Category Astronomy/Space

Penn State University astronomers have discovered that the mysterious “cosmic whistles” known as fast radio bursts can pack a serious punch, in some cases releasing a billion times more energy in gamma-rays than they do in radio waves and rivaling supernovae in their explosive power. The discovery, the first-ever finding of non-radio emission from any fast radio burst, drastically raises the stakes for models of fast radio bursts and is expected to further energize efforts to chase down long-lived counterparts to FRBs using X-ray, optical, and radio telescopes.

FRBs, were first discovered in 2007, and in the years since radio astronomers have detected a few dozen of these events...

This image shows the galaxy cluster Abell 1689, with the mass distribution of the dark matter in the gravitational lens overlaid (in purple). The mass in this lens is made up partly of normal (baryonic) matter and partly of dark matter. Credit: NASA, ESA, E. Jullo (JPL/LAM), P. Natarajan (Yale) and J-P. Kneib (LAM).

Currently, one of the strongest candidates for dark matter is weakly interacting massive particles, or WIMPS, although so far this hypothetical particle has not yet been directly detected. Now in a new study, physicists have proposed that dark matter is not a WIMP, and further, it is not any particle that is so far known or theorized to exist...

Meteorite accumulation at Victoria Crater. Credit: Image courtesy of University of Stirling

The lack of liquid water on the surface of Mars today has been demonstrated by new evidence in the form of meteorites on Mars.In a study led by the University of Stirling, an international team of researchers has found the lack of rust on the meteorites indicates that Mars is incredibly dry, and has been that way for millions of years.The discovery provides vital insight into the planet’s current environment and shows how difficult it would be for life to exist on Mars today.

Dr Christian Schröder, Lecturer in Environmental Science and Planetary Exploration at the University of Stirling and Science Team Collaborator for the Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity mission, said: “Evidence shows that more ...

(Left) A graph charting the depth of the Hellas depression at different points, and a topographic map of the depression. (Right) A graph charting the depth of the Galaxias Fossae depression at different points, and a topographic map of the depression. Credit: Joseph Levy/NASA

A strangely shaped depression on Mars could be a new place to look for signs of life on the Red Planet, according to a University of Texas at Austin-led study. The depression was probably formed by a volcano beneath a glacier and could have been a warm, chemical-rich environment well suited for microbial life “We were drawn to this site because it looked like it could host some of the key ingredients for habitability – water, heat and nutrients,” said Joseph Levy, University of Texas Institute for Geophysics.

The depr...