<![CDATA[Scivillage.com Casual Discussion Science Forum - Astrophysics, Cosmology & Astronomy]]>

<![CDATA[Scivillage.com Casual Discussion Science Forum - Astrophysics, Cosmology & Astronomy]]> https://www.scivillage.com/ Wed, 29 Apr 2026 14:30:11 +0000 MyBB <![CDATA[Seeing the Milky Way in neutrino light]]> https://www.scivillage.com/thread-20287.html Sat, 25 Apr 2026 23:46:35 +0000 Magical Realist]]> https://www.scivillage.com/thread-20287.html
https://www.google.com/search?q=neutrino...MrPD4,st:0]]>
https://www.google.com/search?q=neutrino...MrPD4,st:0]]> <![CDATA[Interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS was born somewhere much different from our solar system]]> https://www.scivillage.com/thread-20269.html Fri, 24 Apr 2026 15:40:58 +0000 C C]]> https://www.scivillage.com/thread-20269.html https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1125362

EXCERPT: “Our new observations show that the conditions that led to the formation of our solar system are much different from how planetary systems evolved in different parts of our galaxy,” said Luis Salazar Manzano, lead author of the new study and a doctoral student in the U-M Department of Astronomy.

Water is made of two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom, hence its H2O formula. In typical water molecules, though, those hydrogen atoms have just one proton at their core. In the comet’s water, a high ratio of its water molecules contain deuterium, a form of hydrogen with the standard issue proton plus a neutron. These heavier forms of water also exist on Earth, but in much lower quantities than were observed in 3I/ATLAS.

“The amount of deuterium with respect to ordinary hydrogen in water is higher than anything we’ve seen before in other planetary systems and planetary comets,” Salazar Manzano said. In fact, the ratio was 30 times that of any comet in our solar system, Salazar Manzano said, and 40 times the value found in the water in our oceans.

These ratios tell researchers about the conditions that were present where these celestial objects formed, allowing them to compare the birthplace of 3I/ATLAS with our solar system when planets and comets were forming. In particular, this result means 3I/ATLAS came from somewhere colder and with lower levels of radiation, said Teresa Paneque-Carreño, a co-leader of the new study and U-M assistant professor of astronomy.

“This is proof that whatever the conditions were that led to the creation of our solar system are not ubiquitous throughout space,” Paneque-Carreño said. “That may sound obvious, but it’s one of those things that you need to prove.”

Accomplishing an unprecedented study like this required a lot of things going right, the team said. It started with astronomers discovering 3I/ATLAS early enough to enable follow-up studies, Paneque-Carreño said... (MORE - missing details)]]> https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1125362

EXCERPT: “Our new observations show that the conditions that led to the formation of our solar system are much different from how planetary systems evolved in different parts of our galaxy,” said Luis Salazar Manzano, lead author of the new study and a doctoral student in the U-M Department of Astronomy.

Water is made of two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom, hence its H2O formula. In typical water molecules, though, those hydrogen atoms have just one proton at their core. In the comet’s water, a high ratio of its water molecules contain deuterium, a form of hydrogen with the standard issue proton plus a neutron. These heavier forms of water also exist on Earth, but in much lower quantities than were observed in 3I/ATLAS.

“The amount of deuterium with respect to ordinary hydrogen in water is higher than anything we’ve seen before in other planetary systems and planetary comets,” Salazar Manzano said. In fact, the ratio was 30 times that of any comet in our solar system, Salazar Manzano said, and 40 times the value found in the water in our oceans.

These ratios tell researchers about the conditions that were present where these celestial objects formed, allowing them to compare the birthplace of 3I/ATLAS with our solar system when planets and comets were forming. In particular, this result means 3I/ATLAS came from somewhere colder and with lower levels of radiation, said Teresa Paneque-Carreño, a co-leader of the new study and U-M assistant professor of astronomy.

“This is proof that whatever the conditions were that led to the creation of our solar system are not ubiquitous throughout space,” Paneque-Carreño said. “That may sound obvious, but it’s one of those things that you need to prove.”

Accomplishing an unprecedented study like this required a lot of things going right, the team said. It started with astronomers discovering 3I/ATLAS early enough to enable follow-up studies, Paneque-Carreño said... (MORE - missing details)]]> <![CDATA[Space Jellyfish Predictor]]> https://www.scivillage.com/thread-20258.html Thu, 23 Apr 2026 03:29:10 +0000 Yazata]]> https://www.scivillage.com/thread-20258.html
Currently John holds a NASA position created especially for him: Special Communications Assistant to the Administrator of NASA.

And he's been working on this own time creating the Space Jellyfish Predictor.

A Space Jellyfish is the often spectacular sky-show created when a rocket launches right after sunset or right before dawn. As the rocket ascends it leaves the Earth's shadow (we call it 'night') and passes into bright sunlight while the Earth surface below is still in darkness. This creates crazy illumination of the rocket's exhaust plume.

https://jellyfish.johnkrausphotos.com/

John describes the Space Jellyfish Predictor this way -

https://x.com/johnkrausphotos/status/202...3389072590

Quote:Pleased to share the v1 public beta of the Space Jellyfish Predictor, which outputs text predictions and heatmaps for upcoming rocket launches and their potential to produce a “space jellyfish.” This effect occurs when a launch is illuminated by the sun while an observer is in relative local darkness.

