Phys.org - Space News
Publication
0 followers
Research-driven reporting on space technology and exploration developments
Recent Posts
News•Feb 6, 2026
JWST Uncovers Rich Organic Chemistry in a Nearby Ultra-Luminous Infrared Galaxy
A team from the Center for Astrobiology (CAB) and CSIC‑INTA used JWST’s infrared spectrographs to examine the heavily dust‑obscured nucleus of a nearby ultra‑luminous infrared galaxy. The observations revealed an unprecedented variety of small organic molecules, including alcohols, nitriles and carbon chains, in quantities comparable to those in local star‑forming clouds. Modeling work from the University of Oxford translated the spectral signatures into precise abundances, confirming that complex chemistry thrives in extreme galactic environments. These results showcase JWST’s power to uncover hidden molecular richness beyond the Milky Way.
By Phys.org - Space News
News•Feb 5, 2026
The Amaterasu Particle: Cosmic Investigation Traces Its Origin
The Amaterasu particle, detected in 2021 by the Telescope Array, is the second‑highest‑energy cosmic ray ever recorded, packing roughly 40 million times the energy of LHC particles. A new study in The Astrophysical Journal argues that its origin is more likely...
By Phys.org - Space News
News•Feb 5, 2026
New Crew Set to Launch for ISS After Medical Evacuation
A new Crew‑12 team—Jessica Meir, Jack Hathaway, Sophie Adenot and Andrey Fedyaev—will launch to the International Space Station on Feb 11 after the unprecedented medical evacuation of Crew‑11. The launch faces added uncertainty as SpaceX temporarily grounds Falcon 9 flights to investigate...
By Phys.org - Space News
News•Feb 5, 2026
The Coming End of ISS, Symbol of an Era of Global Cooperation
The International Space Station will be de‑orbited in 2030 using a SpaceX‑built vehicle, ending a three‑decade era of continuous human presence in low‑Earth orbit. Launched after the Cold War, the ISS became a flagship of U.S.–Russia cooperation despite recent geopolitical...
By Phys.org - Space News
News•Feb 5, 2026
'Jetty McJetface': Star-Shredding Black Hole May Keep Ramping up Its Radio Jet Until 2027 Peak
A supermassive black hole identified as AT2018hyz, nicknamed “Jetty McJetface,” has been emitting a radio jet that is 50 times brighter than when first detected in 2019. Over the past four years the jet’s radio flux has risen exponentially and is...
By Phys.org - Space News
News•Feb 4, 2026
TESS Observations Reveal Sustained Quasi-Periodic Oscillations in Multiple Blazars
A joint analysis of NASA's TESS optical data and Swift BAT hard‑X‑ray monitoring identified quasi‑periodic oscillations (QPOs) in several blazars. Out of 38 variable objects, four showed highly significant periodicity with cycles of five to ten days, and one signal...
By Phys.org - Space News
News•Feb 4, 2026
'Red Potato' Galaxy Discovered by Astronomers
An international team using JWST discovered a massive, quiescent red galaxy at redshift 3.25, dubbed the “Red Potato.” The galaxy, MQN01 J004131.9‑493704, has a stellar mass of 110 billion M☉, a half‑light radius of 3,260 light‑years, and a low molecular‑gas fraction (<0.06)....
By Phys.org - Space News
News•Feb 4, 2026
Reproduction in Space, an Environment Hostile to Human Biology
A new study in Reproductive Biomedicine Online warns that space’s radiation, microgravity and circadian disruption create a hostile environment for human reproduction. It highlights the absence of industry‑wide standards for managing fertility risks, early pregnancy, and ethical dilemmas as commercial...
By Phys.org - Space News
News•Feb 3, 2026
One-of-a-Kind 'Plasma Tunnel' Recreates Extreme Conditions Spacecraft Face upon Reentry
University of Colorado Boulder has launched an inductively coupled plasma tunnel that reproduces the extreme heat and velocity of spacecraft re‑entry. The facility can generate plasma flows up to 9,000 °F and accelerate gases at thousands of miles per hour, matching...
By Phys.org - Space News
News•Feb 3, 2026
Cosmic Radiation Brought to Light: Researchers Measure Ionization in Dark Cloud for the First Time
An international team used the James Webb Space Telescope to directly detect three faint infrared H₂ emission lines in the dark molecular cloud Barnard 68, marking the first observational confirmation of cosmic‑ray‑excited gas. The measurements provide a direct estimate of the...
