New computer simulations suggest that Pluto and its largest moon, Charon, may have formed through a “kiss-and-capture” collision, where the two bodies briefly joined up before settling into their current positions. This theory challenges previous ideas about the origin of Charon and could have implications for our understanding of the formation of other objects in…
Physicists at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory have revisited Voyager 2 data from its 1986 flyby of Uranus, revealing that some of our understanding of the ice-giant planet may be false. The new analysis suggests that the flyby occurred during an anomalous period, with unusual solar activity compressing the planet’s magnetosphere. This finding has significant implications…
NASA’s Parker Solar Probe has successfully skimmed the surface of the sun, coming within 6.1 million kilometers of the sun’s surface at a speed of 692,000 kilometers per hour. This historic flyby marks the culmination of six years in space for the probe, which has been studying the sun’s outer atmosphere, or corona, from the…
Physicists have embarked on a groundbreaking project to deploy two underwater neutrino telescopes in the Mediterranean Sea. The Cubic Kilometre Neutrino Telescope (KM3NeT) aims to detect high-energy neutrinos from space, providing insights into the universe’s mysteries. The project involves deploying massive detectors, each consisting of glass baubles arranged on vertical cables, to capture the elusive…
NASA’s Perseverance rover has finally reached the rim of Jezero Crater on Mars after a months-long climb, revealing a 4-billion-year-old landscape never before explored. The rover has been collecting rock and dirt samples, which may hold signs of extraterrestrial life. However, bringing these samples back to Earth for analysis could cost up to $11 billion,…
Luigi Mangione, a 26-year-old Ivy League graduate, has been charged with murder and stalking in a New York court, raising the possibility of the death penalty. Mangione is accused of killing UnitedHealthcare executive Brian Thompson, and a notebook found in his possession contained handwritten pages expressing hostility towards the health insurance industry. The case has…
Astronomers have made significant breakthroughs in understanding the surface features of distant stars, including the red giant Betelgeuse. Using high-speed photography and modern data processing, scientists have been able to suppress the effects of star twinkling, revealing large-scale hot and cold regions that may be convection currents in the star’s atmosphere. Recent observations have confirmed…
Scientists have made significant progress in unraveling the mysteries of the sun during the total solar eclipse that swept across the United States on April 8, 2024. The event provided a unique opportunity for researchers to study the sun’s corona, ionosphere, and gravity waves. Preliminary results from various experiments have shed light on the sun’s…
The Perseverance Rover on Mars has made a groundbreaking discovery, uncovering the oldest rocks humans have ever seen and potentially evidence of a new setting that ancient Martian organisms could have inhabited. The rover has been exploring the Jezero Crater and has found rocks that are likely older than 4 billion years, making them the…
A groundbreaking discovery in Kenya has shed new light on the lives of our ancient ancestors. The fossilized footprints of two ancient species, Homo erectus and Paranthropus boisei, have been found at the Koobi Fora site, dating back 1.5 million years. This remarkable find provides the first direct evidence of different archaic human species coexisting…
