Category Astronomy/Space

A whitish, gray patch that sometimes appears in the night sky alongside the northern lights has been explained for the first time by researchers at the University of Calgary.

The article, which was published on Dec. 30 in the journal Nature Communications, explores a “structured continuum emission” that’s associated with aurora borealis.

“You’d see this dynamic green aurora, you’d see some of the red aurora in the background and, all of a sudden, you’d see this structured—almost like a patch—gray-toned or white toned-emission connected to the aurora,” says Dr. Emma Spanswick, Ph.D...

Stars are born in clouds of gas and dust, making it difficult to observe their early development. But researchers at Chalmers have now succeeded in simulating how a star with the mass of the sun absorbs material from the surrounding disk of material—a process called accretion.

The researchers simulated four stars with the same mass but with v...

New observations from the National Science Foundation National Radio Astronomy Observatory’s (NSF NRAO) Karl G...

Hidden patterns in electric propulsion plasma beams could help ensure the success of long-term space missions. Go faster, farther, more efficiently.

That’s the goal driving spacecraft propulsion engineers like Chen Cui, a new assistant professor at the University of Virginia School of Engineering and Applied Science. Cui is exploring ways to improve electric propulsion thrusters — a key technology for future space missions.

“In order to ensure the technology remains viable for long-term missions, we need to optimize EP integration with spacecraft systems,” Cui said.

Working with his former adviser, University of Southern California professor Joseph Wang, Cui published findings last month in Plasma Sources Science and Tec...