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China's Taiji-1 satellite passes in-orbit tests![]() Beijing (XNA) Dec 29, 2019 China's first satellite to conduct experiments on key technologies related to space-based gravitational wave detection, Taiji-1, has successfully completed its in-orbit tests, the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) announced Wednesday. The satellite, sent into orbit on Aug. 31, 2019, is China's first such kind of satellite, and has completed its in-orbit experiments, making a breakthrough in the country's gravitational wave detection, said Wu Yueliang, chief scientist of the project. After fo ... read more |
Observing time awarded to prepare for data-rich era in astronomyGoleta CA (SPX) Dec 29, 2019 Las Cumbres Observatory partnered with the LSST Corporation and presented a workshop on "Managing Follow-up Observations in the Era of ZTF and LSST." The event was held at the Carnegie Observatories ... more
Counting photons is now routine enough to need standardsWashington DC (SPX) Dec 30, 2019 Since the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) built its first superconducting devices for counting photons (the smallest units of light) in the 1990s, these once-rare detectors hav ... more
Space-time metasurface makes light reflect only in one directionChangchun, China (SPX) Dec 30, 2019 Light propagation is usually reciprocal meaning that the trajectory of light travelling in one direction is identical from that in the opposite direction. Breaking reciprocity can make light propaga ... more
NIST study suggests universal method for measuring light powerWashington DC (SPX) Dec 30, 2019 Always on the lookout for better ways to measure all kinds of things, researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have published a detailed study suggesting an "elegant" ... more |
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| Previous Issues | Dec 27 | Dec 26 | Dec 25 | Dec 24 | Dec 23 |
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Breathable atmospheres may be more common in the universe than we first thoughtLeeds UK (SPX) Dec 17, 2019 The existence of habitable alien worlds has been a mainstay of popular culture for more than a century. In the 19th century, astronomers believed that Martians might be using canal-based transport l ... more
Get ready for a new periodic tableJerusalem (SPX) Dec 19, 2019 Are you ready for the future? Back in 1869, Russia's Dmitri Mendeleev began to classify the elements according to their chemical properties, giving rise to the Periodical Table of Elements. "I saw i ... more
'DNA' of Twin Stars Helps Reveal Family History of Milky WayAustin TX (SPX) Dec 24, 2019 Twin stars appear to share chemical "DNA" that could help scientists map the history of the Milky Way galaxy, according to new research by astronomer Keith Hawkins of The University of Texas at Aust ... more
New Image of Candy Cane-Shaped Feature in Center of Milky WayLos Angeles CA (SPX) Dec 19, 2019 A team of astronomers has produced a new image of an arc-shaped object in the center of our Milky Way galaxy. The feature, which resembles a candy cane, is a magnetic structure that covers an enormo ... more
Laser-based prototype probes cold atom dynamicsWashington DC (SPX) Dec 19, 2019 By tracking the motions of cold atom clouds, astronomers can learn much about the physical processes which play out in the depths of space. To make these measurements, researchers currently use inst ... more |
![]() Massive gas disk raises questions about planet formation theory
Carbon cocoons surround growing galaxies far beyond previous beliefsCopenhagen, Denmark (SPX) Dec 18, 2019 Researchers have discovered gigantic clouds of gaseous carbon spanning more than a radius of 30,000 light-years around young galaxies using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) in ... more |
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RIT and IAR observe pulsars for the first time from South AmericaRochester UK (SPX) Dec 18, 2019 Rochester Institute of Technology and the Instituto Argentino de Radioastronomia (IAR) have collaborated to make the first pulsar observations from South America. A new paper published in Astr ... more
Galaxy gathering brings warmthBoston MA (SPX) Dec 18, 2019 As the holiday season approaches, people in the northern hemisphere will gather indoors to stay warm. In keeping with the season, astronomers have studied two groups of galaxies that are rushing tog ... more
Distant Milky Way-like galaxies reveal star formation history of the universeCharlottesville VA (SPX) Dec 18, 2019 Look at this new radio image covered with dots, each of which is a distant galaxy! The brightest spots are galaxies that are powered by supermassive black holes and shine bright in radio light. But ... more
Nightside barrier gently brakes 'bursty' plasma bubblesHouston TX (SPX) Dec 24, 2019 The solar wind that pummels the Earth's dayside magnetosphere causes turbulence, like air over a wing. Physicists at Rice University have developed new methods to characterize how that influences sp ... more
A box of Apollo lunar soilGreenbelt MD (SPX) Dec 24, 2019 Fortunately for today's scientists, Apollo-era leaders had the foresight to save much of the 842 pounds (382 kilograms) of Moon soil and rocks retrieved by NASA astronauts 50 years ago for future ge ... more |
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NASA's Juno navigators enable Jupiter cyclone discovery Washington DC (SPX) Dec 16, 2019
Jupiter's south pole has a new cyclone. The discovery of the massive Jovian tempest occurred on Nov. 3, 2019, during the most recent data-gathering flyby of Jupiter by NASA's Juno spacecraft. It was the 22nd flyby during which the solar-powered spacecraft collected science data on the gas giant, soaring only 2,175 miles (3,500 kilometers) above its cloud tops. The flyby also marked a victory for ... more |
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Massive gas disk raises questions about planet formation theory Tokyo, Japan (SPX) Dec 24, 2019
Astronomers using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) found a young star surrounded by an astonishing mass of gas. The star, called 49 Ceti, is 40 million years old, and conventional theories of planet formation predict that the gas should have disappeared by that age. The enigmatically large amount of gas requests a reconsideration of our current understanding of planet form ... more |
Promising progress for ExoMars parachutes Paris (ESA) Dec 24, 2019
A series of ground-based tests designed to check the extraction of the ExoMars 2020 mission's parachutes from their bags have started successfully with promising results to keep the mission on track for next year's launch.
