“When two stars orbit each other, gravity gets weird”

 

binary star

 

 

The idea of gravity as we know it has been around for a long time. More than 300 years ago, Isaac Newton first shared his theory of gravitation, describing how massive objects are attracted to each other. Then, around a hundred years ago, Albert Einstein refined and expanded upon Newton’s ideas to create the theory of relativity—explaining gravity as the way objects, especially at the extremes across the universe, warp the fabric of space around them.

Read the full article here.

 



“Hubble telescope captures a ‘ghostly’ galaxy glowing in distant space (photo)”

 

lenticular galaxy

 

A new image from the Hubble Space Telescope captures a distant galaxy cloaked in a ghostly haze. The recent image was taken using Hubble’s Advanced Camera for Surveys.

Known as NGC 6684, this lenticular galaxy — a cross between a spiral and an elliptical galaxy — is located roughly 44 million light-years from Earth in the constellation Pavo. Lenticular, or lens-shaped, galaxies have a central bulge and disk, but lack distinct arms like those found in spiral galaxies such as the Milky Way.

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“ Solar Cycle 25 more active and powerful than predicted”

 

sun

 

 

Sun activity has been low in recent days. But we’re currently heading toward another peak in the sun’s 11-year cycle of activity. And Solar Cycle 25 has already proven surprising. The maximum activity was predicted to occur in 2025. But solar activity has already exceeded that predicted maximum. So we’ve been seeing more geomagnetic storms, more auroral displays, and more potentially hazardous conditions for satellites in low-Earth orbit.

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“The centuries-long effects of Saturn storms”

 

Saturn with mega-storm

 

Saturn is the 2nd-largest gas giant in our solar system. It’s the 6th planet outward from the sun. It’s a step beyond from Jupiter, the largest planet. And, like Jupiter with its iconic Great Red Spot – Saturn also has mega storms. They look like great white ovals on Saturn that can grow to stretch partway around the planet! On August 11, 2023, researchers said the aftereffects of the Saturn mega storms can last hundreds of years.

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“Scientists at Fermilab close in on fifth force of nature”

 

Fermilab

 

Scientists near Chicago say they may be getting closer to discovering the existence of a new force of nature.

They have found more evidence that sub-atomic particles, called muons, are not behaving in the way predicted by the current theory of sub-atomic physics.

Scientists believe that an unknown force could be acting on the muons.

More data will be needed to confirm these results, but if they are verified, it could mark the beginning of a revolution in physics.

Read the complete story here.

Link contributed by Gene Savoy, Jr.



“Scientists Find Record-Breaking Planet-Like Object Hotter Than The Sun”

 

brown dwarf

 

An object orbiting a star 1,400 light-years away is seriously confronting our notions of what’s possible in the Universe.

It’s a brown dwarf, the curious category of objects that straddle the gap between planets and stars, but it’s on such a close orbit with its very hot host star that its temperature exceeds a blistering 8,000 Kelvin (7,727 degrees Celsius, or 13,940 Fahrenheit) – hot enough to snap apart the molecules in its atmosphere into their composite atoms.

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“Webb telescope captures image of most distant star ever seen | CNN”

 

Earendal most distant star

 

 

Astronomers have used the James Webb Space Telescope to observe Earendel, the most distant star ever detected.

Earendel is so distant that the starlight glimpsed by the Webb telescope was emitted within the first billion years of the universe. The universe is estimated to be about 13.8 billion years old.

Previous estimates suggest the star is 12.9 billion light-years away from Earth, but given the expansion of the universe and how long the light has traveled to reach us, astronomers believe Earendel is currently 28 billion light-years away.

Read the complete story here.

Link contributed by Gene Savoy, Jr.



“NASA telescope spots cosmic question mark in deep space | CNN”

 

cosmic question mark

 

 

A cosmic object in the shape of a glowing question mark has photobombed one of the latest images captured by NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope — and scientists think they know what it might be.

The original near-infrared image, released July 26, depicted a pair of young stars named Herbig-Haro 46/47. Found 1,470 light-years away in the Vela constellation within the Milky Way galaxy, the stars are still actively forming and closely orbiting each other.

Read the complete story here.

Link contributed by Gene Savoy, Jr.



“Where Did It All Come From?”

 

big bang

Why are we here? Where did it all come from ― the laws of nature, the stars, the universe? Humans have been asking these questions forever, but science hasn’t succeeded in providing many answers — until now.

As a young boy I found myself playing on the center of God’s stage; from some hidden celestial vantage point, so I thought, I was being scrutinized and watched by the Supreme Creator, perhaps almost as narrowly as I, as a medical student with a microscope, would one day scrutinize the cells growing in a petri dish. If, indeed, God had made the world, then who made God?

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“Mysterious waves of magnetism may explain why the sun’s atmosphere is hotter than physicists thought possible”

 

magnetic sun

 

High-frequency magnetic waves surging through the sun may explain why the temperature of our star’s atmosphere is 200 times hotter than its surface.

The temperature of the upper atmosphere of the sun, called the corona, can soar to over 2 million degrees Fahrenheit (1.1 million degrees Celsius), while 1,000 miles (1,600 kilometers) closer to the core, the photosphere  —  the sun’s visible surface  —  simmers at a relatively chilled 10,000 F (5,500 C).

Read the complete story here.