Category Astronomy/Space

Antihelium Nuclei as Messengers from the Depths of the Galaxy

Artistic illustration of antihelium annihilation in the  ALICE detector at CERN as well as in the universe.
Artistic illustration of antihelium annihilation in the ALICE detector at CERN as well as in the universe.

New findings lay the foundation for the search for dark matter. How are galaxies born, and what holds them together? Astronomers assume that dark matter plays an essential role. However, as yet it has not been possible to prove directly that dark matter exists. A research team including Technical University of Munich (TUM) scientists has now measured for the first time the survival rate of antihelium nuclei from the depths of the galaxy – a necessary prerequisite for the indirect search for Dark Matter.

Many things point to the existence of dark matter...

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VLA and ALMA study Jupiter and Io

VLA and ALMA study Jupiter and Io
Detail from a VLA image of Jupiter made in conjunction with observations by the Juno spacecraft in orbit around that planet. Credit: Moeckel, et al., Bill Saxton, NRAO/AUI/NSF

VLA teams up with Juno spacecraft to study Jupiter’s atmosphere, and ALMA reveals new details about Io’s volcanoes. While the National Science Foundation’s Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array (VLA) and the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) frequently reveal important new facts about objects far beyond our own Milky Way Galaxy — at distances of many millions or billions of light-years — they also are vital tools for unraveling much closer mysteries, right here in our own Solar System...

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Discovering Rare Red Spiral Galaxy Population from Early Universe with the James Webb Space Telescope

Morphology of galaxies contain important information about the process of galaxy formation and evolution. With its state-of-the-art resolution, NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope has now captured several red spiral galaxies in its first image at an unprecedented resolution. Researchers have now analyzed these galaxies, revealing that these are among the furthest known spiral galaxies till date. The analysis further detected a passive red spiral galaxy in the early universe, a surprising discovery.

Spiral galaxies represent one of the most spectacular features in our universe. Among them, spiral galaxies in the distant universe contain significant information about their origin and evolution...

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‘Unexpected’ Space Traveler Defies Theories about Origin of Solar System

'Unexpected' space traveller defies theories about origin of Solar System
The fireball captured by the Global Fireball Observatory camera at Miquelon Lake Provincial Park, Alberta. Credit: University of Alberta

Researchers from Western have shown that a fireball that originated at the edge of the solar system was likely made of rock, not ice, challenging long-held beliefs about how the solar system was formed.

Just at the edge of our solar system and halfway to the nearest stars is a collection of icy objects sailing through space, known as the Oort Cloud. Passing stars sometimes nudge these icy travelers towards the sun, and we see them as comets with long tails. Scientists have yet to observe any objects in the Oort Cloud directly, but everything detected so far coming from its direction has been made of ice.

Theoretically, the very basis of understa...

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