A warning was issued by NASA after they spotted a 100-foot&nbsp;asteroid&nbsp;named&nbsp;2024 NB2 which is about to make an extremely close flyby Earth on Saturday (July 13).

The aeroplane-sized asteroid is travelling at a stunning speed of 47,921 kilometres per hour. Even though it will be very close to the Earth, scientists believe that it won't act as an immediate threat to the planet.

The astronomers spotted asteroid 2024 NB2 racing towards Earth at the Catalina Sky Survey in Tucson, Arizona.

NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) has been closely monitoring this near-Earth object in Southern California.&nbsp;

When the space rock makes its closest approach, the asteroid will be just 2,390,000 miles (3,850,000 kilometres) away from Earth. In astronomical terms, this distance is considered safe.

Asteroid 2024 NB2 is also being tracked by the Goldstone Solar System Radar, which is part of NASA’s Deep Space Network.&nbsp;

This radar system, which is located near Barstow, can give detailed observation of the size, orbit and speed of the asteroid.&nbsp;

Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/asteroid-2024-mt-1-makes-extremely-close-approach-to-earth-739111">Asteroid 2024 MT-1 makes extremely close approach to Earth</a>

Such observations are important to understand how near-Earth objects behave in space and improvise planetary defence strategies.

<h2>How does NASA keep an eye on any potential hazards to Earth?</h2>

The way Asteroid 2024 NB2 is moving towards Earth also reflects the importance of keeping a tab on space to detect any potential hazards.&nbsp;

NASA’s Planetary Defence Coordination Office (PDCO) has been tracking such cosmic objects and ensuring that Earth remains safe.&nbsp;

Watch:&nbsp;Indian astronauts to train at NASA from August

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/gaganyaan-mission-indian-astronaut-to-fly-to-space-station-by-2026-740296/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

The high speed at which the asteroid is travelling shows the solar system's dynamic nature.&nbsp;

Asteroids keep moving across space constantly and are influenced by the planets' gravitation pull.&nbsp;

The scientists can predict future trajectories by understanding their movements. It also helps in assessing potential risks.

(With inputs from agencies)

A warning was issued by NASA after they spotted a 100-foot asteroid named 2024 NB2 which is about to make an extremely close flyby Earth on Saturday (July 13). The aeroplane-sized asteroid is travelling at a stunning speed of 47,921 kilometres per hour.

A warning was issued by NASA after they spotted a 100-foot asteroid named 2024 NB2 which is about to make an extremely close flyby Earth on Saturday (July 13). The aeroplane-sized asteroid is travelling at a stunning speed of 47,921 kilometres per hour. Even though it will be very close to the Earth, scientists believe that it won't act as an immediate threat to the planet. The astronomers spotted asteroid 2024 NB2 racing towards Earth at the Catalina Sky Survey in Tucson, Arizona. NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) has been closely monitoring this near-Earth object in Southern California. When the space rock makes its closest approach, the asteroid will be just 2,390,000 miles (3,850,000 kilometres) away from Earth. In astronomical terms, this distance is considered safe. Asteroid 2024 NB2 is also being tracked by the Goldstone Solar System Radar, which is part of NASA’s Deep Space Network. This radar system, which is located near Barstow, can give detailed observation of the size, orbit and speed of the asteroid. Also Read: Asteroid 2024 MT-1 makes extremely close approach to Earth Such observations are important to understand how near-Earth objects behave in space and improvise planetary defence strategies. How does NASA keep an eye on any potential hazards to Earth? The way Asteroid 2024 NB2 is moving towards Earth also reflects the importance of keeping a tab on space to detect any potential hazards. NASA’s Planetary Defence Coordination Office (PDCO) has been tracking such cosmic objects and ensuring that Earth remains safe. Watch: Indian astronauts to train at NASA from August The high speed at which the asteroid is travelling shows the solar system's dynamic nature. Asteroids keep moving across space constantly and are influenced by the planets' gravitation pull. The scientists can predict future trajectories by understanding their movements. It also helps in assessing potential risks. (With inputs from agencies)

NASA issues sudden warning as 100ft asteroid races towards Earth at lightning speed

It is very well known that there are eight planets in our Solar System and then a dwarf planet - Pluto. But now the astronomers are suspecting there is a 7 per cent chance that another planet is hiding in the Oort cloud near Earth.

It is very well known that there are eight planets in our Solar System and then a dwarf planet - Pluto. But now the astronomers are suspecting there is a 7 per cent chance that another planet is hiding in the Oort cloud near Earth. Oort cloud is a spherical region in space which is filled with ice chunks and rocks and is tens of thousands of times far from the Sun. Co-author of the study and astronomer at the Planetary Science Institute Nathan Kaib said, “It’s completely plausible for our solar system to have captured such an Oort cloud planet." He added that hidden worlds like this are “a class of planets that should definitely exist but have received relatively little attention” until now. Also Read: Strictly speaking, Earth is not revolving around the Sun currently. Here's what it means In case, there is a planet in the Oort cloud, it is likely to be an ice giant. Generally, large planets like Saturn and Jupiter come into existence as twins. However, such planets have huge gravitational pulls and can even destabilise another planet. This can lead to the nudging of a planet from the Solar System and moving it entirely to the outer reaches where the Oort Cloud is present. University of Bordeaux’s Astrophysics Laboratory researcher and lead author Sean Raymond said, “The survivor planets have eccentric orbits, which are like the scars from their violent pasts." How is an Oort cloud planet different from other planets? So a planet inside the Oort Cloud is likely to have a significantly elongated orbit, which is very different from the near-perfect circular shape of the Earth. The scientists find it difficult to spot such planets because they are far away. “It would be extremely hard to detect,” said Raymond. Watch: NASA releases Webb telescope images of a galactic merger Meanwhile, an astronomer at MIT Malena Rice said, “If a Neptune-sized planet existed in our own Oort cloud, there’s a good chance that we wouldn’t have found it yet." “Amazingly, it can sometimes be easier to spot planets hundreds of light-years away than those right in our own backyard," the astronomer said, reported indy100. (With inputs from agencies)

Unknown planet lurking in our Solar System? Scientists say Earth may have a new neighbour

Astronomers have spotted a massive black hole which is closest to the Earth and appears to be "frozen in time". It was spotted with the help of the Hubble Space Telescope.

The cosmic object appears to be an elusive "intermediate-mass black hole" and is likely to serve as a missing link in understanding the connection between supermassive black holes and stellar mass black holes.&nbsp;

The black hole is said to have a mass of nearly 8,200 suns which means it is more massive in comparison to the stellar-mass black holes, which have masses between 5 and 100 times that of the sun.

The study's lead from the &nbsp;University of Utah, Anil Seth&nbsp;said, “This is a once-in-a-career kind of finding. I’ve been excited about it for nine straight months. Every time I think about it, I have a hard time sleeping."

Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/house-for-astronauts-indian-startup-discusses-launch-of-space-habitat-by-2027-with-spacex-739929">House for astronauts? Indian startup discusses launch of 'space habitat' by 2027 with SpaceX</a>

“I think that extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence. This is really, truly extraordinary evidence," he added.

The closest stellar-mass black hole to have ever been discovered is Gaia-BH1, which is just&nbsp;1,560 light-years away.

The intermediate-mass black hole is present in a collection of nearly ten million stars called&nbsp;Omega Centauri, which is 18,000 light-years from Earth.

<h2>Stellar black holes vs supermassive black holes</h2>

Black holes are created on the collapse of extremely large stars as they run out of their fuel.&nbsp;

The 'stellar black holes' in size are only a few times the mass of our sun and the monstrous 'supermassive black holes' which have millions or billions of stellar masses.

The University of Utah's undergraduate student and co-author Matthew Whittaker said, "There are black holes a little heavier than our sun that are like ants or spiders—they’re hard to spot, but kind of everywhere throughout the universe."

"Then you've got supermassive black holes that are like Godzilla in the centres of galaxies tearing things up, and we can see them easily," he added.

Watch:&nbsp;Defunct Russian satellite generated space debris, threatening astronauts, space station

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It is very difficult to observe the 'intermediate black holes' since the massive black holes are generally located at the centre of the galaxies.&nbsp;

"These intermediate-mass black holes are kind of on the level of Bigfoot. Spotting them is like finding the first evidence for Bigfoot—people are going to freak out," Whittaker said.

(With inputs from agencies)

Astronomers have spotted a massive black hole which is closest to the Earth and appears to be "frozen in time". It was spotted with the help of the Hubble Space Telescope.

Astronomers have spotted a massive black hole which is closest to the Earth and appears to be "frozen in time". It was spotted with the help of the Hubble Space Telescope. The cosmic object appears to be an elusive "intermediate-mass black hole" and is likely to serve as a missing link in understanding the connection between supermassive black holes and stellar mass black holes. The black hole is said to have a mass of nearly 8,200 suns which means it is more massive in comparison to the stellar-mass black holes, which have masses between 5 and 100 times that of the sun. The study's lead from the University of Utah, Anil Seth said, “This is a once-in-a-career kind of finding. I’ve been excited about it for nine straight months. Every time I think about it, I have a hard time sleeping." Also Read: House for astronauts? Indian startup discusses launch of 'space habitat' by 2027 with SpaceX “I think that extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence. This is really, truly extraordinary evidence," he added. The closest stellar-mass black hole to have ever been discovered is Gaia-BH1, which is just 1,560 light-years away. The intermediate-mass black hole is present in a collection of nearly ten million stars called Omega Centauri, which is 18,000 light-years from Earth. Stellar black holes vs supermassive black holes Black holes are created on the collapse of extremely large stars as they run out of their fuel. The 'stellar black holes' in size are only a few times the mass of our sun and the monstrous 'supermassive black holes' which have millions or billions of stellar masses. The University of Utah's undergraduate student and co-author Matthew Whittaker said, "There are black holes a little heavier than our sun that are like ants or spiders—they’re hard to spot, but kind of everywhere throughout the universe." "Then you've got supermassive black holes that are like Godzilla in the centres of galaxies tearing things up, and we can see them easily," he added. Watch: Defunct Russian satellite generated space debris, threatening astronauts, space station It is very difficult to observe the 'intermediate black holes' since the massive black holes are generally located at the centre of the galaxies. "These intermediate-mass black holes are kind of on the level of Bigfoot. Spotting them is like finding the first evidence for Bigfoot—people are going to freak out," Whittaker said. (With inputs from agencies)

Astronomers spot closest massive black hole to Earth, say it is 'frozen in time'

According to the scientists, the night sky will soon get a "new star" or nova after a "once-in-a-lifetime" explosion.&nbsp;

Although the explosion will not set the sky ablaze, it will give people a rare opportunity to see something they have never seen.

The new star will not be the brightening point of light, but the nova eruption will glow in the sky, nearly 3,000 light-years away from Earth.&nbsp;

A white dwarf star, which is orbiting a red giant, is expected to tear apart from its larger companion.

After enough mass collects on the surface of the white dwarf, the temperatures and rising pressures will lead to a blast which will be visible to the naked eye from the Earth. However, it will be visible for just a few days or a week.

Astronomer at the Universidad Nacional De Hurlingham in Argentina, Gerardo Juan Manuel Luna said, “This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. We are in the right time, in the right moment, with the right instruments.”

Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/china-is-set-to-shoot-a-space-projectile-at-an-asteroid-in-space-by-2030-will-it-threaten-earth-739985">China set to shoot projectile at asteroid in space by 2030. Will it threaten Earth?</a>

The white dwarf and red giant are part of a binary system which is known as the T Corona Borealis, or T CrB.&nbsp;

According to astronomers, the supernova explosion can happen anytime between now and September.&nbsp;

The eruption of T CrB occurs every 80 years. It had last occurred in 1946.&nbsp;

The scientists now plan to see the nova in a better way than before. Multiple telescopes will be fixed at T CrB so as to decode the mysteries of the cosmic blast.

Watch:&nbsp;Indian astronauts to train at NASA from August

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/gaganyaan-mission-indian-astronaut-to-fly-to-space-station-by-2026-740296/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

“We hope to be able to answer questions with this object that then might be relevant to all the other accreting and eruptive white dwarfs,” said &nbsp;Jennifer Sokoloski, who is an astrophysicist at Columbia University.

<h2>Here's how to spot the new star</h2>

The constellation Corona Borealis, which simply means “Northern Crown", has seven stars positioned in an arc. It is positioned between the bright stars Arcturus and Vega and is visible high overhead during summer evenings in the Northern Hemisphere.&nbsp;

In the Southern Hemisphere, it appears close to the northern horizon. To locate the Northern Crown, trace an arcing line from the Big Dipper to Arcturus and then spot for semicircle of stars nearby to the east.&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)

According to the scientists, the night sky will soon get a "new star" or nova after a "once-in-a-lifetime" explosion. Although the explosion will not set the sky ablaze, it will give people a rare opportunity to see something they have never seen.

According to the scientists, the night sky will soon get a "new star" or nova after a "once-in-a-lifetime" explosion. Although the explosion will not set the sky ablaze, it will give people a rare opportunity to see something they have never seen. The new star will not be the brightening point of light, but the nova eruption will glow in the sky, nearly 3,000 light-years away from Earth. A white dwarf star, which is orbiting a red giant, is expected to tear apart from its larger companion. After enough mass collects on the surface of the white dwarf, the temperatures and rising pressures will lead to a blast which will be visible to the naked eye from the Earth. However, it will be visible for just a few days or a week. Astronomer at the Universidad Nacional De Hurlingham in Argentina, Gerardo Juan Manuel Luna said, “This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. We are in the right time, in the right moment, with the right instruments.” Also Read: China set to shoot projectile at asteroid in space by 2030. Will it threaten Earth? The white dwarf and red giant are part of a binary system which is known as the T Corona Borealis, or T CrB. According to astronomers, the supernova explosion can happen anytime between now and September. The eruption of T CrB occurs every 80 years. It had last occurred in 1946. The scientists now plan to see the nova in a better way than before. Multiple telescopes will be fixed at T CrB so as to decode the mysteries of the cosmic blast. Watch: Indian astronauts to train at NASA from August “We hope to be able to answer questions with this object that then might be relevant to all the other accreting and eruptive white dwarfs,” said Jennifer Sokoloski, who is an astrophysicist at Columbia University. Here's how to spot the new star The constellation Corona Borealis, which simply means “Northern Crown", has seven stars positioned in an arc. It is positioned between the bright stars Arcturus and Vega and is visible high overhead during summer evenings in the Northern Hemisphere. In the Southern Hemisphere, it appears close to the northern horizon. To locate the Northern Crown, trace an arcing line from the Big Dipper to Arcturus and then spot for semicircle of stars nearby to the east. (With inputs from agencies)

Sky to get a 'new star' after 'once-in-a-lifetime' explosion. Here's how to watch it

It has been taught to us from school days that Earth orbits around the Sun, which results in the cycle of day and night.&nbsp;

However, if we try to understand the movement of Earth currently in the Solar System from the point of view of scientists,&nbsp;our planet is not currently orbiting the Sun.

