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☆ First close-up image of a star beyond our galaxy may reveal impending supernova
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-21 | by ( Ashley Strickland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

The star, known as WOH G64, is 160,000 light-years from Earth in the Large Magellanic Cloud, a small neighboring galaxy that orbits the Milky Way. Van Loon has observed WOH G64 since the 1990s and studied it as a student at the European Southern Observatory. The Hubble Space Telescope soon revealed it had indeed been a red supergiant in the past, perhaps 20,000 years before the explosion. “If this is what we are seeing (WOH G64) doing, then a spectacle awaits us soon,” van Loon said. It’s nowhere near as bright or variable as WOH G64, van Loon said, and only experienced a brief hiccup compared with what WOH G64 is undergoing.

Persons: ”, Keiichi Ohnaka, Jacco van, UK’s Keele University . Van Loon, van Loon, Gerd Weigelt, Max Planck, It’s, Edward Guinan, Guinan, “, ” van Loon, Ohnaka Organizations: CNN —, Southern, Astrophysics, “, Andrés Bello National University, Keele Observatory, UK’s Keele University . Van, European Southern Observatory, Max, Max Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy, Villanova University in, Hubble Locations: Atacama, Chile, Jacco van Loon, Bonn, Germany, Villanova University in Pennsylvania

☆ Scientists warn that a key Atlantic current could collapse, among other climate tipping points
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-12 | by ( Evan Bush | Evan Bush Is A Science Reporter For Nbc News. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +6 min

Among other findings, it warns that several key climate tipping points appear more likely to be reached than previously thought. Ice loss from the Thwaites Glacier, also known as the “Doomsday” glacier because its collapse could precipitate rapid Antarctic ice loss, may be unstoppable. These are just a few of the stark findings from more than 50 leading snow and ice scientists, which are detailed in a new report from the International Cryosphere Climate Initiative. The report highlights a shift in consensus: Scientists once thought tipping points — like the collapse of AMOC — were distant or remote possibilities. Even if they were on track, those commitments are insufficient to reach global climate goals, the authors say.

Persons: it’s, ”, Helen Findlay, “, AMOC, Julie Brigham, We’ve, Sean Gallup, ” Findlay, Mukhtar Babayev, Donald Trump, Trump, Joe Biden, Peter Neff, there’s, ” Neff Organizations: Initiative, Southern Hemisphere, Plymouth Marine Laboratory, Copernicus, ESA, United Nations, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Getty, ”, University of Minnesota Locations: Venezuela, Atlantic, Europe, England, Iceland, Alaska, Asia, Baku, Azerbaijan, Paris, Ilulissat, Greenland, U.S

☆ Archaeologists locate centuries-old battle site in Iraq using declassified spy satellite images
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-11 | by ( Jack Guy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Archaeologists have identified the site of an ancient battle in what is now Iraq by comparing historical accounts with declassified images from US spy satellites. Despite the fact that the battle marked a significant victory for Arab Muslims and enabled their expansion beyond Arabia, its precise location was not previously known. A map shows the newly discovered location of al-‘Udhayb and al-Qadisiyyah in southwestern Iraq — as well as the wall/canal linking the two sites — and the likely location of the Battle of al-Qadisiyyah. The Battle of al-Qadisiyyah saw a smaller Arab Muslim army defeat a much larger force from the Sasanian Empire, which dominated the region. After a few failed attempts, this was their “first really significant victory” in attempts to expand beyond Arabia, Deadman said.

Persons: Deadman, “, ” Deadman, Udhayb, ”, Qadisiyyah Organizations: CNN —, Durham University, University of Al, Geological Survey, Survey, CNN, Iraq —, ESA Locations: Iraq, United Kingdom, Qadisiyah, Arabia, Kufa, Mecca, Saudi Arabia, Najaf Governorate, al

☆ Planet 9: Inside the search for a hidden planet in our solar system
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-04 | by ( Jacopo Prisco | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +18 min

“It could completely reshape our understanding of the solar system and of other planetary systems, and how we fit into that context. Brown and his colleague, planetary scientist Konstantin Batygin, reported having strong evidence of a hidden planet on the fringes of our solar system. “If you look at these bodies, their lifetimes are tiny compared to the age of the solar system,” Batygin said. “By now, we expected to have found many more of these extreme trans-Neptunian objects,” Sheppard said in an email. Finding a smaller planet would also spark excitement, Rice added, because every solar system planet is immensely useful for extrapolating information about the thousands of comparable exoplanets that researchers are uncovering across the galaxy.

