Offbeat: General Offbeat: Space Space: Astronomy Space: Astrophysics Space: Exploration Space: General Space: Structures and Features
Published

Hubble finds surprises around a star that erupted 40 years ago      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Astronomers have used new data from NASA's Hubble Space Telescope and the retired SOFIA (Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy) as well as archival data from other missions to revisit one of the strangest binary star systems in our galaxy -- 40 years after it burst onto the scene as a bright and long-lived nova. A nova is a star that suddenly increases its brightness tremendously and then fades away to its former obscurity, usually in a few months or years.

Offbeat: General Offbeat: Space Space: Astronomy Space: Astrophysics Space: Exploration Space: General Space: Structures and Features Space: The Solar System
Published

Webb telescope reveals asteroid collision in neighboring star system      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Astronomers have captured what appears to be a snapshot of a massive collision of giant asteroids in Beta Pictoris, a neighboring star system known for its early age and tumultuous planet-forming activity.

Offbeat: General Offbeat: Space Space: Astronomy Space: Astrophysics Space: Exploration Space: General Space: Structures and Features
Published

Galactic bloodlines: Many nearby star clusters originate from only three 'families'      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Astronomers have deciphered the formation history of young star clusters, some of which we can see with the naked eye at night. The team reports that most nearby young star clusters belong to only three families, which originate from very massive star-forming regions. This research also provides new insights into the effects of supernovae (violent explosions at the end of the life of very massive stars) on the formation of giant gas structures in galaxies like our Milky Way.

Space: Astronomy Space: Exploration Space: General Space: Structures and Features Space: The Solar System
Published

Small, cool and sulfurous exoplanet may help write recipe for planetary formation      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Astronomers observing exoplanet GJ 3470 b saw evidence of water, carbon dioxide, methane and sulfur dioxide. Astronomers hope the discovery of this exoplanet's sulfurous atmosphere will advance our understanding of how planets forms.

Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Earthquakes Geoscience: Geography Geoscience: Geology Geoscience: Oceanography
Published

Cascadia Subduction Zone, one of Earth's top hazards, comes into sharper focus      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A new study has produced the first comprehensive survey of the many complex structures beneath the seafloor in the Cascadia Subduction Zone, off British Columbia, Washington, Oregon and California. It is providing scientists with key insights into how future disasters may unfold.

Space: Astronomy Space: Astrophysics Space: Cosmology Space: Exploration Space: General Space: Structures and Features
Published

Researchers upend theory about the formation of the Milky Way Galaxy      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Research reveals a shocking discovery about the history of our universe: the Milky Way Galaxy's last major collision occurred billions of years later than previously thought.

Offbeat: General Offbeat: Space Space: Astronomy Space: Astrophysics Space: Cosmology Space: General Space: Structures and Features Space: The Solar System
Published

Exotic black holes could be a byproduct of dark matter      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

In the first quintillionth of a second, the universe may have sprouted microscopic black holes with enormous amounts of nuclear charge, MIT physicists propose. The gravitational pull from these tiny, invisible objects could potentially explain all the dark matter that we can't see today.

Offbeat: General Offbeat: Space Space: Astrophysics Space: Exploration Space: General Space: Structures and Features Space: The Solar System
Published

Planet-forming disks around very low-mass stars are different      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Using the James Webb Space Telescope, a team of astronomers studied the properties of a planet-forming disk around a young and very low-mass star. The results reveal the richest hydrocarbon composition seen to date in a protoplanetary disk, including the first extrasolar detection of ethane and a relatively low abundance of oxygen-bearing species. By including previous similar detections, this finding confirms a trend of disks around very low-mass stars to be chemically distinct from those around more massive stars like the Sun, influencing the atmospheres of planets forming there.

Space: Astronomy Space: Astrophysics Space: Exploration Space: General Space: Structures and Features Space: The Solar System
Published

Scientists detect slowest-spinning radio emitting neutron star ever recorded      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Scientists have detected what they believe to be a neutron star spinning at an unprecedentedly slow rate -- slower than any of the more than 3,000 radio emitting neutron stars measured to date.