You can try it out here: https://jellyfish.johnkrausphotos.com — please report any issues and suggest features in this thread. I am also eager to see real-world photos from upcoming missions at distances close and far to help refine the models.

Especially during this early v1 public beta period, please treat this site as potentially helpful guidance, not a guarantee. In the event of issues, I may pull it down at any time.

How it works:

The model evaluates the geometry between the observer, rocket, and sun to estimate whether a launch plume is likely to be sunlit, how high it may appear above the horizon, and how strongly it may contrast against the sky. It identifies the strongest post-liftoff moment and converts it into a likelihood/prominence label, and does so in increments for two hours on either side of the current T-0 so you have insight into the evolving forecast.

This tool is focused on immediate post-launch ascent visibility and does not model delayed illumination from residual plumes. Nighttime launches can still be visible from great distances, and only sunlit ascents will produce relevant forecasts. As always, real-world conditions (especially weather and atmospheric quality) can affect what is actually visible.

The default location for each launch prediction is the launchpad, which is generally sufficient for nearby viewers. For distant observers, you can change your location to generate a location-specific text output for a given mission.

The site currently supports Starlink missions with strong fidelity across groups, ISS crew/resupply launches, and GTO/similar missions. Other Falcon 9 missions may use a generalized fallback ascent profile once their launch azimuth (direction) is determined, but these predictions will likely be a bit less reliable.

It was fun to work on this outside of the day job. I hope it is useful. If there is strong interest, I will evaluate the feasibility of adding additional vehicle types and launch sites in the weeks ahead.

]]>
Currently John holds a NASA position created especially for him: Special Communications Assistant to the Administrator of NASA.

And he's been working on this own time creating the Space Jellyfish Predictor.

A Space Jellyfish is the often spectacular sky-show created when a rocket launches right after sunset or right before dawn. As the rocket ascends it leaves the Earth's shadow (we call it 'night') and passes into bright sunlight while the Earth surface below is still in darkness. This creates crazy illumination of the rocket's exhaust plume.

https://jellyfish.johnkrausphotos.com/

John describes the Space Jellyfish Predictor this way -

https://x.com/johnkrausphotos/status/202...3389072590

Quote:Pleased to share the v1 public beta of the Space Jellyfish Predictor, which outputs text predictions and heatmaps for upcoming rocket launches and their potential to produce a “space jellyfish.” This effect occurs when a launch is illuminated by the sun while an observer is in relative local darkness.

You can try it out here: https://jellyfish.johnkrausphotos.com — please report any issues and suggest features in this thread. I am also eager to see real-world photos from upcoming missions at distances close and far to help refine the models.

Especially during this early v1 public beta period, please treat this site as potentially helpful guidance, not a guarantee. In the event of issues, I may pull it down at any time.

How it works:

The model evaluates the geometry between the observer, rocket, and sun to estimate whether a launch plume is likely to be sunlit, how high it may appear above the horizon, and how strongly it may contrast against the sky. It identifies the strongest post-liftoff moment and converts it into a likelihood/prominence label, and does so in increments for two hours on either side of the current T-0 so you have insight into the evolving forecast.

This tool is focused on immediate post-launch ascent visibility and does not model delayed illumination from residual plumes. Nighttime launches can still be visible from great distances, and only sunlit ascents will produce relevant forecasts. As always, real-world conditions (especially weather and atmospheric quality) can affect what is actually visible.

The default location for each launch prediction is the launchpad, which is generally sufficient for nearby viewers. For distant observers, you can change your location to generate a location-specific text output for a given mission.

The site currently supports Starlink missions with strong fidelity across groups, ISS crew/resupply launches, and GTO/similar missions. Other Falcon 9 missions may use a generalized fallback ascent profile once their launch azimuth (direction) is determined, but these predictions will likely be a bit less reliable.

It was fun to work on this outside of the day job. I hope it is useful. If there is strong interest, I will evaluate the feasibility of adding additional vehicle types and launch sites in the weeks ahead.

]]> <![CDATA[NASA close-up of Jupiter's surface]]> https://www.scivillage.com/thread-20241.html Tue, 21 Apr 2026 15:38:27 +0000 Magical Realist]]> https://www.scivillage.com/thread-20241.html
"NASA has unveiled one of the closest images ever captured of Jupiter—and the detail is truly stunning.

Swirling cloud patterns, enormous storms, and chaotic bands sweep across the planet, each one far larger than Earth itself. These massive systems have been active for centuries, and many are likely to persist for generations.

A powerful reminder of how intense and ever-changing our Solar System truly is."

]]>
"NASA has unveiled one of the closest images ever captured of Jupiter—and the detail is truly stunning.

