Migs- Astronomy

Current Events

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Current Events will be due on C-Days. See OnCourse for specifics.

Fall 2025

Spring 2025

Scientists find strongest evidence yet of life on an alien planetIn a potential landmark discovery, scientists using the James Webb Space Telescope have obtained what they call the strongest signs yet of possible life beyond our solar system, detecting in an alien planet's atmosphere the chemical fingerprints of gases that on Earth are produced only by biological processes.

After Lunar Disappointments, NASA Hits the Jackpot With Blue GhostFirefly Aerospace’s successful moon lander has yielded a trove of data that scientists will pore over for years.

What Makes Pluto So IntriguingPluto was discovered 95 years ago. It has captured imaginations ever since.

Cosmic voids may explain the universe's acceleration without dark energyNew research suggests that dark energy isn't needed to explain the acceleration in the expansion of the universe — instead suggesting giant voids in space are creating an illusion.

Space telescope spots rare 'Einstein ring' of light around galaxy in our cosmic neighborhoodEurope’s Euclid space telescope has detected a rare halo of bright light around a nearby galaxy. The halo, known as an Einstein ring, encircles a galaxy 590 million light-years away.

Fall 2024

Polaris Dawn Astronauts Launch on Ambitious Private MissionThe mission is taking people farther from Earth than anyone has traveled since the end of NASA’s Apollo moon missions.

'Ridiculously Detailed' New Image of The Moon Is a Masterpiece of Space PhotographyTime to upgrade your wallpapers, people.

New Images of Mercury Show Speckled Surface in Sharp DetailBepiColombo, a joint European-Japanese mission, completed its latest flyby of Mercury, sending back a sneak peek of the cratered planet it will begin to orbit in 2026.

This Black Hole Has a Cosmic WingspanAstronomers have discovered a black hole emitting energy in jets longer than the width of 140 Milky Way galaxies.

Spring 2024

This diamond exoplanet lost its atmosphere — then it grew another"We measured the thermal emissions from this rocky planet, and the measurement indicates that the planet has a substantial atmosphere. It is very exciting."

See Photos of the Widespread Aurorae Last WeekendAn extreme (G5) geomagnetic storm hit Earth last weekend, delighting viewers as far south as Florida with green and red curtains of aurora.

A Tantalizing ‘Hint’ That Astronomers Got Dark Energy All WrongScientists may have discovered a major flaw in their understanding of that mysterious cosmic force. That could be good news for the fate of the universe.

Odysseus, a Private Lunar Lander, Launches Toward the MoonA SpaceX rocket lifted the spacecraft, which was built by Intuitive Machines of Houston to carry cargo for NASA and other customers to the lunar surface.

Astronomers discover Jupiter-sized objects drawn into each other's orbit

A New Search for Ripples in Space From the Beginning of TimeAs it studies cosmic microwaves, the Simons Observatory in Chile aims to help prove or disprove cosmic inflation, a notion that the universe expanded rapidly in the moment after the Big Bang.

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