Corey S Powell

Writer, editor, magazine maker, podcaster, procrastinator.

Former editor of Discover and American Scientist magazines. Co-host of #ScienceRules podcast. Invisible Universe on Substack: https://invisibleuniverse.substack.com/

Co-founder of OpenMind magazine.

#science #nature #space #scicomm

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Last Notes

2024-08-16 14:46:55

There's a hole in the Moon.
And sometime soon we may begin to explore it, study it, and even live in it.
https://eos.org/articles/lunar-lava-tube-revealed-beneath-collapsed-pit #science #nasa #space #astronomy #moon
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/112/972/239/180/646/675/original/ac34a8f5af71f863.mp4

2024-08-14 20:12:28

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@npub1wyj…mkhk
Ah, thanks!

2024-08-14 19:33:27

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Then two days ago, Gong Yurui and Liao Guihe watched as a Perseid meteor aimed a little too low.
The Andromeda Galaxy's secret weapon is distance. It is about 100 quadrillion times as far away as the Perseid meteors, which tends to keep it out of harm's way.
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/112/962/041/952/241/144/original/3b427b935a980e92.jpg

2024-08-14 19:32:06

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Last year, photographer Jose Pedrero saw a Perseid meteor clip a little above the Andromeda galaxy.
Didn't leave a scratch.
https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap230823.html #space #science #nature
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/112/962/037/040/231/297/original/e27979755299ed2f.jpg

2024-08-14 19:30:41

A brief history of Perseid meteors attacking the Andromeda galaxy:
In 2016, Fritz Hemmerich caught a Perseid meteor trying (and failing) to spear the galaxy.
https://www.facebook.com/APOD.Sky/photos/perseid-meteor-in-front-of-the-andromeda-galaxycopyright-fritz-helmut-hemmerich/885152348255652/ #space #science #nature #Perseids #astronomy
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/112/962/032/883/644/596/original/8db1a9f704feceaf.jpg

2024-08-13 23:10:38

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@npub1jpp…euxz
Oh don't worry, the brightening Sun will evaporate Earth's oceans and trigger a fatal runaway greenhouse in 1.5 billion years.
That one is still on.

2024-08-13 23:09:40

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@npub1qzx…wjhy
I bought commemorative plates and napkins and everything...

2024-08-13 20:00:06

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@npub1gev…05dt
yeah but now i finally can relax

2024-08-12 17:56:04

See the curved track? That was the first definitive evidence of antimatter, leaving its trail in a cloud chamber.
Carl Anderson discovered the positron 92 years ago this month, uncovering a whole opposite side of nature.
https://www.aps.org/apsnews/2004/08/discovery-positron-1932 #science #physics #history #nature
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/112/950/335/143/669/635/original/4db452333288bca3.jpg

2024-08-10 17:13:43

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For reference, here are the numbered sunspot groups currently visible on the Sun, via NASA.
The smallest spots visible in the photo are nearly as big as the entire Earth.
https://soho.nascom.nasa.gov/sunspots/ #space #astronomy #nasa
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/112/938/843/500/267/146/original/eaa57b019209a977.jpg

2024-08-10 17:12:20

OMG this shot of a Falcon 9 rocket passing in front of a spot-covered Sun -- just released by photographer John Kraus.
https://www.johnkrausphotos.com/ #science #art #photography
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/112/938/837/753/778/425/original/9af3c45f54f3f284.jpg

2024-08-10 06:41:03

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Here are some helpful viewing tips for watching this year's appearance of the Perseid meteor shower.
(Much to my disappointment, I've learned there will not actually be a giant figure of Perseus floating in the sky.)
https://www.amsmeteors.org/2024/08/viewing-the-perseid-meteor-shower-in-2024/ #science #astronomy
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/112/936/354/740/740/748/original/1f0a0eae080b0bdf.jpg

