The Sun burns, but it's not on fire

Space & Astronomy News

The Kepler-51 system is fascinating because of its three very low density planets, which are so large and inflated they are known as "super puffs" (and featured in my video on extreme exoplanets). And scientists just found a fourth planet in the system! It remains to be seen if this planet is just as puffy as the others.
- New planet in Kepler-51 system discovered using James Webb Space Telescope
It's not exactly surprising, but NASA has officially confirmed that Artemis II, an around-the-Moon mission using Orion/SLS, is being delayed (again), from late 2025 to no earlier than April 2026.
- NASA Shares Orion Heat Shield Findings, Updates Artemis Moon Missions
Spacetime is constantly rippling due to gravitational waves. These individual waves are too small to measure, but the MeerKAT radio telescope has been able to "hear" their collective noise by measuring pulsars across the galaxy!
- South Africa’s MeerKAT tracks cosmic ripples in spacetime

Learn a Little: The Sun Isn't On Fire (But It Burns)

If fire requires oxygen, how does the Sun burn? The Sun burns in a different way than combustion!

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ICYMI: What's up with all the disks everywhere?

Solar systems, galaxies, black holes...disks are everywhere, but why?

See you next waxing gibbous!

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It's just a baby (exoplanet)!

Lunation 1270 It's just a baby (exoplanet)! Space & Astronomy News Dark gaps in disks around young stars are thought to be formed by protoplanets, which clear out the gas and dust to create the gap. But the protoplanets themselves have never been observed—until now!A growing baby planet photographed for first time in a ring of darkness JWST gets a lot of recognition for what it observes in the distant reaches of the universe, but the space telescope is also a powerful tool for uncovering more...

28 days ago • 1 min read

Another exoplanet next door

Lunation 1269 Another exoplanet next door Space & Astronomy News The Alpha Centauri system has known exoplanets around Alpha Cen C (Proxima Centauri), but Alpha Cen A might also be a planet-hosting star! The potential planet is a gas giant in the habitable zone, and orbiting a distance of 2 AU it will be, if confirmed, the closest-in orbit of any directly imaged exoplanet.NASA’s Webb Finds New Evidence for Planet Around Closest Solar Twin A new sednoid was discovered in the outer solar...

about 2 months ago • 1 min read

Hello, Rubin!

Lunation 1268 Hello, Rubin! Space & Astronomy News I have been so excited for the Rubin Observatory to start its mission (personally, I'm particularly looking forward to the huge increase in orbital data and what it will tell us about the solar system), and the first look did NOT disappoint! The Cosmic Abundance image might be one of my new favorite space photos.Ever-changing Universe Revealed in First Imagery From NSF–DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory We've gotten our third confirmed visit from...

3 months ago • 1 min read

The Gibbous Guide

The Sun is NOT on fire 🔥