Geoscience: Earthquakes Geoscience: Geology
Published

Breaking ground: Could geometry offer a new explanation for why earthquakes happen?      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers are adding a new wrinkle to a long-held belief about what causes earthquakes in the first place.

Offbeat: General Offbeat: Space Space: Astronomy Space: Exploration Space: General Space: Structures and Features Space: The Solar System
Published

'Weird' new planet retained atmosphere despite nearby star's relentless radiation      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A rare exoplanet that should have been stripped down to bare rock by its nearby host star's intense radiation somehow grew a puffy atmosphere instead -- the latest in a string of discoveries forcing scientists to rethink theories about how planets age and die in extreme environments. Nicknamed 'Phoenix' for its ability to survive its red giant star's radiant energy discovered planet illustrates the vast diversity of solar systems and the complexity of planetary evolution -- especially at the end of stars' lives.

Space: Astronomy Space: Astrophysics Space: Cosmology Space: General Space: Structures and Features
Published

Medium and mighty: Intermediate-mass black holes can survive in globular clusters      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

New research demonstrated a possible formation mechanism of intermediate-mass black holes in globular clusters, star clusters that could contain tens of thousands or even millions of tightly packed stars. The first ever star-by-star massive cluster-formation simulations revealed that sufficiently dense molecular clouds, the 'birthing nests' of star clusters, can give birth to very massive stars that evolve into intermediate-mass black holes.

Offbeat: General Offbeat: Space Space: Astronomy Space: Astrophysics Space: Cosmology Space: Exploration Space: General Space: Structures and Features
Published

NASA's James Webb Space Telescope finds most distant known galaxy      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Over the last two years, scientists have used NASA's James Webb Space Telescope to explore what astronomers refer to as Cosmic Dawn -- the period in the first few hundred million years after the big bang where the first galaxies were born.

Geoscience: Earthquakes Geoscience: Environmental Issues
Published

Safeguarding urban infrastructure from subsidence and liquefaction risks      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

During an earthquake, soil can weaken through subsidence and liquefaction. These processes can cause buildings to collapse as the soil becomes unable to support their weight. Researchers have now developed a model that predicts soil-bearing strength and thickness to identify stable construction sites and reduce structural risks. Additionally, the model can also predict other soil conditions in real-time and function as an early-warning system to identify potential hazards.

Offbeat: General Offbeat: Space Space: Astronomy Space: Astrophysics Space: Cosmology Space: Exploration Space: General Space: Structures and Features
Published

The case of the missing black holes      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers have applied the well-understood and highly verified quantum field theory, usually applied to the study of the very small, to a new target, the early universe. Their exploration led to the conclusion that there ought to be far fewer miniature black holes than most models suggest, though observations to confirm this should soon be possible. The specific kind of black hole in question could be a contender for dark matter.

Environmental: General Geoscience: Earthquakes
Published

Understanding the mechanisms for local amplification of 2024 tsunamis in Iida Bay      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers uncover the unique mechanisms that resulted in severe tsunamis in Iida Bay caused by the 2024 Noto Peninsula Earthquake. The recent tsunamis in Iida Bay were locally amplified due to various factors, including ocean floor topology, the shape of the coastline, the location of coastal facilities, and seismic mechanisms associated with earthquakes, report scientists.

Offbeat: General Offbeat: Space Space: Astronomy Space: Astrophysics Space: Cosmology Space: Exploration Space: General Space: Structures and Features
Published

Birth of universe's earliest galaxies observed for first time      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers have now seen the formation of three of the earliest galaxies in the universe, more than 13 billion years ago. The sensational discovery contributes important knowledge about the universe.

Offbeat: General Offbeat: Space Space: Astronomy Space: Exploration Space: General Space: Structures and Features Space: The Solar System
Published

Planet hunters unveil massive catalog of strange worlds      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

While thousands of planets have been discovered around other stars, relatively little is known about them. A NASA catalog featuring 126 exotic, newly discovered worlds includes detailed measurements that allow for comparisons with our own solar system.