2024-08-10 06:38:52

The Perseid meteor shower peaks in two days. When you watch those shooting stars here on Earth, this is what's happening out in space.
(Follow the link for a very cool 3D interactive view.)
https://www.meteorshowers.org/view/Perseids #science #space #astronomy #nature
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/112/936/346/349/715/458/original/e3c86f4e265912f6.png

2024-08-09 06:13:52

Whenever you read one of those breathless stories about some asteroid passing close to Earth, keep in mind that small space stuff hits us. All. The. Time.
This map shows the orbits of things that hit Earth just *yesterday* -- and just over the southern & eastern United States!
https://fireballs.ndc.nasa.gov/ #space #science #risk #nasa
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/112/930/583/642/925/497/original/6cb3a20ea4313d29.png

2024-08-09 06:08:21

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@npub1l40…nm43
Yeah, but only the past. Next, we should build an observatory to survey the future.

2024-08-08 04:31:08

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@npub1nw5…fdwp
The wait has been agonizing, no question. I wrote an eager article previewing this observatory...in 2011.

2024-08-08 04:10:15

The Rubin Observatory will scan the universe from night to night, searching for astronomical changes -- everything from supernova explosions to interstellar objects flying through our solar system.
https://rubinobservatory.org/about
#astronomy #astrodon
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/112/924/433/050/824/766/original/3c0da72b95f16d18.mp4

2024-08-08 04:05:49

It's beginning! Workers have installed the first mirror into the remarkable Rubin Observatory.
When complete, it will create the greatest movie ever made, capturing one "frame" of the universe every few days for more than 10 years.
https://rubinobservatory.org/news/secondary-mirror-installed #space #astronomy #tech #science
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/112/924/420/707/663/064/original/c4911c083f9f5100.jpg

2024-08-07 05:12:42

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@npub1v8l…0wyr
For a brief moment, we had an option:
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/112/919/023/229/603/562/original/7a84494d3930ffe1.webp

2024-08-07 04:47:09

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What will life look like on Earth 2 weeks from now?
The past 2 weeks have been a whirl...

2024-08-07 04:46:43

In less than 2 weeks, the ESA's JUICE probe will perform a unique double-flyby of Earth & Moon.
People in southeast Asia may be able to see the spacecraft passing overhead, getting a gravitational boost to send it on its way to Jupiter.
https://www.esa.int/Science_Exploration/Space_Science/Juice/Juice_s_lunar-Earth_flyby_all_you_need_to_know #space #science #astronomy #ESA #tech
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/112/918/920/278/799/249/original/f5715db416f1c0e4.jpg

2024-08-06 04:43:21

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One month in the life of Comet Olbers (July-Aug 2024):
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/112/913/244/380/107/810/original/699d4dccacf6976f.mp4

2024-08-06 03:20:46

The tail of Comet 13P/Olbers, wagging wildly in the solar wind.
Photos by Dan Bartlett.
https://www.astrobin.com/users/h2ologg/ #space #science #astronomy #nature
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/112/912/918/483/195/681/original/73e9535a2bb42e8f.jpg
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/112/912/918/484/178/466/original/760b0d7cbbd871a7.jpg
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/112/912/918/488/646/632/original/c2da5225c4922c4f.jpg

2024-08-04 06:57:33

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For comparison, here is the same pair of colliding galaxies (known as NGC 2207 and IC 1263) seen by the Hubble Space Telescope.
https://hubblesite.org/contents/news-releases/2004/news-2004-45.html #science #nature #astrodon
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/112/902/446/716/704/131/original/6ecc65b3ca9852e1.jpg

2024-08-04 06:54:53

Amazing deep-space image from JWST, showing the "skeleton" of warm dust and gas inside a pair of colliding galaxies.
Processing by Thomas Carpentier
https://www.flickr.com/photos/197464132@N05/53898041283/ #space #science #astronomy #NASA #nature
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/112/902/436/465/895/065/original/c30cd6378becf5a4.jpg