By Phys.org - Space News
News•Feb 3, 2026
Did We Just See a Black Hole Explode? Physicists Think So—And It Could Explain (Almost) Everything
Physicists at UMass Amherst propose that a quasi‑extremal primordial black hole (PBH) can undergo a runaway Hawking‑radiation explosion, releasing ultra‑high‑energy particles. Their model explains the PeV‑scale neutrino detected by the KM3NeT collaboration in 2023, an event far beyond any known...
By Phys.org - Space News
News•Feb 3, 2026
JWST Discovers a New Extremely Metal-Poor Dwarf Galaxy
Astronomers using JWST’s NIRSpec have identified a new dwarf galaxy, CAPERS‑39810, at redshift 3.654. Spectroscopic analysis shows it has an extremely low metallicity of –1.96 dex, placing it among the rare class of extremely metal‑poor galaxies (EMPGs). The galaxy’s stellar mass is...
By Phys.org - Space News
News•Feb 2, 2026
As Rubin's Survey Gets Underway, Simulations Suggest It Could Find About Six Lunar-Origin Asteroids per Year
A new study combining lunar‑cratering ejecta models with long‑term orbital simulations estimates that roughly 500,000 lunar‑origin asteroids larger than about 5 m exist today, representing less than 1 % of comparable near‑Earth objects. The Vera C. Rubin Observatory’s Legacy Survey of Space...
By Phys.org - Space News
News•Feb 2, 2026
Long-Period Jupiter-Like Exoplanet Discovered with TESS
Astronomers using NASA's TESS have confirmed a new exoplanet, TOI-6692 b, that rivals Jupiter in size but orbits its Sun‑like star every 130 days on a highly eccentric path. The planet was first flagged by citizen scientists as a single‑transit event and...
By Phys.org - Space News
News•Feb 2, 2026
Experiments Clear up Confusion over the Form of Solid Methane
Physicists led by Mengnan Wang at the University of Edinburgh used high‑pressure experiments combined with optical spectroscopy to map solid methane’s phase behavior up to 45 GPa and 1,100 K. Their work produced two distinct phase diagrams—one reflecting kinetic transformations and another...
By Phys.org - Space News
News•Feb 2, 2026
Infrared Running of Gravity Offers a Field-Theoretic Route to Dark Matter Phenomena
A recent paper in Physics Letters B proposes that Newton’s constant may run in the infrared, altering gravity’s strength over galactic distances. The author derives a logarithmic correction to the gravitational potential, producing an effective 1/r force that naturally yields flat...
By Phys.org - Space News
News•Jan 31, 2026
New 3D Map of the Sun's Magnetic Interior Could Improve Predictions of Disruptive Solar Flares
Scientists have produced the first three‑dimensional map of the Sun’s interior magnetic field using data from multiple space‑based observatories. Published in The Astrophysical Journal Letters, the model reveals the hidden magnetic architecture that drives solar activity. The breakthrough promises more...
By Phys.org - Space News
News•Jan 30, 2026
Why Are Tatooine Planets Rare? General Relativity Explains Why Binary Star Systems Rarely Host Planets
Physicists at UC Berkeley and the American University of Beirut have shown that general‑relativistic precession in tight binary stars can resonantly amplify a circumbinary planet’s eccentricity, leading to tidal disruption or ejection. Kepler and TESS have identified only 14 confirmed...
By Phys.org - Space News
News•Jan 30, 2026
Exploration of Exoplanets: A Mathematical Solution for Investigating Their Atmospheres
Leonardos Gkouvelis of LMU has delivered the first closed‑form analytical theory for transmission spectroscopy that incorporates pressure‑dependent opacity, a problem that has stymied exoplanet atmosphere modeling for decades. The new formula replaces costly numerical simulations with a transparent, fast solution,...
By Phys.org - Space News
News•Jan 30, 2026
Webb Reveals Five-Galaxy Merger Just 800 Million Years After the Big Bang
Astronomers using the James Webb Space Telescope have identified a compact five‑galaxy merger, dubbed JWST’s Quintet, at redshift 6.71—only about 800 million years after the Big Bang. The system spans tens of thousands of light‑years yet forms stars at roughly 250 solar masses...
