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Category: space

Comet 3I/ATLAS displays greenish hue in new Gemini North telescope images

Gemini North captured new images of Comet 3I/ATLAS after it reemerged from behind the sun on its path out of the solar system. The data were collected during a Shadow the Scientists session—a unique outreach initiative that invites students around the world to join researchers as they observe the universe on the world’s most advanced telescopes.

On 26 November 2025, scientists used the Gemini Multi-Object Spectrograph (GMOS) on Gemini North at Maunakea in Hawai’i to obtain images of the third-ever detected interstellar object, Comet 3I/ATLAS. The new observations reveal how the comet has changed after making its closest approach to the sun. Gemini North is one half of the International Gemini Observatory and operated by NOIRLab.

After emerging from behind the sun, 3I/ATLAS reappeared in the sky close to Zaniah, a triple-star system located in the constellation Virgo. These observations were taken as part of a public outreach initiative organized by NOIRLab in collaboration with Shadow the Scientists, an initiative created to connect the public with scientists to engage in authentic scientific experiments, such as astronomy observing experiences on world-class telescopes. The scientific program was led by Bryce Bolin, a research scientist from Eureka Scientific.

Atmosphere Detected on Ultra-Hot Rocky World

“What really sets this planet apart is its anomalously low density. It is less dense than you would expect if it had an Earth-like composition,” said Dr. Johanna Teske.

What can a rocky molten exoplanet with an atmosphere teach astronomers about planetary formation and evolution? This is what a recent study published in The Astrophysical Journal Letters hopes to address as a team of scientists investigated a thick atmosphere enveloping an exoplanet where previous hypotheses state it shouldn’t exist. This study has the potential to help scientists not only challenge longstanding hypotheses regarding exoplanets but also gain new insight into planetary formation and evolution.

For the study, the researchers used NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) to observe TOI-561 b, which is located approximately 86 parsecs (280 light-years) from Earth and whose radius is 1.4 times of Earth. What makes TOI-561 unique is its orbit is only 11 hours long, resulting in an equilibrium temperature of approximately 2,500 Kelvin (2,227 degrees Celsius/4,040 degrees Fahrenheit).

Earth’s atmosphere may help support human life on the moon

The moon’s surface may be more than just a dusty, barren landscape. Over billions of years, tiny particles from Earth’s atmosphere have landed in the lunar soil, creating a possible source of life-sustaining substances for future astronauts. But scientists have only recently begun to understand how these particles make the long journey from Earth to the moon and how long the process has been taking place.

New research from the University of Rochester, published in Communications Earth & Environment, shows that Earth’s magnetic field may actually help guide atmospheric particles—carried by solar wind—into space, instead of blocking them. Because Earth’s magnetic field has existed for billions of years, this process could have steadily moved particles from Earth to the moon over very long periods of time.

“By combining data from particles preserved in lunar soil with computational modeling of how solar wind interacts with Earth’s atmosphere, we can trace the history of Earth’s atmosphere and its magnetic field,” says Eric Blackman, a professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy and a distinguished scientist at URochester’s Laboratory for Laser Energetics (LLE).

New Warp-Drive Propulsion Concept Moves Fictional Starships Closer to Engineering Reality

A new warp-drive study proposes a novel segmented design that could sidestep many of the problems in the original decades-old concept, bringing the possibility of hyper-fast space travel one step closer to becoming a reality.

Warp drive theory has quickly evolved since the mid-90s, when a concept developed by Mexican physicist Miguel Alcubierre was first described in a landmark paper that provided a scientific basis for hyper-fast travel within general relativity.

While the concept of warp drives was initially popularized in the futuristic realm depicted in Star Trek, Alcubierre took the idea to paper, shaping the fictional idea into a conceptual reality—one that, someday, could potentially also be realized through advanced engineering.

AI Guides Robot on the ISS for the First Time

Dr. Somrita Banerjee: “This is the first time AI has been used to help control a robot on the ISS. It shows that robots can move faster and more efficiently without sacrificing safety, which is essential for future missions where humans won’t always be able to guide them.”