2024-07-30 17:58:48

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How to search for hidden diamonds deep inside a planet:
Create a simulated sample of Mercury's interior
Take it to a high-pressure lab in Beijing
Squeeze the f out of it (7 gigapascals)
Look at the mess you've made
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-024-49305-x #space #science #astronomy
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/112/876/734/743/482/037/original/74e97589e9aa44a4.png

2024-07-29 04:24:11

Scattered across the Moon are peculiar, snaking bright swirls. Nobody knows what created them. Comet impacts, maybe?
A new paper suggests a different answer: Lunar swirls might trace underground rivers of frozen, magnetic lava.
https://source.wustl.edu/2024/06/moon-swirls-could-be-magnetized-by-unseen-magmas/ #space #science #astronomy #Moon #NASA
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/112/867/869/966/900/899/original/52c7d5c27d978b13.jpg

2024-07-25 22:09:33

Within the flash of a brilliant gamma-ray burst, astronomers found a remarkable signal:
Matter and antimatter destroying each other.
While fleeing a newborn black hole.
Moving at 99.9% the speed of light.
https://science.nasa.gov/science-research/astrophysics/gamma-ray-bursts/nasas-fermi-finds-new-feature-in-brightest-gamma-ray-burst-yet-seen/ #science #space #astronomy #nasa
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/112/849/409/726/328/378/original/567efb19b10a8b8b.mp4

2024-07-22 17:15:35

Rogue planets are so novel & strange that we don't even have a term for them. They don't fit any current definition of "planet." They don't fit any other scientific category either.
And what would you call an Earth-size "moon" of a super-Jupiter "free floating planet"? <shrug>
#astronomy #space #science #mystery
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/112/831/263/065/125/496/original/fa6dab19044ccd2e.jpg

2024-07-22 17:10:11

Hidden in deep darkness, there may be a trillion sunless planets wandering our galaxy -- including vast numbers of Earth-size worlds exiled from their homes.
The discovery of these "rogue planets" is one of most fun stories I've covered. Read it here:
https://spectrum.ieee.org/rogue-planet #space #science #astronomy #tech #astrodon
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/112/831/243/396/964/844/original/e460105e76ae8576.jpg

2024-07-16 17:58:56

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@npub1f5c…hqzn
The Martians covered them all in 1963 when they realized we were coming.

2024-07-16 16:38:17

All across our galaxy, the European Space Agency's Gaia space telescope is finding stars like the Sun orbiting neutron stars, the remains of supernova explosions.
How did those suns survive the devastation? Did entire worlds get sterilized in the process?
https://www.caltech.edu/about/news/sun-like-stars-found-orbiting-hidden-companions #science #space #astronomy #life #ESA
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/112/797/147/392/812/530/original/1c3f4979c93abe97.mp4

2024-07-09 16:14:48

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The huge Arsia Mons volcano on Mars is the location of numerous likely lava caves -- intriguing spots for exploration or possible sheltered sites for future astronauts.
https://science.nasa.gov/solar-system/planets/mars/nasa-orbiter-finds-possible-cave-skylights-on-mars/ #space #science #astronomy
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/112/757/419/200/959/425/original/2a526d783b974e18.jpg

2024-07-09 16:13:05

That's one hell of a scar!
The European Space Agency's Mars Express spacecraft just got a dramatic view of a 600-kilometer long crack snaking across the base of Arsia Mons, the 2nd-largest volcano in the solar system.
https://www.esa.int/Science_Exploration/Space_Science/Mars_Express/A_snaking_scar_on_Mars #science #space #esa #astrodon #astronomy
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/112/757/410/851/971/091/original/de4ad2a0c8013a02.jpg

2024-07-08 17:30:23

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The cave painting at Leang Karampuang predates the previous oldest-known narrative art, in Spain, by about 10,000 years. We know very little about the people who were living in Indonesia at the time.
https://www.artnews.com/art-news/news/worlds-oldest-known-cave-painting-found-indonesia-1234711575/
#art #history
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/112/752/053/403/427/333/original/5ea82471aaf2917e.webp

