Astrophysics

Astronomers discover a mind-boggling ‘cosmic mystery’: a giant planet as fluffy as cotton candy

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SciTechDaily

WASP-193b, a new exoplanet, is 50% larger than Jupiter, but seven times less massive, with an extremely low density comparable to cotton candy. Discovered by WASP and confirmed by observatories in Chile, the formation challenges current planetary theories and requires further research. Credit: SciTechDaily.com This exoplanet is larger but seven times less massive than Jupiter … Read more

Galactic Power Rings: Astronomers discover enormous magnetic toroids in the Milky Way’s halo

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SciTechDaily

Magnetic fields in the Milky Way’s halo have a toroidal structure, extending in a radius range from 6,000 light-years to 50,000 light-years from the center of the Milky Way. The sun is about 30,000 light years away. Credit: NAOC Astrophysicists have discovered large magnetic toroids in the Milky Way‘s halo, which affects cosmic ray propagation … Read more

Hidden in the Halo: MIT researchers discover the universe’s oldest stars

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SciTechDaily

MIT astronomers discovered three of the oldest stars in the universe, and they live in our own galactic neighborhood. The stars are located in the Milky Way’s “halo” – the cloud of stars surrounding the main galactic disk – and they appear to have formed between 12 and 13 billion years ago, when the very … Read more