We’re watching a planetary system form in real time. Made by shorts.wixee.ai

A new study proposes that vast numbers of unseen interstellar comets and asteroids may contribute part of the Milky Way’s apparent missing mass. Starting from known interstellar visitors such as 1I/‘Oumuamua, 2I/Borisov, and 3I/ATLAS, researchers used statistical models to estimate how much mass a hidden Galactic population of similar objects could add. Their result suggests these wanderers might explain about 13% to 45% of the discrepancy inferred from the Milky Way’s rotation curve. Important caution: this hypothesis is based on very limited observational evidence and broad extrapolation from only a few detections. Even if supported, it would not remove the need for dark matter, though it could reduce the amount required and affect how some detection results are interpreted. Future sky surveys should provide the data needed to test whether these hidden interstellar bodies meaningfully contribute to the Galaxy’s mass budget. Follow for the next sky survey result that could prove this idea right or wrong. #s

If future sky surveys find many more interstellar objects, should they count as part of the Milky Way’s hidden mass? Made by shorts.wixee.ai

A new study examined whether NASA’s planned Habitable Worlds Observatory could have detected life on Earth from light-years away at different stages of our planet’s history. By modeling eras from the Archean Earth—when oxygen was scarce and life was mostly microbial—to the modern oxygen-rich world, researchers found that the telescope should be able to identify major biosignatures such as oxygen, ozone, water vapor, methane, and carbon dioxide if it reaches the needed spectral resolution. The work also sets concrete design goals. Relatively modest ultraviolet and visible-light performance may be enough for ozone and oxygen detection, while stronger infrared resolution is more important for telling possible biological signals apart from geological ones. The bigger implication is extraordinary: a future observatory like this might provide humanity’s first strong evidence that life exists on another world. If we can read life in Earth’s old light, what world should we search next? #nasa #habitableworldsobservat

Could ancient Earth have looked alive from light-years away? Made by shorts.wixee.ai

Astronomers are testing a powerful new way to find faint moving objects in telescope data. YOSO, or “You Only Stack Once,” avoids the slow step of checking thousands of possible trajectories. Instead, it analyzes changes in pixel brightness over time and combines images only once, making the search far more efficient. The system uses a YOLOv8-based deep-learning model to detect extremely dim moving targets while filtering out image artifacts, satellite trails, and cosmic-ray strikes. In tests on Victor M. Blanco Telescope observations, it detected 11 previously unknown trans-Neptunian objects and 216 other moving bodies, including some overlooked by standard methods. With processing under 11 milliseconds and about 99% catalog purity, YOSO looks well suited for the massive datasets expected from the Vera C. Rubin Observatory. It could also strengthen future planetary defense efforts by helping missions like NEO Surveyor find potentially hazardous asteroids faster. Follow for more breakthrough space tech expla

YOSO found 11 new trans-Neptunian objects—and processes images in under 11 ms. Made by shorts.wixee.ai

A major first in exoplanet science: the James Webb Space Telescope has directly studied the surface of a rocky exoplanet. The world is LHS 3844 b, a super-Earth around 50 light-years away that orbits its red dwarf star every 11 hours and reaches about 725°C on its dayside. Webb detected no atmosphere and instead found evidence for a dark surface likely dominated by volcanic basalt. Scientists say it may be a younger lava-covered terrain or an older landscape darkened by long-term space weathering. This breakthrough shows Webb can begin probing the geology of distant rocky worlds, opening a new era in the study of potentially Earth-like planets. Follow for more universe-breaking discoveries. #jwst #exoplanet #astronomy #spacenews #lhs3844b #rockyplanet #aliengeology #sciencenews #reddwarf #universe

Webb just moved beyond atmospheres and started reading the geology of a rocky world. Made by shorts.wixee.ai