2024-07-08 17:28:52

An Indonesian cave drawing, showing three people interacting with a pig, is now the oldest known example of narrative art. It's been dated to at least 51,000 years ago.
I'd love to know how people thought and spoke back then.
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-024-07541-7 #science #history #art #anthropology
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/112/752/046/020/818/313/original/aedae99d2294175a.jpg

2024-07-07 01:51:47

Earlier this year, the ROLSES experiment took a unique radio "selfie" of Earth.
It shows all the radio emissions from our planet at once -- including narrow-band, pulsed signals revealing the presence of intelligent life.
https://www.inverse.com/science/first-radio-telescope-on-moon-captures-alien-eye-view-of-earth #space #science #life #alien #tech
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/112/742/698/558/298/036/original/ecbd4d2ac3298f5f.png

2024-07-06 01:57:00

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@npub1syy…xd5z Very cool! Thanks for letting me know about this podcast.

2024-07-06 00:08:50

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Anatomy of a beam dump. A handy way to get rid of 350 megajoules of high-energy protons when you need to shut down your particle collider. Weighs just 6 tons!
https://home.cern/news/news/accelerators/autopsy-lhc-beam-dump #science #nature #physics
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/112/736/632/760/584/129/original/490e63f3d0d3f04b.png

2024-07-06 00:05:05

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@npub1mp6…6j3l
Damn, I missed my satanic moment!

2024-07-06 00:04:24

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@npub16x2…7aej
I never promised to be likeable, only interesting.

2024-07-05 18:42:00

6,665 followers.
So...close.

2024-07-05 15:39:24

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In the Netflix adaptation of "Three Body Problem," the characters claim that they built the fastest-ever spacecraft at 79.7 km/sec.
Somebody forgot to hire a science consultant!
#science #scifi #space
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/112/734/628/071/691/780/original/f437a7facf9cd712.jpg

2024-07-05 15:13:23

NASA's Parker Solar Probe has just affirmed its status as the fastest human object ever built:
On June 29 it hit a speed of 176.46 km/sec, or 394,736 mph. That's equivalent to flying from New York to LA in 25 seconds.
https://blogs.nasa.gov/parkersolarprobe/2024/07/03/nasas-parker-solar-probe-completes-20th-close-approach-to-the-sun/ #space #science #nasa #tech
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/112/734/521/932/049/787/original/fea3a672062e3786.mp4

2024-07-01 17:33:56

A natural gravitational lens magnified the far-off universe by up to 500x.
Then JWST zoomed in further and witnessed an amazing scene: clusters of stars forming at a furious rate in a distant baby galaxy, just 3% as old as the Milky Way.
https://esawebb.org/news/weic2418/ #space #science #astronomy #nasa #esa #jwst
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/112/712/431/378/428/122/original/9a4a267f6dc39c2d.jpg

2024-06-29 17:06:39

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@npub1q9p…endx
I won't tell if you don't.

2024-06-29 17:04:21

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Turns out that asteroids are quite beautiful at microscopic scale.
This "bloom" of phyllosilicate minerals was collected from the surface of Bennu, a near-Earth asteroid, by OSIRIS-REx.
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/maps.14227 #science #space #nasa
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/112/700/984/400/937/756/original/610bec99af1675fc.jpg

2024-06-29 17:01:21

This is what an asteroid looks like up close.
Really close.
Through an electron microscope!
First studies of the pieces of asteroid Bennu gathered by NASA's OSIRIS-REx spacecraft are out now:
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/maps.14227 #space #astronomy #nasa #science #life #astrodon
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/112/700/977/541/860/584/original/4e5ccd38e37ab409.jpg

2024-06-27 18:25:16

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Fish are still active in space exploration. Four zebrafish are currently swimming aboard China's Tiangong space station.
They seem to have adapted pretty well -- just look:
https://english.news.cn/20240519/5094885d46be4d81b94ec40e9cec8337/c.html #space #science #china #nature
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/112/689/983/694/013/257/original/9f47614fc8bafb00.mp4

