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Not the quality of pseudoscience infotainment I have grown accustomed to
9 months ago
- The article critiques Avi Loeb's frequent claims of alien technology behind astronomical discoveries, arguing they lack scientific rigor.
- Loeb's pattern includes quickly attributing unexplained space phenomena to alien origins, such as 'Oumuamua as a solar sail and Venus's phosphine as alien biomass.
- The piece highlights instances where Loeb and collaborators dismiss or misrepresent scientific data to support their alien technology hypotheses.
- Examples include overstating the certainty of a meteor's interstellar origin and ignoring established physics in comet fragmentation theories.
- The author expresses disappointment with Loeb's latest paper on 3I/ATLAS, calling it uninspired and lacking the boldness of his earlier work.
- Despite the criticism, the article acknowledges Loeb's ability to generate public interest and hopes for more engaging, albeit scientifically dubious, alien theories in the future.
A newly discovered black hole 300M times the size of the sun
9 months ago
- Astronomers discovered the oldest and most distant black hole, formed around 13.3 billion years ago.
- The black hole is located in the galaxy CAPERS-LRD-z9 and is up to 300 million times the size of the sun.
- The discovery was made using NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope and spectroscopy techniques.
- The black hole's galaxy is part of a class called 'Little Red Dots,' which are compact and emit red light.
- The findings could provide insights into the early universe and the evolution of black holes and galaxies.
- Researchers plan to search for more ancient black holes in future studies.
Sharp Hubble Images Confirm 3I/Atlas as Comet
9 months ago
- Astronomers detected the third interstellar object, 3I/ATLAS, in our Solar System in 2025.
- Proposals for missions to rendezvous with interstellar objects include Project Lyra, IOE, and ESA's Comet Interceptor.
- NASA's Juno probe could intercept 3I/ATLAS in 2026, providing a close study opportunity.
- Abraham Loeb and team explore the possibility of 3I/ATLAS being alien technology.
- Juno's instruments could analyze 3I/ATLAS's composition, offering insights into its origin.
- Recent Hubble images suggest 3I/ATLAS's nucleus is smaller than initially estimated.
- The study of interstellar objects could reveal conditions in other star systems.
Sky Calendar
9 months ago
- The Abrams Planetarium Sky Calendar is a monthly guide for skywatching, featuring diagrams to track the moon and planets.
- It includes a simplified star map on the reverse side, designed for mid-evening use at 40 degrees north latitude.
- The calendar is widely used by educators, planetariums, astronomy clubs, and park interpreters.
- It has received awards and positive reviews from publications like Sky & Telescope, Scientific American, and School Library Journal.
- The Sky Calendar is published quarterly in loose-leaf form and mailed to subscribers.
- A subscription costs $12.00 per year and can be started at any time, with gift subscriptions available.
524522 Zoozve
9 months ago
- 524522 Zoozve is a sub-kilometer sized asteroid and temporary quasi-satellite of Venus.
- Discovered in 2002 by Brian A. Skiff at Lowell Observatory, it was the first quasi-satellite discovered around a major planet in the Solar System.
- Zoozve has a semi-major axis similar to Venus but with a high eccentricity (0.4104) and significant orbital inclination (9.0060°).
- It is an X-type asteroid with an assumed albedo of 0.25, measuring approximately 236 meters in diameter and rotating every 13.5 hours.
- Zoozve is trapped in a 1:1 mean-motion resonance with Venus, appearing to orbit the planet but actually orbiting the Sun.
- It has been co-orbital with Venus for about 7,000 years and is expected to be ejected in about 500 years, becoming a Venus trojan.
- Zoozve is classified as a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid (PHA) due to its frequent close approaches to Earth, with a periodicity of 8 years.
- The asteroid was officially named 'Zoozve' in 2024 after a Radiolab episode highlighted its provisional designation misinterpretation.
- Numerical simulations suggest Zoozve poses no immediate collision threat to Earth, though dangerously close approaches are possible.
Pre-Sputnik Earth-Orbit Glints
8 months ago
- Evidence suggests UFOs may be aliens based on brief bright glints of sunlight reflecting off large surfaces in high Earth orbit before human satellites existed.
- The First Palomar Sky Survey (1949-1958) recorded ~340 glints per hour before Sputnik (1957), suggesting non-human origins.
- Glints correlate with nuclear tests and UFO reports, increasing likelihood by 45% near test dates and matching UFO sighting frequencies.
