The Earth's inner core is slowing its rotation. Scientists have revealed the significant change raising questions about its potential impact. Scientists say that Earth's inner core has changed its rotation. This reports tells you more!

Earth's days may be getting little longer: Unveiling the planet's mysteries

<p>Travelling to outer space is no easy task but a tough female astronaut can conquer it all.</p>

<p>New research by scientists intended to study the ways in which a human body reacts to the challenges in outer space has suggested that women are more resilient to the physiological stresses of space travel than men.</p>

<p>The study helmed by Christopher Mason, a physiology professor at Weill Cornell Medicine in New York, also says that women space travellers quickly recover upon landing back to&nbsp;Earth as compared to men.</p>

<p>“Males appear to be more affected by spaceflight for almost all cell types and metrics,” the research paper mentioned.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Researchers examined data that they collected from over 60 astronauts (both male and female) who travelled to outer space to find out how their immune systems reacted to the spaceflight.&nbsp;</p>

<p>They also collected similar data from the four&nbsp;individuals who were a part of SpaceX's Inspiration4 mission and flew around Earth for three days in 2021 and compared the two.</p>

<p><strong>Also read:</strong>&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/astronauts-may-suffer-permanent-kidney-damage-after-travelling-to-mars-study-731029">A trip to Mars might cost astronauts their kidneys, study on space flights reveals</a></p>

<p>The results demonstrated that the men experienced more disruptions in their gene activity as compared to women and took more time to come back to normal upon returning to Earth.</p>

<p>“The aggregate data thus far indicates that the gene regulatory and immune response to space flight is more sensitive in males,” the scientists wrote. “More studies will be needed to confirm these trends, but such results can have implications for recovery times and possibly crew selection, for example, more females, for high-altitude, lunar, and deep space missions.”</p>

<p>It is not yet known why women could be more resilient to spaceflight than men, however, Mason said that one of the contributing factors to this might be a female body's power to cope up with the demands of pregnancy.</p>

<p>“Being able to tolerate large changes in physiology and fluid dynamics may be great for being able to manage pregnancy but also manage the stress of spaceflight at a physiological level,” he said.</p>

<p><em>(With inputs from agencies)</em></p>

<p><br />
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Travelling to outer space is no easy task but a tough female astronaut can conquer it all. New research by scientists intended to study the ways in which a human body reacts to the challenges in outer space has suggested that women are more resilient to the physiological stresses of space travel than men.

Travelling to outer space is no easy task but a tough female astronaut can conquer it all. New research by scientists intended to study the ways in which a human body reacts to the challenges in outer space has suggested that women are more resilient to the physiological stresses of space travel than men. The study helmed by Christopher Mason, a physiology professor at Weill Cornell Medicine in New York, also says that women space travellers quickly recover upon landing back to Earth as compared to men. “Males appear to be more affected by spaceflight for almost all cell types and metrics,” the research paper mentioned. Researchers examined data that they collected from over 60 astronauts (both male and female) who travelled to outer space to find out how their immune systems reacted to the spaceflight. They also collected similar data from the four individuals who were a part of SpaceX's Inspiration4 mission and flew around Earth for three days in 2021 and compared the two. Also read: A trip to Mars might cost astronauts their kidneys, study on space flights reveals The results demonstrated that the men experienced more disruptions in their gene activity as compared to women and took more time to come back to normal upon returning to Earth. “The aggregate data thus far indicates that the gene regulatory and immune response to space flight is more sensitive in males,” the scientists wrote. “More studies will be needed to confirm these trends, but such results can have implications for recovery times and possibly crew selection, for example, more females, for high-altitude, lunar, and deep space missions.” It is not yet known why women could be more resilient to spaceflight than men, however, Mason said that one of the contributing factors to this might be a female body's power to cope up with the demands of pregnancy. “Being able to tolerate large changes in physiology and fluid dynamics may be great for being able to manage pregnancy but also manage the stress of spaceflight at a physiological level,” he said. (With inputs from agencies)

Women may be more resilient to physiological stresses of space travel than men, says study

<p>Researchers are suggesting that exposure to interstellar clouds may have triggered multiple ice ages on Earth, changed the chemistry of the atmosphere on the planet and eventually led to the emergence of humankind.</p>

<p>Astrophysicists from Harvard University, Johns Hopkins and Boston University suggested that nearly two million years ago, the solar system clashed with a large and dense interstellar cloud because of which Earth was exposed to radiation which altered the planet's climate.&nbsp;</p>

<p>In a statement, astronomy professor at Boston University and fellow at Harvard Radcliffe Institute Merav Opher said, "This paper is the first to quantitatively show there was an encounter between the sun and something outside of the&nbsp;Solar System&nbsp;that would have affected Earth's climate."</p>

<p><strong>Also Read:&nbsp;</strong><a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/nasa-develops-breakthrough-technology-to-hunt-for-habitable-water-worlds-730501">NASA develops breakthrough technology to hunt for habitable ‘water worlds’</a></p>

<p>“Stars move, and now this paper is showing not only that they move, but they encounter drastic changes," he added.</p>

<p>Meanwhile, in an email to Gizmodo, lead author of the study Opher said that the team is “still trying to quantify it with modern climate models” but due to an increase of hydrogen and dust “Earth would have entered&nbsp;an Ice Age.”&nbsp;</p>

<h2><strong>Earth pushed outside heliosphere due to interstellar cloud</strong></h2>

<p>A bubble, known as heliosphere, covers the entire solar system and protects planets from radiation as well as other damaging cosmic rays which can affect our DNA.</p>

<p>The shield is filled with charged particles which are emitted from the sun and are known as the solar wind.</p>

<p>The scientists suggested that an interstellar cloud is likely to have shrunk the heliosphere so much that Earth was left outside of it and it was exposed to the radiation of the galaxy as well as particles which may have cooled the climate.</p>