<h2>So, what's happening between Earth and the Sun?</h2>

In the Solar System, the Sun is the largest object and has 1,048 times the mass of Jupiter. However, the gravitational pull which Earth exerts on the celestial body is exerted in the same or smaller amount on the planet.

"Kepler's third law describes the relationship between the masses of two objects mutually revolving around each other and the determination of orbital parameters,"&nbsp;explained NASA.

Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/house-for-astronauts-indian-startup-discusses-launch-of-space-habitat-by-2027-with-spacex-739929">House for astronauts? Indian startup discusses launch of 'space habitat' by 2027 with SpaceX</a>

"Consider a small star in orbit about a more massive one. Both stars actually revolve about a common centre of mass, which is called the&nbsp;barycentre. This is true no matter what the size or mass of each of the objects involved. Measuring a star's motion about its barycenter with a massive planet is one method that has been used to discover planetary systems associated with distant stars," it added.

So, Earth orbits a barycentre and not exactly the Sun. Generally, the barycentre of the bodies in the Solar System is near the Sun, however, because of the mass, and influence of gas giants Jupiter and Saturn and orbits, it is rarely inside the Sun.&nbsp;

<h2>Where is the barycentre currently?</h2>

Currently, the barycentre is outside the Sun and not inside it and hence, Earth is not currently orbiting it. So, the planet is revolving around a point in space and not the Sun.&nbsp;

Explaining this positioning of the planet, planetary astronomer and science communicator&nbsp;James O'Donoghue said, "Planets orbit the Sun in general terms", "but *technically* they don't orbit the Sun alone because the gravitational influence of (mainly) Jupiter means planets must orbit a new point in space."

"The planets do orbit the Sun of course, we are just being pedantic about the situation," he&nbsp;added. "The natural thinking is that we orbit the Sun's centre, but that very rarely happens, i.e. it's very rare for the solar system's centre of mass to align with the Sun's centre," he added.

Watch:&nbsp;Indian astronauts to train at NASA from August

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/gaganyaan-mission-indian-astronaut-to-fly-to-space-station-by-2026-740296/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

This also applies to the smaller objects, like the&nbsp;planets and their moons.&nbsp;

The Earth and Moon orbit a point which is 5,000 kilometres&nbsp;(3,100 miles) from the Earth's centre, however, this keeps changing as the Moon slowly moves away from the Earth.

(With inputs from agencies)

It has been taught to us from school days that Earth orbits around the Sun, which results in the cycle of day and night. However, if we try to understand the movement of Earth currently in the Solar System from the point of view of scientists, our planet is not currently orbiting the Sun.

It has been taught to us from school days that Earth orbits around the Sun, which results in the cycle of day and night. However, if we try to understand the movement of Earth currently in the Solar System from the point of view of scientists, our planet is not currently orbiting the Sun. So, what's happening between Earth and the Sun? In the Solar System, the Sun is the largest object and has 1,048 times the mass of Jupiter. However, the gravitational pull which Earth exerts on the celestial body is exerted in the same or smaller amount on the planet. "Kepler's third law describes the relationship between the masses of two objects mutually revolving around each other and the determination of orbital parameters," explained NASA. Also Read: House for astronauts? Indian startup discusses launch of 'space habitat' by 2027 with SpaceX "Consider a small star in orbit about a more massive one. Both stars actually revolve about a common centre of mass, which is called the barycentre. This is true no matter what the size or mass of each of the objects involved. Measuring a star's motion about its barycenter with a massive planet is one method that has been used to discover planetary systems associated with distant stars," it added. So, Earth orbits a barycentre and not exactly the Sun. Generally, the barycentre of the bodies in the Solar System is near the Sun, however, because of the mass, and influence of gas giants Jupiter and Saturn and orbits, it is rarely inside the Sun. Where is the barycentre currently? Currently, the barycentre is outside the Sun and not inside it and hence, Earth is not currently orbiting it. So, the planet is revolving around a point in space and not the Sun. Explaining this positioning of the planet, planetary astronomer and science communicator James O'Donoghue said, "Planets orbit the Sun in general terms", "but *technically* they don't orbit the Sun alone because the gravitational influence of (mainly) Jupiter means planets must orbit a new point in space." "The planets do orbit the Sun of course, we are just being pedantic about the situation," he added. "The natural thinking is that we orbit the Sun's centre, but that very rarely happens, i.e. it's very rare for the solar system's centre of mass to align with the Sun's centre," he added. Watch: Indian astronauts to train at NASA from August This also applies to the smaller objects, like the planets and their moons. The Earth and Moon orbit a point which is 5,000 kilometres (3,100 miles) from the Earth's centre, however, this keeps changing as the Moon slowly moves away from the Earth. (With inputs from agencies)

Strictly speaking, Earth is not revolving around the Sun currently. Here's what it means

A team of scientists from the University of Bristol studied the earliest ecosystem on Earth to understand when life began flourishing on our planet, just a hundred million years after planetary formation.

The new study was published in&nbsp;Nature Ecology &amp; Evolution. The living beings are said to have come from a single common ancestor known as LUCA (Last Universal Common Ancestor), according to the scientists.

LUCA is a hypothesised common ancestor from which it is believed all modern cellular life has descended.

The living beings that evolved from LUCA also came from different sources: the amino acids which had built proteins in other cellular organisms, cellular machinery like the ribosome and others, and the shared energy currency.

Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/earths-groundwater-to-turn-undrinkable-for-half-a-billion-people-by-2100-study-740031">Earth's groundwater to turn 'undrinkable' for half a billion people by 2100: Study</a>

The team compared all the genes in the genomes of living species, counting the mutations that have occurred within their sequences over time since they shared an ancestor in LUCA.

Some species' time of separation was understood from the fossil record and a genetic equivalent of the familiar equation was used by the team to understand when LUCA existed, which was found to be 4.2 billion years ago - nearly four hundred million years after the Earth and our solar system was formed.

<h2>LUCA was a complex organism, exploiting its environment: Scientists&nbsp;</h2>

The study's co-author Dr Sandra Álvarez-Carretero said, "We did not expect LUCA to be so old, within just hundreds of millions of years of Earth formation. However, our results fit with modern views on the habitability of early Earth."

The researchers also worked on LUCA's biology by modelling the physiological characteristics of living species with the genealogy of LUCA's life.

Explaining the process, lead author Dr Edmund Moody said, "The evolutionary history of genes is complicated by their exchange between lineages. We have to use complex evolutionary models to reconcile the evolutionary history of genes with the genealogy of species."

Watch:&nbsp;Scientists say the Earth's core is behaving oddly. Here's why

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"Our study showed that LUCA was a complex organism, not too different from modern prokaryotes, but what is really interesting is that it's clear it possessed an early immune system, showing that even by 4.2 billion years ago, our ancestor was engaging in an arms race with viruses," said co-author Professor Davide Pisani, while speaking about the features of LUCA.

Taking this discussion further, co-author Tim Lenton said, "It's clear that LUCA was exploiting and changing its environment, but it is unlikely to have lived alone. Its waste would have been food for other microbes, like methanogens, that would have helped to create a recycling ecosystem."

(With inputs from agencies)

A team of scientists from the University of Bristol studied the earliest ecosystem on Earth to understand when life began flourishing on our planet, just a hundred million years after planetary formation.

A team of scientists from the University of Bristol studied the earliest ecosystem on Earth to understand when life began flourishing on our planet, just a hundred million years after planetary formation. The new study was published in Nature Ecology & Evolution. The living beings are said to have come from a single common ancestor known as LUCA (Last Universal Common Ancestor), according to the scientists. LUCA is a hypothesised common ancestor from which it is believed all modern cellular life has descended. The living beings that evolved from LUCA also came from different sources: the amino acids which had built proteins in other cellular organisms, cellular machinery like the ribosome and others, and the shared energy currency. Also Read: Earth's groundwater to turn 'undrinkable' for half a billion people by 2100: Study The team compared all the genes in the genomes of living species, counting the mutations that have occurred within their sequences over time since they shared an ancestor in LUCA. Some species' time of separation was understood from the fossil record and a genetic equivalent of the familiar equation was used by the team to understand when LUCA existed, which was found to be 4.2 billion years ago - nearly four hundred million years after the Earth and our solar system was formed. LUCA was a complex organism, exploiting its environment: Scientists The study's co-author Dr Sandra Álvarez-Carretero said, "We did not expect LUCA to be so old, within just hundreds of millions of years of Earth formation. However, our results fit with modern views on the habitability of early Earth." The researchers also worked on LUCA's biology by modelling the physiological characteristics of living species with the genealogy of LUCA's life. Explaining the process, lead author Dr Edmund Moody said, "The evolutionary history of genes is complicated by their exchange between lineages. We have to use complex evolutionary models to reconcile the evolutionary history of genes with the genealogy of species." Watch: Scientists say the Earth's core is behaving oddly. Here's why "Our study showed that LUCA was a complex organism, not too different from modern prokaryotes, but what is really interesting is that it's clear it possessed an early immune system, showing that even by 4.2 billion years ago, our ancestor was engaging in an arms race with viruses," said co-author Professor Davide Pisani, while speaking about the features of LUCA. Taking this discussion further, co-author Tim Lenton said, "It's clear that LUCA was exploiting and changing its environment, but it is unlikely to have lived alone. Its waste would have been food for other microbes, like methanogens, that would have helped to create a recycling ecosystem." (With inputs from agencies)

Earth was barren till life came into existence 4.2 billion years ago: Study

The eerie red lights, which were glowing in the atmosphere of the Earth and above the coast of South Africa, were captured by a NASA astronaut from a window aboard the International Space Station (ISS).

On June 21, NASA's SpaceX Crew-8 mission commander Matthew Dominick captured the mesmerising image. The red glowing light was actually a sudden flash of a weather phenomenon called 'red sprite' lightning.

Red sprites are said to flash above thunderclouds in the upper atmosphere, known as the mesosphere, which extends up to 53 miles (85 kilometres) above the surface.

In the image, blood-red bursts of energy were seen shining above the coast of South Africa. &nbsp;

Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/china-is-set-to-shoot-a-space-projectile-at-an-asteroid-in-space-by-2030-will-it-threaten-earth-739985">China set to shoot projectile at asteroid in space by 2030. Will it threaten Earth?</a>

"Super lucky a few weeks ago when shooting a timelapse of a lightning storm off the coast of South Africa," said Dominick, as he explained the image in a post to social site X. &nbsp;

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Super lucky a few weeks ago when shooting a timelapse of a lightning storm off the coast of South Africa. One of the frames in the timelapse had a red sprite. A rare event. My knowledge is pretty much just from Wikipedia but I want to know more. 
 
50mm lens, f1.2, 1/5s, ISO 3200 <a href="https://t.co/CU1JpMwE8u">pic.twitter.com/CU1JpMwE8u</a>
— Matthew Dominick (@dominickmatthew) <a href="https://twitter.com/dominickmatthew/status/1803909515630236084?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 20, 2024</a></blockquote>
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"One of the frames in the timelapse had a red sprite. If there are any red sprite experts out there I would enjoy tips on how to capture more of these. Clearly, look for lightning storms, but I'm thinking the stronger the storm the better," he added.

The image of the red sprites was captured by Dominick from a vantage point which is hundreds of miles above the high-altitude electrical discharges and falls in the orbit within the ISS.

<h2>What is a red sprite?</h2>

Red sprites are a type of electrical bursts of light which are formed above the highly active thunderstorms.

These are found in the D region of the ionosphere, which is the area above the dense lower atmosphere nearly 37 to 56 miles from the Earth.

Watch:&nbsp;NASA's manned mission to Mars around the corner?

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The light appears red at higher altitudes and turns to blue at lower heights. For nearly a century, scientists have known that atmospheric sprites, however, their origins have remained a mystery.

They occur for only a few milliseconds and are comparatively dim in comparison to other lightning.

(With inputs from agencies)

The eerie red lights, which were glowing in the atmosphere of the Earth and above the coast of South Africa, were captured by a NASA astronaut from a window aboard the International Space Station (ISS).

The eerie red lights, which were glowing in the atmosphere of the Earth and above the coast of South Africa, were captured by a NASA astronaut from a window aboard the International Space Station (ISS). On June 21, NASA's SpaceX Crew-8 mission commander Matthew Dominick captured the mesmerising image. The red glowing light was actually a sudden flash of a weather phenomenon called 'red sprite' lightning. Red sprites are said to flash above thunderclouds in the upper atmosphere, known as the mesosphere, which extends up to 53 miles (85 kilometres) above the surface. In the image, blood-red bursts of energy were seen shining above the coast of South Africa. Also Read: China set to shoot projectile at asteroid in space by 2030. Will it threaten Earth? "Super lucky a few weeks ago when shooting a timelapse of a lightning storm off the coast of South Africa," said Dominick, as he explained the image in a post to social site X. Super lucky a few weeks ago when shooting a timelapse of a lightning storm off the coast of South Africa. One of the frames in the timelapse had a red sprite. A rare event. My knowledge is pretty much just from Wikipedia but I want to know more. 50mm lens, f1.2, 1/5s, ISO 3200 pic.twitter.com/CU1JpMwE8u — Matthew Dominick (@dominickmatthew) June 20, 2024 × "One of the frames in the timelapse had a red sprite. If there are any red sprite experts out there I would enjoy tips on how to capture more of these. Clearly, look for lightning storms, but I'm thinking the stronger the storm the better," he added. The image of the red sprites was captured by Dominick from a vantage point which is hundreds of miles above the high-altitude electrical discharges and falls in the orbit within the ISS. What is a red sprite? Red sprites are a type of electrical bursts of light which are formed above the highly active thunderstorms. These are found in the D region of the ionosphere, which is the area above the dense lower atmosphere nearly 37 to 56 miles from the Earth. Watch: NASA's manned mission to Mars around the corner? The light appears red at higher altitudes and turns to blue at lower heights. For nearly a century, scientists have known that atmospheric sprites, however, their origins have remained a mystery. They occur for only a few milliseconds and are comparatively dim in comparison to other lightning. (With inputs from agencies)

NASA captures eerie red light above South Africa. Here's what 'red sprite' was doing in Earth's atmosphere

Nearly one out of four people depend on&nbsp;groundwater - which is pumped from below the surface of the Earth - for survival since they lack access to streams, dams and freshwater lakes.

However, by the end of&nbsp;this century, tens to hundreds of millions are likely to be deprived of this groundwater as rising temperatures are likely to make it toxic and undrinkable.

The findings were based on the&nbsp;global-scale model of heat transport&nbsp;developed by an international team of researchers to measure how the temperature would change in groundwater sources across the world under different warming conditions.

According to this study, around 590 million people are likely to rely on water sources which may not&nbsp;meet the strictest standards for potable water till 2100.

Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/delhi-water-crisis-atishi-blasts-haryana-government-as-blame-game-continues-729981">Delhi water crisis: Atishi blasts Haryana government as blame game continues</a>

"A lot of focus on&nbsp;climate change&nbsp;has rightfully been to do with weather events and the availability of water,"&nbsp;said hydrologist Dylan Irvine from Charles Darwin University in Australia, as quoted&nbsp;by Science Alert.