- Analysis of 106,339 transients shows ~2/3 are brief glints from flat, reflective objects in geosynchronous orbit (GEO), with significant shadow effects.
- Glint durations are <0.04 seconds, requiring ideal reflective surfaces of 6-35 cm diameter at GEO distances.
- Alternative explanations like ice crystals are unlikely due to size and melting constraints, leaving advanced alien technology as a plausible explanation.
- The study faces skepticism but presents strong statistical evidence (21.9 and 12.7 sigma levels) supporting non-human origins of these glints.
Scientists get a rare peek inside of an exploding star
8 months ago
- Scientists observed the insides of a dying star during a supernova explosion for the first time.
- The supernova, named 2021yfj, was located in the Milky Way galaxy.
- The star's outermost layers of hydrogen and helium had peeled away, and its dense inner layers of silicon and sulfur were also shed during the explosion.
- This observation confirms theories about the layered structure of large stars near the end of their lives.
- It remains unclear how the star lost so many layers—whether violently or due to a twin star.
- Future research may provide more clues, but such events are rare and hard to capture.
New Moon Discovered Orbiting Uranus
8 months ago
- A new moon orbiting Uranus was discovered using NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope, increasing Uranus' known moons to 29.
- The moon was detected in a series of 10 long-exposure images taken by Webb’s Near-Infrared Camera (NIRCam) on Feb. 2, 2025.
- Estimated to be just 6 miles (10 km) in diameter, the moon was too small to be seen by Voyager 2 during its 1986 flyby.
- The discovery highlights Uranus’ complex system of small inner moons, which blur the line between ring systems and moons.
- The new moon orbits between Ophelia and Bianca, about 35,000 miles (56,000 km) from Uranus, suggesting it formed near its current location.
- Its name will be approved by the International Astronomical Union (IAU).
- Webb’s high-resolution infrared capabilities enable detection of faint objects, advancing our understanding of the outer solar system.
Voyager missed it, but James Webb Just Found Uranus' hidden moon
8 months ago
- Astronomers using the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) discovered a new moon around Uranus, increasing its total moon count to 29.
- The newly found moon, provisionally named S/2025 U 1, is about six miles (10 km) in diameter and was missed by Voyager 2 in 1986.
- The discovery was made by a team led by Dr. Maryame El Moutamid from the Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) using JWST's Near-Infrared Camera.
- Uranus' moons are named after characters from Shakespeare and Alexander Pope's works, and the team is considering a fitting name for the new moon.
- The new moon orbits between Ophelia and Bianca, two of Uranus' existing satellites, and is located near the planet's inner rings.
- Voyager 2, which flew by Uranus in 1986, was unable to detect this small moon due to its size and low reflectivity.
The "Wow!" signal was likely from extraterrestrial source, and more powerful
8 months ago
- The 'Wow!' signal, detected in 1977, remains unexplained and is considered a strong candidate for extraterrestrial origin.
- Recent studies using modern techniques found the signal was more intense than previously thought, at 250 Janskys.
- The signal is unlikely to be from terrestrial interference, satellites, or comets, based on statistical analysis.
- Researchers propose the signal might originate from cold hydrogen clouds in the interstellar medium, possibly triggered by a cosmic event like a magnetar flare.
- The study does not confirm extraterrestrial origin but refines future searches for technosignatures and biosignatures.
- The 'Wow!' signal has never been detected again, and the mystery remains open for further investigation.
Show HN: precision asteroid orbital dynamics library
8 months ago
- Kete tools simulate all-sky surveys of minor planets, including orbital dynamics, thermal/optical modeling, and field of view corrections.
- Used with the Minor Planet Center (MPC) database, Kete predicts visible objects for past or planned surveys.
- Primary goal: Operate on the entire MPC catalog at once, enabling large-scale simulations (e.g., 10M asteroids for NEO Surveyor).
- Example simulation: ZTF 2023 survey, showing asteroid positions and magnitudes, computed in ~50 minutes.
- Kete can identify known asteroids in a given image and calculate close approaches (e.g., Apophis in 2029).
- Install via pip (`pip install kete`). Example code provided for calculating Apophis's closest approach to Earth.
