Astronomers have discovered the first close-up of a white dwarf star orbiting a companion star, set to explode into a supernova in a few million years. The white dwarf is unusual, with twice its expected mass and a diameter half that of Earth.
Recent methane discoveries on Mars suggest either biological or geological activity, with scientists investigating its disappearance after initial detection in 2003. The source of the methane remains unknown, but theories include surface trapping and chemical reactions.
Astronomers use ESA's XMM-Newton and Integral space observatories to study a magnetar outburst from the rare 'dead' star SGR 0501+4516. The outburst lasted over four months and released hundreds of smaller bursts, providing valuable insights into extreme matter conditions.
Using XMM-Newton's new data, astronomers have mapped the region around a supermassive black hole, estimating its mass at 3-5 million solar masses. The observations also reveal rapid spinning and accretion rates that verge on theoretical limits.
The analysis reveals highly polarised gamma rays, providing insight into the central engine's magnetic field structure. The team favours a synchrotron model, suggesting that the jet lifted the magnetic field into space.
After completing the Launch and Early Orbit Phase (LEOP), GOCE's control systems have been confirmed to be operating normally. The Satellite-to-Satellite Tracking Instrument (SSTI) has also been successfully switched on, enabling autonomous orbit determinations.
Scientists discover hydrogen gas being stripped from Venus' day-side, indicating water is being broken up in the atmosphere. The loss of hydrogen and oxygen suggests that water on Venus was once abundant but has since been depleted.
Scientists study Venus' atmosphere using instruments on board ESA's Venus Express, discovering high-contrast zones created by a mysterious chemical that absorbs ultraviolet light. Clouds are found at similar heights across dark and bright regions, with temperature variations influencing atmospheric dynamics.
Researchers used XMM-Newton to observe four polar BAL quasars, finding two of them emitted more X-rays than anticipated, suggesting a lack of absorbing gas. This discovery may indicate that BAL quasars are more complex than initially thought, with both equatorial and polar outflows potentially occurring simultaneously.
The 'eye of a hurricane' on Venus is an enormous 2000 km-wide vortex with a central core that appears bright in thermal infrared images, indicating high atmospheric gas movement. Scientists are still unsure what creates the complex and dynamic nature of this feature.
The Mars Express and Venus Express spacecraft reveal that the two planets' atmospheres are stripped away into space due to solar wind interactions. The similarity in magnetic field structure between the two planets suggests a shared ionosphere density at high altitudes.
Columbus, a state-of-the-art European research facility, has been successfully deployed to the International Space Station (ISS) via NASA's Space Shuttle Atlantis. The laboratory will enable astronauts to conduct extensive scientific experiments in various fields, including life sciences and space science.
Scientists have found a third type of substorm onset using data from ESA's Cluster satellites and CNSA's Double Star mission. This discovery challenges existing theories about magnetic substorms and their effects on the aurora and GPS signals.
SMART-1 has mapped the polar regions, surveyed lunar resources, and investigated potential landing sites. The mission has provided clues on the dynamics of ejecta after impact and laboratory experiments have modeled impacts.
Astronomers have used XMM-Newton and Suzaku to measure the diameters and masses of neutron stars, confirming Einstein's predicted distortion of space-time. The technique involves observing the iron lines produced by hot atoms swirling around neutron stars.
ESA's Envisat and ERS-2 satellites track Hurricane Dean's path and strength, providing timely warnings with high-resolution cloud structure and wind field data. The satellites' instruments also measure sea surface temperature and height, allowing researchers to predict the hurricane's potential impact on the Yucatan Peninsula.
Scientists have gained new insights into killer electrons, which can damage satellites and pose a hazard to astronauts. The unique data collected during a geomagnetic storm revealed the mechanism behind their creation, with solar wind particles inducing undulations in Earth's magnetosphere.
Researchers suggest that perennial water-ice deposits at Mars' South Pole are juggled between the North and South Poles every 51,000 years due to precession. Water vapour is transported from the North Pole to the South Pole, where it re-condenses and freezes, forming a thick layer.
Astronomers have detected water vapor in the atmosphere of HD 189733b, a gas giant 63 light-years away. The presence of water vapour suggests that the planet may have had liquid water on its surface at some point, increasing hopes for detecting life on other rocky planets.
Scientists observed large fluctuations in magnetic and electric field readings around each spacecraft, revealing variations in solar wind protons reflected by the shock. This discovery provides valuable insights into bow shocks around distant celestial objects, which can accelerate particles to extreme energies.
Astronomers using the Global Oscillation at Low Frequency (GOLF) instrument on SOHO have detected possible long-sought oscillations on the Sun's surface. This finding provides insight into the Sun's core and its role in the formation of our solar system.
Researchers found evidence of three distinct star populations born within 200 million years in the massive globular cluster NGC 2808. This discovery challenges the long-held assumption that all stars originated at the same time and place, shedding new light on stellar formation in distant galaxies.
The Cluster constellation provides new insights into 'space tsunamis' disrupting aurora displays. Substorms, three-dimensional physical phenomena, affect GPS signals and are studied using data from multiple satellites.
