Articles tagged with Sun
A massive stellar flare on a baby star has been spotted by University of Warwick astronomers, revealing how it could create the building blocks for future planets. The flare's x-rays are thought to affect the formation of chondrules, flash-melted calcium-aluminium-rich grains that eventually coalesce into orbiting planets.
The MuSCAT2 instrument will use multi-color transit observations to separate actual exoplanets from eclipsing binary stars. This technique is essential for confirming a large number of new transiting exoplanet candidates, including Earth-like habitable planets orbiting stars near the Sun.
Researchers develop device that uses suspended structure to absorb solar energy, heating water to boiling point and producing superheated steam. The device can be used in remote regions to generate drinking water, sterilize medical equipment, or supply heat for industrial processes.
Researchers propose new storage system to deliver electricity on demand using molten silicon and high-temperature pump, offering cost-effective alternative to pumped hydroelectric storage. The system could be paired with existing renewable energy systems to capture excess electricity during the day and store it for later use.
Researchers have created updated climate models for the seven planets around TRAPPIST-1, revealing unexpected similarities and differences with our solar system. The study suggests that some planets may have evolved like Venus due to an extremely hot early stellar phase, while others could be habitable ocean worlds.
Magnetic reconnection occurs daily near Earth due to twisting field lines and can create auroras or disrupt power grids. NASA's Magnetospheric Multiscale mission revealed the process flings particles symmetrically in Earth's magnetotail, unlike on the sunward side.
Astronomers have discovered a planet, known as Barnard's star b, which orbits around its host star every 233 days. The 'super-Earth' is estimated to be a frozen world with surface temperatures of -170 degrees Celsius, but could potentially become more hospitable if it has a substantial atmosphere.
Scientists plan to fly a coronagraph aboard a high-altitude balloon to measure density, temperature, and speed of electrons in the corona. This will help understand how solar wind forms and accelerates, impacting space-weather forecasts and potentially disrupting power grids.
Scientists propose a new model, magnetic pumping, to explain the solar wind's heat persistence as it streams out of the sun and towards Earth. The research shows that particles in the solar wind are affected by magnetic pumping, including high-energy particles.
Researchers have developed an image-processing technique to study comet tails, revealing the unexpected impact of solar winds on dust particles. The findings suggest that the solar wind can disperse dust in McNaught's tail, leading to a better understanding of cometary behavior and its connection to asteroid and planet formation.
Researchers from the Borexino collaboration confirm previous assumptions about the Sun's fusion processes using a comprehensive analysis of neutrinos from the Sun's core. The results substantiate the standard solar model and reveal an interesting clue to a previously unresolved solar mystery: high metallicity.
Researchers at UMass Amherst and international team reveal the first complete study of solar neutrinos emitted by the Sun, shedding light on its energy output and composition. The study uses data from Borexino, a highly sensitive neutrino detector, to measure the full energy spectrum of solar neutrinos.
A Caltech-led team observed a faint and rapidly fading supernova, suggesting the presence of an unseen companion gravitationally siphoning away the star's mass. The explosion resulted in a dead neutron star orbiting its dense companion, marking the first time scientists have witnessed the birth of a compact neutron star binary system.
Astronomers have observed a massive star's death, creating a compact neutron star binary system. The explosion was unusually faint and the star had an unseen companion that siphoned away most of its mass.
RMIT researchers develop color-changing sensors to measure individual UV exposure, providing a simple solution to prevent Vitamin D deficiency and sunburn. The technology has potential applications beyond health, improving safety and reliability in various industries.
The TESS mission captured a detailed picture of the southern sky with its four wide-field cameras, while Parker Solar Probe and GOLD returned initial data on their instruments and science potential. The three missions offer new perspectives on exoplanets, solar activity, and space weather.
Researchers at NYU Abu Dhabi used NASA's Kepler mission and asteroseismology to determine precise rotational patterns of Sun-like stars, challenging current science on stellar rotation. They found that equatorial regions spin up to two and a half times faster than mid- to high latitudes.
Two lunar transits were observed by NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory in September 2018, with the first lasting one hour and obscuring 92% of the Sun. The second transit was shorter, lasting 49 minutes and showing a distinct view of the Moon's surface due to the lack of atmospheric distortion.
Scientists are developing a NASA-funded rocket called FOXSI to study the Sun's X-ray emissions. The mission will use X-ray vision to detect nanoflares, which are intense eruptions that heat the solar atmosphere to millions of degrees Fahrenheit.
Researchers re-examine older data on coronal mass ejections, finding new information that could help protect satellites and the electrical grid from impacts.