<p>When Earth was without the protection of the heliosphere, it was then exposed to the interstellar medium. This means the atmosphere of our planet was likely affected by the combination of gas, dust as well as the atomic elements left behind by exploding stars, which included iron and plutonium.</p>

<p><strong>Watch:&nbsp;UK: Scientists concerned about the state of water</strong></p>

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<p>“Only rarely does our cosmic neighbourhood beyond the solar system affect life on Earth,” said paper coauthor and the director of Harvard University’s Institute for Theory and Computation, Avi Loeb. “It is exciting to discover that our passage through dense clouds a few million years ago could have exposed the Earth to a much larger flux of cosmic rays and hydrogen atoms. Our results open a new window into the relationship between the evolution of life on Earth and our cosmic neighbourhood.”</p>

<p>According to the researchers, Earth was outside the heliosphere nearly 10,000 years.&nbsp;</p>

<p>"This cloud was indeed in our past, and if we crossed something that massive, we were exposed to the interstellar medium," said Opher.</p>

<p><em>(With inputs from agencies)&nbsp;</em></p>


Researchers are suggesting that exposure to interstellar clouds may have triggered multiple ice ages on Earth, changed the chemistry of the atmosphere on the planet and eventually led to the emergence of humankind.

Researchers are suggesting that exposure to interstellar clouds may have triggered multiple ice ages on Earth, changed the chemistry of the atmosphere on the planet and eventually led to the emergence of humankind. Astrophysicists from Harvard University, Johns Hopkins and Boston University suggested that nearly two million years ago, the solar system clashed with a large and dense interstellar cloud because of which Earth was exposed to radiation which altered the planet's climate. In a statement, astronomy professor at Boston University and fellow at Harvard Radcliffe Institute Merav Opher said, "This paper is the first to quantitatively show there was an encounter between the sun and something outside of the Solar System that would have affected Earth's climate." Also Read: NASA develops breakthrough technology to hunt for habitable ‘water worlds’ “Stars move, and now this paper is showing not only that they move, but they encounter drastic changes," he added. Meanwhile, in an email to Gizmodo, lead author of the study Opher said that the team is “still trying to quantify it with modern climate models” but due to an increase of hydrogen and dust “Earth would have entered an Ice Age.” Earth pushed outside heliosphere due to interstellar cloud A bubble, known as heliosphere, covers the entire solar system and protects planets from radiation as well as other damaging cosmic rays which can affect our DNA. The shield is filled with charged particles which are emitted from the sun and are known as the solar wind. The scientists suggested that an interstellar cloud is likely to have shrunk the heliosphere so much that Earth was left outside of it and it was exposed to the radiation of the galaxy as well as particles which may have cooled the climate. When Earth was without the protection of the heliosphere, it was then exposed to the interstellar medium. This means the atmosphere of our planet was likely affected by the combination of gas, dust as well as the atomic elements left behind by exploding stars, which included iron and plutonium. Watch: UK: Scientists concerned about the state of water “Only rarely does our cosmic neighbourhood beyond the solar system affect life on Earth,” said paper coauthor and the director of Harvard University’s Institute for Theory and Computation, Avi Loeb. “It is exciting to discover that our passage through dense clouds a few million years ago could have exposed the Earth to a much larger flux of cosmic rays and hydrogen atoms. Our results open a new window into the relationship between the evolution of life on Earth and our cosmic neighbourhood.” According to the researchers, Earth was outside the heliosphere nearly 10,000 years. "This cloud was indeed in our past, and if we crossed something that massive, we were exposed to the interstellar medium," said Opher. (With inputs from agencies)

Earth's collision with interstellar space clouds triggered Ice Age and existence of humans: Study

<p>Astronomers, with the help of the Hubble telescope, have now detected a rare intermediate-size black hole.&nbsp;</p>

<p>This black hole is hiding the Earth's cosmic backyard at a distance of 6,000 light-years away within a globular star cluster.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The iconic Hubble Space Telescope has been used by astronomers to observe a compact region of space which has a mass of 800 Suns and is likely to be a black hole.</p>

<p>As per a press statement, the scientists claimed that they had discovered the “best evidence yet for the presence of a rare class of intermediate-sized black holes.”</p>

<p>The intermediate-mass black hole candidate is located nearly 6,000 light-years away and the nearby star cluster Messier 4's core.</p>

<p><strong>Also&nbsp;Read:&nbsp;</strong><a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/black-holes-captured-acting-like-a-death-stars-weapon-point-jets-at-new-targets-726326">Black holes captured acting like a Death Star’s weapon, point jets at new targets</a></p>

<p>It is an ultradense region of space filled with the mass of 800 suns, which leads to nearby stars orbiting it like "bees swarming around a hive," as per the researchers who detected it.</p>

<p>In a statement, the Space Telescope Science Institute in Maryland's study lead author&nbsp;and astrophysicist Eduardo Vitral said, "It's too tiny for us to be able to explain other than it being a single black hole. Alternatively, there might be a stellar mechanism we simply don't know about, at least within current physics."</p>

<h2><strong>How did the scientists detect black holes?</strong></h2>

<p>The data collected by the European Space Agency's star-mapping&nbsp;Gaia spacecraft was used by the team to study the chaotic motion of stars at M4's centre.&nbsp;</p>

<p>In this region, they are trapped in the gravitational field of suspected black holes, "like bees swarming around a hive," said the team members.</p>

<p>"If the object isn't a single intermediate-mass black hole, it would require an estimated 40 smaller black holes crammed into a space only one-tenth of a light-year across to produce the observed stellar motions," wrote team members, in the same statement.&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>Watch:&nbsp;Scientists unveil Black Hole's plunge, bizarre region around black holes found</strong></p>

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/scientists-unveil-black-holes-plunge-bizarre-region-around-black-holes-found-722629/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

<p>"The consequences are that they would merge and/or be ejected in a game of interstellar pinball," he added.</p>

<h2><strong>What are intermediate-mass black holes?&nbsp;</strong></h2>

<p>Intermediate-mass black holes, which range between 100 to 100,000 times the sun's mass, are among the most elusive black holes present in the universe.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Although scientists have found several promising candidates, they have not confirmed the existence of any intermediate-mass black holes.</p>

<p>In a statement, project scientist at the Gaia telescope Timo Prusti said, "Science is rarely about discovering something new in a single moment. It’s about becoming more certain of a conclusion step by step, and this could be one step towards being sure that intermediate-mass black holes exist."&nbsp;</p>

<p><em>(With inputs from agencies)&nbsp;</em></p>


Astronomers, with the help of the Hubble telescope, have now detected a rare intermediate-size black hole. This black hole is hiding the Earth's cosmic backyard at a distance of 6,000 light-years away within a globular star cluster.

