Space

A new paper discusses how recoiling ice from comets can push them around and how the radiation pressure from the sun drives material outward. There are also relativistic effects that can cause particles to spiral inward toward the sun.

Through the lens of the Hubble and James Webb Space Telescopes, scientists are zeroing in on the Hubble Constant, a vital measure that indicates the universe’s expansion rate.

Recent studies, especially those involving the JWST, have provided more precise measurements, crucial for understanding the universe’s broader properties.

A Triple Star System Yields an Unusual Surviving Star

Unlike our Sun, which exists alone, at least half of the stars in our galaxy have a companion. This concept was famously depicted in the Star Wars movies, where Luke Skywalker watched two suns set over his home planet, Tatooine. But imagine a world with three suns in the sky—this was once the reality for a remarkable triple-star system recently studied by NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope.

Hubble’s data reveals that this system had a chaotic past. Around 500 million years ago, two of the stars merged, forming a much larger and more massive star. Over time, this new star burned through its fuel and eventually collapsed into an unusually massive white dwarf. The third star in the system, once a companion, became a bystander to this cosmic upheaval.

In 2005, NASA had a program that allowed you to enter your name to be placed on a CD-ROM that was to be put on the New Horizons probe to Pluto. I was able to look mine up and still see the certificate.

Recent studies challenge the long-held belief that the Milky Way is a standard model for understanding galaxy formation, revealing unique differences in its structure and evolution compared to its galactic peers.

The SAGA Survey has begun to uncover these discrepancies by studying over 100 Milky Way-like galaxies, shedding light on the complex role of dark matter and the diverse evolutionary paths of galaxies.

The existence of water on Mars has long been a subject of curiosity and debate. A recently published study presents compelling evidence of ancient “wave ripples” in rocks that were shaped by Martian water and winds billions of years ago.

These ripples, imprinted on the Martian surface, speak to a time when shallow bodies of water were open to the Martian air.