Swirling cloud patterns, enormous storms, and chaotic bands sweep across the planet, each one far larger than Earth itself. These massive systems have been active for centuries, and many are likely to persist for generations.

A powerful reminder of how intense and ever-changing our Solar System truly is."

]]> <![CDATA[Planets need more water to support life than scientists previously thought]]> https://www.scivillage.com/thread-20198.html Wed, 15 Apr 2026 20:54:19 +0000 C C]]> https://www.scivillage.com/thread-20198.html https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1124414

INTRO: Unfortunately for science fiction fans, desert worlds outside our solar system are unlikely to host life, according to new research from University of Washington. Scientists show that an Earth-sized planet needs at least 20 to 50% of the water in Earth’s oceans to maintain a critical natural cycle that keeps water on the surface.

Scientists believe that there are billions of planets outside our solar system. More than 6,000 of these exoplanets are confirmed, but only some of them are candidates for life. The search for life has focused on planets in the “habitable zone,” a sweet spot that is neither too close nor too far from a central star. Planets in this zone are considered viable because they can maintain liquid surface water.

“When you are searching for life in the broad landscape of the universe with limited resources, you have to filter out some planets,” said lead author Haskelle White-Gianella, a UW doctoral student of Earth and space sciences.

Water, although essential, does not guarantee the existence of life. With this study, researchers worked to further narrow the search by investigating planets with just a small amount of water.

“We were interested in arid planets with very limited surface water inventory — far less than one Earth ocean. Many of these planets are in the habitable zone of their star, but we weren’t sure if they could actually be habitable,” White-Gianella said.

The team’s results, published April 13 in Planetary Science Journal, show that habitability hinges on the geologic carbon cycle — a water-driven process that exchanges carbon between the atmosphere and interior over millions of years, stabilizing surface temperatures... (MORE - details, no ads)]]> https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1124414

INTRO: Unfortunately for science fiction fans, desert worlds outside our solar system are unlikely to host life, according to new research from University of Washington. Scientists show that an Earth-sized planet needs at least 20 to 50% of the water in Earth’s oceans to maintain a critical natural cycle that keeps water on the surface.

Scientists believe that there are billions of planets outside our solar system. More than 6,000 of these exoplanets are confirmed, but only some of them are candidates for life. The search for life has focused on planets in the “habitable zone,” a sweet spot that is neither too close nor too far from a central star. Planets in this zone are considered viable because they can maintain liquid surface water.

“When you are searching for life in the broad landscape of the universe with limited resources, you have to filter out some planets,” said lead author Haskelle White-Gianella, a UW doctoral student of Earth and space sciences.

Water, although essential, does not guarantee the existence of life. With this study, researchers worked to further narrow the search by investigating planets with just a small amount of water.

“We were interested in arid planets with very limited surface water inventory — far less than one Earth ocean. Many of these planets are in the habitable zone of their star, but we weren’t sure if they could actually be habitable,” White-Gianella said.

The team’s results, published April 13 in Planetary Science Journal, show that habitability hinges on the geologic carbon cycle — a water-driven process that exchanges carbon between the atmosphere and interior over millions of years, stabilizing surface temperatures... (MORE - details, no ads)]]> <![CDATA[Inflation explains universe’s low entropy at birth + Expansion rate doesn't add up]]> https://www.scivillage.com/thread-20166.html Sat, 11 Apr 2026 13:32:39 +0000 C C]]> https://www.scivillage.com/thread-20166.html The local universe’s expansion rate is clearer than ever, but still doesn’t add up
https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1123728

EXCERPT: These two approaches are expected to yield the same result, but they don’t. Measurements based on the nearby Universe consistently indicate a higher expansion rate — around 73 kilometers per second per megaparsec — while predictions derived from the early Universe yield a lower value, closer to 67 or 68. Although the numerical difference is modest, it is far larger than can be explained by statistical uncertainty. This persistent disagreement, known as the Hubble tension, has now been observed across multiple independent studies and techniques... (MORE - missing details, no ads)

PAPER: http://dx.doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361/202557993

Cosmic inflation explains the universe’s low entropy at birth
https://bigthink.com/starts-with-a-bang/...hypothsis/

EXCERPTS: So how, then, did we — very ordered beings — emerge from this chaos? And if entropy has always been increasing, how did the Universe begin with an entropy that’s so much smaller than it is today? That’s the key behind a philosophical conundrum known as the past hypothesis puzzle. While philosophers may lose sleep over it, physicists don’t have to, because cosmic inflation solves it. Here’s how.

[...] here’s where the big question regarding the past hypothesis comes in: if each passing moment brings along with it an increase in entropy, and the entropy of the Universe has always been increasing, and the second law of thermodynamics dictates that entropy must always increase (or remain the same) and can never decrease, then how did our Universe initially start off in such a low-entropy state to begin with?

The answer, perhaps surprisingly, has been known theoretically for more than 40 years: cosmic inflation.