Persons: Mike Brown, Pluto, ”, Brown, Pluto’s, Malena Rice, ” Rice, Konstantin Batygin, Neptune, they’ve, Brown’s, “, we’re, Scott Sheppard, Chadwick Trujillo, Trujillo, ” Brown, Batygin, ” Batygin, Patryk Sofia Lykawka, ” Lykawka, Lykawka, Rice, Hur, Renu Malhotra, Malhotra, Sheppard, ” Sheppard, ” Malhotra, she’s, “ It’s, Sigurd Naess, ” Naess, Vera C, Rubin, That’s Organizations: CNN, Caltech, NASA, Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Research, International Astronomical, ESA, Yale University, Getty, California Institute of Technology, Planet Nine, Carnegie Institution for Science, Northern Arizona University, Sheppard, Kindai University, Rice of Yale University, University of Arizona, Survey Telescope, Theoretical Astrophysics, University of Oslo, US National Science Foundation, Stanford University, Rubin, Rubin Observatory, Nine Locations: Pasadena , California, AFP, Washington ,, Japan, Neptune, Hawaii, Chile, Norway

☆ Before-and-after images of Spain flooding show parts country underwater
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-31 | by ( Mary Gilbert | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —The deadly flooding that rocked Spain this week following intense, historic rainfall is so expansive and severe the area looked like an inland sea from space. Parts of the area now look like an extension of the Balearic Sea after unprecedented rainfall turned what should be dry ground into a vast expanse of water, satellite imagery captured on October 30 shows. Satellite imagery taken on October 8 and October 30 show the before and after of this week's flooding in east-central coastal Spain. Cars are piled in the street with other debris on October 30, 2024, after flash flooding rocked the Sedaví area of Valencia, Spain. Rapid analysis is done in the immediate aftermath of extreme weather events by analyzing data and climate models to establish what role climate change played.

Persons: David Ramos, Brandon Miller, CNN’s Laura Paddison Organizations: CNN, ESA, Getty, AEMET Locations: Spain, Balearic, Valencia’s, Valencia

☆ New 3D map reveals strange, glowing filaments surrounding a supernova
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-30 | by ( Ashley Strickland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

In this case, filaments radiate away from a “zombie star” the explosion created. Then, in 2023, astronomers spied weird filaments glowing with light from sulfur within the nebula. Scientists know the supernova created the filaments, but it’s unclear how or when the structures formed. The robust data that the instrument captured allowed the team to measure the motions of each filament and create a 3D map. The Keck Cosmic Web Imager enabled measurements of the velocity of any material within the nebula that emits light.

Persons: ”, Christopher Martin, “ KCWI, Dana Patchick, Patchick, NASA’s, Albert Zijlstra, Ilaria Caiazzo, Tim Cunningham, Zijlstra, Cunningham, ” Cunningham, James Webb, Takatoshi Ko, Ko Organizations: CNN, Keck, California Institute of Technology, Survey, University of Manchester, Pa, Institute of Science, Technology, NASA Hubble, Center, Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian, Southern, Research Center, University of Tokyo Locations: Hawaii, England, Technology Austria

☆ Groundbreaking telescope reveals first piece of new cosmic map
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-26 | by ( Jackie Wattles | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Astronomers have never detected dark matter, but they believe it makes up about 85% of the total matter in the universe. Meanwhile, the existence of dark energy helps researchers explain why the universe is expanding — and why that expansion is speeding up. A prime example is the European Space Agency’s wide-angle Euclid telescope that launched in 2023 to investigate the riddles of dark energy and dark matter. Euclid this week delivered the first piece of a cosmic map — containing about 100 million stars and galaxies — that will take six years to create. These stunning 3D observations may help scientists see how dark matter warps light and curves space across galaxies.

Persons: Jackie Wattles, I’m, Vera C, Sarah Gillis, John Kraus, Chenyang Cai, Everest, NASA hasn’t, gazers, Ashley Strickland, Katie Hunt Organizations: CNN, ESA, US National Science Foundation, Stanford University, Rubin, SpaceX, SpaceX Polaris, Polaris, NASA, Boeing, CNN Space, Science Locations: Chile, Uzbekistan, Norway, Myanmar, Florida

☆ See the first piece of what promises to be the largest 3D map of the universe
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-23 | by ( Ashley Strickland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

One of Euclid’s primary goals is to observe dark matter and dark energy. While dark matter has never been detected, it is believed to make up 85% of the total matter in the universe. Meanwhile, dark energy is a mysterious force thought to play a role in the accelerating expansion of the universe. Rhodes is the US science lead for Euclid and principal investigator for NASA’s Euclid dark energy science team. “The images capture detail from clusters of stars near an individual galaxy to some of the largest structures in the universe.

Persons: ”, Valeria Pettorino, James Webb, Jason Rhodes, Rhodes, Euclid, Georges Lemaître, Edwin Hubble, Mike Seiffert Organizations: CNN, European Space Agency, Southern Hemisphere, ESA, International Astronautical, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, JPL, NASA Locations: Milan, Italy, Pasadena , California

☆ Ruth Chepngetich smashes women’s marathon world record in Chicago
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-13 | by ( Issy Ronald | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Kenya’s Ruth Chepngetich obliterated the women’s marathon world record in Chicago on Sunday as she completed the course in 2:09:56, becoming the first ever woman to break the 2:10 barrier. Chepngetich shaved almost two minutes off the previous world record of 2:11:53, which was set by Ethiopia’s Tigist Assefa in September 2023, and secured her third ever race win in Chicago. Her new world record is still subject to the usual ratification procedure, according to World Athletics. “I fought a lot, thinking about the world record. The world record has come back to Kenya, and I dedicate this world record to Kelvin Kiptum,” she added, referencing her compatriot who set the men’s world record in Chicago last year and died in a road accident aged 24 in February.

Persons: CNN — Kenya’s Ruth Chepngetich, Ethiopia’s Tigist Assefa, “, ”, Kelvin Kiptum, Chepngetich, Ruth Chepngetich, Michael Reaves, Asefa, Kebede, Kenya’s John Koriri, Ethiopia’s Huseydin Mohamed Esa, Kenya’s Amos Kipruto, Switzerland’s Marcel Hug, Catherine Debrunner Organizations: CNN, Athletics, Kenyan Locations: Chicago, Kenya

☆ New 3D scan resurrects a legendary sunken Antarctic expedition ship
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-12 | by ( Ashley Strickland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Crews encountered obstacles that entrapped ships or submerged them beneath ice-covered waters, creating an enduring mystique about what went wrong. Ocean secretsThe 3D scan of HMS Endurance makes it appear as though the ship was lifted from the bottom of the ocean. Falklands Heritage Maritime Trust/National GeographicAn awe-inspiring 3D scan has brought the shipwreck of Antarctic explorer Ernest Shackleton’s HMS Endurance, found in 2022, back to life. Meanwhile, a more somber finding gleaned from DNA identified the cannibalized remains of James Fitzjames, captain of the HMS Erebus. Other worldsAstronomers using the Hubble Space Telescope watched the shape of Jupiter's Great Red Spot change over 90 days.

Persons: Crews, Ernest Shackleton’s HMS, Shackleton, James Fitzjames, Sir John Franklin, Fitzjames, Trailblazers, David Baker, Demis Hassabis, John Jumper, John Hopfield, Geoffrey Hinton, Victor Ambros, Gary Ruvkun, Matthew Dominick, John Henry Patterson, Thomas Gnoske, Joseph DePasquale, —, Indiana Jones, ”, Ashley Strickland, Katie Hunt Organizations: CNN, Heritage Maritime Trust, University of Washington, Google, Princeton University, University of Toronto, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Harvard Medical School, NASA, International Space, Space, Chicago’s Field, Hubble, European Space Agency, CNN Space, Science Locations: Antarctica, Weddell, Canada’s Nunavut, London, North America, Europe, Kenya, Civil, Petra, Jordan

☆ Hubble telescope captures Jupiter’s Great Red Spot contracting like a stress ball
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-11 | by ( Ashley Strickland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

CNN —New observations of Jupiter’s Great Red Spot captured by the Hubble Space Telescope show that the 190-year-old storm wiggles like gelatin and shape-shifts like a squeezed stress ball. Although storms are generally considered unstable, the Great Red Spot has persisted for nearly two centuries. Recently, a separate team of astronomers peered into the heart of the Great Red Spot using the James Webb Space Telescope to capture new details in infrared light. The Great Red Spot seems to wiggle like a bowl of gelatin over the 90-day period. NASA/ESA/STScI/Amy SimonThe new Hubble study fills in more pieces of the puzzle about the Great Red Spot, Fletcher said.

Persons: Hubble, it’s, ”, Amy Simon, we’ve, ” Simon, James Webb, Leigh Fletcher, Simon, ” Fletcher, Joseph DePasquale, Mike Wong, “, Wong, Fletcher Organizations: CNN, Hubble, Science, Planetary Sciences, Goddard Space Flight, NASA, ESA, of Geophysical Research, UK’s University of Leicester, University of California Locations: Boise , Idaho, Greenbelt , Maryland, Berkeley

☆ A spacecraft is on its way to an asteroid that NASA slammed in an earlier save-the-Earth test
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-07 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

The European Space Agency’s Hera spacecraft rocketed away on a two-year journey to the small, harmless asteroid rammed by NASA two years ago in a dress rehearsal for the day a killer space rock threatens Earth. Launched by SpaceX from Cape Canaveral, it’s the second part of a planetary defense test that could one day help save the planet. The 2022 crash by NASA’s Dart spacecraft shortened Dimorphos’ orbit around its bigger companion, demonstrating that if a dangerous rock was headed our way, there’s a chance it could be knocked off course with enough advance notice. Researchers want to know whether Dart — short for Double Asteroid Redirection Test — left a crater or perhaps reshaped the 500-foot (150-meter) asteroid more dramatically. ESA’s Hera mission lifted off on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida on Monday at 10:52am.

Persons: there’s, Dart, Derek Richardson, Richardson, ESA Dart’s wallop, Hera, Ignacio Tanco, ”, “, Ian Carnelli, It’s Organizations: NASA, SpaceX, NASA’s, ” University of Maryland, Cape Canaveral Space Force, ESA Locations: Cape Canaveral, Cape, Florida, Dimorphos, Darmstadt, Germany, Didymos

☆ Hera mission will launch to explore asteroid system intentionally hit by NASA DART spacecraft
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-07 | by ( Ashley Strickland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

CNN —A European spacecraft and two shoebox-size satellites are about to launch to survey the aftermath from NASA’s DART mission, which intentionally slammed into an asteroid named Dimorphos and altered its orbit two years ago. The European Space Agency’s Hera mission is expected to lift off aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket at 10:52 a.m. The spacecraft and its two CubeSat companions are slated to arrive at the asteroid Dimorphos, and the larger asteroid it orbits named Didymos, in late 2026. NASA planned the DART, or Double Asteroid Redirection Test, mission to carry out a full-scale assessment of asteroid deflection technology on behalf of planetary defense. But many questions remain, including whether the DART spacecraft merely left behind a crater or if its momentum completely reshaped Dimorphos.

Persons: NASA’s, Hera doesn’t, ”, Patrick Michel, Hera, Berthier, Santana, Ros, Petrescu, Micheli, Milani, Andrea Milani, Michel said, Dimorphos, Michel, DRACO, ” Michel Organizations: CNN, SpaceX, NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, ESA, NASA, DART, National Centre for Scientific Research, Les, Italy’s University of Pisa, Science Locations: Florida, France, La Réunion, Dimorphos, Giza, Mars, Didymos

☆ Meet SpaceHopper, a three-legged hopping asteroid explorer
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-03 | by ( Amy Gunia | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

That includes SpaceHopper, a three-legged robot designed for exploring microgravity environments, like the surface of asteroids. Developed by university students at ETH Zurich, in Switzerland, it bends its legs to propel itself off the ground. “But we can build robots that could do this task for us.”ETH Zurich student Valerio Schelbert holds SpaceHopper. A three-legged hopping robot that can reorient itself in zero gravity is “a completely new idea,” said Florian Kehl, a lecturer in the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences of ETH Zurich. The team behind LunarLeaper, including ETH Zurich academics, hope to use it to explore a pit thought to be connected to a subsurface hollow lava tube.

Persons: Valerio Schelbert, Andrew Waller, ”, Florian Kehl, SpaceHopper, CNN “ Organizations: CNN, Apollo, Earth’s, ETH Zurich, SpaceHopper, ” ETH Zurich, Department of, Planetary Sciences, European Space Agency, ESA, Tech Locations: Switzerland, California, Japan, Germany, France

☆ Side-by-side images from the James Webb and Hubble space telescopes show why NASA spent 25 years and $10 billion on the Webb
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-23 | by ( Morgan Mcfall-Johnsen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Read previewNASA's James Webb Space Telescope floored astronomers and spectators across the globe when it released its first full-color images. Even those preliminary snapshots revealed countless stars, galaxies, and fine details that hadn't been seen before. A side-by-side collage of the same area taken by Hubble and the James Webb Space Telescope in its very first image. In the JWST image, you can see galaxies in the background that were invisible to HubbleA few galaxies that are clearly visible in the JWST image, but not the Hubble image. The JWST image also revealed the stellar nurseries created as galaxies mergeThe JWST image shows a region of gas compressed between merging galaxies.