"But we do need to think more broadly about the impact that climate change will have on groundwater," he added.

<h2>Warming groundwater can have catastrophic consequences</h2>

The warming of groundwater and its catastrophic consequences have been ignored for years. The water trapped within porous rocks can be filled with dissolved minerals,&nbsp;pollutants, and&nbsp;potential pathogens,

If this water is heated by a degree or two, it can take away oxygen from the environment and lead to the growth of dangerous bacteria. It can also cause the dissolution of excessive concentrations of heavy metals like manganese or arsenic.

A geoscientist at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology in Germany and the study's lead author Susanne Benz said, "There are already about 30 million people living in regions where the groundwater is warmer than stipulated in the strictest drinking water guidelines."

Watch:&nbsp;Water security threat amidst low snow on Himalayas, says report

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/water-security-threat-amidst-low-snow-on-himalayas-says-report-732944/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

"That means it may not be safe to drink the water there without treatment. It may need to be boiled first, for example. The drinking water also gets warmed up in water pipes by heat in the ground," he added.

Even in populations which have sufficiently sized surface reservoirs, the heated groundwater's discharges can cause an alteration of key dynamics which keep its water safe for human consumption.

In the wake of the 'shared socioeconomic pathway', the current figures can double with 188 million people living in an area in which the groundwater is not meeting the strictest of standards for drinkability by 2100.

(With inputs from agencies)

Nearly one out of four people depend on groundwater - which is pumped from below the surface of the Earth - for survival since they lack access to streams, dams and freshwater lakes.

Nearly one out of four people depend on groundwater - which is pumped from below the surface of the Earth - for survival since they lack access to streams, dams and freshwater lakes. However, by the end of this century, tens to hundreds of millions are likely to be deprived of this groundwater as rising temperatures are likely to make it toxic and undrinkable. The findings were based on the global-scale model of heat transport developed by an international team of researchers to measure how the temperature would change in groundwater sources across the world under different warming conditions. According to this study, around 590 million people are likely to rely on water sources which may not meet the strictest standards for potable water till 2100. Also Read: Delhi water crisis: Atishi blasts Haryana government as blame game continues "A lot of focus on climate change has rightfully been to do with weather events and the availability of water," said hydrologist Dylan Irvine from Charles Darwin University in Australia, as quoted by Science Alert. "But we do need to think more broadly about the impact that climate change will have on groundwater," he added. Warming groundwater can have catastrophic consequences The warming of groundwater and its catastrophic consequences have been ignored for years. The water trapped within porous rocks can be filled with dissolved minerals, pollutants, and potential pathogens, If this water is heated by a degree or two, it can take away oxygen from the environment and lead to the growth of dangerous bacteria. It can also cause the dissolution of excessive concentrations of heavy metals like manganese or arsenic. A geoscientist at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology in Germany and the study's lead author Susanne Benz said, "There are already about 30 million people living in regions where the groundwater is warmer than stipulated in the strictest drinking water guidelines." Watch: Water security threat amidst low snow on Himalayas, says report "That means it may not be safe to drink the water there without treatment. It may need to be boiled first, for example. The drinking water also gets warmed up in water pipes by heat in the ground," he added. Even in populations which have sufficiently sized surface reservoirs, the heated groundwater's discharges can cause an alteration of key dynamics which keep its water safe for human consumption. In the wake of the 'shared socioeconomic pathway', the current figures can double with 188 million people living in an area in which the groundwater is not meeting the strictest of standards for drinkability by 2100. (With inputs from agencies)

Earth's groundwater to turn 'undrinkable' for half a billion people by 2100: Study

To make a mark in the world of space science, China has now planned to strike an asteroid to deflect it by 2030, on the pretext of planetary defence.&nbsp;

The scientists have said that the mission has a dual purpose - the asteroid will be impacted by one spacecraft and its partner will make observations of the space rock to understand more about the solar system and its formation.

As per the reports, the&nbsp;near-Earth object&nbsp;(NEO) 2015 XF261 - which is a 100-foot-wide (30-metre)&nbsp;asteroid - is most probably the selected target of the China National Space Administration&nbsp;(CNSA) mission.

Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/asteroid-2024-mt-1-makes-extremely-close-approach-to-earth-739111">Asteroid 2024 MT-1 makes extremely close approach to Earth</a>

According to the database of NASA's&nbsp;Jet Propulsion Laboratory&nbsp;(JPL), asteroid 2015 XF261 had made a relatively close flyby to Earth&nbsp;on Tuesday (July 9). It was at a distance of 31 million miles (50 million kilometres) from Earth.

The space rock whizzed at a speed of around 26,000 mph (42,000 kph), which was 30 times faster than the speed of sound.

<h2>NASA's DART to pave way for Chinese mission</h2>

It was reported by the nonprofit Planetary Society that the proposed 2015 XF261-targeting mission was discussed in a recent paper in the&nbsp;Journal of Deep Space Exploration.

"For China's first near-Earth asteroid defence on-orbit verification mission, a defensive disposal demonstration will be carried out on the potential risk of near-Earth asteroids impacting the Earth," stated the study.&nbsp;

"The scientific objectives of the on-orbit verification of&nbsp;asteroid defence&nbsp;and its specific scientific exploration mission will be designed and proposed," it added.&nbsp;

"A scientific payload demand analysis will be carried out, and payload configuration plans and exploration mission requirements will be proposed to provide a decision-making basis for the future implementation of asteroid defence missions," researchers wrote.&nbsp;

Watch:&nbsp;Starliner astronauts 'confident' on return trip, Sunita Williams &amp; Billy Wilmore address press

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China is set to follow in the footsteps of NASA's planetary defence mission - the&nbsp;Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) - which deflected a small body in the&nbsp;Didymos binary asteroid system in September 2022.

It is difficult to say if the asteroid will be safely deflected or if our Earth will face some impact, in case the process goes wrong. One cannot&nbsp;forget the mounting evidence which suggests&nbsp;how an asteroid hitting the planet Earth led to the extinction of the dinosaurs.&nbsp;&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)

To make a mark in the world of space science, China has now planned to strike an asteroid to deflect it by 2030, on the pretext of planetary defence. The scientists have said that the mission has a dual purpose - the asteroid will be impacted by one spacecraft and its partner will make observations of the space rock to understand more about the solar system and its formation.

To make a mark in the world of space science, China has now planned to strike an asteroid to deflect it by 2030, on the pretext of planetary defence. The scientists have said that the mission has a dual purpose - the asteroid will be impacted by one spacecraft and its partner will make observations of the space rock to understand more about the solar system and its formation. As per the reports, the near-Earth object (NEO) 2015 XF261 - which is a 100-foot-wide (30-metre) asteroid - is most probably the selected target of the China National Space Administration (CNSA) mission. Also Read: Asteroid 2024 MT-1 makes extremely close approach to Earth According to the database of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), asteroid 2015 XF261 had made a relatively close flyby to Earth on Tuesday (July 9). It was at a distance of 31 million miles (50 million kilometres) from Earth. The space rock whizzed at a speed of around 26,000 mph (42,000 kph), which was 30 times faster than the speed of sound. NASA's DART to pave way for Chinese mission It was reported by the nonprofit Planetary Society that the proposed 2015 XF261-targeting mission was discussed in a recent paper in the Journal of Deep Space Exploration. "For China's first near-Earth asteroid defence on-orbit verification mission, a defensive disposal demonstration will be carried out on the potential risk of near-Earth asteroids impacting the Earth," stated the study. "The scientific objectives of the on-orbit verification of asteroid defence and its specific scientific exploration mission will be designed and proposed," it added. "A scientific payload demand analysis will be carried out, and payload configuration plans and exploration mission requirements will be proposed to provide a decision-making basis for the future implementation of asteroid defence missions," researchers wrote. Watch: Starliner astronauts 'confident' on return trip, Sunita Williams & Billy Wilmore address press China is set to follow in the footsteps of NASA's planetary defence mission - the Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) - which deflected a small body in the Didymos binary asteroid system in September 2022. It is difficult to say if the asteroid will be safely deflected or if our Earth will face some impact, in case the process goes wrong. One cannot forget the mounting evidence which suggests how an asteroid hitting the planet Earth led to the extinction of the dinosaurs. (With inputs from agencies)

China set to shoot projectile at asteroid in space by 2030. Will it threaten Earth?

NASA's James Webb Space Telescope has made a magnificent discovery and was able to even capture it for the world to see the mysteries of the cosmos.

An exoplanet, which appeared like a sparkling jewelled ring, was captured by the telescope. The jewelled ring of the exoplanet was found to be a result of a cosmic phenomenon called gravitational lensing.

The exoplanet captured is a distant&nbsp;quasar, which is called RX J1131-1231, and is floating six&nbsp;billion&nbsp;light-years&nbsp;from&nbsp;Earth.&nbsp;

Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/saturns-hellish-exoplanet-has-water-vapours-whats-hiding-in-this-alien-world-739618">Saturn's hellish exoplanet has water vapours! What's hiding in this alien world?</a>

A nearby elliptical galaxy's powerful gravitational field appeared to have warped the light of the quasar, which is an extremely luminous&nbsp;active galactic nucleus (AGN) and formed a bright arc as well as duplicate views of the object, eventually procuring a visual which appeared like gemstones on a ring.&nbsp;

<h2>What is gravitational lensing?</h2>

The James Webb Telescope captured the quasars which are filled with large amounts of gas and dust falling inside the supermassive black hole of the galaxy, which makes the region shine very brightly.&nbsp;

The gravitational lensing occurs when the light from a more distant source is bent by a massive object. Its effects allow astronomers to observe regions close to the black hole part of distant quasars, said the European Space Agency&nbsp;(ESA) in a statement.&nbsp;

In the image, the elliptical galaxy, which led&nbsp;to the gravitational lens, appears as a small blue dot in the centre of the ring.

The galaxy works as a natural telescope which magnifies the light from the more distant&nbsp;quasar.

Watch:&nbsp;Earth's days may be getting little longer: Unveiling the planet's mysteries

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"If a black hole grows primarily from collisions and mergers between galaxies, it should accumulate material in a stable disc, and the steady supply of new material from the disc should lead to a rapidly spinning black hole," said ESA officials, in the statement.

"On the other hand, if the&nbsp;black hole&nbsp;grew through many small accretion episodes, it would accumulate material from random directions. Observations have indicated that the black hole in this particular quasar is spinning at over half the&nbsp;speed of light, which suggests that this black hole has grown via mergers, rather than pulling material in from different directions," &nbsp;they added.

JWST's&nbsp;Mid-Infrared Instrument&nbsp;(MIRI) was used to take the image as part of the study being conducted on dark matter&nbsp;and its distribution in&nbsp;the universe.&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)

NASA's James Webb Space Telescope has made a magnificent discovery and was able to even capture it for the world to see the mysteries of the cosmos. An exoplanet, which appeared like a sparkling jewelled ring, was captured by the telescope.

NASA's James Webb Space Telescope has made a magnificent discovery and was able to even capture it for the world to see the mysteries of the cosmos. An exoplanet, which appeared like a sparkling jewelled ring, was captured by the telescope. The jewelled ring of the exoplanet was found to be a result of a cosmic phenomenon called gravitational lensing. The exoplanet captured is a distant quasar, which is called RX J1131-1231, and is floating six billion light-years from Earth. Also Read: Saturn's hellish exoplanet has water vapours! What's hiding in this alien world? A nearby elliptical galaxy's powerful gravitational field appeared to have warped the light of the quasar, which is an extremely luminous active galactic nucleus (AGN) and formed a bright arc as well as duplicate views of the object, eventually procuring a visual which appeared like gemstones on a ring. What is gravitational lensing? The James Webb Telescope captured the quasars which are filled with large amounts of gas and dust falling inside the supermassive black hole of the galaxy, which makes the region shine very brightly. The gravitational lensing occurs when the light from a more distant source is bent by a massive object. Its effects allow astronomers to observe regions close to the black hole part of distant quasars, said the European Space Agency (ESA) in a statement. In the image, the elliptical galaxy, which led to the gravitational lens, appears as a small blue dot in the centre of the ring. The galaxy works as a natural telescope which magnifies the light from the more distant quasar. Watch: Earth's days may be getting little longer: Unveiling the planet's mysteries "If a black hole grows primarily from collisions and mergers between galaxies, it should accumulate material in a stable disc, and the steady supply of new material from the disc should lead to a rapidly spinning black hole," said ESA officials, in the statement. "On the other hand, if the black hole grew through many small accretion episodes, it would accumulate material from random directions. Observations have indicated that the black hole in this particular quasar is spinning at over half the speed of light, which suggests that this black hole has grown via mergers, rather than pulling material in from different directions," they added. JWST's Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI) was used to take the image as part of the study being conducted on dark matter and its distribution in the universe. (With inputs from agencies)

NASA discovers jewelled ring-shaped exoplanet floating 6 billion light-years away from Earth

A massive UFO&nbsp;was spotted beaming with pulsating green lights and flying over Iran.&nbsp;

A short video of the mysterious spaceship was caught&nbsp;on camera and shared on TikTok, sparking a&nbsp;debate among people over whether aliens have descended on Earth.

The supposed spacecraft, which was spotted flying quite low at a few junctures, appeared to have four circular rows of bright pulsating green lights. In the middle of the UFO's underside, there was one solid dot.&nbsp;

Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/aliens-trying-communicating-to-humans-keep-getting-blocked-by-mysterious-earth-barrier-claims-reddit-user-739612">Aliens trying communicating to humans, keep getting blocked by mysterious Earth barrier, claims Reddit user</a>

As the so-called spacecraft&nbsp;zipped across the skies in the&nbsp;capital city of Tehran, many citizens captured it on camera. The spacecraft's speed and altitude kept changing as it continued its journey.

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The video clip was shared by TikTok user @jakestaxxx on the social media platform and received more than half a million views, as people debated&nbsp;its authenticity.

<h2>Here's how&nbsp;users reacted to the video</h2>

One user said that he had witnessed a UFO previously and appeared to be taking the TikTok post at face value.&nbsp;

"That's so cool, I've witnessed a real UFO close up but it was so fast coming down and it stopped only to do four circles around in the sky so fast then flew over us like that, awesome to witness," he said, as quoted by the Mirror Now.&nbsp;

Watch:&nbsp;Study: Secret aliens could be here on Earth already

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Even though many believed that it did belong to the other world, some disagreed and accused that digital wizardry may have been used.

"Aliens just don't show up like that, there's galactic rules. If this was real it would have caused public unrest. I don't see any public unrest," said one user.

(With inputs from agencies)

A massive UFO was spotted beaming with pulsating green lights and flying over Iran. A short video of the mysterious spaceship was caught on camera and shared on TikTok, sparking a debate among people over whether aliens have descended on Earth.

