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NASA's Webb Space Telescope to Inspect Atmospheres of Gas Giant Exoplanets![]() Baltimore MD (SPX) Jul 12, 2018 In April 2018, NASA launched the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS). Its main goal is to locate Earth-sized planets and larger "super-Earths" orbiting nearby stars for further study. One of the most powerful tools that will examine the atmospheres of some planets that TESS discovers will be NASA's James Webb Space Telescope. Since observing small exoplanets with thin atmospheres like Earth will be challenging for Webb, astronomers will target easier, gas giant exoplanets first. Some of W ... read more |
TESS Spacecraft Continues Testing Prior to First ObservationsGreenbelt MD (SPX) Jul 12, 2018 After a successful launch on April 18, 2018, NASA's newest planet hunter, the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite, is currently undergoing a series of commissioning tests before it begins searchin ... more
Centenary of cosmological constant lambdaWashington DC (SPX) Jul 12, 2018 Physicists are now celebrating the 100th anniversary of the cosmological constant. On this occasion, two papers recently published in EPJ H highlight its role in modern physics and cosmology. ... more
Could Gravitational Waves Reveal How Fast Our Universe Is Expanding?Boston MA (SPX) Jul 12, 2018 ince it first exploded into existence 13.8 billion years ago, the universe has been expanding, dragging along with it hundreds of billions of galaxies and stars, much like raisins in a rapidly risin ... more
Putting a quantum gas through its phasesZurich, Switzerland (SPX) Jul 11, 2018 As a physical system undergoes a phase transition, it typically becomes more - or, less - ordered. For instance, when a piece of iron is heated to above the Curie temperature, the strong ferromagnet ... more |
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| Previous Issues | Jul 11 | Jul 10 | Jul 09 | Jul 07 | Jul 06 |
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Distant quasar providing clues to early-universe conditionsCharlottesville VA (SPX) Jul 10, 2018 Astronomers using the National Science Foundation's Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA) have made an image revealing tantalizing details of a quasar nearly 13 billion light-years from Earth - an object ... more
Astronomer Reveals When Soviet-Era Interplanetary Station Will Crash to EarthMoscow (Sputnik) Jul 09, 2018 A station was unsuccessfully launched as a part of the USSR's space exploration program and has been orbiting the Earth ever since, but the station's deterioration is bringing its "homecoming" close ... more
Einstein's Theory of Gravity Still Passes the TestAmsterdam, Netherlands (SPX) Jul 05, 2018 Einstein's theory of gravity, general relativity, predicts that all objects fall in the same way, regardless of their mass or composition. But does this principle also hold for objects with extreme ... more
Israel plans its first moon launch in DecemberYehud, Israel (AFP) July 10, 2018 An Israeli organisation announced plans Tuesday to launch the country's first spacecraft to the moon in December, with hopes of burnishing Israel's reputation as a small nation with otherworldly high-tech ambitions. ... more
Higgs boson observed decaying into pairs of b quarksWashington (UPI) Jul 10, 2018 Physicists have observed the Higgs boson decaying into a pair of b quarks, confirming the predictions of the Standard Model of particle physics. ... more |
![]() Groundbreaking Study Sheds New Light on Galaxy Evolution
Kirigami-inspired technique manipulates light at the nanoscaleCambridge UK (SPX) Jul 10, 2018 Nanokirigami has taken off as a field of research in the last few years; the approach is based on the ancient arts of origami (making 3-D shapes by folding paper) and kirigami (which allows cutting ... more |
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Fragment of Impacting Asteroid Recovered in BotswanaMountain View, CA (SPX) Jul 09, 2018 A meteorite was found in Botswana's Central Kalahari Game Reserve (CKGR) that is a fragment of asteroid 2018 LA. This small asteroid was discovered in space by the University of Arizona's Catalina S ... more
Guiding sound waves through a mazeVienna, Austria (SPX) Jul 06, 2018 We are constantly dealing with waves that are deflected in complex ways: this could be a light beam passing through a glass of milk and being dispersed in all directions, or electromagnetic waves fr ... more
Magnetic skyrmions: Not the only ones of their classJulich, Germany (SPX) Jul 06, 2018 These objects, which are referred to as "chiral magnetic bobbers", are three-dimensional magnetic structures that appear near the surfaces of certain alloys. "For a long time, the unique objec ... more
Researchers see beam of light from first confirmed neutron star merger emerge from behind sunWarwick UK (SPX) Jul 03, 2018 A research team led by astronomers at the University of Warwick had to wait over 100 days for the sight of the first of confirmed neutron star merger to remerge from behind the glare of the sun. ... more
Molecular oxygen in comet's atmosphere not created on its surfaceLondon, UK (SPX) Jul 04, 2018 Scientists have found that molecular oxygen around comet 67P is not produced on its surface, as some suggested, but may be from its body. The European Space Agency's Rosetta spacecraft escorte ... more |
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First Global Maps of Pluto and Charon from New Horizons Published Houston TX (SPX) Jul 11, 2018
Until 2015, it was not known whether icy Pluto or its largest moon, Charon, had mountains, valleys or even impact craters. After the spectacular success of New Horizons in July 2015, scientists were amazed at the towering peaks and deep valleys that were revealed in the returned data.