By Phys.org - Space News
News•Jan 30, 2026
How Brick-Building Bacteria React to Toxic Chemical in Martian Soil
Researchers at the Indian Institute of Science examined how perchlorate, a toxic chemical in Martian regolith, influences biocementation by a robust native strain of Sporosarcina pasteurii. While perchlorate slows bacterial growth, it triggers extracellular matrix formation that creates microbridges, resulting...
By Phys.org - Space News
News•Jan 30, 2026
NASA-ISRO Radar Mission Peers Through Clouds to See Mississippi River Delta
NASA and ISRO’s NISAR satellite used its L‑band synthetic aperture radar to capture a cloud‑free image of the Mississippi River Delta on Nov. 29, 2025. The radar’s 24‑centimeter wavelength penetrates clouds, revealing land‑cover details from urban structures to wetlands and crops. The...
By Phys.org - Space News
News•Jan 29, 2026
NASA Researchers Probe Tangled Magnetospheres of Merging Neutron Stars
NASA’s Goddard team leveraged the Pleiades supercomputer to run over 100 high‑resolution simulations of two 1.4‑solar‑mass neutron stars merging. The models reveal how tangled magnetospheres reconnect and generate rapidly varying electromagnetic emission in the final 7.7 ms before coalescence. Emission intensity...
By Phys.org - Space News
News•Jan 29, 2026
New Map of the Milky Way's Magnetism Offers Insights Into Cosmic Evolution
A UBC Okanagan‑led team released the first broadband Faraday‑rotation map of the northern sky, called DRAGONS, using the DRAO 15‑meter telescope. The survey reveals that more than half of the sky exhibits intricate magnetic structures, overturning the notion of a largely...
By Phys.org - Space News
News•Jan 29, 2026
How Tree Rings Help Scientists Understand Disruptive Extreme Solar Storms
A new study in New Phytologist reveals that tree species record radiocarbon spikes from extreme solar storms—known as Miyake events—differently due to variations in carbon uptake, storage, and allocation. These biological nuances can shift the timing and intensity of the...
By Phys.org - Space News
News•Jan 29, 2026
A New Method to Search for Ultralight Dark Matter with Advanced Optical Cavities
Northwestern University researchers have demonstrated a novel laboratory search for ultralight dark‑matter particles using two Fabry‑Perot optical cavities of different lengths. By exploiting the pendulum‑like response of rigid cavities in the 34‑64 kHz band, the experiment can detect minute length oscillations...
By Phys.org - Space News
News•Jan 29, 2026
Gaia Data Reveal Three Galactic Open Clusters in Detail
Astronomers used ESA’s Gaia Data Release 3 to conduct a detailed analysis of three Milky Way open clusters—Berkeley 17, 18 and 39—identifying 600, 1,042 and 907 probable members respectively. The study reports ages ranging from 3.4 billion to 9.1 billion years, stellar masses from 536 M☉ to...
By Phys.org - Space News
News•Jan 28, 2026
Massive Runaway Stars in the Milky Way: Observational Study Explores Origins and Ejection Process
Researchers from ICCUB, IEEC and IAC published the most extensive observational study of massive runaway O‑type stars in the Milky Way. Using Gaia astrometry and IACOB spectroscopy, they examined 214 O‑type runaways, measuring rotation speeds and binarity. The analysis shows...
By Phys.org - Space News
News•Jan 28, 2026
New Radio Method Uncovers Hidden Bursts From Dwarf Stars and Hints of Exoplanets
An international team led by Cyril Tasse and Cornell’s Jake Turner introduced Multiplexed Interferometric Radio Spectroscopy (RIMS), a method that mines existing low‑frequency radio archives to reveal minute‑by‑minute variability of hundreds of stars simultaneously. Applying RIMS to over 1.4 years of LOFAR LoTSS...
By Phys.org - Space News
News•Jan 28, 2026
Alfvén Waves Act as the Power Source Behind Earth's Auroral Displays, Research Reveals
A joint University of Hong Kong‑UCLA study published in Nature Communications identifies Alfvén waves as the primary energy source that drives Earth’s auroral displays. By analyzing particle trajectories and electric fields, the researchers showed that these plasma waves continuously feed...