A massive UFO was spotted beaming with pulsating green lights and flying over Iran. A short video of the mysterious spaceship was caught on camera and shared on TikTok, sparking a debate among people over whether aliens have descended on Earth. The supposed spacecraft, which was spotted flying quite low at a few junctures, appeared to have four circular rows of bright pulsating green lights. In the middle of the UFO's underside, there was one solid dot. Also Read: Aliens trying communicating to humans, keep getting blocked by mysterious Earth barrier, claims Reddit user As the so-called spacecraft zipped across the skies in the capital city of Tehran, many citizens captured it on camera. The spacecraft's speed and altitude kept changing as it continued its journey. Multiple video clips show brightly lit UFO flying over streets of Tehran, Iran A strange object spotted over Iran has been captured on camera from multiple different angles. It's not often that we get to see clear video footage of an unidentified flying object, but in this… pic.twitter.com/xOjD8WQrif — The Confessionals (@TConfessionals) June 12, 2024 × The video clip was shared by TikTok user @jakestaxxx on the social media platform and received more than half a million views, as people debated its authenticity. Here's how users reacted to the video One user said that he had witnessed a UFO previously and appeared to be taking the TikTok post at face value. "That's so cool, I've witnessed a real UFO close up but it was so fast coming down and it stopped only to do four circles around in the sky so fast then flew over us like that, awesome to witness," he said, as quoted by the Mirror Now. Watch: Study: Secret aliens could be here on Earth already Even though many believed that it did belong to the other world, some disagreed and accused that digital wizardry may have been used. "Aliens just don't show up like that, there's galactic rules. If this was real it would have caused public unrest. I don't see any public unrest," said one user. (With inputs from agencies)

Watch: Green-coloured UFO spotted flying over Iran. TikTokers share video, ask 'aliens headed to Earth?'

Long before human civilisation existed on our planet, Earth was just a dry fireball with no water on it and appeared very similar to other exoplanets.

So how, did this burning and hellish planet get water bodies and become a hospitable place for human civilisation?&nbsp;

The researchers, while studying certain meteorite classes, found the source that led to the existence of water-rich cosmic bodies in the primordial solar system.

The scientists identified mini astronomical structures,&nbsp;known as planetesimals, as agents that made the cosmic delivery of water.

The planetesimals brought materials for planet construction, which included our Earth, which had very little water to start with.

Explaining these cosmic bodies, Director of the Klaus Tschira Laboratory for Cosmochemistry at Heidelberg University’s&nbsp;Institute of Earth Sciences, Professor Dr. Mario Trieloff said, “These small bodies did not just supply the building materials for the planets. They are, in reality, the very source of Earth’s water."&nbsp;

These planetesimals remained at cooler temperatures in the&nbsp;outer solar system. In this place, ice remained as solid-state water.

Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/asteroid-2024-mt-1-makes-extremely-close-approach-to-earth-739111">Asteroid 2024 MT-1 makes extremely close approach to Earth</a>

These planetesimals were starkly different from other celestial bodies which were formed earlier in the history of the solar system. Those bodies were too hot and very close to the Sun, which made it impossible to create ice.&nbsp;

These bodies, which were formed at an early stage in the universe, faced intense thermal conditions which prevented the accumulation or retention of volatile substances like water.

<h2>How was the research carried out?</h2>

The international research team, which included distinguished earth scientists from Heidelberg University, meticulously analysed age data and used sophisticated computational models, to trace the thermal evolution of these planetesimals' parent bodies.

Throughout their research, they carried out the examination of isotopic compositions and conducted simulations to understand the material composition and heat dynamics of these early solar system objects.

Watch:&nbsp;Scientists say the Earth's core is behaving oddly. Here's why

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In the research, the team found that some planetesimals&nbsp;formed extremely rapidly in a time span of less than two million years.&nbsp;

The bodies faced intense heating, melted completely, and lost all their volatile elements, which included water.

Short-lived radioactive isotopes, that release substantial amounts of heat, started decaying, which led to rapid heating.

Meanwhile, in the study, it was found that a second group of planetesimals was formed later on&nbsp;at cooler temperatures in the outer reaches of the solar system.

(With inputs from agencies)

Long before human civilisation existed on our planet, Earth was just a dry fireball with no water on it and appeared very similar to other exoplanets. So how, did this burning and hellish planet get water bodies and become a hospitable place for human civilisation?

Long before human civilisation existed on our planet, Earth was just a dry fireball with no water on it and appeared very similar to other exoplanets. So how, did this burning and hellish planet get water bodies and become a hospitable place for human civilisation? The researchers, while studying certain meteorite classes, found the source that led to the existence of water-rich cosmic bodies in the primordial solar system. The scientists identified mini astronomical structures, known as planetesimals, as agents that made the cosmic delivery of water. The planetesimals brought materials for planet construction, which included our Earth, which had very little water to start with. Explaining these cosmic bodies, Director of the Klaus Tschira Laboratory for Cosmochemistry at Heidelberg University’s Institute of Earth Sciences, Professor Dr. Mario Trieloff said, “These small bodies did not just supply the building materials for the planets. They are, in reality, the very source of Earth’s water." These planetesimals remained at cooler temperatures in the outer solar system. In this place, ice remained as solid-state water. Also Read: Asteroid 2024 MT-1 makes extremely close approach to Earth These planetesimals were starkly different from other celestial bodies which were formed earlier in the history of the solar system. Those bodies were too hot and very close to the Sun, which made it impossible to create ice. These bodies, which were formed at an early stage in the universe, faced intense thermal conditions which prevented the accumulation or retention of volatile substances like water. How was the research carried out? The international research team, which included distinguished earth scientists from Heidelberg University, meticulously analysed age data and used sophisticated computational models, to trace the thermal evolution of these planetesimals' parent bodies. Throughout their research, they carried out the examination of isotopic compositions and conducted simulations to understand the material composition and heat dynamics of these early solar system objects. Watch: Scientists say the Earth's core is behaving oddly. Here's why In the research, the team found that some planetesimals formed extremely rapidly in a time span of less than two million years. The bodies faced intense heating, melted completely, and lost all their volatile elements, which included water. Short-lived radioactive isotopes, that release substantial amounts of heat, started decaying, which led to rapid heating. Meanwhile, in the study, it was found that a second group of planetesimals was formed later on at cooler temperatures in the outer reaches of the solar system. (With inputs from agencies)

Earth received cosmic delivery of water in its early days when it was a fireball. This was the source

In a stunning discovery, astronomers have found that a "hot Jupiter" planet, which is very close to Earth, has been stinking like rotten eggs.

The astronomers noticed this abrupt environment of the planet using the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST).

This rare kind of planet is famous for its extreme temperatures, deadly rains of glass and strong winds which blow sideways at a speed of 5,000 mph (8,046 kph). The latest discovery has made the world extremely less likely to host any kind of life.

<h2>Why is this hellish planet smelling like rotten eggs?</h2>

The hot Jupiter exoplanet HD 189733 b is around 64 light-years from Earth and its hydrogen is filled with hydrogen sulfide which is likely triggering the smell of rotten eggs, revealed the James Webb Space Telescope.&nbsp;

In the new study, the astronomers measured the amount of carbon dioxide, oxygen, water and heavy metals present in the atmosphere of the exoplanet.&nbsp;

Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/nasa-creates-alien-hunting-telescope-aims-to-discover-inhabited-planet-by-2050-738307">NASA creates alien-hunting telescope, aims to discover inhabited planet by 2050</a>

They also discovered the presence of hydrogen sulfide - which is a toxic and flammable colourless gas that gets released when organic matter decays on Earth.&nbsp;

The researchers said that gas was rarely spotted outside the solar system and very little amounts of it were traced in the space between stars and in the interstellar medium.&nbsp;

"Hydrogen sulfide is a major molecule that we didn't know was there. We predicted it would be, and we know it's in&nbsp;Jupiter, but we hadn't really detected it outside the solar system," said team leader Guangwei Fu, who is an astrophysicist at Johns Hopkins.

"We're not looking for life on this planet because it's way too hot, but finding hydrogen sulfide is a stepping stone for finding this molecule on other planets and gaining more understanding of&nbsp;how different types of planets form," he added.

<h2>All about the exoplanet which gets battered by glass rains</h2>

The exoplanet HD 189733 b is a huge gas giant which is present in the Vulpecula constellation, around 64 light-years away from Earth.&nbsp;

Watch:&nbsp;Manned mission to Mars around corner? | Red planet reveals traces of life during its early years

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The planet orbits extremely close to its home star, nearly 13 times closer than&nbsp;Mercury&nbsp;orbits&nbsp;the sun, and is known to complete one orbit every two days.&nbsp;

Because of this, the surface of the exoplanet can become very hot and reach a temperature of&nbsp;1,700 degrees Fahrenheit (925 degrees Celsius). This kind of temperature can melt certain types of rocks into magma.

The planet is also known to receive rains of molten glass and winds travel here at a speed of 500 mph (800 km/h), which is three times faster than a Category 5 hurricane on Earth.&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)

In a stunning discovery, astronomers have found that a "hot Jupiter" planet, which is very close to Earth, has been stinking like rotten eggs. The astronomers noticed this abrupt environment of the planet using the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST).

In a stunning discovery, astronomers have found that a "hot Jupiter" planet, which is very close to Earth, has been stinking like rotten eggs. The astronomers noticed this abrupt environment of the planet using the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). This rare kind of planet is famous for its extreme temperatures, deadly rains of glass and strong winds which blow sideways at a speed of 5,000 mph (8,046 kph). The latest discovery has made the world extremely less likely to host any kind of life. Why is this hellish planet smelling like rotten eggs? The hot Jupiter exoplanet HD 189733 b is around 64 light-years from Earth and its hydrogen is filled with hydrogen sulfide which is likely triggering the smell of rotten eggs, revealed the James Webb Space Telescope. In the new study, the astronomers measured the amount of carbon dioxide, oxygen, water and heavy metals present in the atmosphere of the exoplanet. Also Read: NASA creates alien-hunting telescope, aims to discover inhabited planet by 2050 They also discovered the presence of hydrogen sulfide - which is a toxic and flammable colourless gas that gets released when organic matter decays on Earth. The researchers said that gas was rarely spotted outside the solar system and very little amounts of it were traced in the space between stars and in the interstellar medium. "Hydrogen sulfide is a major molecule that we didn't know was there. We predicted it would be, and we know it's in Jupiter, but we hadn't really detected it outside the solar system," said team leader Guangwei Fu, who is an astrophysicist at Johns Hopkins. "We're not looking for life on this planet because it's way too hot, but finding hydrogen sulfide is a stepping stone for finding this molecule on other planets and gaining more understanding of how different types of planets form," he added. All about the exoplanet which gets battered by glass rains The exoplanet HD 189733 b is a huge gas giant which is present in the Vulpecula constellation, around 64 light-years away from Earth. Watch: Manned mission to Mars around corner? | Red planet reveals traces of life during its early years The planet orbits extremely close to its home star, nearly 13 times closer than Mercury orbits the sun, and is known to complete one orbit every two days. Because of this, the surface of the exoplanet can become very hot and reach a temperature of 1,700 degrees Fahrenheit (925 degrees Celsius). This kind of temperature can melt certain types of rocks into magma. The planet is also known to receive rains of molten glass and winds travel here at a speed of 500 mph (800 km/h), which is three times faster than a Category 5 hurricane on Earth. (With inputs from agencies)

Exoplanet which receives rains of glass and is close to Earth is stinking like rotten eggs. Here's why

Scientists say the Earth's core is slowing down and it could possibly be rotating in reverse. How is this possible? What does it mean for our planet?

Scientists say the Earth's core is behaving oddly. Here's why

For nearly 12 years, NASA's Curiosity rover has been actively collecting samples from the surface of Mars and continuously making groundbreaking discoveries. The recent findings related&nbsp;to the properties of the organic material present on the red planet have challenged the existing knowledge of scientists on both Mars and Earth.

The material discovered has properties that are generally a sign of microorganisms on Earth. However, they can also be due to non-biological, chemical functions. The findings published in Nature Geoscience have baffled researchers from where it came into being.

According to researchers from the University of Copenhagen and the Tokyo Institute of Technology, who are collaborating on this research, this discovery can help&nbsp;understand how life came into being billions of years ago on our planet Earth.

Also Read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/trending/earth-witnessed-never-ever-seen-polar-rain-aurora-heres-how-this-eerie-glow-was-formed-738543">Earth witnessed never-ever-seen 'polar rain' aurora. Here's how this eerie glow was formed</a>

Co-author of the study, Matthew Johnson of the University of Copenhagen calls this discovery "the smoking gun", which confirms a decade-old theory of so-called photolysis in the atmosphere of Mars.

"Such carbon-based complex molecules are the prerequisite of life, the building blocks of life, one might say," he said. "So, this is a bit like the old debate about which came first, the chicken or the egg. We show that the organic material found on Mars has been formed through atmospheric photochemical reactions – without life that is. This is the 'egg', a prerequisite of life. It still remains to be shown whether or not this organic material resulted in life on the red planet."

The concept that photolysis, a process in which molecules are broken apart by light, plays a role in the organic chemistry of Mars has been going about for a long time. However, hard evidence to support the theory has not been found.&nbsp;

"The smoking gun here is that the ratio of carbon isotopes in it exactly matches our predictions in the quantum chemical simulations, but there was a missing piece in the puzzle. We were missing the other product of this chemical process to confirm the theory, and that's what we've now obtained," said Johnson.

Also Read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/nasa-is-on-alert-as-gigantic-asteroid-size-of-statue-of-liberty-is-hurtling-towards-earth-at-65215-kmph-738357">NASA is on alert as gigantic&nbsp;asteroid, size of Statue of Liberty, is hurtling towards Earth at 65,215 kmph</a>

The discovery was made by the Curiosity rover in the Gale Crater including carbon-13 depletion in the samples of carbonate minerals, which mirrors the same elements found in a previous discovery from the Martian meteorite that formed the basis of the initial theory.

This strong piece of evidence gives us clues about the origins of organic material on Earth. Since Earth, Mars, and Venus have similar atmospheres, the same processes likely occurred on our planet.

"We have not yet found this 'smoking gun' material here on Earth to prove that the process took place. Perhaps because Earth's surface is much more alive, geologically and literally, and therefore constantly changing," said Johnson.

"But it is a big step that we have now found it on Mars, from a time when the two planets were very similar."

(With inputs from agencies)

For nearly 12 years, NASA's Curiosity rover has been actively collecting samples from the surface of Mars and continuously making groundbreaking discoveries. The recent findings related to the properties of the organic material present on the red planet have challenged the existing knowledge of scientists on both Mars and Earth.