You might think of cosmic inflation in different terms, as either:

the reason the Big Bang occurred,
the additional, now-verified hypothesis of what came before and set up the conditions that the Big Bang was born with,
or as the theory that removed the notion of the “Big Bang singularity” from the notion of the hot, dense, expanding state we identify as the Big Bang.

the reason the Big Bang occurred,
the additional, now-verified hypothesis of what came before and set up the conditions that the Big Bang was born with,
or as the theory that removed the notion of the “Big Bang singularity” from the notion of the hot, dense, expanding state we identify as the Big Bang.

(All are correct in their own ways.) But inflation, although it’s a not-particularly well-appreciated feature of it, by its very nature forces the Universe to be born in a low entropy state, regardless of the conditions from which inflation arose. And even more remarkably, it never once violates the second law of thermodynamics, allowing entropy to never decrease during the process.

How does this occur?

The simplest way to explain it is to introduce two concepts to you that you likely have already heard of, but perhaps don’t have a sufficient appreciation of. The first is the difference between entropy (the total amount you’ll find) and entropy density (the total amount you’ll find in a given volume of space), which sounds easy enough. But the second requires a little bit of an explanation: the concept of adiabatic expansion. Adiabatic expansion is an important property in thermodynamics, in engines, in astrophysical gases and plasmas, and also in the expanding Universe...

[...] In other words, the solution to the problem of the past hypothesis puzzle, or why the Universe possessed a low-entropy state at the start of the hot Big Bang, is because the Universe underwent a period of cosmic inflation. The rapid, relentless, exponential expansion of the Universe took whatever entropy might have pre-existed within a specific region of space — occupying a certain volume of space — and inflated that volume to tremendous quantities.

Even though entropy was conserved (or possibly even increased very, very slightly), the entropy density plummets, as near-constant entropy in an exponentially expanding volume translates to having the entropy in any specific, well-defined volume of space becoming exponentially suppressed. That’s why, if you accept the evidence in favor of cosmic inflation, where that evidence is very, very strong, you no longer have a “past hypothesis” problem. The Universe is simply born with the amount of entropy that the transition from an inflationary state to a hot Big Bang state, a process known as cosmic reheating, imprints upon it.

The Universe was born in a low-entropy state because inflation caused the entropy density to plummet, and only after that did the hot Big Bang occur. Then, as expected, from that initial value, the Universe’s entropy has been forever increasing from that point onward. As long as you remember that entropy is not entropy density, and that inflating any volume while keeping the entropy constant necessarily results in a very small entropy density in the aftermath of that inflationary period, you’ll never be confused by the past hypothesis puzzle again... (MORE - missing details)]]> <![CDATA[Black hole at center of our galaxy may be even stranger]]> https://www.scivillage.com/thread-20158.html Fri, 10 Apr 2026 01:10:50 +0000 C C]]> https://www.scivillage.com/thread-20158.html Scientists thought there was a black hole at the centre of our Galaxy. It turns out it may be something even stranger
https://www.skyatnightmagazine.com/news/...ark-matter

INTRO: Astronomers have proposed a radical alternative to the long-held belief that a supermassive black hole sits at the centre of the Milky Way, suggesting that instead a dense clump of dark matter could generate the same gravitational effects. The new study, published in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, argues that an ultra-compact dark matter core can explain both the rapid motions of stars near our galactic centre and the larger-scale rotation of our Galaxy.

For decades, the object known as Sagittarius A* has been interpreted as a black hole more than four million times the mass of the Sun, largely because stars in its vicinity, called S-stars, whirl around
it at enormous speeds. However, an international team have put forward a fermionic dark matter model that could reproduce the same stellar motions without a black hole.

“This is the first time a dark matter model has successfully bridged these vastly different scales and various object orbits, including modern rotation curve and central stars data,” says the study’s co-author Dr Carlos Argüelles. “We are not just replacing the black hole with a dark object; we are proposing that the supermassive central object and the Galaxy’s dark matter halo are two manifestations of the same substance.” (MORE - details)

Eurekalert (excerpts): The international team of researchers have instead put forward an alternative idea – that a specific type of dark matter made up of fermions, or light subatomic particles, can create a unique cosmic structure that also fits with what we know about the Milky Way's core. It would in theory produce a super-dense, compact core surrounded by a vast, diffuse halo, which together would act as a single, unified entity.

The inner core would be so compact and massive that it could mimic the gravitational pull of a black hole and explain the orbits of S-stars that have been observed in previous studies, as well as the orbits of the dust-shrouded objects known as G-sources which also exist nearby.

Of particular importance to the new research is the latest data from the European Space Agency's GAIA DR3 mission, which has meticulously mapped the rotation curve of the Milky Way's outer halo, showing how stars and gas orbit far from the centre.

It observed a slowdown of our galaxy's rotation curve, known as the Keplerian decline, which the researchers say can be explained by their dark matter model's outer halo when combined with the traditional disc and bulge mass components of ordinary matter.

This, they add, strengthens the 'fermionic' model by highlighting a key structural difference. While traditional Cold Dark Matter halos spread out following an extended 'power law' tail, the fermionic model predicts a tighter structure, leading to more compact halo tails.

