Category Astronomy/Space

Space scene (stock image). Earth’s equatorial regions are largely unstudied and more susceptible to disruptive space weather than previously thought, which should prompt scientists to examine the infrastructure and economic implications on countries near the equator. Credit: © frenta / Fotolia

Dr Brett Carter of RMIT SPACE Research Centre and his team found these equatorial electrical disruptions threaten power grids in SE Asia, India, Africa and South America, where protecting electricity infrastructure from space shocks has not been a priority.

“Massive space weather events have crashed power grids across North America and Europe, but we have found that often with little warning, smaller events strike in equatorial regions more frequently than previously thought,” Carter said...

Artist impression of red dwarf star TVLM 513-46546. ALMA observations suggest that it has an amazingly powerful magnetic field, potentially associated with a flurry of solar-flare-like eruptions. Credit: NRAO/AUI/NSF; Dana Berry / SkyWorks

Astronomers using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) have discovered that a dim, cool dwarf star is generating a surprisingly powerful magnetic field, one that rivals the most intense magnetic regions of our own Sun.

The star’s extraordinary magnetic field is potentially associated with a constant flurry of solar-flare-like eruptions...

Dwarf galaxies have few stars but lots of dark matter. This Caltech FIRE (Feedback in Realistic Environments) simulation from shows the predicted distribution of stars (left) and dark matter (right) around a galaxy like the Milky Way. The red circle shows a dwarf galaxy like Triangulum II. Although it has a lot of dark matter, it has very few stars. Dark matter-dominated galaxies like Triangulum II are excellent prospects for detecting the gamma-ray signal from dark matter self-annihilation. Credit: A. Wetzel and P. Hopkins, Caltech

A researcher has measured what could be the highest concentration of dark matter in any known galaxy. Dark matter is called “dark” for a good reason...

Image shows a composite where blue represents the MagAO data taken at H-alpha, and green and red show the LBT data taken at Ks and L’ bands. The greyscale is a previously published millimeter image of the disk. Credit: Photo credit: Stephanie Sallum

Capturing sharp images of distant objects is difficult, largely due to atmospheric turbulence, the mixing of hot and cold air. But researchers captured the first photo of a planet in the making, a planet residing in a gap in LkCa15’s protoplanetary disk. Of the roughly 2,000 known exoplanets, only about 10 have been imaged – and long after they had formed, not when they were in the making.

Protoplanetary disks form around young stars using the debris left over from the star’s formation...