Astronomers, with the help of the Hubble telescope, have now detected a rare intermediate-size black hole. This black hole is hiding the Earth's cosmic backyard at a distance of 6,000 light-years away within a globular star cluster. The iconic Hubble Space Telescope has been used by astronomers to observe a compact region of space which has a mass of 800 Suns and is likely to be a black hole. As per a press statement, the scientists claimed that they had discovered the “best evidence yet for the presence of a rare class of intermediate-sized black holes.” The intermediate-mass black hole candidate is located nearly 6,000 light-years away and the nearby star cluster Messier 4's core. Also Read: Black holes captured acting like a Death Star’s weapon, point jets at new targets It is an ultradense region of space filled with the mass of 800 suns, which leads to nearby stars orbiting it like "bees swarming around a hive," as per the researchers who detected it. In a statement, the Space Telescope Science Institute in Maryland's study lead author and astrophysicist Eduardo Vitral said, "It's too tiny for us to be able to explain other than it being a single black hole. Alternatively, there might be a stellar mechanism we simply don't know about, at least within current physics." How did the scientists detect black holes? The data collected by the European Space Agency's star-mapping Gaia spacecraft was used by the team to study the chaotic motion of stars at M4's centre. In this region, they are trapped in the gravitational field of suspected black holes, "like bees swarming around a hive," said the team members. "If the object isn't a single intermediate-mass black hole, it would require an estimated 40 smaller black holes crammed into a space only one-tenth of a light-year across to produce the observed stellar motions," wrote team members, in the same statement. Watch: Scientists unveil Black Hole's plunge, bizarre region around black holes found "The consequences are that they would merge and/or be ejected in a game of interstellar pinball," he added. What are intermediate-mass black holes? Intermediate-mass black holes, which range between 100 to 100,000 times the sun's mass, are among the most elusive black holes present in the universe. Although scientists have found several promising candidates, they have not confirmed the existence of any intermediate-mass black holes. In a statement, project scientist at the Gaia telescope Timo Prusti said, "Science is rarely about discovering something new in a single moment. It’s about becoming more certain of a conclusion step by step, and this could be one step towards being sure that intermediate-mass black holes exist." (With inputs from agencies)

A rare black hole is lurking 6,000 light-years away in Earth's cosmic backyard

<p>An asteroid is expected to fly close to Earth on Saturday (June 8). NASA's Centre for Near-Earth Object Studies (CNEOS) has named the asteroid 2024KA1. It&nbsp;is 99-foot wide and travelling at a speed of 29,961 kmph.&nbsp;</p>

<p>2024KA1 is expected to reach close to Earth at 16:36 IST. The asteroid will come within a distance of 1.8 million km from Earth.&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/worlds-largest-telescope-to-have-powerful-technology-to-hunt-alien-life-729813">World's largest telescope to have powerful technology to hunt 'alien' life</a></strong></p>

<p>Researchers have categorised near-earth objects into two: potentially hazardous asteroids (PHAs) and the ones that don't pose a threat to planet Earth.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Scientists have categorised this asteroid in the Apollo group and stated that it poses no threat to Earth.&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>Watch |&nbsp;Russia arrests French scholar suspected of collecting Intelligence</strong></p>

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<p>To detect any potential hazard, the advanced technology present at NASA along with distinguished astronomers helps monitor NEOs or Near-Earth Objects. Such ongoing observations provide information that aids in determining if an object is potentially dangerous to the Earth.&nbsp;</p>

<h2>What are Apollo group of asteroids?&nbsp;</h2>

<p>Asteroids in the Apollo group are Near Earth Asteroids (NEAs). The average distance of such asteroids from the Sun is greater than that from Earth.&nbsp;</p>

<p>In common language, such asteroids are called Earth-crossing asteroids.&nbsp;</p>

<p>A few characteristic features of asteroids in the Apollo group are that they are irregular in shape and their perihelion distance is 1.017 AU (Earth's aphelion).&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/trending/watch-spacex-reaches-new-milestone-in-the-aerospace-arena-launches-5000-ton-starship-729822">Watch: SpaceX completes test of 5,000-tonne Starship, the most powerful launch vehicle</a></strong></p>

<p>The name Apollo draws from the German astronomer Karl Reinmuth (1892-1979) who made the initial discovery of the group in 1932.&nbsp;</p>

<p>There are now about 1600 known Near-Earth Asteroids (NEAs) in the Apollo group.&nbsp;</p>

<p>They are projected to have a relatively brief lifespan, of about 10 million years, as they are likely to collide with the inner planets.&nbsp;</p>

<p><em>(With inputs from agencies)&nbsp;</em></p>


An asteroid is expected to fly close to Earth on Saturday (June 8). NASA's Centre for Near-Earth Object Studies (CNEOS) has named the asteroid 2024KA1. It is 99-foot wide and travelling at a speed of 29,961 kmph.