- Uses ICRF Reference frame (AU, JD with TDB), converting to JPL Horizons-compatible Ecliptic coordinates.
- Cache directory for downloaded files can be set via `KETE_CACHE_DIR` (default: `~/.kete/`).
- Developer info: Requires Rust, Python 3.9+, and updated pip. Docs built with Sphinx; tests run via pytest.
- Benchmarks and flamegraphs available for Rust backend performance analysis.
See the whole Universe at once in this unique logarithmic view
8 months ago
- The visible Universe extends 46.1 billion light-years, with light from the Big Bang still reaching us.
- Earth is minuscule on a cosmic scale, with a diameter of 12,742 km, barely noticeable in the vast Universe.
- Logarithmic scales help visualize cosmic distances, making the Sun, Mercury, and Mars appear equidistant.
- The Oort Cloud lies about 10,000 AU from the Sun, a vast distance on a linear scale but small logarithmically.
- Bright stars in Earth's sky are mostly within 1,000 light-years, part of the Orion arm of the Milky Way.
- The Local Galactic Group includes the Milky Way and neighboring galaxies, just a step beyond our galaxy's spiral arms.
- Large-scale structures like the Virgo supercluster span over 100 million light-years, showing galaxy clustering.
- The cosmic web reveals the Universe's largest structures, though dark energy may eventually tear them apart.
- The cosmic microwave background (CMB) provides a snapshot of the Universe's earliest moments after the Big Bang.
- Artist Pablo Carlos Budassi's logarithmic map illustrates the Universe's vast scale, spanning 20 orders of magnitude.
HS Student Builds AI Pipeline to Discover 1.5M Lost Space Objects
8 months ago
- A high school student from California, Matteo Paz, used AI to identify over 1.5 million previously unknown space objects from NASA's NEOWISE mission data.
- Paz developed an AI model in six weeks that detected faint, variable light sources, revealing objects like quasars, eclipsing binary stars, and supernovae.
- The AI utilized Fourier transforms and wavelet analysis to identify subtle infrared variations, uncovering slow transients and cataclysmic variables.
- Paz's findings, peer-reviewed and published in The Astronomical Journal, will be fully cataloged in 2025, aiding future observations by telescopes like Vera Rubin and JWST.
- Still in high school, Paz is now a paid research assistant at Caltech's IPAC, mentoring others and expanding his AI pipeline for interdisciplinary applications.
Zodiac Sign Is 2000 Years Out of Date
8 months ago
- Zodiac signs were originally based on stars but have shifted over time due to Earth's wobble (axial precession).
- Western astrology uses the tropical zodiac system, aligning signs with seasons rather than current star positions.
- Indian astrology uses the sidereal zodiac, accounting for Earth's wobble and aligning signs with stars.
- Constellations differ in size, with the sun spending varying amounts of time in front of each (e.g., more time in Virgo than Cancer).
- Ophiuchus is the 13th constellation along the sun's path but was excluded from the 12-sign zodiac by the Babylonians.
- Astronomy and astrology were once the same discipline but diverged during the Enlightenment.
- Despite scientific advancements, astrology remains popular, with over a quarter of Americans believing in its influence.
- Astrology's endurance is attributed to its adaptability to cultural trends.
BBC: UFO hit by hellfire, no impact on vehicle & flying away
8 months ago
- Not all 'alien' signals come from outer space; some have terrestrial origins.
- Astronomers sometimes detect signals that originate from Earth, not space.
- In 1998, Parkes Observatory in Australia detected strange radio bursts during office hours.
- The source of these bursts was traced in 2015 to the observatory's microwave oven.
- Opening the microwave before it finished cooking emitted radio waves detected by the observatory's antenna.
Celestia – real-time 3D visualization of space
8 months ago
- Celestia is a free 3D space simulation software available on multiple platforms including Windows, Linux, macOS, iOS, and Android.
- Unlike traditional planetarium software, Celestia allows users to travel beyond Earth to explore over 100,000 stars and even outside the galaxy.
- Features seamless movement and exponential zoom, enabling exploration from galaxy clusters down to small spacecraft.
- Includes a 'point-and-goto' interface for easy navigation to any celestial object.
- Comes with a large catalog of celestial objects and supports expandable add-ons for more content.
- Simulates various celestial objects accurately in real-time, allowing viewing from any point in space and time.
- Functions as a planetarium from any celestial object's perspective, showing accurate positions of solar system objects.
