Universe Today

December 19, 2024December 19, 2024 by Brian Koberlein

A Binary Star Found Surprisingly Close to the Milky Way's Supermassive Black Hole

The newly discovered binary star D9, which is orbiting Sagittarius A*, the supermassive black hole at the centre of our galaxy. Credit: ESO/F. Peißker et al., S. Guisard

Binary stars are common throughout the galaxy. Roughly half the stars in the Milky Way are part of a binary or multiple system, so we would expect to find them almost everywhere. However, one place we wouldn’t expect to find a binary is at the center of the galaxy, close to the supermassive black hole Sagittarius A*. And yet, that is precisely where astronomers have recently found one.

December 18, 2024December 18, 2024 by Matt Williams

New Research Suggests Io Doesn’t Have a Shallow Ocean of Magma

NASA’s Galileo spacecraft captured this image of a volcanic eruption on Io in 1997. Image Credit:NASA, NASA-JPL, DLR

Jupiter’s moon Io is the most volcanically active body in the Solar System, with roughly 400 active volcanoes regularly ejecting magma into space. This activity arises from Io’s eccentric orbit around Jupiter, which produces incredibly powerful tidal interactions in the interior. In addition to powering Io’s volcanism, this tidal energy is believed to support a global subsurface magma ocean. However, the extent and depth of this ocean remains the subject of debate, with some supporting the idea of a shallow magma ocean while others believe Io has a more rigid, mostly solid interior.

In a recent NASA-supported study, an international team of researchers combined data from multiple missions to measure Io’s tidal deformation. According to their findings, Io does not possess a magma ocean and likely has a mostly solid mantle. Their findings further suggest that tidal forces do not necessarily lead to global magma oceans on moons or planetary bodies. This could have implications for the study of exoplanets that experience tidal heating, including Super-Earths and exomoons similar to Io that orbit massive gas giants.

December 18, 2024December 17, 2024 by Paul M. Sutter

The Mysterious Case of the Resurrected Star

The star HD 65907 is not what it appears to be. It’s a star that looks young, but on closer inspection is actually much, much older. What’s going on? Research suggests that it is a resurrected star.

December 18, 2024December 18, 2024 by Evan Gough

The JWST Looked Over the Hubble’s Shoulder and Confirmed that the Universe is Expanding Faster

These 36 galaxies all contain Type 1a supernovae and Cepheid variables. They serve as standard distance markers used to measure how fast the Universe is expanding. Image Credit: NASA, ESA, Adam G. Riess (STScI, JHU)

It’s axiomatic that the Universe is expanding. However, the rate of expansion hasn’t remained the same. It appears that the Universe is expanding more quickly now than it did in the past.

Astronomers have struggled to understand this and have wondered if the apparent acceleration is due to instrument errors. The JWST has put that question to rest.

December 18, 2024December 18, 2024 by Brian Koberlein

Astronaut Don Pettit is Serious, He Rigged up Astrophotography Gear on the ISS

A view of the Magellanic Clouds as seen from the International Space Station. Credit: Don Pettit

Astrophotography is a challenging art. Beyond the usual skill set of understanding things such as light exposure, color balance, and the quirks of your kit, there is the fact that stars are faint and they move.

December 18, 2024December 18, 2024 by Mark Thompson

Drone Test Flights Are Being Tested for Flights on Alien Worlds

An atmospheric probe model attached upside down to a quad rotor remotely piloted aircraft ascends with the Moon visible on Oct. 22, 2024. The quad rotor aircraft released the probe above Rogers Dry Lake, a flight area adjacent NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California. The probe was designed and built at the center. Credit : NASA/Steve Freeman

We’ve already seen the success of the Ingenuity probe on Mars. The first aircraft to fly on another world set off on its maiden voyage in April 2021 and has now completed 72 flights. Now a team of engineers are taking the idea one step further and investigating ways that drones can be released from satellites in orbit and explore the atmosphere without having to land. The results are positive and suggest this could be a cost effective way to explore alien atmospheres.

December 18, 2024December 18, 2024 by Mark Thompson

One of the Most Interesting Exoplanets Just Got Even More Interesting!

An artistic impression of Trappist-1 B shortly before it passes behind the cool, red dwarf star, Trappist-1. Such stars are known for their activity with large starspots and eruptions. Trappist-1 B may experience intense volcanism. Credit Thomas Muller (HDA.MPIA)

Since the discovery of the first exoplanet in 1992, thousands more have been discovered. 40 light years away, one such system of exoplanets was discovered orbiting a star known as Trappist-1. Studies using the James Webb Space Telescope have revealed that one of the planets, Trappist-1 b has a crust that seems to be changing. Geological activity and weathering are a likely cause and if the latter, it suggests the exoplanet has an atmosphere too.

December 17, 2024December 17, 2024 by Evan Gough

Zwicky Classifies More Than 10,000 Exploding Stars

Artistic impression of a star going supernova, casting its chemically enriched contents into the universe. Credit: NASA/Swift/Skyworks Digital/Dana Berry

Even if you knew nothing about astronomy, you’d understand that exploding stars are forceful and consequential events. How could they not be? Supernovae play a pivotal role in the Universe with their energetic, destructive demises.

There are different types of supernovae exploding throughout the Universe, with different progenitors and different remnants. The Zwicky Transient Facility has detected 100,000 supernovae and classified 10,000 of them.

December 17, 2024December 17, 2024 by Paul M. Sutter

What is the Zoo Hypothesis?

It seems that we are completely alone in the universe. But simple reasoning suggests that there should be an abundance of alien civilizations. Maybe they’re all out there, but they are keeping their distance. Welcome to the zoo (hypothesis).

December 16, 2024December 16, 2024 by Matt Williams

A New Study Suggests How we Could Find Advanced Civilizations that Ran Out of Fusion Fuel

This view of Earth’s horizon was taken by an Expedition 7 crewmember onboard the International Space Station, using a wide-angle lens while the Station was over the Pacific Ocean. A new study suggests that Earth's water didn't all come from comets, but likely also came from water-rich planetesimals. Credit: NASA

When it comes to our modern society and the many crises we face, there is little doubt that fusion power is the way of the future. The technology not only offers abundant power that could solve the energy crisis, it does so in a clean and sustainable way. At least as long as our supplies of deuterium (H₂) and helium-3 hold up. In a recent study, a team of researchers considered how evidence of deuterium-deuterium (DD) fusion could be used as a potential technosignature in the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI).