Space
Uplifting discoveries beyond Earth.
Universe Today
An International Team Uncovers What Powers Auroras
A new study co-led by the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences at The University of Hong Kong (HKU) and the Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) reveals that plasma waves traveling along Earth’s magnetic field lines act like an invisible power source, fueling the stunning auroral displays we see in the sky.
Space
Phys.org
The 'Little red dots' observed by Webb were direct-collapse black holes
The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) was designed to look back in time and study galaxies that existed shortly after the Big Bang. In so doing, scientists hoped to gain a better understanding of how the universe has evolved from the earliest cosmological epoch to the present. When Webb first trained its advanced optics and instruments on the early universe, it discovered a new class of astrophysical objects: bright red sources that were dubbed "Little Red Dots" (LRDs). Initially, astronomers hypothesized that they could be massive star-forming regions, but this was inconsistent with established cosmological models.
Space
Space
SpaceX resumes Falcon 9 flights with Starlink satellite launch from California
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying 25 Starlink satellites launched from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California on Feb. 7, 2025. The mission returned the Falcon to flight after an upper stage issue.
Space
Universe Today
SpaceX Crew-12 will Study How Microgravity Affects the Human Body
NASA’s SpaceX Crew-12 mission is preparing to launch for a long-duration science mission aboard the International Space Station. During the mission, select crew members will participate in human health studies focused on understanding how astronauts’ bodies adapt to the low-gravity environment of space, including a new study examining subtle changes in blood flow.
Space
Phys.org
A giant star is changing before our eyes and astronomers are watching in real time
For decades, astronomers have been watching WOH G64, an enormous heavyweight star in the Large Magellanic Cloud, a galaxy visible with the naked eye from the Southern Hemisphere. This star is more than 1,500 times larger than the sun and emitting over 100,000 times more energy. For a long time, red supergiant WOH G64 looked like a star steadily reaching the end of its life, shedding material and swelling in size as it began to run out of fuel.
Space
Phys.org
Webb unveils nature of distant ultraviolet-luminous galaxy CEERS2-588
Astronomers from the University of Tokyo in Japan and elsewhere have employed the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) to observe a distant ultraviolet-luminous galaxy known as CEERS2-588. Results of the observational campaign, published January 29 on the arXiv preprint server, shed more light on the nature and properties of this galaxy.
Space
Phys.org
Pulsar timing hints at a nearby dark matter 'sub-halo'
A group of US astronomers may have uncovered the first evidence for a dark matter sub-halo lurking just beyond our stellar neighborhood. Reporting their findings in Physical Review Letters, a team led by Sukanya Chakrabarti at the University of Alabama in Huntsville suggests that an unseen clump of dark matter could be subtly tugging on nearby pulsars. If confirmed, the result could shed new light on the elusive nature of dark matter and how it is distributed throughout our galaxy.
Space