Landing on Mars is a high-risk endeavour with no room for error. In just six minutes, a descent module with its precious cargo cocooned inside has to slow from around 21 ... more |
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Macao's moon, planetary lab to boost China's deep space exploration Beijing, China (SPX) Dec 24, 2019
Macao's first space exploration satellite was named Macao Science 1, the special administrative region (SAR)'s Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture Tam Chon Weng announced Sunday at an opening ceremony of an aerospace exhibition.
During the opening ceremony, vice administrator of China National Space Administration (CNSA) Wu Yanhua also announced that the CNSA would set up Macao Space ... more |
New rules illuminate how objects absorb and emit light Princeton NJ (SPX) Dec 30, 2019
Princeton researchers have uncovered new rules governing how objects absorb and emit light, fine-tuning scientists' control over light and boosting research into next-generation solar and optical devices.
The discovery solves a longstanding problem of scale, where light's behavior when interacting with tiny objects violates well-established physical constraints observed at larger scales. ... more |
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NASA Awards Launch Services Contract for Environmental Satellite Mission Washington DC (SPX) Dec 19, 2019
NASA has selected United Launch Services LLC (ULS) of Centennial, Colorado, to provide launch services for the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite-T (GOES-T) mission, which will provide advanced imagery and atmospheric measurements of Earth's weather, oceans and environment, real-time mapping of total lightning activity, and improved monitoring of solar activity and space weather. ... more |
Ancient events are still impacting mammals worldwide Houston TX (SPX) Dec 19, 2019
In the first study of its kind, researchers have discovered that events from 20,000 years ago or more are still impacting the diversity and distribution of mammal species worldwide.
"Our study shows that mammal biodiversity in the tropics and subtropics today is still being shaped by ancient human events and climate changes," said study lead author John Rowan of the University of Massachus ... more |
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SDO sees new kind of magnetic explosion on sun Greenbelt MD (SPX) Dec 18, 2019
NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory has observed a magnetic explosion the likes of which have never been seen before. In the scorching upper reaches of the Sun's atmosphere, a prominence - a large loop of material launched by an eruption on the solar surface - started falling back to the surface of the Sun. But before it could make it, the prominence ran into a snarl of magnetic field lines, spark ... more |
China launches powerful rocket in boost for 2020 Mars mission Beijing (AFP) Dec 27, 2019
China Friday launched one of the world's most powerful rockets in a major step forward for its planned mission to Mars in 2020.
The heavy lift Long March 5 rocket carrying a Shijian 20 test satellite payload blasted off from the Wenchang launch site on the southern island of Hainan at 8:45 pm (1245 GMT), a livestream from state broadcaster CCTV showed.
"After more than 2,000 seconds, the ... more |
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New rules illuminate how objects absorb and emit light Princeton NJ (SPX) Dec 30, 2019
Princeton researchers have uncovered new rules governing how objects absorb and emit light, fine-tuning scientists' control over light and boosting research into next-generation solar and optical devices.
The discovery solves a longstanding problem of scale, where light's behavior when interacting with tiny objects violates well-established physical constraints observed at larger scales. ... more |
Chimpanzees likely to share tools, teach skills when task is more complex Washington (UPI) Dec 27, 2019
New research suggests that when chimpanzees are performing more complex tasks, they are more likely to share tools with their more novice peers and offspring, as well as engage in teaching behaviors.
Scientists have previously noted that tool-sharing among chimpanzees represented a form of teaching, but that chimps learn primarily through watching and mimicking - not via direct teachin ... more |
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DLR phantoms undergo fit check in NASA's Orion space capsule Cologne, Germany (SPX) Dec 24, 2019
The intensity of space radiation is much greater outside Earth's protective magnetic field. This causes problems for the human body and represents a challenge for future crewed space missions to the Moon and Mars. The German Aerospace Center (Deutsches Zentrum fur Luft- und Raumfahrt; DLR) is conducting research to determine the radiation risk for crewed spaceflight. One of the projects that the ... more |
Tourism's gifts and woes for Santa and Sami homeland Rovaniemi, Finland (AFP) Dec 24, 2019
In Finland's remote Lapland region, the Santa Claus Village amusement park is a snowy wonderland of reindeer rides, ice castles, snowmobiles and igloo hotels where Christmas holds sway 365 days a year.
At its centre, a wooden, fairytale-esque cabin houses Santa's grotto - since the 1980s, tourism chiefs have set out to market the main town, Rovaniemi, as the world's official home of Santa C ... more |
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Seasonal forecasts challenged by Pacific Ocean warming Melbourne, Australia (SPX) Dec 30, 2019
CSIRO research has found global warming will make it more difficult to predict multi-year global climate variations, a consequence of changes to long-term climate variability patterns in the Pacific Ocean.
The results, published in Nature Climate Change, shed light on how the Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO) was responding to a changing climate, with implications for assessing multi-year ... more |
China's Taiji-1 satellite passes in-orbit tests Beijing (XNA) Dec 29, 2019
China's first satellite to conduct experiments on key technologies related to space-based gravitational wave detection, Taiji-1, has successfully completed its in-orbit tests, the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) announced Wednesday.
The satellite, sent into orbit on Aug. 31, 2019, is China's first such kind of satellite, and has completed its in-orbit experiments, making a breakthrough i ... more |
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