A Scientific Research Vault
Tiny meteorites from the icy outer reaches of the Solar System might be the reason nitrogen ended up near Earth. Yes, we are talking about the early days of our solar system. A team of scientists from the University of Hawai’i at Manoa along with Kyoto University and others from around the globe recently published their discovery in Nature Astronomy.
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In an international collaboration between astronomers from University of Padua (Italy), the Institute of Cosmos Sciences of the University of Barcelona (ICCUB) and the Institute of Space Studies of Catalonia (IEEC), there are indications that multiple black holes might exist within the Hyades cluster.
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In an effort to explore the mysterious GJ 367 planetary system, an international team of astronomers embarked on a dynamic quest. Armed with the High Accuracy Radial velocity Planet Searcher (HARPS), they set out to unravel the secrets hidden in the vastness of space.
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A Universe from Nothing: Why There Is Something Rather than Nothing is a voyage to the forefront of cosmology. The book is written by acclaimed physicist Lawrence M. Krauss and was published in 2012. Krauss has beautifully blended his observational prowess, theoretical ingenuity, and technological advancements while framing the concepts and notions in his book. The idea that the universe emerged from random quantum fluctuations is, indeed, fascinating.
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The surface area of Europa, one of Jupiter’s moons, is slightly smaller than Earth’s Moon. Yet it has garnered a lot of attention from scientists as a potential site for extra-terrestrial life. Here are some of the reasons, why it is considered as potential for hosting life: Surface and Ice Shell: The surface of Jovian moon is covered by a layer of ice that is believed to be several kilometers thick. When it comes to the entire solar system, its icy crust is one of the smoothest. This implies that…
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Juno is the famous space probe sent by NASA to study Jupiter. It was launched in 2011 and reached the gas giant planet in 2016. Instead of orbiting around the equator like previous missions, Juno entered a path that takes it over Jupiter’s poles. After its arrival, the space probe has been gyrating the planet in a specific orbit. With the help of special instruments on board, Juno is constantly collecting information from Jupiter’s environment. The main aim of the expedition, is to gather accurate data about the planet’s gravity…
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When a star runs out of fuel, it eventually reaches the end of its life cycle and begin to expand. It swells to hundred or even a thousand times its original size. The process is called as a “red giant” phase. The progression enables the star’s outer layers to become less dense. Consequently, the star starts to swell outwards. In some cases, the star may expand so much that it engulfs any nearby planets.
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Astronomers are always looking for exoplanets since it opens the door for better understanding of the formation and evolution of planetary systems beyond our own. With this aim in mind, NASA launched the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) in 2018. Primary parameter of this was to monitor the brightness of nearby stars. Till now, TESS has surveyed nearly 200,000 of the brightest stars near the sun. And so far, it has identified about 6,400 candidate exoplanets. To date, 330 of these candidates have been confirmed as exoplanets through follow-up observations…
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Three Roads to Quantum Gravity: A New Understanding of Space, Time and the Universe is written by Lee Smolin. He is a theoretical physicist and senior faculty member at Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics. He has contributed significantly to the development of Loop Quantum Gravity and Deformed Special Relativity.
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Magnetic field is an important characteristic of a planet. And when it comes to Earth, the field is generated by the motion of molten iron in its core. It not only protects the atmosphere on Earth from cosmic radiations but it also deflects the charged particles spewed off by the sun. In absence of magnetic field, planet’s atmosphere would erode. Thus, making it less habitable.
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According to Einstein’s theory of general relativity, gravity arises from the curvature of spacetime, caused by the presence of massive objects. This curvature, also, impacts the motion of all nearby objects thus, causing them to move in curved paths. General relativity however breaks down under extreme conditions such as those found in black holes and the early universe. These conditions comprise of high energies and densities, which exponentially influences the effects of quantum mechanics. And it has been observed that the laws of general relativity no longer provide a complete…
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Astronomers have discovered a potential key step in the chemical process that occurs in “stellar nurseries,” which are clouds of gas and dust in space that eventually form young stars and planets.
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In an international collaboration between astronomers, two planets orbiting a red-dwarf star have been identified. The planets, GJ 1002 b and c, are 16 light-years away and about the size of Earth. Both lie within the star’s habitable zone. Which means, the orbital distance is enough to allow liquid water to form on the surface provided it has the right kind of atmosphere.
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My favourite thought experiment is the notion that as an individual approaches the speed of light, time slows down. Now let’s extrapolate it to Big Crunch scenario. What if an individual travel at the speed of light and reaches the end of universe? According to Russian Physicist Alexander Friedmann, end of the universe depends on its density. Therefore, universe cannot stay stable for ever, it could either expand or contract. Gravity, with the help of matter, could slow down the expansion, then stop, and ultimately reverse it. Everything collapses within…
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Astronomers work ceaselessly to find out clues that might point out to the existence of extra-terrestrial life some where in outer space. The mere idea that we might not be alone is enough motivation to work constantly in this hunt. Lately, there has been an increase in the number of research probing into exoplanets. In one such research, astronomers have discovered a super-Earth like planet near the habitable zone of a red dwarf star. It is about 37 light-years from the Earth. This also happens to be the first such…
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