For nearly 12 years, NASA's Curiosity rover has been actively collecting samples from the surface of Mars and continuously making groundbreaking discoveries. The recent findings related to the properties of the organic material present on the red planet have challenged the existing knowledge of scientists on both Mars and Earth. The material discovered has properties that are generally a sign of microorganisms on Earth. However, they can also be due to non-biological, chemical functions. The findings published in Nature Geoscience have baffled researchers from where it came into being. According to researchers from the University of Copenhagen and the Tokyo Institute of Technology, who are collaborating on this research, this discovery can help understand how life came into being billions of years ago on our planet Earth. Also Read | Earth witnessed never-ever-seen 'polar rain' aurora. Here's how this eerie glow was formed Co-author of the study, Matthew Johnson of the University of Copenhagen calls this discovery "the smoking gun", which confirms a decade-old theory of so-called photolysis in the atmosphere of Mars. "Such carbon-based complex molecules are the prerequisite of life, the building blocks of life, one might say," he said. "So, this is a bit like the old debate about which came first, the chicken or the egg. We show that the organic material found on Mars has been formed through atmospheric photochemical reactions – without life that is. This is the 'egg', a prerequisite of life. It still remains to be shown whether or not this organic material resulted in life on the red planet." The concept that photolysis, a process in which molecules are broken apart by light, plays a role in the organic chemistry of Mars has been going about for a long time. However, hard evidence to support the theory has not been found. "The smoking gun here is that the ratio of carbon isotopes in it exactly matches our predictions in the quantum chemical simulations, but there was a missing piece in the puzzle. We were missing the other product of this chemical process to confirm the theory, and that's what we've now obtained," said Johnson. Also Read | NASA is on alert as gigantic asteroid, size of Statue of Liberty, is hurtling towards Earth at 65,215 kmph The discovery was made by the Curiosity rover in the Gale Crater including carbon-13 depletion in the samples of carbonate minerals, which mirrors the same elements found in a previous discovery from the Martian meteorite that formed the basis of the initial theory. This strong piece of evidence gives us clues about the origins of organic material on Earth. Since Earth, Mars, and Venus have similar atmospheres, the same processes likely occurred on our planet. "We have not yet found this 'smoking gun' material here on Earth to prove that the process took place. Perhaps because Earth's surface is much more alive, geologically and literally, and therefore constantly changing," said Johnson. "But it is a big step that we have now found it on Mars, from a time when the two planets were very similar." (With inputs from agencies)

Organic material found on Mars by Curiosity rover may reveal clues to life on Earth

After studying for two years the mysterious green auroras - which appeared on Christmas Day in the Arctic in 2022 - the Japanese and United States-based researchers have now found out that it occurred because of a 'rainstorm' of&nbsp;electrons which are directed from the Sun.

This was the first time such a rare aurora was witnessed from the Earth and it came when there was a major drop in the gusts of the solar wind, which had left the region around the Earth calm.

Generally, the auroras move and pulsate in clearly discernible shapes in the sky. The electrons from the solar wind - which is a stream of charged particles which flow from the Sun - power the auroral displays.

Then, the auroras get trapped in an extension of the magnetic field of Earth called the magnetotail.&nbsp;

When there is an extreme condition in the space weather, like when a coronal mass ejection&nbsp;(CME) - which is a large ejection of plasma as well as magnetic field from the Sun - gets released, the magnetotail gets pinched off.

Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/trending/watch-iss-captures-fireworks-in-space-shares-footage-of-mesmerising-northern-lights-738470">ISS captures fireworks in space, shares footage of mesmerising Northern Lights</a>

Slowly, the trapped electrons flow down to the magnetic field line of the Earth near the poles. &nbsp;

As it happens, the electrons encounter the molecules present in the atmosphere of Earth, collide with them and make them glow in different colours of the aurora.

As they do so, they encounter molecules in&nbsp;Earth's atmosphere, colliding with them and prompting them to glow in the&nbsp;colours of the aurora.

<h2>How the Christmas aurora was different from the normal aurora</h2>

The aurora, which appeared on December 25-26, 2022, was pretty different.&nbsp;

The aurora, which was imaged by an All-Sky Electron Multiplying Charge-Coupled Device (EMCCD) camera in Longyearbyen in Norway, was a faint and featureless glow that spanned 2,485 miles (4,000 kilometres) in extent.&nbsp;

Watch:&nbsp;Aurora seen glowing from ISS as astronauts test Starliner&nbsp;

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/aurora-seen-glowing-from-iss-as-astronauts-test-starliner-trending-on-wion-732898/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

The aurora had no structure and did not have any pulsing or varying brightness. Such an aurora was never ever seen before from Earth.

A team led by Keisuke Hosokawa, who is from the Center for Space Science and Radio Engineering at the University of Electro-Communications in Tokyo, solved the mystery behind these aurora by comparing them with what was seen by the Special Sensor Ultraviolet Scanning Imager (SSUSI) on the polar-orbiting satellites of the Defence Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP).&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)

After studying for two years the mysterious green auroras - which appeared on Christmas Day in the Arctic in 2022 - the Japanese and United States-based researchers have now found out that it occurred because of a 'rainstorm' of electrons which are directed from the Sun.

After studying for two years the mysterious green auroras - which appeared on Christmas Day in the Arctic in 2022 - the Japanese and United States-based researchers have now found out that it occurred because of a 'rainstorm' of electrons which are directed from the Sun. This was the first time such a rare aurora was witnessed from the Earth and it came when there was a major drop in the gusts of the solar wind, which had left the region around the Earth calm. Generally, the auroras move and pulsate in clearly discernible shapes in the sky. The electrons from the solar wind - which is a stream of charged particles which flow from the Sun - power the auroral displays. Then, the auroras get trapped in an extension of the magnetic field of Earth called the magnetotail. When there is an extreme condition in the space weather, like when a coronal mass ejection (CME) - which is a large ejection of plasma as well as magnetic field from the Sun - gets released, the magnetotail gets pinched off. Also Read: ISS captures fireworks in space, shares footage of mesmerising Northern Lights Slowly, the trapped electrons flow down to the magnetic field line of the Earth near the poles. As it happens, the electrons encounter the molecules present in the atmosphere of Earth, collide with them and make them glow in different colours of the aurora. As they do so, they encounter molecules in Earth's atmosphere, colliding with them and prompting them to glow in the colours of the aurora. How the Christmas aurora was different from the normal aurora The aurora, which appeared on December 25-26, 2022, was pretty different. The aurora, which was imaged by an All-Sky Electron Multiplying Charge-Coupled Device (EMCCD) camera in Longyearbyen in Norway, was a faint and featureless glow that spanned 2,485 miles (4,000 kilometres) in extent. Watch: Aurora seen glowing from ISS as astronauts test Starliner The aurora had no structure and did not have any pulsing or varying brightness. Such an aurora was never ever seen before from Earth. A team led by Keisuke Hosokawa, who is from the Center for Space Science and Radio Engineering at the University of Electro-Communications in Tokyo, solved the mystery behind these aurora by comparing them with what was seen by the Special Sensor Ultraviolet Scanning Imager (SSUSI) on the polar-orbiting satellites of the Defence Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP). (With inputs from agencies)

Earth witnessed never-ever-seen 'polar rain' aurora. Here's how this eerie glow was formed

Earth was seen engaged in a rare cosmic event last week when two huge asteroids made a flyby at a very close distance from the planet.

The asteroids, named 2024 MK and 2011 UL21, did not come so close to Earth to pose a hazard to the planet. However, both of them were within range of radar imaging systems.&nbsp;

The two asteroids were tracked by the scientists at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California.&nbsp;

It was found that one of the asteroids had a little moon orbiting it and the astronomers spotted the other only 13 days before it made its&nbsp;closest approach&nbsp;to Earth.&nbsp;

The asteroids passed near the Earth on June 27. They made a flyby at a distance of 4.1 million miles (6.6 million kilometres) which is 17 times the distance between the Earth and the moon.&nbsp;

Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/asteroids-thrashing-mars-more-than-ever-thought-leaving-craters-on-red-planet-736281">Asteroids thrashing Mars more than ever thought, leaving craters on Red Planet</a>

In 2011, the asteroid 2011 UL21 was discovered by the Catalina Sky Survey in Tucson, Arizona.&nbsp;

“The term ‘Potentially Hazardous Asteroid’ (PHA) is a precise formal definition, referring to minor planets larger than approximately 140 metres [459 feet] that can come within 7.5 million km [4.6 million miles] from the Earth,” said Gianluca Masi, who is an astrophysicist and scientific director of the Virtual Telescope Project, in a&nbsp;statement&nbsp;before the flyby.&nbsp;

“In other words, only the largest asteroids capable of approaching close enough to our planet are flagged as PHAs, which does not mean they are going to hit the Earth, but they nonetheless warrant better monitoring," he added.

<h2>NASA says asteroids belonged to a binary system</h2>

NASA's Deep Space Network’s Goldstone planetary radar was closely watching the asteroids and captured it seven times as it moved at a speed of 25 kilometres (16 miles) per second.&nbsp;

Watch:&nbsp;Asteroid 2024 MK passes Earth at 300,000 km

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/asteroid-2024-mk-passes-earth-at-300000-km-736813/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

NASA got the first chance to image the asteroid by using radar and in that they found that the asteroid belonged to a binary system.

“It is thought that about two-thirds of asteroids of this size are binary systems, and their discovery is particularly important because we can use measurements of their relative positions to estimate their mutual orbits, masses, and densities, which provide key information about how they may have formed,” said Lance Benner, who is a principal scientist at JPL who helped lead the observations, in a&nbsp;statement.

(With inputs from agencies)

Earth was seen engaged in a rare cosmic event last week when two huge asteroids made a flyby at a very close distance from the planet. The asteroids, named 2024 MK and 2011 UL21, did not come so close to Earth to pose a hazard to the planet.

Earth was seen engaged in a rare cosmic event last week when two huge asteroids made a flyby at a very close distance from the planet. The asteroids, named 2024 MK and 2011 UL21, did not come so close to Earth to pose a hazard to the planet. However, both of them were within range of radar imaging systems. The two asteroids were tracked by the scientists at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California. It was found that one of the asteroids had a little moon orbiting it and the astronomers spotted the other only 13 days before it made its closest approach to Earth. The asteroids passed near the Earth on June 27. They made a flyby at a distance of 4.1 million miles (6.6 million kilometres) which is 17 times the distance between the Earth and the moon. Also Read: Asteroids thrashing Mars more than ever thought, leaving craters on Red Planet In 2011, the asteroid 2011 UL21 was discovered by the Catalina Sky Survey in Tucson, Arizona. “The term ‘Potentially Hazardous Asteroid’ (PHA) is a precise formal definition, referring to minor planets larger than approximately 140 metres [459 feet] that can come within 7.5 million km [4.6 million miles] from the Earth,” said Gianluca Masi, who is an astrophysicist and scientific director of the Virtual Telescope Project, in a statement before the flyby. “In other words, only the largest asteroids capable of approaching close enough to our planet are flagged as PHAs, which does not mean they are going to hit the Earth, but they nonetheless warrant better monitoring," he added. NASA says asteroids belonged to a binary system NASA's Deep Space Network’s Goldstone planetary radar was closely watching the asteroids and captured it seven times as it moved at a speed of 25 kilometres (16 miles) per second. Watch: Asteroid 2024 MK passes Earth at 300,000 km NASA got the first chance to image the asteroid by using radar and in that they found that the asteroid belonged to a binary system. “It is thought that about two-thirds of asteroids of this size are binary systems, and their discovery is particularly important because we can use measurements of their relative positions to estimate their mutual orbits, masses, and densities, which provide key information about how they may have formed,” said Lance Benner, who is a principal scientist at JPL who helped lead the observations, in a statement. (With inputs from agencies)

NASA spots large asteroid with moon orbiting it, as it makes close flyby Earth

A new theoretical research has made a stunning revelation that the Earth is currently crossing an ocean of&nbsp;dark matter and this&nbsp;invisible ocean's waves have been slamming against the upper atmosphere of our planet and generating detectable radio waves.&nbsp;

As per the research, these detectable radio waves have been helping in finally finding this universe's elusive component.

A lot of astrophysical and cosmological evidence, like certain galaxies' inexplicable rotation curves and the largest structures' growth in the cosmic space, has pointed towards the dark matter's existence.&nbsp;

The attempts made to explain these observations with alternative formulations of&nbsp;gravity&nbsp;have not succeeded. Astronomers currently believe that dark matter is some kind of matter which only rarely interacts with normal matter or light.

Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/comet-crashed-with-earth-set-the-planet-ablaze-thousands-of-years-ago-study-736991">Comet crashed on Earth, set the planet ablaze thousands of years ago: Study</a>

According to scientists, dark matter&nbsp;is made of massive particles, however, the search for such kinds of particles has not yielded any results.

An alternative, as per the scientists, is that dark matter is exceptionally light and exists as either a form of theoretical particles called "axions" or like an exotic form of photon which carries a bit of mass.

Dark matter, with its incredible lightness, is millions of times lighter in comparison to the lightest known particles and can act in strange ways.&nbsp;

The dark matter, instead of looking like individual point-like bullets, will behave more like large waves&nbsp;which are sloshing around the cosmos.

<h2>Scientists say dark matter's interaction point is ionosphere&nbsp;</h2>

In a&nbsp;recent study, which was published to the preprint server arXiv, the models of ultralight dark matter, which were not entirely dark, were explored by physicists and they allowed it to interact extremely rarely with normal matter.&nbsp;

In the universe, the plasma is being spewed by all stars in the form of stellar wind.&nbsp;

The production of radio waves has been explored because of the dark matter interacting with environments like the interstellar medium or the solar corona.&nbsp;

Watch:&nbsp;Study: Secret aliens could be here on Earth already

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/study-secret-aliens-could-be-here-on-earth-already-731848/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

In the new research, an interaction point - which is very close to Earth - has been discovered by scientists which is our planet's ionosphere.

The ionosphere of the Earth is the thin and hot layer of the upper atmosphere and it is filled with a loose collection of ionised (charged) particles — which is a plasma.

In this, the waves are sloshing through it and the researchers have found that those waves can interact with hypothetical dark matter waves, which are said to be washing over Earth.

(With inputs from agencies)

A new theoretical research has made a stunning revelation that the Earth is currently crossing an ocean of dark matter and this invisible ocean's waves have been slamming against the upper atmosphere of our planet and generating detectable radio waves.