[...] "Our model not only explains the orbits of stars and the galaxy's rotation but is also consistent with the famous 'black hole shadow' image. The dense dark matter core can mimic the shadow because it bends light so strongly, creating a central darkness surrounded by a bright ring."

The researchers statistically compared their fermionic dark matter model to the traditional black hole model. They found that while current data for the inner stars cannot yet decisively distinguish between the two scenarios, the dark matter model provides a unified framework that explains the galactic centre (central stars and shadow), and the galaxy at large.

The new study paves the way for future observations. [...] The outcome of these findings could potentially reshape our understanding of the fundamental nature of the cosmic behemoth at the heart of the Milky Way. (MORE - missing details, no ads)]]> Scientists thought there was a black hole at the centre of our Galaxy. It turns out it may be something even stranger
https://www.skyatnightmagazine.com/news/...ark-matter

INTRO: Astronomers have proposed a radical alternative to the long-held belief that a supermassive black hole sits at the centre of the Milky Way, suggesting that instead a dense clump of dark matter could generate the same gravitational effects. The new study, published in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, argues that an ultra-compact dark matter core can explain both the rapid motions of stars near our galactic centre and the larger-scale rotation of our Galaxy.

For decades, the object known as Sagittarius A* has been interpreted as a black hole more than four million times the mass of the Sun, largely because stars in its vicinity, called S-stars, whirl around
it at enormous speeds. However, an international team have put forward a fermionic dark matter model that could reproduce the same stellar motions without a black hole.

“This is the first time a dark matter model has successfully bridged these vastly different scales and various object orbits, including modern rotation curve and central stars data,” says the study’s co-author Dr Carlos Argüelles. “We are not just replacing the black hole with a dark object; we are proposing that the supermassive central object and the Galaxy’s dark matter halo are two manifestations of the same substance.” (MORE - details)

Eurekalert (excerpts): The international team of researchers have instead put forward an alternative idea – that a specific type of dark matter made up of fermions, or light subatomic particles, can create a unique cosmic structure that also fits with what we know about the Milky Way's core. It would in theory produce a super-dense, compact core surrounded by a vast, diffuse halo, which together would act as a single, unified entity.

The inner core would be so compact and massive that it could mimic the gravitational pull of a black hole and explain the orbits of S-stars that have been observed in previous studies, as well as the orbits of the dust-shrouded objects known as G-sources which also exist nearby.

Of particular importance to the new research is the latest data from the European Space Agency's GAIA DR3 mission, which has meticulously mapped the rotation curve of the Milky Way's outer halo, showing how stars and gas orbit far from the centre.

It observed a slowdown of our galaxy's rotation curve, known as the Keplerian decline, which the researchers say can be explained by their dark matter model's outer halo when combined with the traditional disc and bulge mass components of ordinary matter.

This, they add, strengthens the 'fermionic' model by highlighting a key structural difference. While traditional Cold Dark Matter halos spread out following an extended 'power law' tail, the fermionic model predicts a tighter structure, leading to more compact halo tails.

[...] "Our model not only explains the orbits of stars and the galaxy's rotation but is also consistent with the famous 'black hole shadow' image. The dense dark matter core can mimic the shadow because it bends light so strongly, creating a central darkness surrounded by a bright ring."

The researchers statistically compared their fermionic dark matter model to the traditional black hole model. They found that while current data for the inner stars cannot yet decisively distinguish between the two scenarios, the dark matter model provides a unified framework that explains the galactic centre (central stars and shadow), and the galaxy at large.

The new study paves the way for future observations. [...] The outcome of these findings could potentially reshape our understanding of the fundamental nature of the cosmic behemoth at the heart of the Milky Way. (MORE - missing details, no ads)]]> <![CDATA[The Oort Cloud: Revisualizing Our Solar System]]> https://www.scivillage.com/thread-20093.html Wed, 01 Apr 2026 18:16:28 +0000 Magical Realist]]> https://www.scivillage.com/thread-20093.html
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v4gpHrYXOKg]]>
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v4gpHrYXOKg]]> <![CDATA[Something is happening around Earth: Inside 2026’s massive fireball surge]]> https://www.scivillage.com/thread-20073.html Sat, 28 Mar 2026 18:16:06 +0000 C C]]> https://www.scivillage.com/thread-20073.html Meteor makes sonic boom over Cleveland
- - - - - - - - - - - - -

Something is happening around Earth: Inside 2026’s massive fireball surge
https://www.zmescience.com/science/news-...all-surge/

EXCERPTS: During the first three months of 2026, our planet waded through an unusually dense shooting gallery. The American Meteor Society (AMS) has tracked a staggering wave of large, bright meteors — known as fireballs — lighting up skies from California to Germany.

Earth sweeps up tons of space dust every day. Usually, this material is the size of a grain of sand and burns up harmlessly in the upper atmosphere. But right now, we are colliding with much bigger rocks. And scientists are scrambling to figure out why.