Astronomers have reported their most precise late-universe measurement of cosmic expansion so far, and it again supports the Hubble tension. Using several independent distance indicators—Cepheid stars, red giant stars, and supernovae—the H0 Distance Network measured a Hubble constant of 73.5 km/s/Mpc. That agrees with previous late-universe measurements but remains well above the ~67 km/s/Mpc value inferred from early-universe observations of the Cosmic Microwave Background within the standard cosmological model. The key point is that the new result has less than 1% uncertainty and remains stable even when individual methods are removed. That makes it increasingly difficult to blame the discrepancy on observational error alone. If confirmed by future observatories such as the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, this tension could signal missing physics in our current model of the universe, including new particles, unexpected dark energy behavior, or modifications to gravity. Follow for the next clue on whethe

Does the Hubble tension mean new physics, or are we still missing something in our measurements? Made by shorts.wixee.ai

New research suggests dwarf galaxies may not be random collections of stars and dark matter after all. Simulations indicate that dark subhaloes—small, invisible clumps of dark matter—can gradually heat stellar motions through repeated gravitational nudges, pushing stars into wider orbits. Over time, both isolated dwarf galaxies and those near larger hosts may move toward a common stable structure, with tidal effects accelerating the process. This may offer a possible explanation for the cusp-core problem and a new way to understand how dark matter shapes galaxies. Follow for more cosmic mysteries made visible. #dwarfgalaxies #darkmatter #cosmology #astrophysics #space #galaxies #science #milkyway #simulation #physics

Could dark matter be steering dwarf galaxies toward the same fate? Made by shorts.wixee.ai

Scientists used the James Webb Space Telescope and ALMA to study CRISTAL-02, a galaxy from just 1 billion years after the Big Bang. They found intense star formation, but also a massive outflow of gas likely driven by supernovas. That matters because gas is the raw material for future stars. Right now, the galaxy appears to be losing gas about twice as fast as it is forming stars. If that trend holds, star formation could slow dramatically within around 50 million years. The result may help explain why some massive galaxies in the young Universe became inactive earlier than expected. Follow for more cosmic discoveries that change how we see the Universe. #space #astronomy #jameswebb #alma #galaxies #earlyuniverse #cosmology #scienceupdate #starbirth #supernova

A galaxy just 1 billion years after the Big Bang may burn through its star-making fuel in only ~50 million years. Made by shorts.wixee.ai

During precautionary sheltering inside a docked SpaceX Dragon spacecraft, NASA astronaut Jessica Meir captured extraordinary auroras over Earth from the ISS. The crew was taking cover during repair work related to an air leak in a Russian station section. At the same time, charged particles from a recent solar event were interacting with Earth’s magnetic field, creating vivid green ribbons in the atmosphere. The result was a rare scene: a safety procedure unfolding alongside one of the year’s most spectacular space views. #nasa #jessicameir #iss #spacex #dragon #aurora #solarstorm #spaceupdates #earthfromspace #orbit

Would you want to see Earth’s auroras from orbit? Made by shorts.wixee.ai

In 1977, the Big Ear radio telescope detected a powerful signal that lasted 72 seconds and came from the direction of Sagittarius. It appeared near the 1420 MHz hydrogen line, a frequency often discussed in the search for extraterrestrial intelligence. The signal was unusually strong, narrow in frequency, and never repeated. Since then, scientists have examined possible causes including radio interference, comets, hydrogen clouds, and extraterrestrial technology. None has fully accounted for all the observations. The telescope is gone, but the data endures—and the Wow! Signal remains one of astronomy’s greatest mysteries. What do you think the signal really was? #wowsignal #astronomy #bigear #seti #spacemystery #radioastronomy #hydrogenline #sagittarius #sciencemystery #cosmicsignal

Do you think the Wow! Signal was natural—or something else? Made by shorts.wixee.ai

On June 10, 2004, NASA’s Spirit rover found important evidence of Mars’ wetter past while exploring Gusev Crater. Rocks there contained sulfur-rich minerals and salts, including magnesium sulfate, which commonly forms in the presence of liquid water. At the time, this became some of the strongest evidence that Mars once had a much wetter environment, helping scientists better understand the planet’s ancient history and its possible past habitability. Follow for more space discoveries that changed how we see the solar system. #mars #spiritrover #nasa #spacediscovery #gusevcrater #wateronmars #ancientmars #science

Spirit helped prove Mars was once wetter than we imagined. Made by shorts.wixee.ai