An asteroid is expected to fly close to Earth on Saturday (June 8). NASA's Centre for Near-Earth Object Studies (CNEOS) has named the asteroid 2024KA1. It is 99-foot wide and travelling at a speed of 29,961 kmph. 2024KA1 is expected to reach close to Earth at 16:36 IST. The asteroid will come within a distance of 1.8 million km from Earth. Also read | World's largest telescope to have powerful technology to hunt 'alien' life Researchers have categorised near-earth objects into two: potentially hazardous asteroids (PHAs) and the ones that don't pose a threat to planet Earth. Scientists have categorised this asteroid in the Apollo group and stated that it poses no threat to Earth. Watch | Russia arrests French scholar suspected of collecting Intelligence To detect any potential hazard, the advanced technology present at NASA along with distinguished astronomers helps monitor NEOs or Near-Earth Objects. Such ongoing observations provide information that aids in determining if an object is potentially dangerous to the Earth. What are Apollo group of asteroids? Asteroids in the Apollo group are Near Earth Asteroids (NEAs). The average distance of such asteroids from the Sun is greater than that from Earth. In common language, such asteroids are called Earth-crossing asteroids. A few characteristic features of asteroids in the Apollo group are that they are irregular in shape and their perihelion distance is 1.017 AU (Earth's aphelion). Also read | Watch: SpaceX completes test of 5,000-tonne Starship, the most powerful launch vehicle The name Apollo draws from the German astronomer Karl Reinmuth (1892-1979) who made the initial discovery of the group in 1932. There are now about 1600 known Near-Earth Asteroids (NEAs) in the Apollo group. They are projected to have a relatively brief lifespan, of about 10 million years, as they are likely to collide with the inner planets. (With inputs from agencies)

99-foot wide Apollo group asteroid 2024KA1 to pass Earth at a distance of 1.8 million km

<p>The storms on Jupiter have apparent similarities to those on Earth, a new study found. It offers a new way of understanding similar meteorological processes here on our planet.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The finding is quite fascinating as the two planets are millions of miles away from each other and Jupiter is more than 11 times bigger than Earth. The science communication site The Nine Planets revealed that the average distance between Earth and Jupiter is 444 million miles (714 million km).&nbsp;</p>

<p>The study titled, "Frontogenesis at Jovian high latitudes", was published on June 6 in the journal Nature Physics. It analysed infra-red images taken by the Juno spacecraft at the Jovian poles.&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/indo-french-sat-trishna-to-study-climate-change-here-are-details-729444">Indo-French satellite 'TRISHNA' to study climate change. Here are details</a>&nbsp;</strong></p>

<p>The study noted that the images revealed ubiquitous vortices, which mean a region in a fluid in which the flow revolves around an axis line, with a diameter of hundreds to thousands of kilometres and filaments with a width of tens of kilometres embedded in between the vortices.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The latest research is led by Lia Siegelman, who is a physical oceanographer at UC San Diego's Scripps Institution of Oceanography. The researchers said that their analysis shows that the filaments are dynamically active.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Siegelman first talked about this in 2018 when she made the connection between our planet and the gas giant. As per a report by phys.org, she noticed a striking similarity between images of Jupiter's huge cyclones and the ocean turbulence she was studying.&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/australian-scientists-shocked-after-tiger-shark-vomits-spiky-echinda-729490">Australian scientists shocked after tiger shark vomits spiky echinda</a>&nbsp;</strong></p>

<p>Siegelman said that air and water are both considered fluids to a physicist, hence, she applied ocean physics to Jupiter. "Jupiter is basically an ocean of gas," she said as quoted.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The initial observation was even published in Nature Physics in 2022, with Siegelman being a co-author. The earlier study had analysed high-resolution infrared images of Jupiter's cyclones taken by NASA's Juno spacecraft.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The initial study was aimed at Jupiter's cyclones. However, while studying, Siegelman also saw wispy tendrils, known as filaments, in the spaces between the gassy vortices.&nbsp;</p>

<p>For a follow-up study, Siegelman used Juno's detailed imagery as she wanted to understand how they are connected to cyclones on Earth.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The latest study found the filaments resemble what oceanographers and meteorologists refer to as fronts, which are the boundaries of gas or liquid masses with different densities due to changes in attributes such as temperature. On Earth, these are the "warm fronts" or "cold fronts". We see these words almost every day in weather forecasts.&nbsp;</p>

<p><em>(With inputs from agencies)&nbsp;</em></p>


The storms on Jupiter have apparent similarities to those on Earth, a new study found. It offers a new way of understanding similar meteorological processes here on our planet.

The storms on Jupiter have apparent similarities to those on Earth, a new study found. It offers a new way of understanding similar meteorological processes here on our planet. The finding is quite fascinating as the two planets are millions of miles away from each other and Jupiter is more than 11 times bigger than Earth. The science communication site The Nine Planets revealed that the average distance between Earth and Jupiter is 444 million miles (714 million km). The study titled, "Frontogenesis at Jovian high latitudes", was published on June 6 in the journal Nature Physics. It analysed infra-red images taken by the Juno spacecraft at the Jovian poles. Also read: Indo-French satellite 'TRISHNA' to study climate change. Here are details The study noted that the images revealed ubiquitous vortices, which mean a region in a fluid in which the flow revolves around an axis line, with a diameter of hundreds to thousands of kilometres and filaments with a width of tens of kilometres embedded in between the vortices. The latest research is led by Lia Siegelman, who is a physical oceanographer at UC San Diego's Scripps Institution of Oceanography. The researchers said that their analysis shows that the filaments are dynamically active. Siegelman first talked about this in 2018 when she made the connection between our planet and the gas giant. As per a report by phys.org, she noticed a striking similarity between images of Jupiter's huge cyclones and the ocean turbulence she was studying. Also read: Australian scientists shocked after tiger shark vomits spiky echinda Siegelman said that air and water are both considered fluids to a physicist, hence, she applied ocean physics to Jupiter. "Jupiter is basically an ocean of gas," she said as quoted. The initial observation was even published in Nature Physics in 2022, with Siegelman being a co-author. The earlier study had analysed high-resolution infrared images of Jupiter's cyclones taken by NASA's Juno spacecraft. The initial study was aimed at Jupiter's cyclones. However, while studying, Siegelman also saw wispy tendrils, known as filaments, in the spaces between the gassy vortices. For a follow-up study, Siegelman used Juno's detailed imagery as she wanted to understand how they are connected to cyclones on Earth. The latest study found the filaments resemble what oceanographers and meteorologists refer to as fronts, which are the boundaries of gas or liquid masses with different densities due to changes in attributes such as temperature. On Earth, these are the "warm fronts" or "cold fronts". We see these words almost every day in weather forecasts. (With inputs from agencies)