[...] “After years of stable baseline activity, something appears to have shifted,” Hankey wrote in the AMS report. “The signal is consistent across multiple metrics.” If you look strictly at the raw numbers, the sky doesn’t look like it is falling. In the first quarter of 2026, the AMS recorded 2,046 total fireball events. That is high, but only marginally above the 2,037 events recorded in 2022 for the same three-month window. What’s changed is the physical size of the rocks from space.

Usually, a fireball event draws a handful of witnesses. But in March 2026 alone, five different fireballs exceeded 200 eyewitness reports. That is more mass-sighting events in one month than all previous Marches combined over the last fifteen years.

[...] So, what exactly is throwing these rocks at us? To find out, astronomers calculate a meteor’s radiant — the apparent point in the sky from which the fireball originated. By mapping the trajectories of these massive fireballs, researchers found two suspicious clusters.

The most prominent is the Anthelion sporadic source. This is a region of space sitting directly opposite the sun. Objects coming from the Anthelion direction are essentially catching up to Earth from behind as they plunge deeper into the inner solar system. Historically, this region has always produced a few fireballs.

[...] Earth is moving through a changed neighborhood. The rocks are bigger, they are louder, and they are hitting the atmosphere with alarming frequency.

“Whether this represents normal statistical variance, an uncharacterized debris population, or something else entirely will require continued monitoring and further analysis,” Hankey said... (MORE - missing details)]]> Meteor makes sonic boom over Cleveland
- - - - - - - - - - - - -

Something is happening around Earth: Inside 2026’s massive fireball surge
https://www.zmescience.com/science/news-...all-surge/

EXCERPTS: During the first three months of 2026, our planet waded through an unusually dense shooting gallery. The American Meteor Society (AMS) has tracked a staggering wave of large, bright meteors — known as fireballs — lighting up skies from California to Germany.

Earth sweeps up tons of space dust every day. Usually, this material is the size of a grain of sand and burns up harmlessly in the upper atmosphere. But right now, we are colliding with much bigger rocks. And scientists are scrambling to figure out why.

[...] “After years of stable baseline activity, something appears to have shifted,” Hankey wrote in the AMS report. “The signal is consistent across multiple metrics.” If you look strictly at the raw numbers, the sky doesn’t look like it is falling. In the first quarter of 2026, the AMS recorded 2,046 total fireball events. That is high, but only marginally above the 2,037 events recorded in 2022 for the same three-month window. What’s changed is the physical size of the rocks from space.

Usually, a fireball event draws a handful of witnesses. But in March 2026 alone, five different fireballs exceeded 200 eyewitness reports. That is more mass-sighting events in one month than all previous Marches combined over the last fifteen years.

[...] So, what exactly is throwing these rocks at us? To find out, astronomers calculate a meteor’s radiant — the apparent point in the sky from which the fireball originated. By mapping the trajectories of these massive fireballs, researchers found two suspicious clusters.

The most prominent is the Anthelion sporadic source. This is a region of space sitting directly opposite the sun. Objects coming from the Anthelion direction are essentially catching up to Earth from behind as they plunge deeper into the inner solar system. Historically, this region has always produced a few fireballs.

[...] Earth is moving through a changed neighborhood. The rocks are bigger, they are louder, and they are hitting the atmosphere with alarming frequency.

“Whether this represents normal statistical variance, an uncharacterized debris population, or something else entirely will require continued monitoring and further analysis,” Hankey said... (MORE - missing details)]]> <![CDATA[Moon got a new crater + Giant craters may reveal if Psyche is a lost planetary core]]> https://www.scivillage.com/thread-20042.html Wed, 25 Mar 2026 01:09:32 +0000 C C]]> https://www.scivillage.com/thread-20042.html The moon got a massive new crater
https://www.sciencenews.org/article/moon...sa-orbiter

EXCERPTS: The crater is 225 meters wide and formed in April or May 2024, Robinson said. According to predictions based on other lunar landmarks, a crater that big should form only once in 139 years. The discovery can help highlight the risks impacts pose to future astronauts. [...] That could be bad news for future moon bases. Bits of rock ejected from impacts could hit lunar habitats at high speeds from very far away. Buildings will need to be designed to survive that. “You’ve got to protect your assets to withstand small particles hitting you at order of magnitude a kilometer per second,” Robinson said... (MORE - missing details)

Giant craters may reveal if Psyche is a lost planetary core
https://www.universetoday.com/articles/g...etary-core

INTRO: When we think of asteroids, we almost immediately think of giant rocks bouncing around like the iconic chase scene in Empire Strikes Back, and we often hear how they are remnants from the birth of the solar system. While the asteroids that comprise the Main Asteroid Belt of our solar system are not only spread far apart from each other, they are also not all made of rock.

One asteroid approximately the size of the State of Massachusetts called 16 Psyche is made of metal, which planetary scientists hypothesize could be the remnants of a protoplanet’s core that didn’t build into a full-fledged planet. But how did such a unique asteroid form?