Persons: —, James Webb, Webb, Joseph DePasquale, JWST, hadn't, Eric Smith, Hubble, STScI Webb, Mark McCaughrean, McCaughrean, Amber Straughn, Jane Rigby, we've Organizations: Service, Business, NASA, ESA, CSA, Hubble, James Webb Space, Hubble Heritage, European Space Agency Locations: JWST

☆ SpaceX Polaris Dawn spacewalk: Why it was a historic milestone
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-14 | by ( Jackie Wattles | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —SpaceX’s Polaris Dawn crew is beginning its fifth day in orbit, having marked a few record-setting milestones on a historic journey — including the world’s first commercial spacewalk. Polaris Dawn crew member and SpaceX engineer Sarah Gillis emerges from the SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule during the first commercial spacewalk on Thursday. The Polaris Dawn mission's Crew Dragon capsule is seen Wednesday 870 miles (1,400 kilometers) above Earth — the farthest humans have traveled since the Apollo program over 50 years ago. The riskiest part of the journey may be over, but the Polaris Dawn crew still has a key milestone ahead: coming home. Polaris Dawn mission commander and Shift4 Payments CEO Jared Isaacman is seen anchored to a ladder dubbed the "skywalker" by SpaceX during his spacewalk.

Persons: CNN —, Elon, Jared Isaacman, Scott “ Kidd ” Poteet, Anna Menon, Sarah Gillis —, Gillis, —, Sarah Gillis, Isaacman, Bill Nelson, “, ” Nelson, Van Allen, mission's, Menon, NASA’s, Isaacman — Organizations: CNN, Polaris, NASA, Hubble, Telescope, Space, SpaceX, Elon Musk’s, Shift4, US Air Force, Polaris Program, International Space, Polaris Dawn Locations: United States, U.S, Florida, West, of Florida

☆ Meet SpaceX's Polaris Dawn crew: The daring 4 who are in space on the most ambitious private space mission in history
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-11 | by ( Morgan Mcfall-Johnsen | Jenny Mcgrath | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Read previewSpaceX just launched four people on its most daring human spaceflight yet, a mission called Polaris Dawn. Jared Isaacman, mission commanderJared Isaacman at SpaceX in Hawthorne, California. Anna Menon, mission specialist and medical officerAnna Menon is Polaris Dawn's mission specialist and medical officer. Before joining SpaceX, Menon worked at NASA and helped oversee International Space Station operations as a biomedical flight controller. Scott "Kidd" Poteet, mission pilotScott "Kidd" Poteet is the pilot of the Polaris Dawn mission.

Persons: —, They're, Jared Isaacman, bankrolling, SpaceX's, Isaacman, Richard Branson, Jeff Bezos, He's, he's, Jude Children's, Jude, it's, Monica Isaacman, Sarah Gillis, John Kraus, Gillis, Joe Tanner, Tanner, She's, Lewis, Polaris Dawn, Anna Menon, Joe Skipper, Menon, Anil, James, Grace, Anna, Scott, Kidd, Poteet, Scott Poteet Organizations: Service, SpaceX, NASA, Apollo, Business, Draken, Messaging, Polaris, St, Jude Children's Research Hospital, Hubble, New York, Polaris Program, Denver Post, Space, Jude Children's Research, Reuters, he's, US Air Force, US Air Force's Thunderbirds, Spectrum News, Air Force, Polaris Dawn, UNH Locations: Hawthorne , California, Shift4, New Jersey, Boulder , Colorado, Houston, Space City, Monument , Colorado

☆ Two NASA telescopes capture closest pair of supermassive black holes
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-10 | by ( Ashley Strickland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —Two telescopes have spotted the closest pair of supermassive black holes to date. Active galactic nuclei are supermassive black holes that release bright jets of material and high winds that can shape the very galaxies where they are found. Astronomers discovered these black holes dancing around one another at the center of a pair of colliding galaxies called MCG-03-34-64, which is 800 million light-years away. Astronomers serendipitously found the black holes when Hubble’s observations revealed three spikes of bright light within the glowing gas of a galaxy. Both supermassive black holes once served as the centers of their respective galaxies, but a galactic merger brought the two objects much closer together.

