Have you ever tried zooming-in with your phone to capture a tiny bird or maybe a flower on a branch or shrub? Doesn’t it look like a slightly blurry, shaky mess no matter how steady you try to hold your hand? Now imagine trying to do that, but not for a bird but for the surface of the Sun, 150 million kilometers away.
Read MoreTag: space science
Universe Is an Ultimate Computer: What if Space-Time is Pixelated?
I’m always on the lookout for some radical take when it comes to research papers, and this time, a research article by physicist Melvin Vopson totally caught my attention. Vopson suggests, what if gravity isn’t some deep, fundamental force of nature, but actually just the universe’s way of managing its information better? Sounds strange at first, but it’s got a logic to it.
Read MoreSupernova Remnant in Nearby Galaxy Studied via Radio
Astronomers just took a fresh look at a supernova remnant called MC SNR J0519–6902 tucked away in the Large Magellanic Cloud, a small galaxy orbiting the Milky Way. It’s been known since the early ’80s, but there’s still a lot we don’t fully understand about it, especially when it comes to its age and how it’s evolved over time.
Read MoreDMS and DMDS Hints in K2-18 b’s Atmosphere from JWST MIRI Data
Recent research paper published by the American Astronomical Society – New Constraints on DMS and DMDS in the Atmosphere of K2-18 b from JWST MIRI – digs into the atmosphere of K2-18 b, which is the exoplanet people have been calling a “Hycean World,” meaning it might have a hydrogen-rich atmosphere and liquid water oceans. This study is based on data from JWST’s MIRI (Mid-Infrared Instrument), and it’s the first time we’ve gotten a mid-infrared transmission spectrum of a habitable-zone exoplanet like this.
Read MoreArtemis-Enabled Stellar Imager: A Lunar Telescope Array to Unveil the Secrets of Stars and Black Holes
Imagine building a huge group of telescopes on the Moon, where there’s no air or weather to interfere, allowing us to see further into space than we ever could before. That’s the idea behind the Artemis-enabled Stellar Imager (AeSI), a proposed lunar interferometer designed to reveal what’s happening on the surfaces of stars and deep inside active galactic nuclei (AGN). A team led by Dr. Kenneth Carpenter at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center recently completed a nine-month feasibility study, and their findings suggest that this ambitious idea is not just…
Read MoreEarly Universe Structures Found by JWST: Cosmic Revelations
The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has revolutionized our understanding of the early universe, particularly with its discoveries in 2024. The objects that have been discovered have revealed properties and structures that challenges our current understanding of cosmic theories. These groundbreaking findings, many made possible by the phenomenon of gravitational lensing, have opened new avenues of research into how the earliest galaxies and stars formed.
Read MoreAI Revolution: Detecting Unseen Gravitational Waves with Deep Learning
Somewhere in 1916, Albert Einstein figured out his theory about gravity that there are waves in the fabric of spacetime. Also known as ripples. Since then, scientists have been working out what these waves would look like in a few basic situations, like merging of two black holes.
Read MoreBlack Hole Mergers: Dark Matter Might Be the Missing Link
Launched in 1977, Voyager 1 is one of the farthest probes that we’ve sent so far. As of July 2024, it’s a whopping 24.4 billion kilometers away from Earth, making it the most distant human-made object ever. Yet, there are things in the space that we have absolutely zero clue. Yes, I’m referring to – Dark Matter. Dark matter helps slow the black holes down and lets them come together for supermassive black hole mergers, at least the recent research says so. Typically elusive, this invisible matter seems to play…
Read MoreInterview: Dr. Boris Goncharov, a Senior Scientist at the Albert Einstein Institute, Germany
I’m thrilled to introduce Dr. Boris Goncharov, a distinguished figure in the field of gravitational wave research. Currently, he is a Senior Scientist with the Pulsar Timing Array (PTA) group at the Albert Einstein Institute (AEI) in Hanover, Germany, where he is exploring the fascinating world of nanohertz-frequency gravitational waves.
Read MoreGravitational Wave Memory: A Tool for Measuring Spacetime Symmetries
When we talk about the fabric of reality, in terms of physics, we deal with interesting abstractions and tonnes of complexities. One such intriguing concept of Einstein’s theory of general relativity is the existence of gravitational waves. As the name suggests, these ripples are generated in the spacetime by some of the universe’s most violent and energetic processes, such as mergers of cosmic stars or dent in the landscape due to black holes. Interestingly, whenever these waves pass through, they leave a measurable imprint on the relative positions of objects—a…
Read MorePlanetary Puzzle: Aquodiium Ions may Influence Uranus and Neptune’s Magnetic Fields
Scientists from Skoltech and their Chinese colleagues have discovered conditions that might allow for the existence of a unique ion called aquodiium. This ion is essentially a water molecule that has gained two extra protons. This means, the “regular” H₂O formula with two additional protons (H⁺), will make its chemical formula H₅O²⁺.
Read MoreAnalyzing Pulsars: To Detect Subnanohertz Gravitational Waves
Detecting gravitational waves have always been a challenging task. It is caused due to high energetic events, like colliding black holes or neutron stars. And so, the phenomenon is like ripples on the fabric of space-time. By the time, this effect reaches us (from deep space), the signals become extremely weak. And hence, too faint to detect.
Read MoreInterview: Professor Roberto Maiolino, an Astrophysicist at Cavendish Lab, UK
I am honored to introduce Professor Roberto Maiolino, an esteemed figure in the field of Experimental Astrophysics. Currently holding the position of Professor at the Department of Physics (Cavendish Laboratory) and the Kavli Institute for Cosmology, University of Cambridge, Dr. Maiolino also serves as an Honorary Professor at University College London and holds the prestigious title of Royal Society Research Professor. With a primary focus on the exploration of galaxy formation and the evolution of supermassive black holes, Professor Maiolino employs a diverse array of observing facilities to unravel the…
Read MoreCosmic Conundrum in the Milky Way: Lightest Black Hole or Heaviest Neutron Star
Exciting news from the cosmos! Astronomers from around the world, including the brains at The University of Manchester and the Max Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy in Germany, have stumbled upon an unknown object in the Milky Way. The newly discovered object is heavier than the heaviest neutron stars we know. And lighter than the lightest black holes we’ve seen. The team used the MeerKAT Radio Telescope, to spot this mysterious object. This celestial entity is in orbit around a high-speed millisecond pulsar, situated around 40,000 light years away in…
Read MoreAstronomers Pinpoint Oldest Known Black Hole: Time-Traveling with Telescopes
Recently, astronomers have detected a super-old black hole, which is devouring its galaxy. It is dated back to the earliest black hole ever. It’s like the ultimate space buffet for the oldest black hole. Researchers at the University of Cambridge, unleashed the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) to spot this ancient black hole. The gravity well is chilling out 400 million years post-Big Bang, that is, over 13 billion years back.
Read More