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Astronomy's Platypus: They look like stars, act like galaxies, and are forcing scientists to rethink the early universe.
Like the egg-laying mammal, these new objects defy categorization. They look like stars, act like galaxies, and are forcing scientists to rethink the early universe.
Out of 2,000 objects surveyed by JWST, nine stood out.
Visually: They are tiny, compact points of light. They look like Quasars (supermassive black holes).
4 days ago1 min read


A black hole shredded a star, outshining 100 billion suns
A black hole shredded a star, outshining 100 billion suns. But the strangest part wasn't the brightness—it was what was missing from the light.
When stars explode, they usually leave a chemical signature in their light—lines of hydrogen, helium, or oxygen.
The Puzzle: Early observations of "The Whippet" showed almost no chemical lines. It was just a featureless blue glow.
4 days ago1 min read


How the ATA filtered 70 million signals to search for alien technology on comet 3I/ATLAS.
The Allen Telescope Array (ATA) recently got an upgrade: new cryogenically cooled "Antonio" feeds. This boosted sensitivity across a huge range (1–12 GHz).
The Problem: Being sensitive means you hear everything. WiFi, GPS, satellites, cell phones. The telescope detected over 70 million potential signals.
7 days ago1 min read


Mars: Swirling dust storms generate powerful charges that reshape the planet's chemistry
Mars isn't dead. It's electric. Swirling dust storms generate powerful charges that reshape the planet's chemistry, leaving behind clues for scientists to decode.
On Mars, dust storms are more than just wind. As billions of grains collide, they generate static electricity—the Triboelectric Effect.
Because Mars' atmosphere is so thin, this charge breaks down the air easily, creating Electrostatic Discharges (ESDs).
7 days ago1 min read


Astronomers have mapped 453 giant molecular clouds in our neighbor galaxy
Astronomers have mapped 453 giant molecular clouds in our neighbor galaxy, revealing the cold, dense nurseries where stars are born.
The Target: The Andromeda Galaxy (M31), located 2.5 million light-years away.
The Tool: The CARMA array (millimeter-wave radio) allows scientists to see through the dust and detect the faint glow of molecular hydrogen.
7 days ago1 min read


Dust isn't just debris. It's the thermostat, the building block, and the grave of planetary systems.
Dust isn't just debris. It's the thermostat, the building block, and the grave of planetary systems. To understand our origins, we must look closer than ever before.
The Paradox: In a disk, gas drag slows down dust "pebbles," causing them to spiral into the star and burn up within centuries. So how do planets ever form?
7 days ago1 min read


Red galaxies: Are they dead relics, or star factories hiding in the dust?
In the early universe, massive red galaxies are a mystery. Are they dead relics, or star factories hiding in the dust? A new multi-telescope study reveals the truth.
The Target: Ultramassive galaxies (100 billion+ stars) seen just 2 billion years after the Big Bang.
7 days ago1 min read


A massive new survey shows the Sun plays by its own rules when it comes to explosive flares
We thought we understood stars because we live next to one. But a massive new survey shows the Sun plays by its own rules when it comes to explosive flares.
On the Sun, violence is predictable. Magnetic field lines get tangled up in Sunspots (cool, dark patches).
When these lines snap, they release energy as a Solar Flare. Because the magnetic field causes both, flares almost always happen at sunspots.
If we see a flare, we know there's a spot. They are best friends.
7 days ago1 min read


A new study suggests they aren't galaxies at all, but single, titanic stars powered by dark matter.
JWST found three impossible things in the early universe. A new study suggests they aren't galaxies at all, but single, titanic stars powered by dark matter.
Normal stars run on nuclear fusion (atoms crushing together). This requires high density and heat, limiting how big the star can get before it blows itself apart.
7 days ago1 min read


Scientists have recreated the bizarre "Superionic Water" found inside Ice Giants.
Scientists have recreated the bizarre "Superionic Water" found inside Ice Giants. They found a chaotic mix of structures that shouldn't exist together.
Under extreme pressure and heat (like inside Uranus or Neptune), water transforms into Superionic Ice. It is black, hot, and electrically conductive.
7 days ago1 min read


New research using particle accelerators reveals that iron asteroids are tougher than we ever imagined
New research using particle accelerators reveals that iron asteroids are tougher than we ever imagined—and that's good news for saving Earth.
Scientists blasted a piece of the Campo del Cielo meteorite with high-energy proton beams at CERN to see how it handles extreme stress.
7 days ago1 min read


Scientists have mapped exactly where these elusive particles are born in our galaxy
Trillions pass through you every second. Now, for the first time, scientists have mapped exactly where these elusive particles are born in our galaxy.
Neutrinos are nicknamed "ghost particles" because they barely interact with matter. They are born in the violent nuclear hearts of stars.
Right now, trillions of them are passing through your body, the Earth, and this screen. To them, solid rock is as empty as space.
7 days ago1 min read
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