After a demanding ascent spanning several months, NASA’s Perseverance rover has successfully reached the top of Jezero Crater’s rim, as confirmed during a media briefing held on December 12 at the American Geophysical Union’s annual meeting in Washington. The climb covered a vertical rise of 500 metres and involved navigating steep grades of 20 percent.
Science
Recent research, published in Nature, has raised questions about the volcanic processes occurring on Jupiter’s moon Io, particularly regarding the absence of a global magma ocean beneath its surface. Data collected by NASA’s Juno spacecraft, combined with historical information from the Galileo mission, suggest that Io’s interior is more solid than previously believed. This revelation
A galaxy nicknamed the Firefly Sparkle has been detected by NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope, marking a significant discovery. According to research published in Nature on December 11, this galaxy existed approximately 600 million years after the Big Bang and has a mass similar to the Milky Way at a comparable stage of development. The
A humpback whale has undertaken an extraordinary migration spanning over 8,000 miles and three oceans, breaking records for the longest documented journey between breeding grounds. This exceptional voyage, reported in Royal Society Open Science, is believed to be influenced by changing oceanic conditions or evolving mating strategies, as suggested by researchers. According to Professor Darren
The Ingenuity Mars Helicopter, initially deployed by NASA to test the feasibility of powered flight on Mars, has been repurposed as a weather station following a crash that ended its flying capabilities, as per reports. According to updates shared during the 2024 Annual Meeting of the American Geophysical Union (AGU) in Washington, D.C., the helicopter
A major glacial lake outburst flood, among the largest ever recorded, has been documented in East Greenland, releasing more than 3,000 billion litres of meltwater, as per reports. The event, observed by researchers from the University of Copenhagen’s Niels Bohr Institute, took place between September 23 and October 11 and was caused by the sudden
Dozens of massive planet-like objects, observed by the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) in the Orion Nebula, are believed to hold clues about stellar formation and disruption. These objects, referred to as Jupiter-mass binary objects (JuMBOs), comprise pairs of rogue gas giants, with masses between 0.7 and 30 times that of Jupiter, orbiting each other
New research has indicated a strong connection between warm, sunny days on Mars and the occurrence of dust storms, with nearly 78 percent of storms preceded by increased solar heating, according to a study presented at the annual meeting of the American Geophysical Union in Washington, D.C. The study, led by Heshani Pieris and Paul
The total solar eclipse of April 8, 2024, which passed through North America from Mexico to Newfoundland, Canada, has yielded initial insights into the Sun’s interaction with Earth’s atmosphere. These observations were facilitated by NASA-backed projects and citizen scientists to examine phenomena such as solar impact on the atmosphere and radio signal disruptions. Updates were
A significant discovery has been made in Jerusalem by a team led by Dr. Azriel Yechezkel from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Researchers have identified 50 cave pearls within the Joweizeh Spring Tunnel, a historic waterway near Jerusalem’s Old City. Among the findings, 14 pearls contained pottery fragments, and two included plaster remains, marking the
A recent study has provided crucial insights into the manufacturing techniques used to create the Nebra Sky Disc, an artefact thought to date back 3,800 years to the Early Bronze Age. The analysis challenges claims suggesting the disc could be a modern forgery. Researchers revealed that the disc was crafted through an elaborate “hot forging”
Years after the collapse of the Arecibo Observatory, its extensive datasets remain instrumental in advancing astronomical research. In a study led by Sofia Sheikh from the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI) Institute, data from the observatory was utilised to uncover new details about pulsar signals. These dense neutron stars emit beams of radiation likened to
In a study in The Astrophysical Journal, it has been proposed that fast radio bursts (FRBs), enigmatic blasts of radio waves detected from deep space, could originate from the collision of asteroids with neutron stars. According to reports, these collisions release immense energy—sufficient to power humanity for 100 million years. The findings align with observations
The Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida has revealed plans for a revamped attraction called The Gantry at LC-39, set to open in early 2025, as per reports. The reimagined observation tower, which was previously used for launch viewing, will now offer an interactive experience, including a simulated rocket engine test. Visitors will have
Astronomers have detected an astrosphere around a star resembling the Sun, marking a significant milestone in understanding stellar evolution. This finding, shared during the 25 Years of Science with Chandra symposium on December 3, 2024, provides a rare view into the early conditions of stars like the Sun. An astrosphere, described as a bubble of
ISRO’s PSLV-C59 mission, carrying the European Space Agency’s Proba-3 satellites, was successfully launched on December 5, 2024, from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota. The launch, initially delayed by a day due to an anomaly, occurred at 4:04 PM IST. The mission’s objectives, including deploying the satellites into their designated orbit, were achieved with