Researchers at Predictive Science Inc. developed a complex numerical model to simulate the corona, using data from NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory. Their prediction bore a striking resemblance to the Aug. 21, 2017, corona, indicating advances in the new model and its ability to reflect key features such as helmet streamers.
A team of scientists has discovered a unique planetary nebula with an inverted ionization structure surrounding a central star undergoing a 'born-again' process, which is expected to occur in the Sun's future evolution. This finding provides valuable insights into the late-stage evolution of stars like our Sun.
Parker Solar Probe, launched in August 2018, will study the solar corona's temperature and wind sources with French-developed instruments. The probe will complete 25 orbits near the Sun, reaching speeds of up to 700,000 km/h.
Parker Solar Probe will make its journey to the Sun's atmosphere, closer than any spacecraft in history, with a highly elliptical orbit and speeds of up to 430,000 miles per hour. The spacecraft will observe the acceleration of the solar wind and study extreme events on the Sun, such as solar flares and coronal mass ejections.
A new study in Nature Astronomy finds that ancient blue crystals trapped in meteorites show evidence of the early Sun's intense activity, including more eruptions and a stronger stream of charged particles. The crystals, formed over 4.5 billion years ago, preserved chemical records of the young Sun's interactions with its surroundings.
A class X-2.2 and major class X-9.3 solar flare erupted on the morning of September 6, causing a strong radio blackout over most of the sunlit side of Earth, including the Caribbean. The disruption affected shortwave radio communications used by amateurs and professionals in emergency response efforts.
The Parker Solar Probe will directly sample solar particles and magnetic fields to resolve the origin and acceleration of the solar wind. It aims to understand how the solar wind is accelerated to speeds of up to 1.8 million miles per hour.
Scientists have long been puzzled by the Sun's hot corona, with temperatures up to 2 million degrees Fahrenheit. The Parker Solar Probe will sample just-heated particles in the corona, providing the most pristine measurements ever recorded.
Researchers developed a computational method to accurately predict cell subpopulation conversions, enabling potential applications in regenerative medicine. The platform, TransSyn, identifies subtle genetic differences between cell subtypes, allowing for targeted gene expression alteration and cell reprogramming.
Astronomers at Georgia State University have discovered a thin gap on the Hertzsprung-Russell Diagram, indicating where stars transition from being larger and mostly convective to smaller and fully convective. This finding reveals information about the interior structures of low-mass stars in the Milky Way Galaxy.
Scientists can now study the Sun's complex motions using sound waves captured by NASA and ESA. This sonification technique provides a unique probe into the star's inner workings, revealing huge rivers of solar material flowing around its core.
Parker Solar Probe aims to study the Sun's dynamic and magnetically active star, focusing on the acceleration of solar wind, corona's high temperatures, and solar energetic particles. The mission uses four suites of instruments to gather data remotely and in situ.
The Parker Solar Probe will travel closer to the Sun than any mission before it, providing unprecedented observations of the corona. Despite temperatures exceeding a million degrees Fahrenheit, the spacecraft will withstand due to its custom heat shield and autonomous system.
A team of scientists led by Craig DeForest used advanced algorithms and data-cleaning techniques to analyze images taken by NASA's STEREO spacecraft. They discovered fine-grained structures in the outer corona, which is the source of the solar wind. The study provides new insights into the Sun's million-degree atmosphere.
Researchers have developed a new IR instrument to search for potentially habitable planets around small red dwarf stars. The instrument, IRD, uses advanced technology to measure the line-of-sight movement of stars and detect planets with high accuracy.
A team of astronomers led by Marco Micheli and Karen Meech found that Oumuamua was not slowing down due to gravitational forces alone, pointing to non-gravitational perturbations similar to those experienced by comets. Despite initial classification as an asteroid, the object's trajectory and behavior are more consistent with a comet.
To correct for degradation, NASA launches calibration sounding rockets carrying a copy of the EVE instrument to approximately 180 miles above Earth. These measurements are compared to those from the degraded satellite, allowing Woods' team to correct for discrepancies and maintain accurate EUV light measurements.
Using a pioneering method, researchers discovered a massive neutron star with a mass of approximately 2.3 Solar masses. This discovery challenges the previous understanding of neutron star masses and opens new avenues for studying these extreme objects.
The solar wind pressure increase in 2014 led to a change in the shape of our heliosphere. The boundaries of the heliosphere expanded outward as particles rebounded off their edges. This expansion can be seen in the increased density of energetic neutral atoms detected by IBEX, which have been traveling through space and returned to Earth.
