Mark Thompson, Author at 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 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 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 18, 2024September 18, 2024 by Mark Thompson

Did Mars Once Have a Third, Larger Moon?

Mars with its two moons Phobos and Deimos

We are all familiar with our one Moon but other planets have different numbers of moons; Mercury has none, Jupiter has 95 and Mars has two. A new paper proposes that Mars may actually have had a third larger moon. Why? The red planet has a triaxial shape which means it bulges just like Earth does but along a third axis. The paper suggests a massive moon could have distorted Mars into this shape.

September 17, 2024September 17, 2024 by Mark Thompson

Earth Might Have Had Rings Half a Billion Years Ago

Areas of continental crust proximal to the equator during the Ordovician

Saturn is well known for its ring system and many recognise that the planets Jupiter, Uranus and Neptune also have rings. Did Earth ever have rings though? A team of researchers suggests that a worldwide collection of impact craters points to the existence of a ring around Earth millions of years ago. It’s possible that Earth captured and destroyed an asteroid that passed too close 466 million years ago. The asteroids torn up debris orbited the Earth as a ring and then the individual chunks entered the atmosphere, landed on the surface and produced the craters observed today.

September 17, 2024September 17, 2024 by Mark Thompson

Earth Will Have a Tiny New Mini-Moon for a Few Months

An illustration of a completely unrelated asteroid

The Moon has inspired poets and artists, musicians and playwrights. The sight of our one and only Moon is familiar to anyone that has ever glanced up at the night time (and sometimes day time sky!) Every so often though, our Moon (note the use of capital ‘M’)is joined by a small asteroid that wanders too close. Astronomers have detected an 11-metre wide asteroid that has the snappy name 2024 PT5 and it came within 567,000 kilometres of Earth and will become a temporary satellite from 29 September until 25 November when it will leave our system.

September 16, 2024September 16, 2024 by Mark Thompson

Mars has an Amazing Variety of Clouds

Lee waves: Lee waves are a special type of cloud created by the wind encountering obstacles and build up on the ‘leeward‘ or downwind side. The geometries of the lee waves depend on the shape of the obstacles. Credit: ESA/DLR/FU Berlin.

Mars has always held a special place in our hearts, likely from hints over the decades of perhaps finding signs of life, albeit fossilised and primitive. It’s been the subject of study from telescopes and space missions alike, most notably ESA’s Mars Express which has been observing the red planet for 20 years. Over the two decades of observation it has studied an amazing variety of atmospheric phenomenon which have now been catalogued in a new ‘Cloud Atlas.’ Many will be familiar to sky watchers on Earth but some are very different.

September 12, 2024September 12, 2024 by Mark Thompson

Are Claims of Alien Visitation Causing a Problem to Society?

I’ve been an avid stargazer for a fair few decades now and not once have I seen anything that makes me believe we are being visited by aliens! My own experiences aside, there’s no evidence of alien visitations but it seems much of the population believes anything that they cannot immediately identify in the sky MUST be ailens. A new paper suggests there are costs associated with increasing claims such as disctractions to government programs and background noise that hampers science communication. How on Earth should we deal with it? If debunking doesn’t work, then maybe its time for a scientific investigation.

September 10, 2024September 10, 2024 by Mark Thompson

Starliner Comes Home Empty

Boeing’s Starliner touches down at White Sands Space Harbor in New Mexico at 12:01 a.m. EDT Saturday, Sept. 7, completing the agency’s Crew Flight Test. Photo credit: NASA

The Boeing Starliner module has been plagued with issues despite what seemed to be the dawning of a new commercial space giant. The module detached from the International Space Station on 7 September but without its crew! Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams journeyed to the ISS in June this year in what was supposed to be a mission lasting just a week. They are still there! Just a few days ago, their module returned under remote control while they stay in orbit until February!

September 9, 2024September 9, 2024 by Mark Thompson

Iron Winds are Blowing on WASP-76 b

WASP-76 b has been the subject of numerous studies since its discovery in 2013. The temperature there reaches 2,400 degrees Celsius. © Tania Cunha (Planetário do Porto - Centro Ciência Viva/Instituto de Astrofísica e Ciências do Espaço)

Exoplanets have been discovered with a wide range of environmental conditions. WASP-76b is one of the most extreme with a dayside temperature of over 2,000 degrees. A team of researchers have found that it’s even more bizarre than first thought! It’s tidally locked to its host star so intense winds encircle the planet. They contain high quantities of iron atoms that stream from the lower to upper layers around the atmosphere.