Persons: Chandra, serendipitously, ”, Anna Trindade Falcão, Hubble, Falcão, “, Karl G, ” Falcão, haven’t, LISA Organizations: CNN, Hubble, Astronomers, Astrophysical, Center, Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian, NASA, ESA, European Space Agency Locations: Cambridge , Massachusetts, Socorro , New Mexico

☆ Asteroid 2024 RW1 burns up in Earth’s atmosphere over Philippines
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-04 | by ( Monica Garrett | Steve Tuemmler | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

CNN —A roughly 1-meter (3-foot) asteroid burned up in Earth’s atmosphere over the Philippines near Luzon Island early Wednesday afternoon, according to NASA. This screen grab taken from a video shows an asteroid burning up in the night sky as witnessed from Gonzaga in Cagayan province, Philippines, on September 4. Allan Madelar/FacebookThe Catalina Sky Survey discovered the object, initially called CAQTDL2 but now named 2024 RW1, this morning. “This is just the ninth asteroid that humankind has ever spotted before impact,” ESA tweeted. The object was harmless as it was small enough to burn up in the atmosphere upon entry.

Persons: Allan Madelar Organizations: CNN, NASA, European Space Agency, Sky Survey, ESA Locations: Philippines, Luzon, Gonzaga, Cagayan province

☆ Esa-Pekka Salonen: A Conductor at the Top, and at a Crossroads
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-13 | by ( Joshua Barone | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

On a late afternoon in May, pop and classical music luminaries gathered in the neo-Gothic sanctuary of a 19th-century church-turned-Soho House in Stockholm. With drinks in hand, they listened as the media personality Cilla Benkö asked Esa-Pekka Salonen, “So what’s going on in your head at the moment?”“Well, I’m at a crossroads,” said Salonen, the composer and conductor, who is a year away from becoming a free agent for the first time in decades. “I’m kind of figuring out what to do, if anything.”Salonen is in a good position to choose what comes next. He is a conductor at the top of his field, and the kind of composer who can bring on not just one high-profile commissioner but several for each new piece he writes. The day after his interview with Benkö, he received the Polar Music Prize, an honor that has been called the Nobel Prize of music, directly from the hands of the Swedish king.

Persons: Cilla Benkö, Esa, Pekka Salonen, “, ”, Salonen, ” Salonen, Benkö Organizations: Soho House, Polar Locations: Stockholm, Swedish

☆ ‘Zombie star’ of supernova that exploded in 1181 revealed by study
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-13 | by ( Jacopo Prisco | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

But Zijlstra, who was not involved with the new study, was the first to make the connection to SN 1181. The report suggested that SN 1181 might belong to the elusive Type Iax category of supernova due to the presence of this “zombie” white dwarf. That energy causes the sudden brightness of the supernova.”That massive collision might explain another curious aspect of the SN 1181 zombie star. “We theorize that the star reignited because SN 1181 was a Type Iax supernova, which is an incomplete explosion. Schaefer added that SN 1181 represents one of the few reliable connections from supernova to supernova remnant.

Persons: ”, Takatoshi Ko, Albert Zijlstra, Dana Patchick, Zijlstra, ” Zijlstra, “, coauthors, NASA's Chandra, ” Ko, Chandra, Ko, Bradley Schaefer, Schaefer, ” Schaefer, astrophysicists Organizations: CNN, Astrophysical, University of Tokyo, University of Manchester, Survey, NASA, ESA, JPL, Caltech, Subaru, Louisiana State University Locations: China, Japan, England, New Mexico, Hawaii

☆ If You Can Do It, You Can Do It at Night
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-05 | by ( Amy Thomas | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

But under a full moon, those activities can be transcendent. Looking up at the night sky, on the other hand, feels as though deep mysteries may be revealed. Astrotourism, travel devoted to stargazing and other celestial activities, is booming, spurred on, in part, by DarkSky International, which aims to protect the night skies from light pollution. “Viewing our starry night sky has connected humanity throughout the ages and allowed us to form a deep connection with the cosmos,” said Susan Serven, DarkSky’s communications director. “Now it’s seen as a growing potential economic driver, as well.”It could be the breathtaking photos captured by the Hubble telescope, the Northern Lights that dazzled farther south this spring, or our growing awareness of light pollution and its impact on migratory birds, nocturnal pollinators and other wildlife that has helped catalyze interest, but the night skies are sparking invitations to explore in new ways.