2024-06-27 18:23:30

On July 28, 1973, two juvenile mummichog fish and 50 eggs flew to NASA's Skylab for a study on how swimming animals adapt to weightlessness.
They were the world's first aquastronauts (or should they be called pescanauts?). But they would not be the last.
https://manayunkia.wordpress.com/2016/12/28/the-mummichog-the-first-fish-in-space/ #space #science #fish #nature #nasa
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/112/689/977/320/572/795/original/4e15bca5ea49c156.jpg

2024-06-26 18:19:07

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@npub1typ…c8hh
That is a brilliant clickbait headline for an article about "it's not entirely impossible that viruses that evolved on a different planet could infect terrestrial organisms."

2024-06-26 18:14:23

German astronomer Heinrich Schwabe may have observed the birth of Jupiter's iconic Great Red Spot in 1851, making the giant storm far younger than commonly believed.
These historical records provide fascinating clues about how weather works on other worlds.
https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1029/2024GL108993 #space #science #astronomy #nature
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/112/684/277/873/190/686/original/845854ebe3ab6bf5.jpg

2024-06-21 18:56:49

Just out: a gorgeous JWST image capturing a space scene that had only been imagined until now.
In this panoramic view of the Serpens Nebula, you can see newborn stars forming all in a row -- neatly aligned across trillions of miles of space.
https://esawebb.org/news/weic2415/ #science #space #astronomy #nasa #esa #jwst
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/112/656/132/347/673/835/original/9b381d26b53ecb35.jpg

2024-06-17 20:56:14

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@npub1llg…0xgu
I'm impressed by anyone who can combine the two at all.

2024-06-17 18:23:54

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One particularly cool discovery from the new Harvard-Google brain images:
Some brain cells are arranged in mirror-image pairs, for reasons not yet well understood.
https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adk4858 #science #brain #mind #neuroscience #tech
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/112/633/354/233/489/386/original/f5b2e769451b3ea3.mp4

2024-06-17 18:19:30

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The new "H01" brain map shows 50,000 cells and 150 million synapses in the human brain at nanoscale resolution.
It's freely accessible online.
https://h01-release.storage.googleapis.com/gallery.html #science #brain #mind #tech #google
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/112/633/336/574/583/746/original/164d1789aa2fa2c2.webp

2024-06-17 18:17:41

An astonishing new brain image captures the neurons and synapses in the brain in unprecedented detail.
This image covers just 1 cubic millimeter of human brain -- but it represents a stunning 1.4 Petabytes of data.
https://blog.google/technology/research/google-ai-research-new-images-human-brain/ #science #brain #tech #mind
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/112/633/325/718/509/850/original/d4813678d416c246.jpg

2024-06-11 22:39:39

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Another memorable Ed Stone moment: I asked him to explain what happened as the Voyager probes passed into interstellar space.
He ran to a sink and turned on the water. "Notice how a ring forms here?" he said. "That's just like the termination shock when you hit the interstellar stream."
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/112/600/386/468/768/737/original/4432c29847ec8484.jpg

2024-06-11 22:36:29

I'm sad to report the death of Ed Stone, the NASA scientist who was the heart & soul of the Voyager program. Spending time with him for my Discover magazine profile was a highlight of my career.
I did my best to capture the experience:
https://www.discovermagazine.com/the-sciences/voyager-the-man-behind-the-mission #science #space #nasa #astronomy
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/112/600/372/000/918/725/original/294f3b7a8a68141c.jpg

2024-06-11 00:24:16

Our galaxy contains an enormous magnetic doughnut, some 50,000 light years wide. A new, multi-decade study is finally bringing the details into view.
(Very difficult not to think, "Mmmmm...magnetic doughnut.")
https://english.cas.cn/newsroom/research_news/phys/202405/t20240513_662871.shtml
#science #space #astronomy #china #tech
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/112/595/136/468/253/083/original/60a92f83fbbc023a.jpg

2024-06-06 04:04:49

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@npub1g8j…ww5h Wow! Spectacular indeed.

