Wednesday, December 10, 2025

How Mars Controls Earth's Climate

The red planet Mars - as captured by the Hope orbiter - has an unexpected impact on our seasons (Credit : Kevin Gill)

A new study reveals that Mars plays a surprisingly crucial role in Earth's climate cycles, with new simulations showing that the mass of our planetary neighbours directly controls the timing and intensity of Milankovitch cycles that drive ice ages. By varying Mars's mass from zero to ten times its current value in computer models, researchers discovered that a more massive Mars strengthens the ~100,000 year climate cycles and creates the 2.4 million year "grand cycle" that influences Earth's long term climate. This finding demonstrates that Earth's climate rhythms are connected to the gravitational structure of the inner Solar System, not just the Sun and Moon.



Euclid Reveals What Wakes Sleeping Black Holes

The unprecedented images from the Euclid telescope - like this image of NGC6744 - have helped inform the behaviour of black holes (Credit : ESA/Euclid/Euclid Consortium/NASA)

The European Space Agency's Euclid telescope has delivered an unprecedented set of observations of one million galaxies that shows that galaxy collisions play a dominant role in awakening supermassive black holes from their sleep. Using revolutionary AI-powered analysis methods, astronomers discovered that merging galaxies contain up to six times more active black holes than isolated galaxies, with the most luminous black holes found almost exclusively in collision zones.



Tuesday, December 9, 2025

The Nancy Grace Roman Telescope Is Complete!

NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope is now fully assembled following the integration of its two major segments on Nov. 25 at the agency’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. The telescope's Solar Array Sun Shield (SASS) is prominent in this image. The mission is slated to launch by May 2027, but it could launch as early as fall 2026. Image Credit: NASA/Jolearra Tshiteya

Construction is complete on the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, and its ahead of schedule. After extensive testing, the new flagship telescope should be ready to launch in Fall, 2026.



The Longest GRB Ever Detected Is An Intriguing Puzzle

In this image, a stellar-mass black hole is eating its stellar companion. This is one potential explanation for an exotic gamma-ray burst detected in July, 2025 that lasted for seven hours. As the black hole entered the star, it consumed stellar material rapidly, emitting powerful gamma-rays. Image Credit: NASA/LSU/Brian Monroe

In July 2025, telescopes detected a gamma-ray burst (GRB) that lasted seven hours. Most GRBs last only milliseconds, or a few minutes. Only a handful have lasted longer than that, and July's GRB was the longest ever detected. It hints at a new, exotic type of explosive event, and astronomers have a few candidates.



Monday, December 8, 2025

Applying the Principles of Reduce, Reuse, Recycle to Space

Artist's impression of debris and defunct launcher stages in the Geostationary ring. Credit: ESA/ID&Sense/ONiRiXE

In a new study, sustainability and space scientists discuss how the principles of reducing, reusing, and recycling could be applied to satellites and spacecraft.



Direct Images Of Nova Explosions Reveal Their Complexity

This artist's illustration shows some of the unexpected complexity in nova explosions. They occur when matter accumulates on the surface of a white dwarf and eventually triggers a sudden thermonuclear explosion. New direct images of the explosions proves that they're more complex than previously thought. Image Credit: Georgia State University

Astronomers have captured images of two nova explosions only days after they exploded. The detailed images show that these explosions are more complex than thought. There are multiple outflows and, in some cases, delayed ejection of material.



It's the JWST's Turn To Look For An Intermediate Mass Black Hole

Omega Centauri is the largest globular cluster in the Milky Way. Astronomers think it might host an elusive intermediate-mass black hole, and new research tests that possibility. It used the JWST to probe the candidate IMBH's accretion rate. Image Credit: By ESO - https://www.eso.org/public/images/eso0844a/, CC BY 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=6283919

Astronomers have acquired evidence that Omega Centauri, the largest-known globular cluster in the Milky Way, hosts an intermediate mass black hole (IMBH). These elusive objects should exist, according to theory, but have been difficult to verify. The IMBH in Omega Centauri is considered a candidate black hole, and new research examined the region with the JWST for any conclusive evidence.