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The tally counts up the stray photons roaming through space THROUGH THE DARKNESS Gamma rays bursting from distant galaxies, like the one shown in the center of this artist’s illustration, can illuminate the diffuse light, called extragalactic background light, that manages escape its dusty environs. Aurore Simonnet/Swift/NASA Share this: This article is only available to […] More
Searching the cosmic microwave background could reveal other giant spheres of icy debris HIDDEN TREASURES This map of the cosmic microwave background taken by the Planck satellite could also hide signs of exo-Oort clouds — planetary graveyards surrounding other stars. Planck/ESA and NASA, IPAC Infrared Science Archive Share this: This article is only available to […] More
Any extra dimensions are too tiny to create mini black holes that can blink us out of existence POP GOES THE UNIVERSE If extra dimensions were large enough, a universe with different laws of physics could bubble up from the death of a black hole. That would be bad news for us: The new version […] More
The circumgalactic medium has been hard to observe, but new tools now make it possible. COSMIC CLOAK Whirls of cold and hot gas billow in this simulation of a circumgalactic medium surrounding a galaxy. With new tools and simulations, researchers have learned that the CGM helps a galaxy recycle its materials. M.S. Peeples et al/FOGGIE […] More
The planet’s heat distribution explains why lightning doesn’t strike near the equator IN A FLASH Unlike Earth lightning, which is most concentrated at the equator, Jupiter’s strikes at its poles, as shown in this artist’s rendition. SwRI, JPL-Caltech/NASA, JUNOCAM Share this: This article is only available to Science News subscribers. Subscribers, enter your e-mail address to […] More
Observations of light from a far galaxy further indicate that stellar formation began early STAR START Scientists find evidence that stars formed in a faraway galaxy (indicated by the boxes) when the universe was just 250 million years old. NASA, ESA, W. Zheng/JHU, M. Postman/STScI and the CLASH Team Share this: This article is only […] More
