, supplied by NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter. Credits: NASA LRO WAC science team

The last place to look for windstorms is on the Moon. Yet, it has swirls on its surface that look like the wind put them there. Since there’s no atmosphere on the Moon, planetary scientists had to look for another cause. It turns out there’s a connection to local magnetic anomalies and an interplay with lunar topography.

August 30, 2023August 30, 2023 by Carolyn Collins Petersen

A Satellite Deployed a Drag Sail and Removed Itself from Orbit Five Years Early

The SBUDNIC satellite with its drag sail made from Kapton polyimide film, designed and built by students at Brown reentered Earth's atmosphere five years ahead of schedule. Image courtesy of Marco Cross.

In an age of increasing “stuff” orbiting Earth one big concern is what happens if one satellite hits another. The result could be an explosion, or a chain reaction of collisions, or the closure of an orbit. That would be catastrophic. However, a small satellite called SBUDNIC just sent itself back to Earth earlier than expected. It’s goal: to demonstrate a low-cost way to take care of space debris.

August 29, 2023August 29, 2023 by Carolyn Collins Petersen

Is the Solar Wind Coming From These Tiny Jets on the Sun?

The Solar Orbiter mission is studying the Sun in great detail. It is helping scientists track down the source of the solar wind. Courtesy: ESA.

Ever since the first direct observations of the solar wind in 1959, astronomers have worked to figure out what powers this plasma flow. Now, scientists using the ESA/NASA Solar Orbiter spacecraft think they have an answer: tiny little outbursts called “picoflares” They flash out from the corona at 100 kilometers per second.

August 28, 2023August 28, 2023 by Carolyn Collins Petersen

NASA’s New Horizons Mission Still Threatened

Artist view of the New Horizons spacecraft against a sea of stars. Credit: Serge Brunier/Marc Postman/Dan Durda

The New Horizons spacecraft that studied Pluto and Kuiper Belt Object Arrokoth continues its pioneering exploration of the Kuiper Belt. However, that might soon end if NASA doesn’t change course. The New Horizons science team has been told by NASA that the mission as they know it is slated to end September 30, 2024.

August 24, 2023August 24, 2023 by Carolyn Collins Petersen

Hackers are Attacking Observatories

Hackers broke into the computers at Gemini North Telescope around August 1, 2023. The cybersecurity incident has shut down some telescopes and operations at several of NOIRLab's observatories. Image composite by C.C. Petersen.

Why would anybody want to hack an observatory? That’s the question facing IT professionals at NOIRLab after somebody tried to crack the computer systems at Gemini North in Hawai’i. The cyber break-in and ongoing investigation by NOIRLab and National Science Foundation experts affected observations and operations in Hawai’i and Chile.

August 20, 2023August 20, 2023 by Carolyn Collins Petersen

Is This How You Get Magnetars?

An artist's impression of the star HD 4 5166, which is on its way to becoming a magnetar. Courtesy ESO.

Imagine a living star with a magnetic field at least 100,000 times stronger than Earth’s field. That’s the strange stellar object HD 45166. Its field is an incredible 43,000 Gauss. That makes it a new type of object: a massive magnetic helium star. In a million years, it’s going to get even stranger when it collapses and becomes a type of neutron star called a “magnetar”.

August 17, 2023August 17, 2023 by Carolyn Collins Petersen

No Surprise, July 2023 Was the Hottest Month on Record Since 1880

This map shows global temperature anomalies for July 2023 according to the GISTEMP analysis by scientists at NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies. Temperature anomalies reflect how July 2023 compared to the average July temperature from 1951-1980. Credit: NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies

In case you missed it, the weather’s been hot. From warmer-than-usual temperatures in northern climes to melting ice sheets in the polar regions, July 2023 was a record-breaking month. That’s not just some random perception. NASA has been keeping records and the agency confirms what most of us have observed for ourselves. It was a warm one.

August 15, 2023August 15, 2023 by Carolyn Collins Petersen

We’ve Never Seen Antarctic Sea Ice This Low

A map showing the expected amount of sea ice accumulation around Antarctica (yellow line) and the reality, which is much less. Courtesy NSIDC.

While many people are living through a sweltering summer, it’s the depths of winter in Antarctica. Usually, this means there’s a lot of sea ice around the continent. Yet, this year, it’s the lowest it’s ever been. What’s happening?

August 14, 2023August 15, 2023 by Carolyn Collins Petersen

Astronomers Scan 11,680 Nearby Stars for Signals from Advanced Civilizations

The Green Bank Telescope is the world’s largest, fully-steerable telescope. The GBT’s dish is 100-meters by 110-meters in size, covering 2.3 acres of space.A team from UCLA used it to search for possible extraterrestrial signals from advanced civilizations "out there." Credit: NRAO/AUI/NSF — The Green Bank Telescope is the world’s largest, fully-steerable telescope. A team from UCLA used it to search for possible extraterrestrial signals from advanced civilizations "out there." Credit: NRAO/AUI/NSF

The hunt for alien life and its radio signals from beyond our Solar System is still coming up dry. But, it’s not for lack of looking for possible advanced civilizations.