Persons: ”, Susan Serven, “ Organizations: DarkSky International, Hubble Locations: Tucson, Ariz

☆ Mercury could have an 11-mile underground layer of diamonds, researchers say
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-31 | by ( Jacopo Prisco | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

This mechanism, the researchers say, can not only give us more insight into the secrets hidden below Mercury’s surface, but on planetary evolution and the internal structure of exoplanets with similar characteristics. Mercury owes its gray surface to the widespread presence of graphite, which is a form of carbon. Also known as the Mercury Surface, Space Environment, Geochemistry and Ranging mission, it gathered data about the planet’s geology, chemistry and magnetic field, before the spacecraft ran out of fuel and impacted the surface. “However, some lavas at the surface of Mercury have been formed by melting of the very deep mantle. “Only future missions to the planet Mercury will tell whether these predictions were correct.

Persons: ”, Bernard Charlier, it’s, Yanhao Lin, ” Charlier, Lin, Charlier, —, Giuseppe “ Bepi ”, Sean Solomon, Solomon, landers, ” Solomon, BepiColombo, Manley, Felipe González, González, ” González, “ Organizations: CNN, Mercury, University of Liège, NASA, Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Carnegie Institution of Washington Mysterious, Center for, Science, Technology, Research, Nature Communications, MESSENGER, European Space Agency, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, Columbia University, ESA, University of California Locations: Mercury, Belgium, Beijing, Italian, Giuseppe “ Bepi ” Colombo, New York City, Berkeley

☆ NASA’s Chandra Observatory just celebrated 25 years in space. Budget cuts could threaten its future
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-24 | by ( Ashley Strickland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Chandra X-ray Observatory Center/NASASo far, Chandra has taken nearly 25,000 observations of the universe. Chandra X-ray Observatory Center/NASAShortly after launch, the observatory focused on what has become an iconic celestial target: supernova remnant Cassiopeia A. Chandra has returned to this feature again and again, revealing new insights each time. Chandra X-ray Observatory Center/NASA“Before Chandra, it was known that there was a sort of diffuse haze of X-ray emission coming from all directions in the sky. The NASA budget allotment for Chandra will gradually dwindle in the coming years, based on the agency’s budget request released in March. Chandra X-ray Observatory Center/NASADespite 25 years spent in space, Chandra remains in good health and virtually all of the spacecraft’s systems are in good condition, Slane said.

Persons: NASA’s Chandra, Chandra, Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar, Eileen Collins, ” Collins, ”, Pat Slane, astrophysicists Riccardo Giacconi, Harvey Tananbaum, NASA’s, Slane, Chandra’s, ” Slane, “ Organizations: CNN, NASA, Center, Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian, Hubble, Telescope, Spitzer, Compton Gamma, “ NASA, Chandra Locations: Columbia, Cambridge , Massachusetts, “

☆ When a cruise liner-size asteroid zips by Earth, two spacecraft may follow it
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-16 | by ( Ashley Strickland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

CNN —When a cruise liner-size asteroid comes within 19,883 miles (32,000 kilometers) of Earth on April 13, 2029, it won’t be alone. The European Space Agency has announced that its new Ramses spacecraft may accompany the asteroid Apophis before and after its safe, albeit rather close, pass of Earth. Astronomers think that an asteroid this large comes within such proximity to Earth only once every 5,000 to 10,000 years. In September 2022, NASA’s DART mission intentionally slammed a spacecraft into Dimorphos, a moonlet asteroid that orbits a larger parent asteroid known as Didymos. “The Ramses mission concept reuses much of the technology, expertise and industrial and science communities developed for the Hera mission,” said Paolo Martino, spacecraft manager for Hera who will also work on the Ramses mission, in a statement.

Persons: won’t, Ramses, Apophis, Apophis doesn’t, ”, Patrick Michel, ” Michel, Richard Moissl, NASA’s, OSIRIS, REx, “ Apophis, Hera, Paolo Martino, “ Hera Organizations: CNN, European Space Agency, NASA’s Center, Studies, ESA, NASA, System, National Centre for Scientific Research, NSF, JPL, Caltech, ESA’s Planetary Defence Office, APEX Locations: Europe, Africa, Asia, Apophis, France

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