Now, thanks to the efforts of the New Horizons team, the first official validated global map and topograph ... more |
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NASA's Webb Space Telescope to Inspect Atmospheres of Gas Giant Exoplanets Baltimore MD (SPX) Jul 12, 2018
In April 2018, NASA launched the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS). Its main goal is to locate Earth-sized planets and larger "super-Earths" orbiting nearby stars for further study. One of the most powerful tools that will examine the atmospheres of some planets that TESS discovers will be NASA's James Webb Space Telescope. Since observing small exoplanets with thin atmospheres like E ... more |
Scientists Discover "Ghost Dunes" On Mars Washington DC (SPX) Jul 12, 2018
Scientists have discovered hundreds of crescent-shaped pits on Mars where sand dunes the size of the US Capitol stood billions of years ago. The curves of these ancient dune impressions record the direction of prevailing winds on the Red Planet, providing potential clues to Mars's past climate, and may hold evidence of ancient life, according to a new study detailing the findings in the Journal ... more |
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Israel plans its first moon launch in December Yehud, Israel (AFP) July 10, 2018
An Israeli organisation announced plans Tuesday to launch the country's first spacecraft to the moon in December, with hopes of burnishing Israel's reputation as a small nation with otherworldly high-tech ambitions.
The unmanned spacecraft, shaped like a pod and weighing some 585 kilogrammes (1,300 pounds) at launch, will land on the moon on February 13, 2019 if all goes according to plan, o ... more |
Distant quasar providing clues to early-universe conditions Charlottesville VA (SPX) Jul 10, 2018
Astronomers using the National Science Foundation's Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA) have made an image revealing tantalizing details of a quasar nearly 13 billion light-years from Earth - an object that may provide important clues about the physical processes at work in the Universe's first galaxies.
The scientists studied a quasar called PSO J352.4034-15.3373 (P352-15), an unusually brigh ... more |
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Copernicus Sentinel-5P releases first data Paris (ESA) Jul 12, 2018
Following months of tests and careful evaluation, the first data on air pollutants from the Copernicus Sentinel-5P satellite have been released. These first maps show a range of trace gases that affect air quality such as carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide and ozone.
Launched on 13 October 2017, Sentinel-5P is the first Copernicus satellite dedicated to monitoring our atmosphere. It is part ... more |
Tiny fine particles of global impact reveals the origin of black carbon Helsinki, Finland (SPX) Jul 10, 2018
A technical breakthrough was achieved in the source determination of very small carbon samples at the Accelerator Laboratory and the Laboratory of Chronology of the University of Helsinki. The development work is essential in climate research as it facilitates disentangling the origin of, for instance, black carbon particles.
The ratio of modern biomass vs. fossil material present in any c ... more |
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This Summer's Solar Eclipses from the Ends of the Earth Williamstown MA (SPX) Jul 09, 2018
Solar eclipses will occur at opposite ends of the Earth this summer, 2018. Both will be merely partial solar eclipses as seen from the Earth's surface, not as dramatic as last summer's total solar eclipse whose path of totality crossed the United States, with partial eclipses being seen from as far north as Canada and as far south as northern South America.
Prof. Jay Pasachoff, Chair of th ... more |
China readying for space station era: Yang Liwei Beijing (XNA) Jul 10, 2018
China is accelerating its timetable for a space station, with the core capsule expected to be launched in 2020, says Yang Liwei, director of the China Manned Space Engineering Office and the country's first astronaut.
Yang told Chinese media recently that the two experiment modules of the space station will be sent into space in 2021 and 2022. Three or four manned missions and several carg ... more |
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Distant quasar providing clues to early-universe conditions Charlottesville VA (SPX) Jul 10, 2018
Astronomers using the National Science Foundation's Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA) have made an image revealing tantalizing details of a quasar nearly 13 billion light-years from Earth - an object that may provide important clues about the physical processes at work in the Universe's first galaxies.
The scientists studied a quasar called PSO J352.4034-15.3373 (P352-15), an unusually brigh ... more |
Stone tools age Asia's first Homo presence Paris (AFP) July 11, 2018
The remains of crudely fashioned stone tools unearthed in China advances the presence of human ancestors in Asia by around 200 millennia to 2.1 million years ago, scientists said Wednesday.
If correctly dated, the find means that hominins - the group of humans and our extinct forefather species - left Africa earlier than archaeologists have been able to demonstrate thus far, a team reporte ... more |
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Orion Jettison Motor Ready for Crew Escape System Test Sacramento CA (SPX) Jul 10, 2018
Aerojet Rocketdyne recently passed a key milestone in preparation for the Ascent Abort Test (AA-2) next year with the successful casting of the Jettison Motor for the Lockheed Martin-built Orion spacecraft's Launch Abort System (LAS).
AA-2 is a full-stress test of NASA's Orion LAS, which includes the Jettison Motor built by Aerojet Rocketdyne. The Orion Jettison Motor is used to separate the LA ... more |
Win for wildlife as krill fishing restricted in Antarctica Sydney (AFP) July 10, 2018
Five major krill fishing firms Tuesday agreed to halt operations across huge swathes of the Antarctic to help protect wildlife in a move hailed as "bold and progressive" by conservationists.
The vast frozen continent is home to penguins, seals, whales and other marine life with krill a staple food for many species.
But a combination of climate change and industrial-scale fishing has been ... more |
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China eyes Pacific summit as N.Z. warns of power vacuum Wellington (AFP) July 10, 2018 China is planning a summit of Pacific island leaders in November, Papua New Guinea has revealed, as New Zealand warned Tuesday Beijing was attempting to fill a "vacuum" in the long-neglected region.
President Xi Jinping wants to hold the meeting ahead of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum in Port Moresby from November 12-18.
"(I) invite you to attend a Pacific Island lead ... more |
Could Gravitational Waves Reveal How Fast Our Universe Is Expanding? Boston MA (SPX) Jul 12, 2018
ince it first exploded into existence 13.8 billion years ago, the universe has been expanding, dragging along with it hundreds of billions of galaxies and stars, much like raisins in a rapidly rising dough.
Astronomers have pointed telescopes to certain stars and other cosmic sources to measure their distance from Earth and how fast they are moving away from us - two parameters that are es ... more |
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