Storms on Jupiter powered by processes similar to those on Earth: Study

<p>NASA's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) has now spotted an&nbsp;exoplanet which&nbsp;has left astronomers puzzled.&nbsp;</p>

<p>It has been observed that this planet remained in its atmosphere even after getting mercilessly bombarded with radiation from its red giant parent star. This star is also smaller, older and hotter than what was earlier believed by scientists to be possible for such a planet.</p>

<p>The extrasolar planet, or "exoplanet" in reality should be a bare husk of rock because of its proximity to the star TIC 365102760 which is located approximately 1,800 light-years away from Earth.</p>

<p>This strange world, which has been nicknamed "Phoenix," has come out from the flames of its host star which has a nice and&nbsp;puffy atmosphere.</p>

<p><strong>Also Read:</strong>&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/euclid-spots-seven-new-rogue-planets-heres-what-is-hidden-in-these-dark-worlds-729029">Euclid spots seven new rogue planets. Here’s what is hidden in these dark worlds</a></p>

<p>Phoenix, officially designated as TIC 365102760 b, is part of a rare class of planets known as "hot Neptunes". These are the kind of dark worlds which have radii which is smaller compared to that of Jupiter, however, larger than the Earth.&nbsp;</p>

<p>According to the scientists, the planet will spiral into its giant star for nearly 100 million years.</p>

<p>The discovery of Phoenix has shown that different kinds of exoplanets&nbsp;exist across the universe and has demonstrated that a planetary system is able to evolve in many ways.&nbsp;</p>

<p>"This planet isn't evolving the way we thought it would. It appears to have a much bigger, less dense atmosphere than we expected for these systems," said team leader and Johns Hopkins University astrophysicist Sam Grunblatt, in a statement.&nbsp;</p>

<p>"How it held on to that atmosphere despite being so close to such a large host star is the big question," he added.</p>

<h2><strong>Here's what this hellish planet tells us about Earth's fate</strong></h2>

<p>TIC 365102760 is a&nbsp;type of red giant star which has spent nearly 10 billion years converting hydrogen to helium present at its core.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Once the hydrogen fuel needed for the&nbsp;nuclear fusion&nbsp;process was exhausted, the energy which was supporting the star against its own gravity would have had ended.</p>

<p><strong>Watch:&nbsp;Sun leashes massive Solar flare</strong></p>

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/sun-leashes-massive-solar-flare-721887/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

<p>Then the core of the star would have collapsed while its outer layers, where nuclear fusion is still taking place, should have swelled to around 100 times the star's original width.</p>

<p>"It's the smallest planet we've ever found around one of these red giants and probably the lowest mass planet orbiting a [red] giant star we've ever seen," said Grunblatt.&nbsp;</p>

<p>"That's why it looks really weird. We don't know why it still has an atmosphere when other 'hot Neptunes' that are much smaller and much denser seem to be losing their atmospheres in much less extreme environments," he added.</p>

<p>The findings of Phoenix have helped scientists understand what will happen to the atmosphere of Earth before it meets its final fate.&nbsp;</p>

<p>"We don't understand the late-stage evolution of planetary systems very well. This is telling us that maybe&nbsp;Earth's atmosphere&nbsp;won't evolve exactly how we thought it would," Grunblatt said.&nbsp;</p>

<p><em>(With inputs from agencies)&nbsp;</em></p>


NASA's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) has now spotted an exoplanet which has left astronomers puzzled. It has been observed that this planet remained in its atmosphere even after getting mercilessly bombarded with radiation from its red giant parent star.

NASA's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) has now spotted an exoplanet which has left astronomers puzzled. It has been observed that this planet remained in its atmosphere even after getting mercilessly bombarded with radiation from its red giant parent star. This star is also smaller, older and hotter than what was earlier believed by scientists to be possible for such a planet. The extrasolar planet, or "exoplanet" in reality should be a bare husk of rock because of its proximity to the star TIC 365102760 which is located approximately 1,800 light-years away from Earth. This strange world, which has been nicknamed "Phoenix," has come out from the flames of its host star which has a nice and puffy atmosphere. Also Read: Euclid spots seven new rogue planets. Here’s what is hidden in these dark worlds Phoenix, officially designated as TIC 365102760 b, is part of a rare class of planets known as "hot Neptunes". These are the kind of dark worlds which have radii which is smaller compared to that of Jupiter, however, larger than the Earth. According to the scientists, the planet will spiral into its giant star for nearly 100 million years. The discovery of Phoenix has shown that different kinds of exoplanets exist across the universe and has demonstrated that a planetary system is able to evolve in many ways. "This planet isn't evolving the way we thought it would. It appears to have a much bigger, less dense atmosphere than we expected for these systems," said team leader and Johns Hopkins University astrophysicist Sam Grunblatt, in a statement. "How it held on to that atmosphere despite being so close to such a large host star is the big question," he added. Here's what this hellish planet tells us about Earth's fate TIC 365102760 is a type of red giant star which has spent nearly 10 billion years converting hydrogen to helium present at its core. Once the hydrogen fuel needed for the nuclear fusion process was exhausted, the energy which was supporting the star against its own gravity would have had ended. Watch: Sun leashes massive Solar flare Then the core of the star would have collapsed while its outer layers, where nuclear fusion is still taking place, should have swelled to around 100 times the star's original width. "It's the smallest planet we've ever found around one of these red giants and probably the lowest mass planet orbiting a [red] giant star we've ever seen," said Grunblatt. "That's why it looks really weird. We don't know why it still has an atmosphere when other 'hot Neptunes' that are much smaller and much denser seem to be losing their atmospheres in much less extreme environments," he added. The findings of Phoenix have helped scientists understand what will happen to the atmosphere of Earth before it meets its final fate. "We don't understand the late-stage evolution of planetary systems very well. This is telling us that maybe Earth's atmosphere won't evolve exactly how we thought it would," Grunblatt said. (With inputs from agencies)

This exoplanet is being bombarded with radiation by its giant star. This hints our Earth will...