Now, an international team of scientists might be one step closer to answering that conundrum, as they attempted to ascertain how a large impact in the north polar region of 16 Psyche might have formed. The findings from this incredible study were recently published in the Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets and could help scientists gain insight into planetary formation and evolution, specifically during the early days of the solar system... (MORE - details)]]> <![CDATA[Meteor makes sonic boom over Cleveland]]> https://www.scivillage.com/thread-19996.html Wed, 18 Mar 2026 00:04:11 +0000 Magical Realist]]> https://www.scivillage.com/thread-19996.html
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q1VdY5nOXXg]]>
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q1VdY5nOXXg]]> <![CDATA[All 5 basic units of life’s genetic code were just discovered in an asteroid sample]]> https://www.scivillage.com/thread-19991.html Tue, 17 Mar 2026 15:26:38 +0000 C C]]> https://www.scivillage.com/thread-19991.html https://theconversation.com/all-5-fundam...ple-278099

INTRO: A new study reveals all five fundamental nucleobases – the molecular “letters” of life – have been detected in samples from the asteroid Ryugu.

Asteroid particles offer a glimpse into the chemical ingredients that may have helped kindle life on Earth. The Ryugu samples were returned from space in 2020 by Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency’s (JAXA) Hayabusa2 mission.

In 2023, an international team reported they had found one of the nucleobases in these samples – uracil. Now, in a study published in Nature Astronomy today, a team of Japanese scientists has confirmed all five nucleobases are present in this pristine asteroid material.

This means these ingredients for life may have been widespread throughout the Solar System in its early years... (MORE - details)]]> https://theconversation.com/all-5-fundam...ple-278099

INTRO: A new study reveals all five fundamental nucleobases – the molecular “letters” of life – have been detected in samples from the asteroid Ryugu.

Asteroid particles offer a glimpse into the chemical ingredients that may have helped kindle life on Earth. The Ryugu samples were returned from space in 2020 by Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency’s (JAXA) Hayabusa2 mission.

In 2023, an international team reported they had found one of the nucleobases in these samples – uracil. Now, in a study published in Nature Astronomy today, a team of Japanese scientists has confirmed all five nucleobases are present in this pristine asteroid material.

This means these ingredients for life may have been widespread throughout the Solar System in its early years... (MORE - details)]]> <![CDATA[We are not alone: Our Sun escaped together with stellar “twins” from galaxy center]]> https://www.scivillage.com/thread-19965.html Fri, 13 Mar 2026 18:57:31 +0000 C C]]> https://www.scivillage.com/thread-19965.html https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1119007

INTRO: Researchers have uncovered evidence for our Sun joining a mass migration of similar “twins” leaving the core regions of our galaxy, 4 to 6 billion years ago. The team created and studied an unprecedentedly accurate catalogue of stars and their properties using data from the European Space Agency’s Gaia satellite. Their discovery sheds light on the evolution of our galaxy, particularly the development of the rotating bar-like structure at its center.

While archaeology on Earth studies the human past, galactic archaeology traces the vast journey of stars and galaxies. For example, scientists know that our Sun was born around 4.6 billion years ago, more than 10,000 light years closer to the center of the Milky Way than we are today. While studies of the composition of stars support this theory, this has long proven a conundrum to scientists. Observations reveal an enormous bar-like structure at our galactic center which creates a “corotation barrier,” which makes it difficult for stars to escape so far from the center.

So how did we get here? To answer this question, a team led by Assistant Professors Daisuke Taniguchi from Tokyo Metropolitan University and Takuji Tsujimoto from the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan have undertaken an unprecedentedly large study of solar “twins,” stars which have very similar temperature, surface gravity, and composition to our Sun. They used data taken by the European Space Agency’s Gaia satellite mission, a daunting trove of observations from two billion stars and other objects. They created a catalogue of 6,594 stellar “twins,” a collection around 30 times larger than previous surveys... (MORE - details, no ads)

PAPER: http://dx.doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361/202658913]]> https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1119007

INTRO: Researchers have uncovered evidence for our Sun joining a mass migration of similar “twins” leaving the core regions of our galaxy, 4 to 6 billion years ago. The team created and studied an unprecedentedly accurate catalogue of stars and their properties using data from the European Space Agency’s Gaia satellite. Their discovery sheds light on the evolution of our galaxy, particularly the development of the rotating bar-like structure at its center.

While archaeology on Earth studies the human past, galactic archaeology traces the vast journey of stars and galaxies. For example, scientists know that our Sun was born around 4.6 billion years ago, more than 10,000 light years closer to the center of the Milky Way than we are today. While studies of the composition of stars support this theory, this has long proven a conundrum to scientists. Observations reveal an enormous bar-like structure at our galactic center which creates a “corotation barrier,” which makes it difficult for stars to escape so far from the center.

