Category Astronomy/Space

Simulation of the interior of a solar-type star. Credit: University of Montréal – DAp/CEA – AIM

Resolving an ongoing controversy about whether the star at the center of our Solar System exhibits the same cyclic behavior as other nearby, solar-type stars the new study results also advance scientists’ understanding of how stars generate their magnetic fields. The Sun’s activity – including changes in the number of sunspots, levels of radiation and ejection of material – varies on an eleven-year cycle, driven by changes in its magnetic field.

Understanding this cycle is one of the biggest outstanding problems in solar physics, in part because it does not appear to match magnetic cycles observed on other solar-type stars – leading some to suggest the Sun is fundamentally different.

Here, by c...

1. This enhanced-color image of Jupiter’s Great Red Spot was created by citizen scientist Jason Major using data from the JunoCam imager on NASA’s Juno spacecraft. Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech/SwRI/MSSS/Jason Major 2. Spot Jupiter’s Great Red Spot (Enhanced Color)Close-up of Jupiter’s Great Red Spot Jupiter’s Great Red Spot Revealed This enhanced-color image of Jupiter’s Great Red Spot was created by citizen scientist Kevin Gill using data from the JunoCam imager on NASA’s Juno spacecraft. Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech/SwRI/MSSS/Kevin Gill 3. This enhanced-color image of Jupiter’s Great Red Spot was created by citizen scientist Gerald Eichstädt using data from the JunoCam imager on NASA’s Juno spacecraft. Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech/SwRI/MSSS/Gerald Eichstadt

A tangle of dark, veinous clouds weavi...

Smallest star ever discovered. Very small and dim stars are the best possible candidates for detecting Earth-sized planets which can have liquid water on their surfaces. Credit: Amanda Smith

The smallest star yet measured has been discovered by a team of astronomers led by the University of Cambridge. With a size just a sliver larger than that of Saturn, the gravitational pull at its stellar surface is about 300 times stronger than what humans feel on Earth. The star is likely as small as stars can possibly become, as it has just enough mass to enable the fusion of hydrogen nuclei into helium. If it were any smaller, the pressure at the centre of the star would no longer be sufficient to enable this process to take place...