- Supports customization with add-ons like high-resolution textures, 3D models, and fictional objects from sci-fi franchises.
- Allows users to create and add their own celestial objects, including planetary systems, nebulae, and galaxies.
- Includes features like Virtual Textures for high-resolution displays and supports background music in scripts.
- Supports different trajectory data types, including Sampled Orbits and NASA’s SPICE kernels for solar system objects.
Kirkwood Gap Facts for Kids
7 months ago
- Kirkwood gaps are empty spaces in the asteroid belt caused by Jupiter's gravity.
- Discovered in 1857 by Daniel Kirkwood, who explained their existence through orbital resonances.
- Orbital resonance occurs when two objects' orbits are simple fractions of each other, like 2:1 or 3:1.
- Jupiter's gravitational pull repeatedly affects asteroids in resonant orbits, destabilizing them over time.
- This process eventually 'kicks out' asteroids, creating gaps in specific orbits.
- Major Kirkwood gaps are found at resonances like 3:1, 5:2, 7:3, and 2:1 with Jupiter.
- These gaps are not completely empty but have significantly fewer asteroids.
Depictions of Celestial Objects Spanning Nearly a Millennium (2014)
7 months ago
- Depictions of comets, meteors, meteorites, and shooting stars spanning almost a millennium.
- Imagery featured in 'Affinities', a special book celebrating 10 years of The Public Domain Review.
- Book details: 500+ images, 368 pages, large format, hardcover with inset image.
- Published on September 24, 2014.
Kepler Reveals the True Source of the Signal Coming from Koi-1755
7 months ago
- Kepler Space Telescope launched in 2009, discovering thousands of exoplanets using the Transit Method.
- KOI-1755's transit signal was a false positive caused by an eclipsing binary, not a planet.
- Research led by Chinese Academy of Sciences analyzed Kepler data to identify two dwarf stars with a 6.14-day orbit.
- The study highlights the effectiveness of pixel-level photometric modeling for exoplanet research.
- Findings suggest potential for reanalyzing Kepler and K2 mission data for more discoveries.
- Method could improve exoplanet detection in missions like TESS.
The Xuntian Space Telescope
7 months ago
- Xuntian, or the Chinese Space Station Telescope (CSST), is a flagship project for China’s space program, designed to conduct a sweeping survey of the cosmos.
- The telescope features a 2-meter primary mirror and an advanced Cook-type, three-mirror anastigmat system, providing exceptional image quality across a large field of view.
- Xuntian’s wide field of view is over 300 times larger than Hubble’s, enabled by a 2.5-gigapixel detector array, making it ideal for rapid sky surveys.
- The telescope will operate in a unique co-orbital arrangement with China’s Tiangong space station, allowing for periodic servicing, repairs, and upgrades by astronauts.
- Xuntian’s primary mission is a 10-year survey covering 40% of the sky, aiming to study dark matter and dark energy using weak gravitational lensing and baryon acoustic oscillations.
- Additional scientific goals include mapping the Milky Way’s dust, studying supermassive black holes, and discovering exoplanets and peculiar celestial objects.
- The telescope is equipped with a suite of instruments, including a survey camera, terahertz receiver, multichannel imager, integral field spectrograph, and a coronagraph for exoplanet studies.
- Xuntian will complement other next-gen telescopes like JWST, Euclid, and the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, each focusing on different wavelengths and scientific objectives.
- China plans to make Xuntian’s data available globally, fostering international collaboration despite geopolitical restrictions like the U.S. Wolf Amendment.

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#astronomy

Not the quality of pseudoscience infotainment I have grown accustomed to

A newly discovered black hole 300M times the size of the sun

Sharp Hubble Images Confirm 3I/Atlas as Comet

Sky Calendar

524522 Zoozve

Pre-Sputnik Earth-Orbit Glints

Scientists get a rare peek inside of an exploding star

New Moon Discovered Orbiting Uranus

Voyager missed it, but James Webb Just Found Uranus' hidden moon

The "Wow!" signal was likely from extraterrestrial source, and more powerful

Show HN: precision asteroid orbital dynamics library

See the whole Universe at once in this unique logarithmic view

HS Student Builds AI Pipeline to Discover 1.5M Lost Space Objects

Zodiac Sign Is 2000 Years Out of Date

BBC: UFO hit by hellfire, no impact on vehicle & flying away

Celestia – real-time 3D visualization of space

Kirkwood Gap Facts for Kids

Depictions of Celestial Objects Spanning Nearly a Millennium (2014)

Kepler Reveals the True Source of the Signal Coming from Koi-1755

The Xuntian Space Telescope