2024-05-31 02:05:32

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@npub13hx…3qm6
It's quite possible that JADES-GS-z14-0 evolved into a galaxy much like our own. Or that someone in that galaxy, looking back at us, would see something similar to JADES-GS-z14-0.

2024-05-30 22:11:45

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@npub1fjx…cq63
Somebody should calculate the pixel size on those words!

2024-05-23 12:53:21

Hello out there!
More than 46 years after launch, more than 15 billion miles from home, NASA's Voyager 1 spacecraft is restored, rebooted, and once again sending data back to Earth.
https://blogs.nasa.gov/voyager/2024/05/22/voyager-1-resumes-sending-science-data-from-two-instruments/ #science #space #tech #nasa
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/112/490/497/270/493/232/original/609df3e940040c00.jpg

2024-05-21 23:01:38

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Clip and save this spooky piece of space art for next Halloween?
https://science.nasa.gov/missions/hubble/hubble-views-the-dawn-of-a-sun-like-star/ #science #space #ghost #halloween
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/112/481/565/771/219/129/original/8ec033bbe7c3c0f8.webp

2024-05-18 00:16:50

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@npub1ywh…2tvx
Can't escape the sound of them. It's like The Tell-Tale Heart.

2024-05-17 21:44:13

A mind-blower for a Friday evening:
This deceptively simple-looking graph is a spectrum of *gravitational waves* ringing through the Milky Way.
The waves may be caused by a chorus of supermassive black holes colliding all across the universe. Whoa!
https://arxiv.org/abs/2306.16227 #science #space #physics #astronomy
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/112/458/611/316/773/129/original/9691e58ac8250534.jpg

2024-05-17 14:18:57

Uh oh. The ambitious European-Japanese BepiColombo mission to Mercury has experienced a worrisome "glitch" in its thrusters.
Engineers are scrambling for a fix so the spacecraft can enter orbit around Mercury late next year, as planned.
https://arstechnica.com/space/2024/05/europe-is-uncertain-whether-its-ambitious-mercury-probe-can-reach-the-planet/ #science #space #astronomy #tech
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/112/456/860/346/131/988/original/a387625e9139ca45.png

2024-05-16 20:45:12

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One of the great frustrations in the search for life in the universe: It's much easier to study extreme, hellish planets (huge, hot, etc) than to study the moderate worlds where life could plausibly exist.

2024-05-16 20:40:59

After years of searching, astronomers have finally detected an atmosphere on a rocky planet around another star.
But what a strange planet it is! 55 Cancri e seems to be blanketed in carbon dioxide gas bubbling out of a global ocean of lava. Like an image out of Dante's Inferno.
https://webbtelescope.org/contents/news-releases/2024/news-2024-102 #space #science #nasa #astronomy
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/112/452/699/935/334/545/original/2d46cf0d268d7cd3.png

2024-05-12 22:58:13

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@npub1s5s…z3hs Please read the previous item in this thread. The linked story addresses all those questions.

2024-05-12 22:57:04

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@npub1026…vwlh The only credit I've been able to find is the name at the bottom of the graphic. I included the full version (not the widely shared crop) for that reason.

2024-05-12 07:10:52

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Colors of an aurora depend not only on which element is emitting light, but also on *where* it is.
Oxygen at high altitudes glows red; at lower altitudes it glows green. Purple nitrogen is lower still.
Atoms are complicated creatures!
#aurora #science #nature #physics
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/112/426/862/920/657/551/original/528f14f0e82a05e9.jpg

2024-05-12 07:08:34

So many beautiful aurora photos going around right now. Wonder where those amazing colors come from? Here's a helpful breakdown.
When you split up the light of a typical aurora, it looks like this.
Many colors from just nitrogen & oxygen!
https://www.swpc.noaa.gov/content/aurora-tutorial #aurora #space #science #nature
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/112/426/854/924/021/976/original/39aabe0d481d362d.jpg