By Phys.org - Space News
News•Jan 28, 2026
Multiwavelength Analysis Finds No Radio Pulsations From Accreting Millisecond X-Ray Pulsar
Researchers conducted a multi‑wavelength campaign on the accreting millisecond X‑ray pulsar MAXI J1957+032, covering its 2022 and 2025 outbursts and quiescent intervals. Timing analysis revealed a 3.19 ms spin period, ~1.01 h orbital period, a spin‑down rate of –0.0573 pHz s⁻¹ and a dipolar magnetic...
By Phys.org - Space News
News•Jan 28, 2026
NASA's Artemis II Crewed Mission to the Moon Shows How US Space Strategy Has Changed Since Apollo
NASA’s Artemis II mission, slated for a February 2026 launch, will send a four‑person crew on a lunar flyby without landing. The flight tests life‑support, navigation and deep‑space operations that are essential for the planned Artemis III landing in 2028. Unlike the Cold‑War...
By Phys.org - Space News
News•Jan 27, 2026
Milky Way Is Embedded in a 'Large-Scale Sheet' Of Dark Matter, Which Explains Motions of Nearby Galaxies
Researchers from the University of Groningen and European partners have used constrained cosmological simulations to reveal that the Milky Way and Andromeda reside within a large‑scale, flat sheet of dark matter extending tens of millions of light‑years. This planar mass...
By Phys.org - Space News
News•Jan 27, 2026
Massive Star WOH G64 Is Still a Red Supergiant—For Now
WOH G64, one of the Large Magellanic Cloud's most luminous red supergiants, has been confirmed to remain in the red‑supergiant phase despite recent dimming and spectral changes. High‑resolution SALT spectra revealed titanium‑oxide absorption bands, a definitive sign of a cool photosphere,...
By Phys.org - Space News
News•Jan 27, 2026
Magnetic Superhighways Discovered in a Starburst Galaxy's Winds
Using ALMA’s full‑polarization capabilities, astronomers mapped the magnetic fields of the merging ultraluminous infrared galaxy Arp 220 and uncovered a magnetized, high‑speed molecular outflow that functions as a “magnetic superhighway.” The study reports the first polarized CO(3‑2) detection, revealing field strengths...
By Phys.org - Space News
News•Jan 27, 2026
Streaks on Mercury Show that It Is Not a 'Dead Planet'
A team led by Dr. Valentin Bickel used deep‑learning to catalog roughly 400 bright slope streaks—known as lineae—across Mercury’s surface, creating the first systematic inventory of these features. Geostatistical analysis shows the streaks concentrate on sun‑facing crater walls and are...
By Phys.org - Space News
News•Jan 27, 2026
First Radio Signals From Rare Supernova Reveal Star's Final Years
Astronomers have recorded the first radio emission from a Type Ibn supernova (SN 2023fyq) using the VLA, revealing the star's mass‑loss history in the decade before its explosion. The radio waves, observed over 18 months, show interaction with helium‑rich gas shed shortly before...
By Phys.org - Space News
News•Jan 27, 2026
NASA, GE Aerospace Hybrid Engine System Marks Successful Test
NASA and GE Aerospace successfully completed the first integrated hybrid‑electric jet engine test in December at GE’s Peebles Test Operation in Ohio. The demonstration used a modified GE Passport engine that extracts energy and feeds it back through electric motors,...
By Phys.org - Space News
News•Jan 27, 2026
Ancient Martian Beach Discovered, Providing New Clues to Red Planet's Habitability
NASA's Perseverance rover has identified wave‑formed beach deposits and carbonate‑altered rocks in the Margin unit of Jezero crater, confirming an ancient shoreline dating back roughly 3.5 billion years. The study shows that igneous rocks were later transformed by subsurface, CO₂‑rich water,...
By Phys.org - Space News
News•Jan 27, 2026
From Stellar Engines to Dyson Bubbles, Alien Megastructures Could Hold Themselves Together Under the Right Conditions
New theoretical work by Colin McInnes at the University of Glasgow shows that both stellar engines and Dyson bubbles—hypothetical alien megastructures designed to harvest a star’s energy—can achieve passive gravitational stability under specific conditions. The study, published in Monthly Notices of...
By Phys.org - Space News