A new theoretical research has made a stunning revelation that the Earth is currently crossing an ocean of dark matter and this invisible ocean's waves have been slamming against the upper atmosphere of our planet and generating detectable radio waves. As per the research, these detectable radio waves have been helping in finally finding this universe's elusive component. A lot of astrophysical and cosmological evidence, like certain galaxies' inexplicable rotation curves and the largest structures' growth in the cosmic space, has pointed towards the dark matter's existence. The attempts made to explain these observations with alternative formulations of gravity have not succeeded. Astronomers currently believe that dark matter is some kind of matter which only rarely interacts with normal matter or light. Also Read: Comet crashed on Earth, set the planet ablaze thousands of years ago: Study According to scientists, dark matter is made of massive particles, however, the search for such kinds of particles has not yielded any results. An alternative, as per the scientists, is that dark matter is exceptionally light and exists as either a form of theoretical particles called "axions" or like an exotic form of photon which carries a bit of mass. Dark matter, with its incredible lightness, is millions of times lighter in comparison to the lightest known particles and can act in strange ways. The dark matter, instead of looking like individual point-like bullets, will behave more like large waves which are sloshing around the cosmos. Scientists say dark matter's interaction point is ionosphere In a recent study, which was published to the preprint server arXiv, the models of ultralight dark matter, which were not entirely dark, were explored by physicists and they allowed it to interact extremely rarely with normal matter. In the universe, the plasma is being spewed by all stars in the form of stellar wind. The production of radio waves has been explored because of the dark matter interacting with environments like the interstellar medium or the solar corona. Watch: Study: Secret aliens could be here on Earth already In the new research, an interaction point - which is very close to Earth - has been discovered by scientists which is our planet's ionosphere. The ionosphere of the Earth is the thin and hot layer of the upper atmosphere and it is filled with a loose collection of ionised (charged) particles — which is a plasma. In this, the waves are sloshing through it and the researchers have found that those waves can interact with hypothetical dark matter waves, which are said to be washing over Earth. (With inputs from agencies)

Earth is crossing an ocean of mysterious dark matter. Here's how it is impacting our atmosphere

The landlocked country of Mongolia in East Asia was once an ocean which was created by an upwelling of boiling rock from the Earth's crust more than 400 million years ago.&nbsp;

The ocean, after its creation by tearing of Earth's crust, had survived for 115 million years.&nbsp;

This ocean's geological history is likely to help researchers understand Wilson cycles and the process through which supercontinents break apart and eventually, join again.&nbsp;

A geoscientist at the National Spanish Research Council in Madrid and study co-author&nbsp; Daniel Pastor-Galan said that these are slow and broad-scale processes which move ahead by less than an inch every year.

Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/mongolian-climber-found-dead-on-mount-everest-rescue-operations-underway-for-another-722607">Mongolian climber found dead on Mount Everest, rescue operations underway for another</a>

"It's telling us about processes in the earth that are not very easy to understand and that are also not very easy to see," said Pastor-Galan, while speaking to Live Science.

Till now the breakup of the last supercontinent Pangea - which happened 250 million years ago - has been accurately reconstructed by the geoscientists.

But before that, it was difficult to create an exact model of how the interaction between the mantle and the crust happened.

<h2>Volcanic rocks from the Devonian period found in Mongolia</h2>

The researchers, in the new study, were left intrigued by volcanic rocks in northwestern Mongolia, which belonged to the Devonian period (419 million to 359 million years ago).&nbsp;

The Devonian period refers to the "Age of the Fishes" when the oceans were dominated by the fish and plants started to spread on the land.

In that period, two major continents - Laurentia and Gondwana - existed along with a long stretch of microcontinents which eventually became Asia.&nbsp;

In a slow process, the microcontinents merged in a process known as accretion.

During the fieldwork in northwest Mongolia, the researchers discovered the Mongol-Okhotsk Ocean which had opened up in the region nearly 410 million and 415 million years ago.

Watch:&nbsp;Mongolia's ruling party wins general elections

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/mongolias-ruling-party-wins-general-elections-736374/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

The volcanic rocks' chemistry revealed that there was a mantle plume present, which is a stream of hot and buoyant mantle rock.

"Mantle plumes are usually involved in the first stage of the Wilson cycle: the breakup of continents and opening of the ocean, such as the Atlantic Ocean," said study lead author&nbsp;Mingshuai Zhu, who is a professor of geology and geophysics at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, while speaking to Live Science.&nbsp;

The ocean had opened in the same spot where Mongolia exists which is a common way ocean life-cycles work, said Pastor-Galan.

"A good thing is that a hotspot is relatively stable so they keep on, for many millions of years, in the same place," said Pastor-Galan.&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)

The landlocked country of Mongolia in East Asia was once an ocean which was created by an upwelling of boiling rock from the Earth's crust more than 400 million years ago.

The landlocked country of Mongolia in East Asia was once an ocean which was created by an upwelling of boiling rock from the Earth's crust more than 400 million years ago. The ocean, after its creation by tearing of Earth's crust, had survived for 115 million years. This ocean's geological history is likely to help researchers understand Wilson cycles and the process through which supercontinents break apart and eventually, join again. A geoscientist at the National Spanish Research Council in Madrid and study co-author Daniel Pastor-Galan said that these are slow and broad-scale processes which move ahead by less than an inch every year. Also Read: Mongolian climber found dead on Mount Everest, rescue operations underway for another "It's telling us about processes in the earth that are not very easy to understand and that are also not very easy to see," said Pastor-Galan, while speaking to Live Science. Till now the breakup of the last supercontinent Pangea - which happened 250 million years ago - has been accurately reconstructed by the geoscientists. But before that, it was difficult to create an exact model of how the interaction between the mantle and the crust happened. Volcanic rocks from the Devonian period found in Mongolia The researchers, in the new study, were left intrigued by volcanic rocks in northwestern Mongolia, which belonged to the Devonian period (419 million to 359 million years ago). The Devonian period refers to the "Age of the Fishes" when the oceans were dominated by the fish and plants started to spread on the land. In that period, two major continents - Laurentia and Gondwana - existed along with a long stretch of microcontinents which eventually became Asia. In a slow process, the microcontinents merged in a process known as accretion. During the fieldwork in northwest Mongolia, the researchers discovered the Mongol-Okhotsk Ocean which had opened up in the region nearly 410 million and 415 million years ago. Watch: Mongolia's ruling party wins general elections The volcanic rocks' chemistry revealed that there was a mantle plume present, which is a stream of hot and buoyant mantle rock. "Mantle plumes are usually involved in the first stage of the Wilson cycle: the breakup of continents and opening of the ocean, such as the Atlantic Ocean," said study lead author Mingshuai Zhu, who is a professor of geology and geophysics at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, while speaking to Live Science. The ocean had opened in the same spot where Mongolia exists which is a common way ocean life-cycles work, said Pastor-Galan. "A good thing is that a hotspot is relatively stable so they keep on, for many millions of years, in the same place," said Pastor-Galan. (With inputs from agencies)

Landlocked country of Mongolia was an ocean for 115 million years after tearing off Earth's mantle

In a new study, scientists have found that the crashing of an atmospheric comet in the atmosphere of Earth set the planet on fire nearly 12,000 years ago.&nbsp;

The geological history of our planet is hidden in the layers of dirt and stone where lies the evidence of celestial impacts, ancient cultures and climatic shifts.&nbsp;

Approximately 12,800 years ago, the Earth witnessed extreme environmental change during the Younger Dryas period and the planet even caught fire due to the crashing of a comet.

Also Read:<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/asteroids-thrashing-mars-more-than-ever-thought-leaving-craters-on-red-planet-736281">&nbsp;Asteroids thrashing Mars more than ever thought, leaving craters on Red Planet</a>

During this period, the planet witnessed a significant climatic shift which abruptly ended a warming trend and started a near-glacial&nbsp;period.&nbsp;

According to the Younger Dryas Impact Hypothesis, a cosmic airburst triggered this cooling event when a fragmented&nbsp;comet&nbsp;crashed into the atmosphere of the Earth nearly 12,800 years ago.

<h2>Scientists find evidence of Younger Dryas airburst</h2>

In a new study, the scientists have found more evidence which supports this hypothesis.&nbsp;

They have discovered the traces of cosmic airbursts which were scattered across various sites in the eastern United States - which covers Maryland, New Jersey and South Carolina.&nbsp;

In the new evidence, they have found materials indicative of the force and temperature which were part of such an event - like platinum, microspherules, melt glass, and shock-fractured quartz.

“What we’ve found is that the pressures and temperatures were not characteristic of major crater-forming impacts but were consistent with so-called ‘touchdown’ airbursts that don’t form much in the way of craters,” said&nbsp;UC Santa Barbara&nbsp;Professor James Kennett, who headed the study.

<h2>What was the Younger Dryas period?</h2>

To the climate researchers, the Younger Dryas has great importance. It provides them with valuable insights into the rapid changes which are possible to occur in the climate system of Earth.&nbsp;

Watch:&nbsp;Asteroid 2024 MK passes Earth at 300,000 km

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/asteroid-2024-mk-passes-earth-at-300000-km-736813/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

The period also illustrates the interconnectedness of our terrestrial, atmospheric and oceanic systems.

The Younger Dryas also shows the sudden return of icy atmosphere on Earth's surface which disrupts the gentle warming of the climate on Earth after the last Ice Age. It is said that this icy condition remained from 12,900 to 11,700 years ago.

This abrupt climatic change also affected the global vegetation layouts and led to the extinction of various large animal species.&nbsp;

The end of the Younger Dryas period also came as suddenly as it started as the temperatures in Greenland went up by 10°C in just ten years.&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)

In a new study, scientists have found that the crashing of an atmospheric comet in the atmosphere of Earth set the planet on fire nearly 12,000 years ago. The geological history of our planet is hidden in the layers of dirt and stone where lies the evidence of celestial impacts, ancient cultures and climatic shifts.

In a new study, scientists have found that the crashing of an atmospheric comet in the atmosphere of Earth set the planet on fire nearly 12,000 years ago. The geological history of our planet is hidden in the layers of dirt and stone where lies the evidence of celestial impacts, ancient cultures and climatic shifts. Approximately 12,800 years ago, the Earth witnessed extreme environmental change during the Younger Dryas period and the planet even caught fire due to the crashing of a comet. Also Read: Asteroids thrashing Mars more than ever thought, leaving craters on Red Planet During this period, the planet witnessed a significant climatic shift which abruptly ended a warming trend and started a near-glacial period. According to the Younger Dryas Impact Hypothesis, a cosmic airburst triggered this cooling event when a fragmented comet crashed into the atmosphere of the Earth nearly 12,800 years ago. Scientists find evidence of Younger Dryas airburst In a new study, the scientists have found more evidence which supports this hypothesis. They have discovered the traces of cosmic airbursts which were scattered across various sites in the eastern United States - which covers Maryland, New Jersey and South Carolina. In the new evidence, they have found materials indicative of the force and temperature which were part of such an event - like platinum, microspherules, melt glass, and shock-fractured quartz. “What we’ve found is that the pressures and temperatures were not characteristic of major crater-forming impacts but were consistent with so-called ‘touchdown’ airbursts that don’t form much in the way of craters,” said UC Santa Barbara Professor James Kennett, who headed the study. What was the Younger Dryas period? To the climate researchers, the Younger Dryas has great importance. It provides them with valuable insights into the rapid changes which are possible to occur in the climate system of Earth. Watch: Asteroid 2024 MK passes Earth at 300,000 km The period also illustrates the interconnectedness of our terrestrial, atmospheric and oceanic systems. The Younger Dryas also shows the sudden return of icy atmosphere on Earth's surface which disrupts the gentle warming of the climate on Earth after the last Ice Age. It is said that this icy condition remained from 12,900 to 11,700 years ago. This abrupt climatic change also affected the global vegetation layouts and led to the extinction of various large animal species. The end of the Younger Dryas period also came as suddenly as it started as the temperatures in Greenland went up by 10°C in just ten years. (With inputs from agencies)

Comet crashed on Earth, set the planet ablaze thousands of years ago: Study

The potentially hazardous asteroid "2024 MK" passed by Earth at a distance of approximately 300,000 km, according to the Keldysh Institute of Applied Mathematics of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Watch in for more details!

Asteroid 2024 MK passes Earth at 300,000 km

Boeing's Starliner capsule return journey to Earth has gone on indefinite hold because of new thruster tests' pending results and the ongoing analysis of helium leaks which started during the capsule's journey to the International Space Station, stated NASA on Friday (June 28).

However, the space agency has said that Starliner commander Barry "Butch" Wilmore and his co-pilot Sunita Williams are not "stranded" in space.

"We don't have a targeted (landing) date today," said Steve Stich, who is &nbsp;NASA's Commercial Crew Programme manager, while speaking to the reporters during a teleconference.&nbsp;

Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/boeings-starliner-capsule-extends-iss-stay-again-to-assess-helium-system-leaks-thruster-performance-734121">Boeing's Starliner capsule extends ISS stay again, to assess helium system leaks &amp; thruster performance</a>

"We're not going to target a specific date until we get that testing completed. So essentially, it's complete the testing, complete the fault tree, bring that analysis into (the mission management team), and then have an agency-level review. And then we'll lay out the rest of the plan from undocking to landing. I think we're on a good path," he said.

<h2>What is the issue with spacecraft?</h2>

NASA and Boeing have been troubled by the Starliner's service module, which has the helium lines, thrusters and other critical systems. It&nbsp;gets discarded before its re-entry into Earth's atmosphere and ends getting burnt.

Because of this, engineers will not be able to study the hardware and hence, wish to collect as much data as possible before the two astronauts go back to the Earth.

However, the extended stay of the astronauts at the space station has made it appear to many that they are stranded in orbit.

Boeing's Starliner programme manager Stich and Mark Nappi stated that this is a mischaracterisation.

<h2>Astronauts 'not in any rush to come home': NASA&nbsp;</h2>

"It's pretty painful to read the things that are out there. We've got a really good test flight...and it's being viewed rather negatively. We're not stuck on ISS. The crew is not in any danger, and there's no increased risk when we decide to bring Suni and Butch back to Earth," Nappi said.

Watch:&nbsp;NASA further delays return date of Boeing's Starliner on Earth

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Stich further said that he wants "to make it very clear that Butch and Suni are not stranded in space. Our plan is to continue to return them on Starliner and return them home at the right time. We'll have a little bit more work to do to get there for the final return, but they're safe on the space station. Their spacecraft is working well, and they're enjoying their time on the space station."

“We're not in any rush to come home,” he added.

On June 5, the Starliner was launched on the first piloted test flight of the programme with a known helium leak. The other four leaks happened when the ship was headed to the space station.

(With inputs from agencies)

Boeing's Starliner capsule return journey to Earth has gone on indefinite hold because of new thruster tests' pending results and the ongoing analysis of helium leaks which started during the capsule's journey to the International Space Station, stated NASA on Friday (June 28).