So how did we get here? To answer this question, a team led by Assistant Professors Daisuke Taniguchi from Tokyo Metropolitan University and Takuji Tsujimoto from the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan have undertaken an unprecedentedly large study of solar “twins,” stars which have very similar temperature, surface gravity, and composition to our Sun. They used data taken by the European Space Agency’s Gaia satellite mission, a daunting trove of observations from two billion stars and other objects. They created a catalogue of 6,594 stellar “twins,” a collection around 30 times larger than previous surveys... (MORE - details, no ads)

PAPER: http://dx.doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361/202658913]]> <![CDATA[Asteroid impacts could let microbic life planet-hop, study suggests]]> https://www.scivillage.com/thread-19917.html Sat, 07 Mar 2026 17:41:39 +0000 C C]]> https://www.scivillage.com/thread-19917.html https://www.space.com/space-exploration/...y-suggests

EXCERPTS: A remarkably hardy bacterium can survive pressures similar to those generated when asteroid impacts blast debris off Mars, a new study has found, suggesting that microbes could endure interplanetary journeys and potentially seed life on other worlds, including Earth.

The findings, published earlier this week in the journal PNAS Nexus, may prompt scientists to reconsider where life could exist across the solar system and could lead to a reassessment of "planetary protection" rules designed to prevent contamination between worlds.

[...] "We continuously redefine the limits of life," Madhan Tirumalai, a microbiologist at the University of Houston who was not involved with the new study, told The New York Times. "This paper is another example."

As the pressure increased, the researchers also detected heightened activity in genes responsible for repairing DNA and maintaining cell membranes... (MORE - missing details)]]> https://www.space.com/space-exploration/...y-suggests

EXCERPTS: A remarkably hardy bacterium can survive pressures similar to those generated when asteroid impacts blast debris off Mars, a new study has found, suggesting that microbes could endure interplanetary journeys and potentially seed life on other worlds, including Earth.

The findings, published earlier this week in the journal PNAS Nexus, may prompt scientists to reconsider where life could exist across the solar system and could lead to a reassessment of "planetary protection" rules designed to prevent contamination between worlds.

[...] "We continuously redefine the limits of life," Madhan Tirumalai, a microbiologist at the University of Houston who was not involved with the new study, told The New York Times. "This paper is another example."

As the pressure increased, the researchers also detected heightened activity in genes responsible for repairing DNA and maintaining cell membranes... (MORE - missing details)]]> <![CDATA[Why SETI might have been missing alien signals]]> https://www.scivillage.com/thread-19905.html Thu, 05 Mar 2026 19:18:03 +0000 C C]]> https://www.scivillage.com/thread-19905.html https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1118931

INTRO: A new study by researchers at the SETI Institute suggests stellar “space weather” could make radio signals from extraterrestrial intelligence harder to detect. Stellar activity and plasma turbulence near a transmitting planet can broaden an otherwise ultra-narrow signal, spreading its power across more frequencies and making it more difficult to detect in traditional narrowband searches.

For decades, many SETI experiments have focused on identifying spikes in frequency—signals unlikely to be produced by natural astrophysical processes. But the new research highlights an overlooked complication: even if an extraterrestrial transmitter produces a perfectly narrow signal, it may not remain narrow by the time it leaves its home system.

In most technosignature searches, scientists account for distortions that happen as radio waves travel across interstellar space. This study focuses on what can happen closer to the source. Plasma density fluctuations in stellar winds, as well as occasional eruptive events such as coronal mass ejections, can distort radio waves near their point of origin, effectively “smearing” the signal’s frequency and reducing the peak strength that search pipelines rely on.

“SETI searches are often optimized for extremely narrow signals. If a signal gets broadened by its own star’s environment, it can slip below our detection thresholds, even if it’s there, potentially helping explain some of the radio silence we’ve seen in technosignature searches,” said Dr. Vishal Gajjar, Astronomer at the SETI Institute and lead author of the paper.

To quantify the effect, the team built on something we can measure directly: radio transmissions from spacecraft in our solar system... (MORE - details, no ads)]]> https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1118931

INTRO: A new study by researchers at the SETI Institute suggests stellar “space weather” could make radio signals from extraterrestrial intelligence harder to detect. Stellar activity and plasma turbulence near a transmitting planet can broaden an otherwise ultra-narrow signal, spreading its power across more frequencies and making it more difficult to detect in traditional narrowband searches.

For decades, many SETI experiments have focused on identifying spikes in frequency—signals unlikely to be produced by natural astrophysical processes. But the new research highlights an overlooked complication: even if an extraterrestrial transmitter produces a perfectly narrow signal, it may not remain narrow by the time it leaves its home system.

In most technosignature searches, scientists account for distortions that happen as radio waves travel across interstellar space. This study focuses on what can happen closer to the source. Plasma density fluctuations in stellar winds, as well as occasional eruptive events such as coronal mass ejections, can distort radio waves near their point of origin, effectively “smearing” the signal’s frequency and reducing the peak strength that search pipelines rely on.

“SETI searches are often optimized for extremely narrow signals. If a signal gets broadened by its own star’s environment, it can slip below our detection thresholds, even if it’s there, potentially helping explain some of the radio silence we’ve seen in technosignature searches,” said Dr. Vishal Gajjar, Astronomer at the SETI Institute and lead author of the paper.

To quantify the effect, the team built on something we can measure directly: radio transmissions from spacecraft in our solar system... (MORE - details, no ads)]]>