How can an AI robot help improve human space exploration? This is what a recent study presented at the 2025 International Conference on Space Robotics hopes to address as a team of researchers investigated new methods for enhancing AI robots in space. This study has the potential to help scientists develop new methods for enhancing human-robotic relationships, specifically as humanity begins settling on the Moon and eventually Mars.

For the study, the researchers examined how a technique called machine learning-based warm starts could be used to improve robot autonomy. To accomplish this, the researchers launched the Astrobee free-flying robot to the International Space Station (ISS), where its algorithm was tested floating around the ISS in microgravity. The goal of the study was to ascertain if Astrobee could navigate its way around the ISS without the need for human intervention, relying only on its algorithm to determine safely traversing the ISS. In the end, the researchers found that Astrobee successfully navigated the tight terrain of the ISS with limited need for human intervention.

Audible Books & Originals

THE AUDIOBOOK OF “WHY SPACE? THE PURPOSE OF PEOPLE” IS LIVE! CAN YOU HEAR ME! IT’S LIVE I SAY!

Sorry. Anyway, I know some of you are listeners rather than readers. While for me it is odd to consider listening to my own voice for several hours, I hope you do enjoy it!

Amazon.com: Why Space?: The Purpose of People (Audible Audio Edition): Rick Tumlinson, Rick Tumlinson, Manuscripts Press: Audible Books & Originals.

Rare high-resolution observations of a flare-prolific solar active region

Scientists have captured an exceptionally rare, high-resolution view of an active region that produced two powerful X-class solar flares—an achievement rarely possible from Earth. Using the GREGOR solar telescope in Tenerife, researchers recorded the explosive activity of the sun’s most energetic sunspot group of 2025, revealing twisted magnetic structures and the early stages of flare ignition with unprecedented detail. The flares triggered fast coronal mass ejections that lit up Earth’s skies with vivid auroras in the nights that followed.

Challenges of observing solar flares High-resolution observations of strong solar flares are extremely rare and difficult to obtain with ground-based solar telescopes.

“Strong flares occur either on the backside of the sun, or during the night, or when the weather is cloudy, or when the seeing conditions are poor, or when they are just outside the field of view, where the telescope is pointing,” says Prof. Carsten Denker head of the Solar Physics section at the Leibniz Institute for Astrophysics Potsdam (AIP) and first author of the study published in Research Notes of the AAS.

Humanity’s infinite energy solution might be in space

The full structure, if it is ever built, will likely take centuries. But the first pieces could be deployed within the next hundred years. Like the construction of cathedrals or transcontinental railroads, this is the kind of project that begins with a vision and takes shape slowly, across generations.

A Dyson sphere is not only about energy. It is about how we think. It challenges us to plan at the scale of a civilization rather than a single generation. It asks what kind of future we are trying to build, and whether we are willing to imagine a world of abundance rather than scarcity. It may take centuries to complete, but the mindset that makes it possible can start right now.

Student researcher leads discovery of fastest gamma-ray burst ever recorded

Sarah Dalessi, a fifth-year student in the College of Science at The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH), a part of The University of Alabama System, is the lead author of a paper published in The Astrophysical Journal detailing the discovery of the fastest gamma-ray burst (GRB) ever recorded.

GRB 230307A is a gamma-ray burst in the ultrarelativistic category, meaning the velocity of the GRB’s jet, a focused beam of high-energy particles and photons, came within 99.99998% of the speed of light—186,000 miles per second—making it the fastest GRB ever observed. The observation was made possible with data from the Fermi Gamma-ray Burst Monitor, one of two instruments on NASA’s Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope.

“The Lorentz factor is the measure of speed of the jet here, and 1,600 is the highest we ever measured,” explains Dr. Peter Veres, an assistant professor who works in the UAH Center for Space Plasma and Aeronomic Research (CSPAR) and is co-author on the study.

Astronomers Discover One of the Largest Rotating Structures Ever Seen in the Universe

Researchers have found a razor-thin, rotating string of galaxies inside a massive cosmic filament, revealing unexpected alignments that challenge models of how galaxies gain their spin. An international research group led by the University of Oxford has uncovered one of the most extensive rotatin

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