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MU physics researchers gain new insight into universe’s ‘building blocks’
MU researchers are studying particles that are considered the building blocks of the universe, which will help scientists using NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope in future research. The researchers wrote about their study of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon particles — which are a class of chemicals that occur naturally in substances, such as coal and wood,…
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New Forecast Resets Solar Cycle Expectations
A loop of plasma dances up from the Sun’s visible surface, the result of magnetic field activity. The current solar cycle of magnetically driven activity is now expected to peak early next year.Gabriel Almonte / S&T Online Photo Gallery Scientists’ new forecast suggests that the current solar cycle will peak sooner and at a higher…
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A Molecule, a Telescope, and Everything: A History of ALMA and Millimeter Astronomy
Carbon monoxide (CO) is a simple molecule, just one carbon atom closely bound to one oxygen. Neither of these elements is anywhere near as abundant as those of hydrogen or helium in the Universe, but they are the next two most abundant elements, comprising a bit less than one percent of the atoms in the…
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Sky This Month: November 2023
Jupiter and its Galilean moons are on full display as the gas giant reaches opposition this month. Here, the mighty planet poses with its largest moons. Credit: Paul Stewart Saturn is already visible after dark while Jupiter is rising in the eastern sky, beckoning for attention all night. Uranus is at its best for the…
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Watch the universe evolve in the deepest simulation ever
If the universe could be viewed as a whole, its galaxies and matter would appear organized into a filamentary web, as seen in this slice of the FLAMINGO simulation. Credit: Figure from Schaye et al. (2023). Image credit Josh Borrow, the FLAMINGO team and the Virgo Consortium. The dynamical dance of physics can entrance —…
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Dr. Jennifer Lotz Appointed Space Telescope Science Institute Director
Dr. Jennifer Lotz, new Space Telescope Science Institute Director. Credit: NOIRLab The Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy (AURA) is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Jennifer Lotz as the Director of the Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI). Dr. Lotz will begin her five-year appointment as STScI Director starting February 12, 2024. Previously,…
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What we’ve learned in 60 years of studying quasars
This artist’s impression shows how ULAS J1120+0641, a very distant quasar powered by a black hole with a mass two billion times that of the Sun, may have looked. This quasar is the most distant yet found and is seen as it was just 770 million years after the Big Bang. This object is by…
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Watch live: American astronauts space walk outside the ISS
NASA astronaut Loral O’Har exits the ISS to begin a space walk on Nov. 1, 2023. Credit: NASA. NASA astronauts Jasmin Moghbeli and Loral O’Hara are on their spacewalk outside the International Space Station. The spacewalk streams live on NASA’s YouTube channel, which you can watch below. The two will remove an electronics box and…
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IARPA Searches for Space Junk’s Trashed Signals
The first phase officially started June 29. The goal for the first phase is to establish a proof of concept for detection, tracking and characterization. The initial focus will be on space objects already cataloged to strengthen confidence in new techniques. “At the beginning stages, we are trying to really advance the state of the…
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November Astronomy: What’s in the North Texas sky this month?
What’s happening in the skies over North Texas this month? November holds some spectacular sights in the night and morning sky. Check out the list below. THE LEONID METEOR SHOWER November is known for its meteor showers. The Leonid meteor shower will run from November 6th through the 30th and peak around November 17th and…