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

The planet that could end life on Earth      (via sciencedaily.com) 

A terrestrial planet hovering between Mars and Jupiter would be able to push Earth out of the solar system and wipe out life on this planet, according to a recent experiment.

Space: Astronomy Space: Exploration Space: General Space: The Solar System
Published

DART impact provided real-time data on evolution of asteroid's debris      (via sciencedaily.com) 

When asteroids suffer natural impacts in space, debris flies off from the point of impact. The tail of particles that form can help determine the physical characteristics of the asteroid. NASA's Double Asteroid Redirection Test mission in September 2022 gave a team of scientists a unique opportunity -- to observe the evolution of an asteroid's ejecta as it happened.

Computer Science: Virtual Reality (VR) Physics: Acoustics and Ultrasound
Published

The future of touch      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Haptic holography promises to bring virtual reality to life, but a new study reveals a surprising physical obstacle that will need to be overcome.

Space: Astronomy Space: Exploration Space: General Space: The Solar System
Published

Hubble captures movie of DART asteroid impact debris      (via sciencedaily.com) 

In 2022 NASA embarked on a bold experiment to see if they could change an asteroid's velocity by smacking it with a ballistic probe -- kind of like hitting it with a hammer. This experiment was to test a potential technique to someday deflect an asteroid on a collision course to Earth. Perhaps, for the first time in the history of the universe, an intelligent planetary species sought ways to avoid its own potential extinction by threats from outer space (something the dinosaurs, who were wiped out 65 million years ago by a rogue asteroid, never evolved to accomplish).

Space: Astronomy Space: Exploration Space: General Space: The Solar System
Published

New NASA DART data prove viability of asteroid deflection as planetary defense strategy      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Astronomers offer new insight into how deflection missions can protect the planet from future Earth-bound asteroids and comets.

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

AI draws most accurate map of star birthplaces in the Galaxy      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Scientists identified about 140,000 molecular clouds in the Milky Way Galaxy from large-scale data of carbon monoxide molecules, observed in detail by the Nobeyama 45-m radio telescope. Using artificial intelligence, the researchers estimated the distance of each of these molecular clouds to determine their size and mass, successfully mapping the distribution of the molecular clouds in the Galaxy in the most detailed manner to date.

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

Baby star near the black hole in the middle of our Milky Way: It exists after all      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Scientists have detected the heaviest and youngest infant star ever discovered close to the black hole at the center of our Galaxy. They also identified the region where this 'impossible star' may have formed.

Offbeat: Space Space: Astronomy Space: Exploration Space: General Space: The Solar System
Published

Liquid nitrogen spray could clean up stubborn moon dust      (via sciencedaily.com) 

A liquid nitrogen spray can remove almost all of the simulated moon dust from a space suit, potentially solving what is a significant challenge for future moon-landing astronauts.

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

Galactic explosion offers astrophysicists new insight into the cosmos      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Using data from the James Webb Space Telescope's first year of interstellar observation, an international team of researchers was able to serendipitously view an exploding supernova in a faraway spiral galaxy.

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

Astronomers discover metal-rich galaxies in early universe      (via sciencedaily.com) 

While analyzing data from the first images of a well-known early galaxy taken by NASA's James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), astronomers discovered a companion galaxy previously hidden behind the light of the foreground galaxy -- one that surprisingly seems to have already hosted multiple generations of stars despite its young age, estimated at 1.4 billion years old.

Computer Science: Virtual Reality (VR) Offbeat: Computers and Math
Published

Augmented reality headset enables users to see hidden objects      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Researchers developed an augmented reality headset called X-AR that combines computer vision and wireless perception to find hidden objects in a room and then guide the wearer to retrieve the targeted item.

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

A mysterious object is being dragged into the supermassive black hole at the Milky Way's center      (via sciencedaily.com) 

An object near the supermassive black hole at the center of the Milky Way galaxy has drawn the interest of scientists because it has evolved dramatically in a relatively short time. A new study suggests that the object, called X7, could be a cloud of dust and gas that was created when two stars collided. The researchers believe it will eventually be drawn toward the black hole and will disintegrate.

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

New discovery sheds light on very early supermassive black holes      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Astronomers have discovered a rapidly growing black hole in one of the most extreme galaxies known in the very early Universe. The discovery of the galaxy and the black hole at its center provides new clues on the formation of the very first supermassive black holes.

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

Discovery of massive early galaxies defies prior understanding of the universe      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Six massive galaxies discovered in the early universe are upending what scientists previously understood about the origins of galaxies in the universe.

Offbeat: Space Space: Astronomy Space: Exploration Space: General Space: The Solar System
Published

How one of Saturn's moons ejects particles from oceans beneath its surface      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Enceladus, the sixth largest of Saturn's moons, is known for spraying out tiny icy silica particles -- so many of them that the particles are a key component of the second outermost ring around Saturn. Scientists have not known how that happens or how long the process takes. A study now shows that tidal heating in Enceladus' core creates currents that transport the silica, which is likely released by deep-sea hydrothermal vents, over the course of just a few months.

Computer Science: Virtual Reality (VR) Offbeat: Computers and Math
Published

Wireless, soft e-skin for interactive touch communication in the virtual world      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Sensing a hug from each other via the internet may be a possibility in the near future. A research team recently developed a wireless, soft e-skin that can both detect and deliver the sense of touch, and form a touch network allowing one-to-multiuser interaction. It offers great potential for enhancing the immersion of distance touch communication.

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

'Forbidden' planet orbiting small star challenges gas giant formation theories      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Astronomers have discovered an unusual planetary system in which a large gas giant planet orbits a small red dwarf star called TOI-5205. Their findings challenge long-held ideas about planet formation.

Computer Science: Virtual Reality (VR) Offbeat: Computers and Math
Published

Hands-free tech adds realistic sense of touch in extended reality      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Researchers have demonstrated a new hands-free approach to convey realistic haptic feedback in virtual reality (VR). Their 'multisensory pseudo-haptics' uses a combination of headset visuals and tactile feedback from a wrist bracelet to convey sensations of touch.

Offbeat: Space Space: Astronomy Space: Astrophysics Space: Cosmology Space: Exploration Space: General Space: The Solar System
Published

James Webb spots super old, massive galaxies that shouldn't exist      (via sciencedaily.com) 

A team of international researchers have identified six candidate galaxies that existed roughly 500 to 700 million years after the Big Bang and are about as big as the modern Milky Way Galaxy -- a feat that scientists didn't think was possible.

Computer Science: Virtual Reality (VR)
Published

How can the metaverse improve public health?      (via sciencedaily.com) 

The metaverse is a technological revolution in the field of virtual reality, with potential benefits to public health research. A new article proposes several new ways in which the metaverse can help us design, test, and experience health-promoting environments to minimize the risk of non-communicable diseases.