<p>In a fresh analysis of the ancient rare crystals - which were embedded in the rock present in the Australian outback - the scientists said that Earth had fresh water and dry land some four billion years ago.</p>

<p>This theory contradicts the earlier premise that the ocean had&nbsp;completely covered the planet. The chemicals present in the crystals showed that the hot and molten rocks from which they had originated had come in contact with freshwater during the formation of the crystals, as per the study published in the journal Nature Geoscience.</p>

<p>“By examining the age and oxygen isotopes in tiny crystals of the mineral zircon, we found unusually light isotopic signatures as far back as four billion years ago,” stated lead study author Hamed Gamaleldien, in a press release.&nbsp;</p>

<p>“Such light oxygen isotopes are typically the result of hot, fresh water altering rocks several kilometres below Earth’s surface," he added.&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>Also Read:</strong><a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/watch-sun-captured-firing-off-intense-solar-flare-then-gulping-it-back-728981"><strong>&nbsp;</strong>Sun captured firing off intense solar flare, then gulping it back</a></p>

<p>Gamaleldien&nbsp;said that they have found evidence of fresh water's presence on the dry land where water collected and slowly swept into the continental crust.</p>

<p>“We have two important things here. We have discovered the earliest evidence of fresh water and representative evidence for dry land above the sea,” the author said.</p>

<p>The research showed that the water cycle of Earth — when water travels between land, oceans and atmosphere through the process of evaporation and precipitation —&nbsp;was operational at that time.</p>

<h2><strong>Recipe for origins of life existed less than 600 million years after the formation of Earth</strong></h2>

<p>The authors said that the current finding reflected the presence of the origins of life on Earth nearly 600 million years after the planet's formation. This was long before the existence of the dinosaurs or the earliest known microbial life.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Gamaleldien said that the earliest evidence of life is fresh water which contains stromatolites and fossilised microbes&nbsp;which form mounds in hot springs almost 3.5 billion years ago.</p>

<p><strong>Watch:&nbsp;Scientists decode 'phonetic alphabet' of Sperm Whales</strong></p>

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/scientists-decode-phonetic-alphabet-of-sperm-whales-719281/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

<p>In a statement, a senior research fellow&nbsp;at Curtin’s School of Earth and Planetary Science and study co-author Hugo Olierook said, “This discovery not only sheds light on Earth’s early history but also suggests … landmasses and freshwater set the stage for life to flourish within a relatively short time frame — less than 600 million years after the planet formed."</p>

<p>“The findings mark a significant step forward in our understanding of Earth’s early history and open doors for further exploration into the origins of life,” he said.</p>

<p><em>(With inputs from agencies)</em></p>


In a fresh analysis of the ancient rare crystals - which were embedded in the rock present in the Australian outback - the scientists said that Earth had fresh water and dry land some four billion years ago.

In a fresh analysis of the ancient rare crystals - which were embedded in the rock present in the Australian outback - the scientists said that Earth had fresh water and dry land some four billion years ago. This theory contradicts the earlier premise that the ocean had completely covered the planet. The chemicals present in the crystals showed that the hot and molten rocks from which they had originated had come in contact with freshwater during the formation of the crystals, as per the study published in the journal Nature Geoscience. “By examining the age and oxygen isotopes in tiny crystals of the mineral zircon, we found unusually light isotopic signatures as far back as four billion years ago,” stated lead study author Hamed Gamaleldien, in a press release. “Such light oxygen isotopes are typically the result of hot, fresh water altering rocks several kilometres below Earth’s surface," he added. Also Read: Sun captured firing off intense solar flare, then gulping it back Gamaleldien said that they have found evidence of fresh water's presence on the dry land where water collected and slowly swept into the continental crust. “We have two important things here. We have discovered the earliest evidence of fresh water and representative evidence for dry land above the sea,” the author said. The research showed that the water cycle of Earth — when water travels between land, oceans and atmosphere through the process of evaporation and precipitation — was operational at that time. Recipe for origins of life existed less than 600 million years after the formation of Earth The authors said that the current finding reflected the presence of the origins of life on Earth nearly 600 million years after the planet's formation. This was long before the existence of the dinosaurs or the earliest known microbial life. Gamaleldien said that the earliest evidence of life is fresh water which contains stromatolites and fossilised microbes which form mounds in hot springs almost 3.5 billion years ago. Watch: Scientists decode 'phonetic alphabet' of Sperm Whales In a statement, a senior research fellow at Curtin’s School of Earth and Planetary Science and study co-author Hugo Olierook said, “This discovery not only sheds light on Earth’s early history but also suggests … landmasses and freshwater set the stage for life to flourish within a relatively short time frame — less than 600 million years after the planet formed." “The findings mark a significant step forward in our understanding of Earth’s early history and open doors for further exploration into the origins of life,” he said. (With inputs from agencies)

Rare crystals reveal when Earth first had fresh water, hinting at origin of life

<p>World Environment Day is celebrated annually on June 5 since 1973. It is an attempt to urge people to adopt sustainable practices and realise the need to preserve&nbsp;Earth. Nature is the reason for our existence, it is the source of all the activities that are carried out on this planet.</p>

