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Is Dust the Best Thing in the Universe? Part 4: We Owe Dust Our Lives

No dust, no way to cool a collapsing gas cloud. No way to cool it, no stars. No dust, no first rung on the ladder from grain to pebble to planet. The substance I spent two articles complaining about turns out to be the substance that makes me possible. from Universe Today https://ift.tt/ZvQFPh9 via IFTTT
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NASA’S Juno Makes Closest Ever Approach To Jupiter’s Moon Of Thebe

NASA’S Juno spacecraft images Jupiter’s tiny moon of Thebe in a recent close approach. from Universe Today https://ift.tt/VytiADq via IFTTT

A Beautiful Death: How a Dying Star Created the Crystal Ball Nebula

Planetary nebula are created when a dying star sheds it outer layers. The gas is lit up by the star and all the gorgeous, changing detail is exposed. NGC 1514, the Crystal Ball Nebula, is about 1500 light years away and contains a binary pair in its center. The orbits and winds from the stars create the Crystal Ball's beautiful form. from Universe Today https://ift.tt/XU4YyMn via IFTTT

Is Dust the Best Thing in the Universe? Part 3: Tiny Chemistry Labs

Two hydrogen atoms can't form an H2 molecule on their own in empty space. They need a surface. The universe has only one surface available, and it's something I have just spent two articles complaining about. from Universe Today https://ift.tt/Meuc68x via IFTTT

Crypto Investor Works on a Plan to Ride SpaceX's Starship Around Mars

Chinese-born cryptocurrency investor Chun Wang has become the latest deep-pocketed space enthusiast to set his sights on a trip around Mars. But first, he wants to take a ride around the moon on SpaceX's Starship. And SpaceX is willing to work with him. from Universe Today https://ift.tt/Bfna2Fu via IFTTT

Both Hemispheres of 3I/ATLAS Observed Simultaneously by JUICE and Europa Clipper

The Southwest Research Institute-led Ultraviolet Spectrograph (UVS) instruments aboard ESA’s Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (Juice) spacecraft and NASA’s Europa Clipper made unique observations of interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS in late 2025. SwRI leads the UVS instruments on both spacecraft, simultaneously imaging both hemispheres of the comet and detecting the comet’s ultraviolet emissions. from Universe Today https://ift.tt/zVDmTbP via IFTTT

The Magnetar at the Heart of a Superluminous Supernova

Superluminous supernovae are the royalty in the supernova world. They're up to 100 times brighter than a standard supernova, and astrophysicists want to know why. New research shows that magnetars are responsible. from Universe Today https://ift.tt/S6WEsXN via IFTTT