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How Wood Records the Sun’s Most Violent Outbursts

Ancient trees hold secrets about the most violent storms our Sun has ever unleashed, catastrophic bursts of radiation that dwarf anything modern civilisation has experienced. Scientists have discovered radioactive carbon signatures frozen in tree rings from solar storms so powerful they could cripple our satellite networks and power grids today. from Universe Today https://ift.tt/0ZwAXea via IFTTT
Recent posts

Sediment Cores Track Timing Hiccups in Earth's Magnetic Field Flips

Every so often (in geologic time) Earth's magnetic field does a flip. The north and south magnetic poles gradually trade places in a phenomenon called a geomagnetic reversal. Scientists long thought this happened every ten thousand years or so. However, new evidence from deep ocean cores show that at least two ancient reversals didn't follow that script. One took about 18,000 years to flip and the other took 70,000 years. Such lengthy time lapses could have seriously affected Earth's atmospheric chemistry, climate, and evolution of life forms during the Eocene period of geologic history. from Universe Today https://ift.tt/tma0SPZ via IFTTT

Non-biologic Processes Can't Fully Explain the Organics Curiosity Found on Mars, Providing More Potential Evidence of Life.

In a new study, researchers say that non-biological sources they considered could not fully account for the abundance of organic compounds in a sample collected on Mars by NASA’s Curiosity rover. from Universe Today https://ift.tt/tvZPOeW via IFTTT

Look Out Alderaan. This Black Hole Is More Destructive Than The Death Star

Several years ago, an automated sky survey spotted a distant supermassive black hole that tore apart a star. The star that got too close, and the resulting tidal disruption event released a lot of energy. But the SMBH is exhibiting a strong case of cosmic indigestion, and has been burping out the remains of the star for four years. And it keeps getting brighter and brighter. from Universe Today https://ift.tt/HgcoUFX via IFTTT

Why JWST and Ariel Are Better Together

Astronomers want to collect as much data as possible using as many systems as possible. Sometimes that requires coordination between instruments. The teams that run the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) and the upcoming Atmospheric Remote-sensing Infrared Exoplanet Large-survey (Ariel) missions will have plenty of opportunity for that once both telescopes are online in the early 2030s. A new paper, available in pre-print on arXiv, from the Ariel-JWST Synergy Working Group details just how exactly the two systems can work together to better analyze exoplanets. from Universe Today https://ift.tt/Qs8GjuL via IFTTT

The Balloon Mission Raising the Bar for Exoplanet Science

DOI: arXiv:2602.04840 | arXiv:2602.04840v1 Announce Type: new Abstract: The EXoplanet Climate Infrared TElescope (EXCITE) is a balloon-borne mission dedicated to measuring spectroscopic phase curves of hot Jupiter-type exoplanets. Phase curve measurements can be used to characterize an exoplanet's longitude-dependent atmospheric composition and energy circulation patterns. EXCITE carries a 0.5 m primary mirror and moderate resolution diffraction-limited spectrograph with spectral coverage from 0.8--3.5 um. EXCITE is... from Universe Today https://ift.tt/3fQXDRh via IFTTT

Massive Venus Lava Tube Detected Using Data From NASA’s Long-Defunct Magellan Spacecraft

NASA’s Magellan Mission to Venus is the gift the keeps on giving, providing Italian researchers with the first solid detection of a massive subsurface lava tube on Venus. They detail their findings in a new paper appearing in the journal Nature Communications. from Universe Today https://ift.tt/827IcsG via IFTTT