<p>It is high time that people acknowledge the importance of nature. From providing vital resources for survival to ensuring mental peace in this fast-paced world, nature does it all. After all, nothing can replace the sense of calmness one feels while&nbsp;walking bare feet on the grass early in the morning.</p>

<p><strong>Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/trending/scientists-find-ghost-shark-with-giant-head-and-iridescent-eyes-in-andaman-sea-728292">Scientists find ‘Ghost Shark’ with giant head and iridescent eyes in Andaman Sea</a></strong></p>

<p>It is quite unfortunate, but due to the callous attitude of people, the environment is at stake. Humans are known to be selfish, the ones who put their personal needs before others. In the greed of development, countries have mindlessly set up factories by cutting down trees and not considering the adverse impact that the pollution caused by such factories will have on the planet.</p>

<p>This has led to several environmental problems such as global warming, loss of biodiversity, pollution, deforestation, etc. Individuals tend to develop a notion that their actions cannot improve the situation as they hold negligible importance in the ecosystem.</p>

<p><strong>Also read |<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/watch-climate-activist-arrested-after-sticking-protest-poster-on-famous-monet-painting-in-paris-727925">&nbsp;WATCH: Climate activist arrested after sticking protest poster on famous Monet painting in Paris</a></strong></p>

<p>However, this narrative is completely false. In order to change this mentality, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) has initiated World Environment Day which is celebrated globally. The theme chosen for this year is&nbsp;land restoration, stopping desertification&nbsp;and building drought resilience.</p>

<p>This year, Saudi Arabia is the host and will be holding global celebrations. The Pacific and Asia regions are extraordinarily rich in biodiversity which is at risk of land degradation. With the rapid growth of population and urbanisation in these regions, there is a risk of water stress and urban drought&nbsp;in the areas.</p>

<p><strong>Watch |&nbsp;Crude on track for 6th day of losses | Biden unveils Mexico border curbs</strong></p>

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/crude-on-track-for-6th-day-of-losses-biden-unveils-mexico-border-curbs-728897/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

<p>As part of a joint initiative of UNEP and ESCAP (United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific),&nbsp;discussions are being held with partners and stakeholders to discuss viable solutions to these problems and come up with a plan for a sustainable future.</p>

<p><em>(With inputs from agencies)&nbsp;</em></p>


World Environment Day is celebrated annually on June 5 since 1973. It is an attempt to urge people to adopt sustainable practices and realise the need to preserve Earth.

World Environment Day is celebrated annually on June 5 since 1973. It is an attempt to urge people to adopt sustainable practices and realise the need to preserve Earth. Nature is the reason for our existence, it is the source of all the activities that are carried out on this planet. It is high time that people acknowledge the importance of nature. From providing vital resources for survival to ensuring mental peace in this fast-paced world, nature does it all. After all, nothing can replace the sense of calmness one feels while walking bare feet on the grass early in the morning. Also read | Scientists find ‘Ghost Shark’ with giant head and iridescent eyes in Andaman Sea It is quite unfortunate, but due to the callous attitude of people, the environment is at stake. Humans are known to be selfish, the ones who put their personal needs before others. In the greed of development, countries have mindlessly set up factories by cutting down trees and not considering the adverse impact that the pollution caused by such factories will have on the planet. This has led to several environmental problems such as global warming, loss of biodiversity, pollution, deforestation, etc. Individuals tend to develop a notion that their actions cannot improve the situation as they hold negligible importance in the ecosystem. Also read | WATCH: Climate activist arrested after sticking protest poster on famous Monet painting in Paris However, this narrative is completely false. In order to change this mentality, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) has initiated World Environment Day which is celebrated globally. The theme chosen for this year is land restoration, stopping desertification and building drought resilience. This year, Saudi Arabia is the host and will be holding global celebrations. The Pacific and Asia regions are extraordinarily rich in biodiversity which is at risk of land degradation. With the rapid growth of population and urbanisation in these regions, there is a risk of water stress and urban drought in the areas. Watch | Crude on track for 6th day of losses | Biden unveils Mexico border curbs As part of a joint initiative of UNEP and ESCAP (United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific), discussions are being held with partners and stakeholders to discuss viable solutions to these problems and come up with a plan for a sustainable future. (With inputs from agencies)

World Environment Day 2024: Facts, theme and more

<p>Researchers said they were able to study the way volcanism shaped the crust and mantle of Mars based on the meteorites that broke off the red planet and landed on Earth, millions of years ago, according to the research published in Science Advances. &nbsp;</p>

<h2><strong>About the study</strong></h2>

<p>The researchers at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California San Diego said that they were able to ascertain that Mars has a distinct structure in its mantle and crust with discernible reservoirs thanks to the meteorites which broke off the red planet 11 million years ago.&nbsp;</p>

<p>“Martian meteorites are the only physical materials we have available from Mars,” said geologist James Day from the Scripps Oceanography Institute. The rocks analysed by Day and his team came in two forms – chassignites and nakhlites.&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>Also Read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/nasa-debunks-reports-of-planetary-parade-gives-list-of-celestial-events-for-june-727739">NASA debunks reports of ‘planetary parade’, gives list of celestial events for June</a></strong></p>

<p>The rocks allowed researchers to “make precise and accurate measurements and then quantify processes that occurred within Mars and close to the martian surface,” the geologist added.&nbsp;</p>

<p>He added, “They provide direct information on Mars’ composition that can ground truth mission science, like the ongoing Perseverance rover operations taking place there.”</p>

<p>One of the meteorites examined was chassignites, after a rock found in 1815 in Chassign, France and nakhlites after a specimen uncovered in Nakhla, Egypt, in 1905.</p>

<h2><strong>What did the researchers find?</strong></h2>

<p>According to the study, the two kinds of rocks also have different compositions, with nakhlite being a basaltic form of rock which includes minerals like augite and olivine. However, chassignite is almost entirely olivine.</p>