Boeing's Starliner capsule return journey to Earth has gone on indefinite hold because of new thruster tests' pending results and the ongoing analysis of helium leaks which started during the capsule's journey to the International Space Station, stated NASA on Friday (June 28). However, the space agency has said that Starliner commander Barry "Butch" Wilmore and his co-pilot Sunita Williams are not "stranded" in space. "We don't have a targeted (landing) date today," said Steve Stich, who is NASA's Commercial Crew Programme manager, while speaking to the reporters during a teleconference. Also Read: Boeing's Starliner capsule extends ISS stay again, to assess helium system leaks & thruster performance "We're not going to target a specific date until we get that testing completed. So essentially, it's complete the testing, complete the fault tree, bring that analysis into (the mission management team), and then have an agency-level review. And then we'll lay out the rest of the plan from undocking to landing. I think we're on a good path," he said. What is the issue with spacecraft? NASA and Boeing have been troubled by the Starliner's service module, which has the helium lines, thrusters and other critical systems. It gets discarded before its re-entry into Earth's atmosphere and ends getting burnt. Because of this, engineers will not be able to study the hardware and hence, wish to collect as much data as possible before the two astronauts go back to the Earth. However, the extended stay of the astronauts at the space station has made it appear to many that they are stranded in orbit. Boeing's Starliner programme manager Stich and Mark Nappi stated that this is a mischaracterisation. Astronauts 'not in any rush to come home': NASA "It's pretty painful to read the things that are out there. We've got a really good test flight...and it's being viewed rather negatively. We're not stuck on ISS. The crew is not in any danger, and there's no increased risk when we decide to bring Suni and Butch back to Earth," Nappi said. Watch: NASA further delays return date of Boeing's Starliner on Earth Stich further said that he wants "to make it very clear that Butch and Suni are not stranded in space. Our plan is to continue to return them on Starliner and return them home at the right time. We'll have a little bit more work to do to get there for the final return, but they're safe on the space station. Their spacecraft is working well, and they're enjoying their time on the space station." “We're not in any rush to come home,” he added. On June 5, the Starliner was launched on the first piloted test flight of the programme with a known helium leak. The other four leaks happened when the ship was headed to the space station. (With inputs from agencies)

NASA says Boeing Starliner crew not 'stranded' in space, but has 'no date' of their return to Earth

In a thrilling close shave, being described as a “potentially hazardous” celestial event, a mountain-sized “planet killer” asteroid will whiz past the Earth on Thursday (June 27).&nbsp;

Named as 2011 UL21, the stellar rock, having a whopping width of 1.1 to 2.4 miles (1.7 to 3.8 km), will speed past our planet at approximately 58,000 mph (93,000 km/h).&nbsp;

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/eerie-glowing-spot-on-jupiter-holding-secrets-of-dark-matter-scientists-suggest-735614">Eerie glowing spot on Jupiter holding secrets of dark matter, scientists suggest</a>&nbsp;

<h2>Should we worry? Scientists say the asteroid poses no threat</h2>

Despite its size and proximity, the asteroid will zip by at a distance of approximately 4.1 million miles (6.6 million km) from Earth, 17 times farther away than the moon- a safe vicinity that offers no threat to our planet, either now or in the foreseeable future, as per observations by the European Space Agency (ESA).

However, NASA classified it as a potentially hazardous object, highlighting the asteroid’s potential to cause continental-scale damage if it were to hit Earth, and the least likely prospects of it releasing debris into the atmosphere while passing by that could trigger climate changes.

Due to this capacity, the asteroid, which orbits the Sun once every three years, has earned the moniker of “planet killer”.

Larger than 99% of known near-Earth asteroids, this rock is smaller than the largest space rock (Vredefort asteroid) that hit the Earth's surface in past by 10 times, according to the ESA.&nbsp;

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/nasa-unveils-breathtaking-images-of-gigantic-jets-over-himalayan-peaks-735769">NASA unveils breathtaking images of gigantic jets over Himalayan peaks</a>

<h2>How to catch the rare spectacle live&nbsp;</h2>

You can observe the closest approach of the 2011 UL21 asteroid through a free livestream by the Virtual Telescope Project (VTP), featuring views from the Bellatrix Astronomical Observatory in Ceccano, Italy.

The livestream begins at 4 PM ET (1:30 AM IST) on June 27, with the near skim expected approximately 15 minutes later. 
Aiming to catch a glimpse of the enormous asteroid turned a speck of light zipping across the starry night, astronomers and space enthusiasts are gearing up across the world.

Through using suitable equipment such as strong telescopes, observers present in the Northern Hemisphere can also see the speeding space rock under optimal conditions.

However, the significance of the event extends beyond just a night-sky spectacle.&nbsp;

Offering insights into asteroid behaviour and enhancing planetary defense strategies, this encounter underscores the need for continued vigilance of asteroids that could pose a threat to Earth.&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)&nbsp;

In a thrilling close shave, being described as a “potentially hazardous” celestial event, a mountain-sized “planet killer” asteroid will whiz past the Earth on Thursday (June 27).

In a thrilling close shave, being described as a “potentially hazardous” celestial event, a mountain-sized “planet killer” asteroid will whiz past the Earth on Thursday (June 27). Named as 2011 UL21, the stellar rock, having a whopping width of 1.1 to 2.4 miles (1.7 to 3.8 km), will speed past our planet at approximately 58,000 mph (93,000 km/h). Also read: Eerie glowing spot on Jupiter holding secrets of dark matter, scientists suggest Should we worry? Scientists say the asteroid poses no threat Despite its size and proximity, the asteroid will zip by at a distance of approximately 4.1 million miles (6.6 million km) from Earth, 17 times farther away than the moon- a safe vicinity that offers no threat to our planet, either now or in the foreseeable future, as per observations by the European Space Agency (ESA). However, NASA classified it as a potentially hazardous object, highlighting the asteroid’s potential to cause continental-scale damage if it were to hit Earth, and the least likely prospects of it releasing debris into the atmosphere while passing by that could trigger climate changes. Due to this capacity, the asteroid, which orbits the Sun once every three years, has earned the moniker of “planet killer”. Larger than 99% of known near-Earth asteroids, this rock is smaller than the largest space rock (Vredefort asteroid) that hit the Earth's surface in past by 10 times, according to the ESA. Also read: NASA unveils breathtaking images of gigantic jets over Himalayan peaks How to catch the rare spectacle live You can observe the closest approach of the 2011 UL21 asteroid through a free livestream by the Virtual Telescope Project (VTP), featuring views from the Bellatrix Astronomical Observatory in Ceccano, Italy. The livestream begins at 4 PM ET (1:30 AM IST) on June 27, with the near skim expected approximately 15 minutes later. Aiming to catch a glimpse of the enormous asteroid turned a speck of light zipping across the starry night, astronomers and space enthusiasts are gearing up across the world. Through using suitable equipment such as strong telescopes, observers present in the Northern Hemisphere can also see the speeding space rock under optimal conditions. However, the significance of the event extends beyond just a night-sky spectacle. Offering insights into asteroid behaviour and enhancing planetary defense strategies, this encounter underscores the need for continued vigilance of asteroids that could pose a threat to Earth. (With inputs from agencies)

Earth’s near miss! Mountain-size asteroid to fly-by at close range; here’s how to watch it live

In a stunning discovery, scientists&nbsp;have spotted an asteroid which is tagging along with Earth in its annual revolution around the Sun.&nbsp;

The asteroid, which has been dubbed as 2023 FW13, has been termed a “quasi-moon” or “quasi-satellite" by the experts.

The asteroid has been classified as a "quasi-moon" because it has been orbiting the sun in a similar time frame as the Earth. However, the asteroid was also impacted by Earth's gravitational pull.

Asteroid 2023 FW13&nbsp;measures nearly 50 feet (15 meters) in diameter and is located at a distance of nearly nine million miles (14 million kilometres) from the Earth.

The scientists used the&nbsp;Pan-STARRS&nbsp;survey telescope for spotting the 2023 FW13 on March 28, 2023.&nbsp;

Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/earths-near-miss-mountain-size-asteroid-to-fly-by-at-close-range-heres-how-to-watch-it-live-735789">Earth’s near miss! Mountain-size asteroid to fly-by at close range; here’s how to watch it live</a>

The telescope was kept on the top of Haleakala, which is a dormant volcano on the Hawaiian Island of Maui.&nbsp;

The&nbsp;Canada-France-Hawaii telescope as well as two observatories in Arizona (which are the&nbsp;Kitt Peak National Observatory&nbsp;and&nbsp;Mt. Lemmon SkyCenter) confirmed the asteroid's presence in the Earth’s vicinity.

The asteroid was officially listed by the&nbsp;Minor Planet Center&nbsp;at the International Astronomical Union on April 1. The organisation is responsible for designating new moons, planets as well as other astronomical objects in our solar system.

<h2>How asteroid 2023 FW13 was classified as a 'quasi-moon'?</h2>

The listing of the asteroid came to the attention of journalist and astronomer Adrien Coffinet. He used an orbit simulator to map the path of the asteroid. The orbit simulator was developed by amateur astronomer Tony Dunn.&nbsp;

In the model, 2023 FW13 was seen revolving around the sun at the same time as the Earth does. Since the asteroid circles around our planet hence, Coffinet classified it as a “quasi-moon".

Senior research scientist at the&nbsp;Space Science Institute&nbsp;in Boulder, Colorado Alan Harris emphasised that since the Earth plays an important role in the motion of the asteroid, its classification as a “quasi-satellite” is a little far-fetched.

According to the scientists, 2023 FW13 appears to be the cosmic companion of our planet since at least 100 BCE.&nbsp;

Watch:&nbsp;Russian satellite breaks up in space, forces ISS astronauts to shelter

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The asteroid is most likely to follow our planet in its orbit around the sun till around 3,700 CE. “It seems to be the longest quasi-satellite of Earth known to date,” said Coffinet.

The asteroid, even though hovers relatively close to our planet, is unlikely to collide with the Earth.

“The good news is, such an orbit doesn’t result in an impacting trajectory ‘out of the blue,’” said Harris.

(With inputs from agencies)&nbsp;

In a stunning discovery, scientists have spotted an asteroid which is tagging along with Earth in its annual revolution around the Sun. The asteroid, which has been dubbed as 2023 FW13, has been termed a “quasi-moon” or “quasi-satellite" by the experts.

In a stunning discovery, scientists have spotted an asteroid which is tagging along with Earth in its annual revolution around the Sun. The asteroid, which has been dubbed as 2023 FW13, has been termed a “quasi-moon” or “quasi-satellite" by the experts. The asteroid has been classified as a "quasi-moon" because it has been orbiting the sun in a similar time frame as the Earth. However, the asteroid was also impacted by Earth's gravitational pull. Asteroid 2023 FW13 measures nearly 50 feet (15 meters) in diameter and is located at a distance of nearly nine million miles (14 million kilometres) from the Earth. The scientists used the Pan-STARRS survey telescope for spotting the 2023 FW13 on March 28, 2023. Also Read: Earth’s near miss! Mountain-size asteroid to fly-by at close range; here’s how to watch it live The telescope was kept on the top of Haleakala, which is a dormant volcano on the Hawaiian Island of Maui. The Canada-France-Hawaii telescope as well as two observatories in Arizona (which are the Kitt Peak National Observatory and Mt. Lemmon SkyCenter) confirmed the asteroid's presence in the Earth’s vicinity. The asteroid was officially listed by the Minor Planet Center at the International Astronomical Union on April 1. The organisation is responsible for designating new moons, planets as well as other astronomical objects in our solar system. How asteroid 2023 FW13 was classified as a 'quasi-moon'? The listing of the asteroid came to the attention of journalist and astronomer Adrien Coffinet. He used an orbit simulator to map the path of the asteroid. The orbit simulator was developed by amateur astronomer Tony Dunn. In the model, 2023 FW13 was seen revolving around the sun at the same time as the Earth does. Since the asteroid circles around our planet hence, Coffinet classified it as a “quasi-moon". Senior research scientist at the Space Science Institute in Boulder, Colorado Alan Harris emphasised that since the Earth plays an important role in the motion of the asteroid, its classification as a “quasi-satellite” is a little far-fetched. According to the scientists, 2023 FW13 appears to be the cosmic companion of our planet since at least 100 BCE. Watch: Russian satellite breaks up in space, forces ISS astronauts to shelter The asteroid is most likely to follow our planet in its orbit around the sun till around 3,700 CE. “It seems to be the longest quasi-satellite of Earth known to date,” said Coffinet. The asteroid, even though hovers relatively close to our planet, is unlikely to collide with the Earth. “The good news is, such an orbit doesn’t result in an impacting trajectory ‘out of the blue,’” said Harris. (With inputs from agencies)

Earth gets another 'moon'. This 'quasi-satellite' to lurk around for thousands of years

In a new study, a stunning revelation was made when currents were uncovered amid the turbulence which eerily reflected the winds flowing in the Earth's atmosphere and hinted that there can be some hidden forces which connect them.

According to a team of researchers from the University of Rostock in Germany and Kyushu University in Japan, the new discovery can help us better understand the environmental systems which circulate around the Earth. It is also likely to improve space and Earth&nbsp;weather forecasts.&nbsp;

At the top of Earth’s lower atmosphere, a layer of diffuse gases is present. This makes up the troposphere and stratosphere.&nbsp;

Larger statistical patterns are present within the swirl of winds which can be used by scientists to figure out deep mechanics of meteorology.&nbsp;

Till now, the structure of the thermosphere has remained mainly unexplored.&nbsp;

Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/elon-musks-starlink-satellites-could-deplete-earths-ozone-layer-warns-study-733305">Elon Musk's Starlink satellites could deplete Earth’s ozone layer, warns study</a>

In the new findings, patterns have been identified that reflect similar structures which have been measured far below.

"This means that both the thermosphere and the troposphere – despite having drastically different atmospheric compositions and dynamics – follow the same physical laws," said space scientist Huixin Liu, from Kyushu University.

"How the energy flows and dissipates in these two regions is very similar,” he added.'

<h2>Here's how the team analysed the winds</h2>

To reach the study’s conclusions, the cross-track winds were analysed by the team in the thermosphere with the use of satellite data from the Challenging Minisatellite Payload and the Gravity Field and Steady State Ocean Circulation Explorer.

In their analysis, the researchers used third-order structure functions which are statistical tools that help spot&nbsp;patterns in winds&nbsp;and turbulence.

The researchers observed that even though there were different conditions in each atmosphere layer, a lot of the 'rules' remained the same.

Watch:&nbsp;China's CHANG'E- 6 returns to Earth after collecting moon samples

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It was also observed that the tendency of the winds to circle in one direction was the same in the thermosphere and the lower atmosphere.

"This suggests that similar underlying large-scale turbulence mechanisms may be at play,"&nbsp;stated the researchers in their published paper.

"Similar to atmospheric weather forecasting, comprehending the energy distributions in the thermosphere is vital to advance our understanding of space dynamics,"&nbsp;Liu said.

"We hope these findings can be used to improve space weather forecasting and ensure the continued functionality and safety of satellite-based technologies essential to everyday life," he added.

(With inputs from agencies)

In a new study, a stunning revelation was made when currents were uncovered amid the turbulence which eerily reflected the winds flowing in the Earth's atmosphere and hinted that there can be some hidden forces which connect them.