Researchers at CU Boulder propose that 'detached objects' like Sedna may result from the collective gravity of these bodies and space debris in the outer solar system. Computer simulations suggest that these icy objects orbit the sun like the hands of a clock, with smaller objects moving faster than larger ones.
A Brazilian scientist and her co-author found that an extrasolar asteroid has stably occupied a stable path corresponding to Jupiter's orbit for at least 4.5 billion years. The asteroid is believed to have originated from outside the Solar System, likely captured by Jupiter's powerful gravitational field.
The Parker Solar Probe and Solar Orbiter missions will take us closer than ever before to the Sun, providing a comprehensive understanding of its inner workings and shedding light on space weather events that can disrupt technology and power grids. The missions aim to clarify the coronal heating problem and study the solar wind's inter...
Scientists have observed turbulent magnetic reconnection at small scales in the magnetosheath just outside Earth's magnetic field. This phenomenon, involving only electrons, helps dissipate magnetic energy and may play a role in heating the solar corona.
Researchers analyzed data from NASA's Magnetospheric Multiscale mission and found magnetic reconnection occurring at the smallest scale of electrons, creating hot jets of plasma that dissipate turbulence. This process was previously unknown at small scales, but it confirms reconnection is happening on these scales.
A team of international astronomers predicts the sun will turn into a planetary nebula, marking the end of its active life. The new model shows that low-mass stars like the sun can form bright planetary nebulas, solving a long-standing scientific puzzle.
Researchers have developed a method for using sunlight to generate clean water with near-perfect efficiency. The technology uses carbon-dipped paper to absorb and vaporize water, drawing heat from the surrounding environment to achieve high efficiency rates.
A study using ALMA found a surprising distribution of star-forming cores, with fewer massive stars and more solar-mass stars than expected. This discovery may require reevaluation of the relationship between core mass and star mass.
New research estimates total and per-case costs of newly diagnosed non-melanoma skin cancers in Canada in 2011 due to workplace sun exposure. The study found that the two most common types of non-melanoma skin cancer cost $5,760 and $10,555 per case respectively.
The discovery of 51 Pegasi b marked a significant milestone in the search for exoplanets, with Michel Mayor and his colleague Queloz credited with the groundbreaking find. The development of better telescopes enabled this achievement, contributing to a new community of researchers exploring this field.
A study by University of Seville finds that human primary activities are synchronized with the winter day as a synchronizer, rather than clock time. The study characterizes laborer's activities along the daily and yearly cycle of light and dark, revealing latitudinal patterns tied to the light/dark cycle.
Scientists used data from three NASA satellites to create a 3D model of coronal mass ejections and their associated shocks, confirming long-held theoretical predictions. The new models provide detailed information on shock density, speed, and strength, essential for assessing the danger CMEs pose to astronauts and spacecraft.
Researchers have created hybrid solar cells that can harness energy from both sunlight and falling raindrops. The innovative design uses textured polymers to increase the performance of triboelectric nanogenerators (TENG) in rainy conditions.
A Caltech researcher has found that the Schrödinger Equation governs the evolution of massive astrophysical disks. The equation, typically used for subatomic systems, describes how warps and distortions emerge in these disks over millions of years. This surprising discovery could provide new insights into complex astronomical phenomena.
NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) begins its annual eclipse season, which lasts three weeks. During this period, Earth blocks SDO's view of the Sun for short periods, typically lasting from 2-72 minutes.
Scientists identified a confining 'cage' in which a magnetic rope forms, causing solar eruptions. The resistance of this cage determines the power and type of flare. A new model predicts maximum energy release during solar flares, potentially devastating for Earth's systems.
Researchers found that the Moon's excessive equatorial bulge formed slowly over four billion years ago as it receded from Earth. The study suggests a weaker young Sun may have enabled this process, with implications for our understanding of Earth's early energy dissipation.
Researchers studied spacecraft data to understand magnetic reconnection, a phenomenon that breaks standard laws governing charged particles. The study confirmed theoretical descriptions of magnetic reconnection, which is linked to celestial events such as black holes, pulsars, and supernovas.
Researchers have produced the first detailed images of a giant star outside our solar system, showcasing a nearly circular atmosphere with complex convection cells. The study confirms theories about the characteristics of these stars, providing insight into their future activity and appearance.
A NASA team studied the motion of Mercury to indirectly measure the Sun's mass loss and solar parameters. The research improved upon earlier predictions, reducing uncertainty and providing a more accurate estimate of the rate of solar mass loss.
The Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory has detected a comet's rotation period slow by more than 10 times in just 60 days, revealing light variations associated with material recently ejected into the coma. The comet's small size and high water production suggest that more than half of its surface area contains sunlight-activated jets.