Researchers found evidence of magnetic reconnection in turbulent plasma around Earth using ESA's Cluster satellites. This discovery has significant implications for understanding the behavior of turbulent plasma and its role in fundamental processes such as energy dissipation and particle acceleration.
The Mars Express radar instrument has mapped the thickness of dusty ice deposits at Mars' south pole, estimating a liquid layer about 11 meters deep. The findings suggest that polar layered deposits contain most of the known water on modern Mars.
Researchers made an unprecedented measurement of the electric field in magnetic reconnection using ESA's Cluster satellites. They discovered that the electric field plays a key role in the process, releasing energy and triggering jets of energetic particles.
Researchers have discovered that giant whirlpools of electrically charged gas above the Earth inject electrified gas into the planet's magnetic environment. The whirlpools, known as Kelvin-Helmholtz instabilities, cause magnetic reconnection events that redirect plasma along new routes.
Mars Express's OMEGA instrument reveals a thick slab of dry ice in the cryptic region, but dust contamination is caused by geysers triggered by sunlight heating the soil beneath. The geysers create spots and fans, which suggest a process that could significantly contribute to the dust contamination observed.
Astronomers discover over 500 young galaxies, thriving less than a thousand million years after the Big Bang. The galaxies are smaller and bluer than today's giant galaxies, indicating intense star birth.
The Cluster mission has successfully identified a magnetic null point in space, revealing an unexpected vortex structure about 500 km across. This discovery provides scientists with their first look at the heart of the reconnection process, which drives powerful phenomena such as solar flares and black hole jets.
Researchers using ESA's XMM-Newton satellite data have found an object in the heart of a 2,000-year-old supernova remnant that exhibits complex and intriguing properties. The object, called 1E161348-5055, has a cycle that repeats every 6.7 hours, which is tens of thousands of times longer than expected for a young neutron star.
The Cluster quartet encountered electron diffusion regions 19 times in one hour, measuring accelerated electrons and gaining invaluable insights into the process of magnetic reconnection. This phenomenon releases energy through electron diffusion regions, which may hold the key to preventing reconnection events in nuclear reactors.
A team of astronomers studied the most massive and hot known fossil group, RX J1416.4+2315, to understand its formation. They found that a high-temperature halo extending over three million light years indicates the cluster's large mass.
Researchers using ERS-2's radar altimetry and InSAR found anomalies in ice-sheet surface elevation, suggesting large floods of water from deep within the ice may have generated huge floods that reached the ocean. The discovery raises concerns about ancient life in subglacial lakes.
A new model of Titan's evolution, developed by the University of Nantes and University of Arizona, proposes that methane-rich ice stores the moon's atmospheric methane supply. The study validates data from ESA's Huygens probe, showing that methane outgassing occurs through cryovolcanic eruptions, producing temporary flows on the surface.
The Planetary Society and ESA celebrate the imagined rugged beauty of Venus with the winning entries in the 'Postcards from Venus' art contest. The Grand Prize winner, Tatianna Cwick, age 17, has won a trip to the European Space Operations Centre. Other winners include Yoo-Hong Sun, age 9, and Alejandra Gonzalez Quintana, Spain.
The European Space Agency's workshop on telemedicine for Africa aimed to demonstrate the relevance of space technology in improving and complementing African health service structures. The event highlighted the need for a comprehensive picture of opportunities for telemedicine via satellite services, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa.
Scientists have created a general circulation model to study Titan's climate and predict cloud distribution. The model, developed by a European team, successfully explains the formation of several types of ethane and methane clouds on Titan.
Data from Mars Express confirms the presence of hydrated minerals, implying long-term liquid water on Mars during the Noachian era. Phyllosilicates and sulphates were detected in various regions, suggesting two distinct climatic episodes: a moist environment for phyllosilicates and an acid environment for sulphates.
The MARSIS radar has provided direct information about Mars' deep subsurface, revealing buried impact craters and hints of underground water-ice. The radar's measurements have changed our perception of the Red Planet, adding a new dimension to its knowledge.
The European Space Agency's Venus Express spacecraft is on its journey to Venus, where it will study the planet's extremely hot atmosphere, high pressure, and mysterious 'super-rotation'. The spacecraft will deploy instruments to probe the surface and atmosphere, with a planned mission duration of at least two Venusian days.
New findings from the Rosetta spacecraft suggest comets are composed primarily of dust held together by ice, contradicting the long-held 'dirty snowball' hypothesis. Cometary nuclei like Comet 9P/Tempel 1 exhibit dynamic and volatile properties, with impacts triggering outbursts of dust and gas.
The European Space Agency's Cluster satellites have observed small-scale vortex turbulence, previously predicted by mathematical models, in the plasma surrounding Earth. The discovery has significant implications for understanding solar activity and its effects on our planet.
Scientists analyze Mars Express images to find evidence of ancient glaciers, including flow features and glacial moraines. The study suggests a significant climate change on Mars within the last million years, which could be caused by a shift in the polar axis.