2024-04-03 03:19:16

Only three humans have ever witnessed an eclipse of the Sun by the *Earth*. It happened while the Apollo 12 crew was returning home from the Moon, on November 21, 1969.
Fortunately, the astronauts filmed the moment so you can share in the experience.
https://archive.org/details/Apollo1216mmOnboardFilm [at the 4:50 mark] #space #science #nasa #eclipse
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/112/205/117/193/590/250/original/31dbc332736a38a1.mp4

2024-03-15 21:24:52

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@npub1avr…pnem
No, that was Jacint Perez (aka Landru79) who stitched the images together. He does wonderful work -- mostly shared over on the bird site, unfortunately.

2024-03-15 20:50:37

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@npub1364…c6fh
The folks at Desilu definitely could have found someone to make a Star Trek landscape like this out of styrofoam and spray paint.

2024-03-15 20:47:51

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@npub1hth…he0c
As Rachel Greenham pointed out here, the error wasn't in the description but in the interpretation. Dirty snowballs turn out to be really complex and cool looking.

2024-03-15 19:53:35

This is the surface of a comet! Dust is swirling around the surface of Comet 67/P -- captured in 2016 by ESA's Rosetta spacecraft, processing by Jacint Roger Perez.
Still one of the most remarkable scenes in space exploration.
#space #science #astronomy #ESA
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/112/101/447/834/451/880/original/23c552ad7089379d.mp4

2024-03-15 19:43:38

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@npub18d5…z4kn Oh cool! I can't take credit for the animation (I'm just sharing it) but that's really nice work.

2024-03-15 19:42:50

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@npub1x6n…g579
I had to dig into the research paper for the answer: The animation covers a period of 5 years.
https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3847/2041-8213/ad24fd

2024-03-15 19:41:55

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@npub1sej…p32v
It looks like they roughly did scale the time correctly. The full animation covers a period of 5 years.
https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3847/2041-8213/ad24fd

2024-03-15 19:40:36

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@npub1x2h…mgua
It's a shame they didn't include that info on the animation. It's listed in the main paper: the simulation covers a period of 5 years.
https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3847/2041-8213/ad24fd

2024-03-14 16:13:57

Reports of the death of the Voyager 1 spacecraft may have been premature!
NASA engineers have received a promising response from humanity's most distant explorer. The new signal could help pinpoint the problem with Voyager's aging data system.
https://gizmodo.com/nasa-voyager-1-reconnects-data-glitch-1851334565 #science #space #tech #astronomy
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/112/094/924/591/218/427/original/36d8efe29f3b0548.png

2024-03-14 02:52:14

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@npub17cz…utc6
Even if you were just inside the photosphere, your sky would be radiating at 3000 k in all directions. You'd definitely feel that.

2024-03-14 02:47:47

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@npub1clp…4ge5
That would be fabulous.

2024-03-14 02:37:00

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@npub17pc…jy0v
Wow! Right around the 20 second mark.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MZjZEVgQmno

2024-03-14 02:32:50

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@npub1g77…m9c9
Betelgeuse is a total badass. Each of those bubbles is about 100 times the diameter of the entire Sun.

2024-03-14 02:30:04

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@npub16pz…zgfm Personally, I like our location 600 light years away.

2024-03-14 02:26:01

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@npub16pz…zgfm
Imagine looking up and seeing that in your sky.
(From a nice safe distance, of course.)