In a new study, a stunning revelation was made when currents were uncovered amid the turbulence which eerily reflected the winds flowing in the Earth's atmosphere and hinted that there can be some hidden forces which connect them. According to a team of researchers from the University of Rostock in Germany and Kyushu University in Japan, the new discovery can help us better understand the environmental systems which circulate around the Earth. It is also likely to improve space and Earth weather forecasts. At the top of Earth’s lower atmosphere, a layer of diffuse gases is present. This makes up the troposphere and stratosphere. Larger statistical patterns are present within the swirl of winds which can be used by scientists to figure out deep mechanics of meteorology. Till now, the structure of the thermosphere has remained mainly unexplored. Also Read: Elon Musk's Starlink satellites could deplete Earth’s ozone layer, warns study In the new findings, patterns have been identified that reflect similar structures which have been measured far below. "This means that both the thermosphere and the troposphere – despite having drastically different atmospheric compositions and dynamics – follow the same physical laws," said space scientist Huixin Liu, from Kyushu University. "How the energy flows and dissipates in these two regions is very similar,” he added.' Here's how the team analysed the winds To reach the study’s conclusions, the cross-track winds were analysed by the team in the thermosphere with the use of satellite data from the Challenging Minisatellite Payload and the Gravity Field and Steady State Ocean Circulation Explorer. In their analysis, the researchers used third-order structure functions which are statistical tools that help spot patterns in winds and turbulence. The researchers observed that even though there were different conditions in each atmosphere layer, a lot of the 'rules' remained the same. Watch: China's CHANG'E- 6 returns to Earth after collecting moon samples It was also observed that the tendency of the winds to circle in one direction was the same in the thermosphere and the lower atmosphere. "This suggests that similar underlying large-scale turbulence mechanisms may be at play," stated the researchers in their published paper. "Similar to atmospheric weather forecasting, comprehending the energy distributions in the thermosphere is vital to advance our understanding of space dynamics," Liu said. "We hope these findings can be used to improve space weather forecasting and ensure the continued functionality and safety of satellite-based technologies essential to everyday life," he added. (With inputs from agencies)

Is the wind on Earth being controlled by currents at the edge of space? Study hints so

Scientists at NASA have, once again, achieved a remarkable feat. They were able to fix 47 year old space probe, Voyager 1, from 15 billion miles away. The Voyager 1, is the farthest manmade object from the Earth.

Gravitas: NASA scientists fix Voyager 1 from 30 billion kilometres away

A number of asteroids, each about the size of an airplane, are expected to make close approaches to Earth this week, NASA said in a statement earlier this week. Among the five asteroids, the largest is estimated to be 110 feet in diameter, while the closest will come within 447,000 miles of our planet.

<h2>What does it mean?</h2>

While it is common for large asteroids to pass by Earth at a safe distance, this week’s cluster is notable for the number of such encounters. Asteroid 2024 LU1, which is about 71 feet in diameter, made its closest approach on Monday (June 17), passing within 1,150,000 miles of Earth.

Also watch |&nbsp;Gravitas | The impact of NASA asteroid deflection

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The next close approach is scheduled for June 19, featuring the largest of the group, which will still be the farthest at a distance of 447,000 miles.

<h2>Which asteroids can be hazardous?</h2>

Asteroids are typically composed of rocky, dusty, and metallic materials. Most asteroids orbit within the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, but some follow paths that bring them closer to Earth. These near-Earth asteroids are part of a larger category known as near-Earth objects (NEOs), which also includes comets. NEOs are defined as celestial objects that come within 1.3 astronomical units of the Sun, and within 0.3 astronomical units of Earth’s orbit.&nbsp;

0.3 astronomical units is approximately 28 million miles.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/fastest-spinning-asteroid-recently-hit-earths-atmosphere-and-crashed-in-berlin-716624">Fastest-spinning asteroid recently hit Earth’s atmosphere and crashed in Berlin</a>

For an asteroid to be classified as a potentially hazardous asteroid (PHA), it must be at least 140 metres in diameter and come within 7.48 million kilometres of Earth. An asteroid of this size that enters Earth's atmosphere and does not completely burn up could cause significant damage, especially if it were to strike a populated area.

<h2>Difference between asteroids and meteoroids&nbsp;</h2>

Asteroids are different from meteoroids. The former are smaller Sun-orbiting rocks or particles less than three feet in size. When a meteoroid enters Earth's atmosphere, it creates a light phenomenon known as a meteor. If any part of a meteoroid or asteroid survives the atmospheric entry and lands on Earth's surface, it is called a meteorite.

To monitor and prepare for potential asteroid threats, NASA’s Planetary Defense Coordination Office (PDCO) plays a crucial role. The PDCO is responsible for coordinating efforts and creating plans to protect Earth from the potential impacts of hazardous space objects.

A number of asteroids, each about the size of an airplane, are expected to make close approaches to Earth this week, NASA said in a statement earlier this week. Among the five asteroids, the largest is estimated to be 110 feet in diameter, while the closest will come within 447,000 miles of our planet.

A number of asteroids, each about the size of an airplane, are expected to make close approaches to Earth this week, NASA said in a statement earlier this week. Among the five asteroids, the largest is estimated to be 110 feet in diameter, while the closest will come within 447,000 miles of our planet. What does it mean? While it is common for large asteroids to pass by Earth at a safe distance, this week’s cluster is notable for the number of such encounters. Asteroid 2024 LU1, which is about 71 feet in diameter, made its closest approach on Monday (June 17), passing within 1,150,000 miles of Earth. Also watch | Gravitas | The impact of NASA asteroid deflection × The next close approach is scheduled for June 19, featuring the largest of the group, which will still be the farthest at a distance of 447,000 miles. Which asteroids can be hazardous? Asteroids are typically composed of rocky, dusty, and metallic materials. Most asteroids orbit within the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, but some follow paths that bring them closer to Earth. These near-Earth asteroids are part of a larger category known as near-Earth objects (NEOs), which also includes comets. NEOs are defined as celestial objects that come within 1.3 astronomical units of the Sun, and within 0.3 astronomical units of Earth’s orbit. 0.3 astronomical units is approximately 28 million miles. Also read | Fastest-spinning asteroid recently hit Earth’s atmosphere and crashed in Berlin For an asteroid to be classified as a potentially hazardous asteroid (PHA), it must be at least 140 metres in diameter and come within 7.48 million kilometres of Earth. An asteroid of this size that enters Earth's atmosphere and does not completely burn up could cause significant damage, especially if it were to strike a populated area. Difference between asteroids and meteoroids Asteroids are different from meteoroids. The former are smaller Sun-orbiting rocks or particles less than three feet in size. When a meteoroid enters Earth's atmosphere, it creates a light phenomenon known as a meteor. If any part of a meteoroid or asteroid survives the atmospheric entry and lands on Earth's surface, it is called a meteorite. To monitor and prepare for potential asteroid threats, NASA’s Planetary Defense Coordination Office (PDCO) plays a crucial role. The PDCO is responsible for coordinating efforts and creating plans to protect Earth from the potential impacts of hazardous space objects.

Asteroid alert! Several plane-sized objects hurtling towards Earth this week

There are innumerable proofs and theories regarding how Earth was formed but the timelines for the appearance of freshwater reservoirs on Earth remained uncertain, until now. Researchers now have found evidence of freshwater in a major breakthrough.

Freshwater from atmospheric sources appeared on Earth’s surface about 4 million years ago, which is 500 million years earlier than previously thought, as per a new study published in Nature Geoscience.

Researchers found the evidence for the same in ancient zircon crystals from Jack Hills situated in Western Australia. The team conducted oxygen isotope analysis on these crystals which determined when their hydrological cycle might have begun. These zircons were found to be resilient against weathering and environmental changes. The crystals, which are the oldest on Earth, provided rare and deep insights into the planet’s early history.

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“We were able to date the origins of the hydrological cycle, which is the continuous movement of water between land, oceans, and the atmosphere through processes like evaporation and precipitation. This cycle is essential for sustaining ecosystems and life on our planet,” said Dr Hamed Gamaleldien, a lead researcher from Curtin University's School of Earth and Planetary Sciences and Khalifa University in the UAE.

Dr Gamaleldien further explained that analysing the ancient zircons pushed back the timeline for the appearance of freshwater on Earth by 500 million years.

“By examining tiny zircon crystals, we found exceptionally light oxygen isotopic signatures, which are indicative of interaction with fresh water rather than salty ocean water, dating back 4 billion years,” he said.

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These light oxygen isotopes were typically the result of interactions between hot, fresh water and rock several kilometres below the Earth's surface.

“For the zircons we analyzed to have such light oxygen signatures, the rock must have been altered by freshwater, melted, and then solidified again. This evidence of freshwater 4 billion years ago challenges the theory that Earth was entirely covered by an ocean at that time,” Dr Gamaleldien added.

Dr. Hugo KH Olierook, another researcher from Curtin University's School of Earth and Planetary Sciences, emphasised the significance of this discovery for understanding Earth’s formation and the origin of life.

“Our research represents a significant advancement in understanding Earth’s early history and opens doors for future studies on the origins of life,” said Olierook.

(With inputs from agencies)

There are innumerable proofs and theories regarding how Earth was formed but the timelines for the appearance of freshwater reservoirs on Earth remained uncertain, until now.

There are innumerable proofs and theories regarding how Earth was formed but the timelines for the appearance of freshwater reservoirs on Earth remained uncertain, until now. Researchers now have found evidence of freshwater in a major breakthrough. Freshwater from atmospheric sources appeared on Earth’s surface about 4 million years ago, which is 500 million years earlier than previously thought, as per a new study published in Nature Geoscience. Researchers found the evidence for the same in ancient zircon crystals from Jack Hills situated in Western Australia. The team conducted oxygen isotope analysis on these crystals which determined when their hydrological cycle might have begun. These zircons were found to be resilient against weathering and environmental changes. The crystals, which are the oldest on Earth, provided rare and deep insights into the planet’s early history. Also Read | 4,000-year-old Minoan stone monument discovered in Greece's Crete during airport excavation “We were able to date the origins of the hydrological cycle, which is the continuous movement of water between land, oceans, and the atmosphere through processes like evaporation and precipitation. This cycle is essential for sustaining ecosystems and life on our planet,” said Dr Hamed Gamaleldien, a lead researcher from Curtin University's School of Earth and Planetary Sciences and Khalifa University in the UAE. Dr Gamaleldien further explained that analysing the ancient zircons pushed back the timeline for the appearance of freshwater on Earth by 500 million years. “By examining tiny zircon crystals, we found exceptionally light oxygen isotopic signatures, which are indicative of interaction with fresh water rather than salty ocean water, dating back 4 billion years,” he said. Also Read | Lost city from 4th century famous for its pearls discovered near UAE These light oxygen isotopes were typically the result of interactions between hot, fresh water and rock several kilometres below the Earth's surface. “For the zircons we analyzed to have such light oxygen signatures, the rock must have been altered by freshwater, melted, and then solidified again. This evidence of freshwater 4 billion years ago challenges the theory that Earth was entirely covered by an ocean at that time,” Dr Gamaleldien added. Dr. Hugo KH Olierook, another researcher from Curtin University's School of Earth and Planetary Sciences, emphasised the significance of this discovery for understanding Earth’s formation and the origin of life. “Our research represents a significant advancement in understanding Earth’s early history and opens doors for future studies on the origins of life,” said Olierook. (With inputs from agencies)

Freshwater and key conditions for life first appeared on Earth 4 billion years ago, study suggests

Are we alone in this universe? A recent study claims aliens could be living among us. Watch to know more!

Study: Secret aliens could be here on Earth already

The rotation of Earth's inner core really has slowed down, a new study has confirmed, opening up questions about what's happening in the center of the planet and how we might be affected.

Earth's inner core rotation slowing down; deceleration of core confirmed: study

The latest study has confirmed that the Earth’s inner core is slowing down in relation to the surface of the planet. The decrease in speed started over 10 years ago - around 2010. This apparently happened for the first time since scientists developed the capacity to measure it.&nbsp;

The inner core is solid and made up of iron and nickel. It is a very hot and dense centre of our planet, with temperatures up to 5,500 degrees Celsius. The liquid iron-nickel outer core surrounds a solid iron-nickel spherical within it. The inner core is roughly the size of the moon and rests more than 3,000 miles beneath our feet.&nbsp;

Researchers can't visit or view it but they can study it using the seismic waves of earthquakes.&nbsp;

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Scientists at the University of Southern California have proven that the Earth's inner core is backtracking, meaning slowing down. The study, titled, "Inner core backtracking by seismic waveform change reversals", was published in Nature on Wednesday (Jun 12).&nbsp;

"The pattern of matches, together with previous studies, demonstrates that the inner core gradually super-rotated from 2003 to 2008, and then from 2008 to 2023 sub-rotated two to three times more slowly back through the same path," the researchers said.&nbsp;

John Vidale, Dean's Professor of Earth Sciences at the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences, said as quoted by the official site: "When I first saw the seismograms that hinted at this change, I was stumped."&nbsp;

"But when we found two dozen more observations signaling the same pattern, the result was inescapable. The inner core had slowed down for the first time in many decades. Other scientists have recently argued for similar and different models, but our latest study provides the most convincing resolution," Vidale added.&nbsp;

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The official release mentioned that the inner core is considered to be reversing and backtracking relative to the planet's surface as a result of moving somewhat slower than the Earth's mantle for the first time in about 40 years.&nbsp;

This could eventually alter the entire planet's rotation, prolonging our days, but if there are any noticeable consequences, they will most likely be on the geomagnetic field.&nbsp;

Vidale also said that the backtracking of the inner core may alter the length of a day by fractions of a second. As quoted, he said, "It's very hard to notice, on the order of a thousandth of a second, almost lost in the noise of the churning oceans and atmosphere."&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)&nbsp;

The latest study has confirmed that the Earth’s inner core is slowing down in relation to the surface of the planet. The decrease in speed started over 10 years ago - around 2010.

The latest study has confirmed that the Earth’s inner core is slowing down in relation to the surface of the planet. The decrease in speed started over 10 years ago - around 2010. This apparently happened for the first time since scientists developed the capacity to measure it. The inner core is solid and made up of iron and nickel. It is a very hot and dense centre of our planet, with temperatures up to 5,500 degrees Celsius. The liquid iron-nickel outer core surrounds a solid iron-nickel spherical within it. The inner core is roughly the size of the moon and rests more than 3,000 miles beneath our feet. Researchers can't visit or view it but they can study it using the seismic waves of earthquakes. Also read: This supernova remained brilliantly bright 40 years after its explosion Scientists at the University of Southern California have proven that the Earth's inner core is backtracking, meaning slowing down. The study, titled, "Inner core backtracking by seismic waveform change reversals", was published in Nature on Wednesday (Jun 12). "The pattern of matches, together with previous studies, demonstrates that the inner core gradually super-rotated from 2003 to 2008, and then from 2008 to 2023 sub-rotated two to three times more slowly back through the same path," the researchers said. John Vidale, Dean's Professor of Earth Sciences at the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences, said as quoted by the official site: "When I first saw the seismograms that hinted at this change, I was stumped." "But when we found two dozen more observations signaling the same pattern, the result was inescapable. The inner core had slowed down for the first time in many decades. Other scientists have recently argued for similar and different models, but our latest study provides the most convincing resolution," Vidale added. Also read: New species of pterosaur discovered using 100-million-year-old fossilised bones The official release mentioned that the inner core is considered to be reversing and backtracking relative to the planet's surface as a result of moving somewhat slower than the Earth's mantle for the first time in about 40 years. This could eventually alter the entire planet's rotation, prolonging our days, but if there are any noticeable consequences, they will most likely be on the geomagnetic field. Vidale also said that the backtracking of the inner core may alter the length of a day by fractions of a second. As quoted, he said, "It's very hard to notice, on the order of a thousandth of a second, almost lost in the noise of the churning oceans and atmosphere." (With inputs from agencies)

Earth's inner core rotation slowed for over a decade. It might impact your days

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