What happens to the climate when Earth passes through interstellar clouds?

Noctilucent clouds were once thought to be a fairly modern phenomenon. A team of researchers recently calculated that Earth and the entire solar system may well have passed through two dense interstellar clouds, causing global noctilucent clouds that may have driven an ice age.

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Perseverance rover spots unusual striped rock on Mars

Last week, team scientists and the internet alike were amazed when Perseverance spotted a black-and-white striped rock unlike any seen on Mars before. Is this a sign of exciting discoveries to come?

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Sources of water and hydroxyl are widespread on the moon, new analysis of maps finds

A new analysis of maps of the near and far sides of the moon shows that there are multiple sources of water and hydroxyl in the sunlit rocks and soils, including water-rich rocks excavated by meteor impacts at all latitudes.

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Proof-of-concept study uses X-rays to target mock-up asteroids in a vacuum

An X-ray pulse may be able to vaporize the surface of an asteroid and change its trajectory, according to a proof-of-concept paper published in Nature Physics. A laboratory experiment that mimics the deflection of an asteroid model using this technique suggests that this technology could potentially be used for future planetary defense missions.

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A magnetic halo in the Milky Way: New discoveries about galactic outflows

A new study led by the National Institute for Astrophysics (INAF), and with contributions from Radboud University's Marijke Haverkorn, has unveiled significant insights into the Milky Way: a magnetized galactic halo.

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New millisecond pulsar discovered

Using the Green Bank Telescope (GBT), astronomers have observed a globular cluster known as Terzan 6. They detected a new millisecond pulsar that is likely associated with this cluster. The finding was reported in a research paper published September 17 on the pre-print server arXiv.

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Florida company's space balloon takes big step toward 1st human flight

The weekend trip was a success for Space Perspective, the company that already has more than 1,800 people waiting for their chance to take balloon rides in a posh capsule up to the edge of space.

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Exoplanets could be hiding their atmospheres

Most of the exoplanets we've discovered orbit red dwarf stars. This isn't because red dwarfs are somehow special, simply that they are common. About 75% of the stars in the Milky Way are red dwarfs, so you would expect red dwarf planets to be the most abundant. This also means that most habitable worlds are going to orbit these small, cool stars, and that has some significant consequences for our search for life.

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Observers detect intraday variability of blazar 1ES 1426+42.8

Astronomers report the detection of optical intraday variability of a blazar known as 1ES 1426+42.8. The new findings, presented in a paper published in the September issue of Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, could shed more light on the properties and nature of this blazar.

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Astronomers just detected the biggest black hole jets ever seen—and named them Porphyrion

The largest known black hole jets, 23 million light years across, have been discovered in the distant universe. This pair of particle beams launched by a supermassive black hole is over a hundred times larger than our galaxy, the Milky Way.

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