The Universe: Space Exploration Discussion Thread General Chat

[Spikey]

James Webb Space Telescope may have detected life indicators on distant planet K2-18b.

The specific indicator, dimethyl sulphide (DMS), is exclusively produced by life on Earth. Along with DMS, methane and CO2 were found in the planet's atmosphere, suggesting a potential water ocean presence.

Researchers emphasize that the detection is not yet confirmed. The planet, located 120 light years away, continues to be a subject of study, with more data anticipated in the coming year.

 

[Ginger Ted]

A pair of merging galaxies. The galaxy on the left has a large, single spiral arm curving out from the core and around to below it, with very visible glowing dust and gas. The right galaxy has a bright core but only a bit of very faint material. A broad curtain of gas connects the two galaxies' cores and hangs beneath them. A few small stars and galaxies are scattered around the black background.⁣
⁣
Image credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA, J. Dalcanton⁣
⁣

 

[John Steed]

A massive, tilted spiral galaxy with a bright orange core fills the image, surrounded by large spiral arms glowing with bright blue stars and laced through with dark brown dust.⁣
⁣

 

[John Steed]

Stunning new images of the cosmos captured by the European space telescope Euclid.

 

[John Steed]

The first spacecraft to study Pluto up close – New Horizons – captured this image in blue, red, and infrared colors to help scientists distinguish Pluto's complex geological and climatological story. New Horizons launched in 2006 and arrived in Pluto's system in 2015, capturing images of Pluto and its moons before heading out further into the Kuiper Belt to study our solar system's beginning.⁣
⁣
Evidence from New Horizons suggests that Pluto's surface, marked with craters, mountains, plains, and valleys, is being reshaped due to tectonic forces. Mountains on Pluto can reach as high as 6,500 to 9,800 ft (2-3 km), made of water ice and a thin sheen of frozen gasses. ⁣


⁣
Image description: Craters and cracks etch the surface of Pluto which appears in deep red, white, tan, light blue, and orange. Black space surrounds the dwarf planet.⁣
⁣
#Pluto #NASA #Space #SolarSystem #NewHorizons

 

[John Steed]

NASA has released a new image of a star cluster in the Milky Way and it looks very festive
⁠
The cluster of young stars has a very boring official name of NGC 2264, however, it's also known colloquially as the Christmas Tree Cluster.⁠

 

[Legion]

Cosmic Coquette
⁣
A bow-tie shaped nebula in pink-range colors against the blackness of space. The center glows in lighter shades including details in blue. Tendrils of gas and dust glow in shades of gold expanding out creating the unique shape. ⁣

 

[John Steed]

Saturn and Jupiter at 3000mm Zoom (Nikon P1000 / 4K)

 

[Bandit]

The James Webb Space Telescope has found signs of potential light sources on a planet 47 light years away.

The JWST's website announced the possible sighting of 'aurorae' on a 'brown dwarf' named 'Brown Dwarf W1935', which is larger than Jupiter but smaller than the Sun. This cold entity lacks a host star, leaving its upper atmosphere without a clear energy source.

Methane emissions are believed to cause its aurorae, similar to Earth's Northern Lights, which occur when energetic particles from the Sun interact with our magnetic field. Since Brown Dwarf W1935 lacks a star, its version of the Northern Lights remains a mystery.

 

[John Steed]

Comet C/2024 G3 (ATLAS) is a long-period, sungrazing comet with an orbital period of approximately 135,000 years.

It is expected to reach perihelion, its closest approach to the Sun, on January 13, 2025, at a distance of 0.093 AU. The comet is anticipated to become the brightest of 2025, potentially exceeding an apparent magnitude of -3.5.

It will be visible primarily from the Southern Hemisphere before and after perihelion, while observers in the Northern Hemisphere may only be able to observe it during the daytime around perihelion.