Enlarge / From left to right, zooming in from the globular cluster to the location of the black hole. ESA/Hubble & NASA, M. Häberle Supermassive black holes appear to reside at the center of every galaxy, and have done so since galaxies formed early in the history of the universe. However, we currently cannot fully … Read more
NASA tracked two near-Earth asteroids, gathering vital data on their trajectories and physical characteristics using radar technology that supports ongoing planetary defense efforts. (Artistic concept.) Credit: SciTechDaily.com Deep Space Network’s Goldstone planetary radar had a busy few days observing asteroids 2024 MK and 2011 UL21 as they safely passed by Earth. Researchers at NASA‘s Jet … Read more
Last week, Earth was treated to a rare event: not one, but two large asteroids passing within earshot. Neither 2024 MK nor 2011 UL21, as the asteroids are known, came close enough to pose a threat, but both were within range of radar systems, so NASA got a few happy snapshots to mark the occasion. … Read more
Artist’s impression of the bright core region of a quasar, an active galaxy. The supermassive black hole at the center is surrounded by a bright disk of gas and dust. The dust component further away can obscure the view of the interior and shines mainly in the mid-infrared range, light that can be analyzed by … Read more
It’s been a few years since it was announced that DigiTech would be revived after being acquired by Cor-Tek, the makers of Cort guitars. Aside from the DOD Overdrive Preamp 250, we haven’t exactly seen the series of reissues and fresh guitar pedals guitarists might expect. As a huge DigiTech fan, I still have my … Read more
The Goldstone Solar System Radar, part of NASA’s Deep Space Network, made these observations of the recently discovered 150-meter-wide asteroid 2024 MK, which made its closest approach — within about 295,000 kilometers of Earth — on June 29. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech Deep Space Network’s Goldstone planetary radar had a busy few days observing asteroids 2024 MK … Read more
This artist’s rendering shows a night-time view of the Extremely Large Telescope in operation on Cerro Armazones in northern Chile. The telescope is shown using lasers to create artificial stars high in the atmosphere. Credit: ESO/L. Calçada Last segment of world’s largest telescope mirror successfully cast The Extremely Large Telescope in Chile, due for completion … Read more
Scientists have long debated why woolly mammoths, giant sloths and 44 other giant, plant-eating “megaherbivores” became extinct about 50,000 years ago. Some paleontologists, biologists and others have argued that drastic climate changes during the past two ice ages were responsible for the extinction of these majestic creatures. But a new study has found another culprit: … Read more
Prehistoric humans hunt a woolly mammoth. Mounting evidence suggests that this species, and at least 46 other megaherbivores, were driven to extinction by humans. Credit: Engraving by Ernest Grise, photographed by William Henry Jackson. Getty’s Open Content Program The debate has raged for decades: was it humans or climate change that caused many species of … Read more
Building on their extensive involvement at CERN, the University of Rochester team recently achieved “incredibly precise” measurements of the electroweak mixing angle, a key component of the Standard Model of particle physics. Credit: Samuel Joseph Hertzog; Julien Marius Ordan Researchers from the University of Rochester, working with the CMS Collaboration at CERNhave made significant progress … Read more