2024-03-14 01:09:37

To your eye, Betelgeuse is the bright "shoulder" star in Orion. A new simulation shows what it would look like if you could get up close: an enormous, boiling cauldron of gas.
If Betelgeuse were placed where the Sun is, Earth's orbit (blue circle) would be deep inside. That's how big it is!
https://www.mpa-garching.mpg.de/1094283/hl202403 #science #space #astronomy #nature
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/112/091/367/422/022/484/original/050445c987ca844a.mp4

2024-01-27 01:38:02

On March 27, 1800, William Herschel discovered a world beyond the human senses. Why don't more people learn about it?
In my latest Subtack column, I recount this remarkable (and remarkably under-appreciated) moment in the history of exploration.
https://invisibleuniverse.substack.com/p/the-day-we-found-a-world-beyond-the #science #history #physics #astronomy
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/111/825/348/779/464/679/original/ccccc249a10e0bf9.jpg

2024-01-12 19:25:59

For three months, scientists struggled to open the canister of asteroid samples brought back by NASA's OSIRISREx mission
It was frustrating and a bit embarrassing. But at long last they have succeeded. The fasteners are off. Here come the asteroid rocks!
https://news.arizona.edu/story/nasas-osiris-rex-curation-team-clears-hurdle-access-remaining-bennu-sample #science #astronomy #space
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/111/744/616/443/640/376/original/506d4743cf1db901.jpg

2023-10-20 22:15:07

For decades, astronomers have dreamed of setting up an observatory on the far side of the Moon. I read about it as a kid. Now it's happening!
The LuSEE-Night radio telescope is under construction, and is scheduled to land on the lunar farside in 2025. It's a pathfinder for a much bigger radio telescope that would follow. https://newscenter.lbl.gov/2023/09/26/listening-to-the-radio-on-the-far-side-of-the-moon/ #space #nasa #science
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/111/269/647/306/299/744/original/79f4313961bc3527.jpg

2023-10-20 05:11:59

The winners of this year's "Small World" micro-photo competition are out. I'm especially intrigued by this astonishing shot: a struck match, caught at the exact moment of ignition.
(It ended up in second place, go figure.) #science #photography
https://www.nikonsmallworld.com/galleries/2023-photomicrography-competition
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/111/265/621/974/631/978/original/b07dba15a01a6a40.jpg

2023-08-09 15:12:25

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Brutal assessment by @npub1fpx…tnkw:
"I expected that interest in LK-99 would just die a slow death after no one could replicate it; rarely is a smoking gun found that explains the spurious observations.
But in this case it seems we have a full coroner's report!"
https://arxiv.org/abs/2308.04353
#tech #lk99

2023-08-09 15:07:41

A lot of people got excited by a report that a material called LK99 is a room-temperature superconductor. Researchers raced to validate the claim. Now the early results are out--and they don't look good.
Impressively quick work by scientists around the world! But accessible superconductivity remains an elusive goal. [Thread via the Condensed Matter Theory Center at the University of Md]
https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1688747910471561216.html #tech #lk99 #technology
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/110/860/276/425/053/202/original/19f23b1a27707d51.png

2023-08-01 18:51:40

Nature is full of spirals on all scales: galaxies, forming stars, hurricanes, whirlpools.
The starbirth image (#2) is a new one from the ALMA observatory, revealing the intricate geometry that leads to the creation of new planetary systems.
https://www.almaobservatory.org/en/press-releases/star-birth-spectacle-unveiled-from-chile/
#science #nature #design
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/110/815/653/006/747/695/original/3391abfaf1e84762.jpg
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/110/815/653/828/029/880/original/ea1679cb4c8fdfa1.jpg
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2023-05-26 21:53:57

Everything in this image of the Eagle Nebula is invisible to the human eye.
JWST shows the infrared glow of warm gas & dust. Chandra shows x-rays blasting from active young stars. Our technology brings the invisible universe into view.
https://chandra.harvard.edu/photo/2023/chandrawebb2/ #perspective #nature
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/110/437/204/578/594/636/original/9b6dffb13b8064ba.jpg

2023-05-12 18:37:34

Amazing! This is a weather report for a planet around another star.
#JWST measured temperatures atop the silvery clouds of planet GJ 1214 b, located 48 light years from Earth.
https://www.mpia.de/news/science/2023-06-gj1214b #space #astronomy
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/110/357/158/271/238/908/original/7ba3302e7c62a8a2.mp4