Category: Cosmos

First observation of gas filaments, linking a cluster of galaxies 12bn light years away, provides new insights for theories about the formation of our universe.
This finding adds to the theory that, after the big bang, hydrogen gas creates huge threads across space, and galaxies form in clusters of these threads.
The observation proved this, as researchers noticed supermassive black holes and galaxies with active star formation at the intersections of hydrogen threads.

Bulleted by Michał Słupski
on October 4, 2019

AIDA (asteroid impact and deflection assessment) is a global cooperation that aims to test if we could save the Earth from an asteroid aimed at our planet.
It will target a small asteroid orbiting a bigger asteroid, floating 6.8 million miles away from Earth.
NASA will start with DART (double asteroid redirection test), launching a 0,5 ton craft in 2021 to crash into the asteroid 16 months later at 14,700 miles per hour.
It will release a satellite before the collision to take images.
European Space Agency will then launch Hera, which will arrive at the asteroid in 2028 with more tools to perform a detailed study of the asteroid after the impact.

Bulleted by Michał Słupski
on September 20, 2019

For the first time ever, space cement has been successfully mixed on the International Space Station.
On one hand, it seems stronger than Earthly cement because of its surprisingly uniform density, caused by lack of strong gravity.
On the other hand, it may be weaker because it develops large air pockets, making it more porous than Earthly cement.
The material will be tested further.
This research paves the way towards finding out how to create concrete structures on the Moon and Mars.

Bulleted by Michał Słupski
on September 13, 2019

There might have been no extraordinary asteroid bombardment -- new theory questions the nature of the event and proposes new date.
Implications are big, as this would push back the age of hospitable Earth.
First hints of life appeared up to 3.9 billion years ago, so it’s unlikely that the storm happened then.
Also, it may have been no extraordinary storm, but just the aftermath of the chaos that occured in the young solar system.
Ultimately, the new theory states that Earth couldn’t suffer ocean-boiling, surface-liquifying asteroid strikes since 4.48 billion years ago.

Bulleted by Michał Słupski
on August 18, 2019

The Tibet AS-gamma Experiment has picked up the highest-energy light ever measured.
Signal measured at over 100 tera-electronvolts (TeV) is 10 times the maximum energy the Large Hadron Collider sees when smashing particles.
Sending the signal might be a pulsar, the core of a post-supernova star, deep inside the Crab Nebula.
In total, 24 events greater than 100 TeV were picked up, the most powerful reached 450 TeV.
The next challenge for astronomers will be finding signals stronger than 1,000 TeV.

Bulleted by Michał Słupski
on August 1, 2019

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