Category Astronomy/Space

This is a view from the Experimental Zone floor of the ALPHA-2 Cryostat and external solenoid assembly, with control and data acquisition electronics located on the overhead platform above the cryostat. Credit: Photo by Robert Thompson, ALPHA-2 member, University of Calgary

Latest breakthrough has been via studying the properties of antihydrogen. The result is an improved measurement of the charge of antihydrogen by a factor of 20. It is the latest contribution in the quest to find the answer to the antimatter question, ‘If matter and antimatter were created in equal amounts during the Big Bang, where did all the antimatter go?’

“That means the electrical charge of antihydrogen – the antimatter analogue of hydrogen – can be ruled out as the answer to the antimatter question,” says York Uni...

This artistic rendering shows the distant view from Planet Nine back towards the sun. The planet is thought to be gaseous, similar to Uranus and Neptune. Hypothetical lightning lights up the night side. Credit: Caltech/R. Hurt (IPAC)

Evidence has been found of a giant planet tracing an elongated orbit in the outer solar system, nicknamed Planet Nine, has a mass ~10X that of Earth and orbits ~20X farther from the sun on average than Neptune (which orbits the sun at an average distance of 2.8 billion miles). In fact, it would take this new planet between 10,000 and 20,000 years to make just one full orbit around the sun. Konstantin Batygin and Mike Brown, discovered the planet’s existence through mathematical modeling and computer simulations but have not yet observed the object directly.

“T...

The zinnia plants began to exhibit guttation and epinasty, both signs of plant stress. Credit: NASA

When Scott Kelly tweeted a picture of moldy leaves on the current crop of zinnia flowers aboard ISS, it could have looked like the science was doomed. It was in fact an opportunity for scientists back on Earth to better understand how plants grow in microgravity, and for astronauts to practice doing what they’ll be tasked: autonomous gardening.

The Veggie plant growth facility was installed on the orbiting laboratory in early May of 2014, and the first crop – ‘Outredgrous’ red romaine lettuce – was activated for growth. The first growth cycle faced some issues...

(Illustration) At the highest electron energies measured — above 1 megaelectron volt (Mev) — researchers saw electrons in the outer belt only. Credits: NASA Goddard/Duberstein

600 miles from Earth’s surface is the 1st of 2 donut-shaped electron swarms, Van Allen Belts, or radiation belts. Understanding the shape and size of the belts, which shrink and swell in response to incoming radiation from the sun, is crucial for protecting technology in space. Scientists wish to know just which orbits could be jeopardized in different situations.

“The shape of the belts is actually quite different depending on what type of electron you’re looking at,” said Geoff Reeves . “Electrons at different energy levels are distributed differently in these regions...