<p>After the analysis of the rocks, researchers found that they were once formed in the same Martian volcano around 1.3 billion years ago.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Upon careful examination and comparison, they were also able to determine that nakhlites were part of the Martian crust and the chassignites were part of the mantle below.&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>Also Read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/a-group-of-mammals-suddenly-disappeared-50000-years-ago-ancient-bone-collagen-might-tell-why-727685">A group of mammals suddenly disappeared 50,000 years ago. Ancient bone collagen might tell why</a></strong></p>

<p>According to Day, by determining that the two rock formations are from the same volcanic system and that they interacted with Martian crust that was altered by atmospheric interactions, researchers can now identify a new rock type on the red planet.&nbsp;</p>

<p>He also noted that Mars’ volcanism has “incredible similarities,” but also differences to that of Earth’s. According to Day, similar nakhlites and chassignites were found in recent volcanism in places like Oahu in Hawaii.&nbsp;</p>

<p>On the other hand, the reservoirs in Mars are “extremely ancient” and seemed to have separated from one another shortly after the red planet formed, the researcher added.</p>

<p><em>(With inputs from agencies)</em><br />
&nbsp;</p>


Researchers said they were able to study the way volcanism shaped the crust and mantle of Mars based on the meteorites that broke off the red planet and landed on Earth, millions of years ago, according to the research published in Science Advances.

Researchers said they were able to study the way volcanism shaped the crust and mantle of Mars based on the meteorites that broke off the red planet and landed on Earth, millions of years ago, according to the research published in Science Advances. About the study The researchers at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California San Diego said that they were able to ascertain that Mars has a distinct structure in its mantle and crust with discernible reservoirs thanks to the meteorites which broke off the red planet 11 million years ago. “Martian meteorites are the only physical materials we have available from Mars,” said geologist James Day from the Scripps Oceanography Institute. The rocks analysed by Day and his team came in two forms – chassignites and nakhlites. Also Read | NASA debunks reports of ‘planetary parade’, gives list of celestial events for June The rocks allowed researchers to “make precise and accurate measurements and then quantify processes that occurred within Mars and close to the martian surface,” the geologist added. He added, “They provide direct information on Mars’ composition that can ground truth mission science, like the ongoing Perseverance rover operations taking place there.” One of the meteorites examined was chassignites, after a rock found in 1815 in Chassign, France and nakhlites after a specimen uncovered in Nakhla, Egypt, in 1905. What did the researchers find? According to the study, the two kinds of rocks also have different compositions, with nakhlite being a basaltic form of rock which includes minerals like augite and olivine. However, chassignite is almost entirely olivine. After the analysis of the rocks, researchers found that they were once formed in the same Martian volcano around 1.3 billion years ago. Upon careful examination and comparison, they were also able to determine that nakhlites were part of the Martian crust and the chassignites were part of the mantle below. Also Read | A group of mammals suddenly disappeared 50,000 years ago. Ancient bone collagen might tell why According to Day, by determining that the two rock formations are from the same volcanic system and that they interacted with Martian crust that was altered by atmospheric interactions, researchers can now identify a new rock type on the red planet. He also noted that Mars’ volcanism has “incredible similarities,” but also differences to that of Earth’s. According to Day, similar nakhlites and chassignites were found in recent volcanism in places like Oahu in Hawaii. On the other hand, the reservoirs in Mars are “extremely ancient” and seemed to have separated from one another shortly after the red planet formed, the researcher added. (With inputs from agencies)

Millions of years old pieces of Mars that landed on Earth reveal ancient volcanic secret

<p>A mysterious object was released into the Earth's orbit by China’s top-secret spaceplane nearly 372 miles above the surface.</p>

<p>The situation is being monitored by the US Space Force, however, the reason why the mysterious object was ejected on May 24 remains unknown.</p>

<p>The mysterious object was first spotted by a Harvard astrophysicist who speculated that it could be a subsatellite deployment or perhaps a piece of hardware which was released by the spaceplane before its mission ended and it deorbited.</p>

<p>Harvard-Smithsonian Centre for Astrophysics' Jonathan McDowell, after first spotting the object, wrote on X, "This object could be a subsatellite deployment, or it could be a piece of hardware ejected prior to end of the mission and deorbit (the spaceplane's first flight did something similar)."</p>

<p>The spacecraft, which was named Shenlong after a Chinese mythological spirit dragon, was launched last December and since then, it has released several objects into orbit. This action of the Chinese spaceplane has sent strong signals to the United States.</p>

<p><strong>Also Read:&nbsp;</strong><a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/china-says-hello-to-chat-xi-pt-ai-chatbot-trained-on-xi-jinpings-thoughts-725811">China says hello to 'Chat Xi PT', AI chatbot trained on Xi Jinping's thoughts</a></p>

<p>China has remained secretive regarding the spaceplane which it said has the job of providing "technical support for the peaceful use of space."</p>

<p>“After operating in orbit for a period of time, the experimental spacecraft will return to the designated landing site in China,” stated China’s state media outlet Xinhuanet.&nbsp;</p>

<p>“During this period, it will carry out reusable technology verification and space science experiments as planned, providing technical support for the peaceful use of space," it added.</p>

<p>China launched the craft one day after the United States scrubbed the flight of its ‘spy’ plane. The US Space Force chief said that this was 'no coincidence.'</p>

<p>"It's probably no coincidence that they're trying to match us in timing and sequence of this," said General Chance Saltzman, Space Force's Chief of Space Operations.</p>

<h2><strong>US Space Force tracks down mysterious object</strong></h2>

<p>Currently, the mysterious object is being tracked down by the United States Space Force.</p>

<p>Meanwhile, amateur astronomer Scott Tilley, who was tracking the spaceplane when the six objects were ejected in December and signals were emitted over North America, said the signals most probably targeted a ground station or boat which was close to British Columbia, Canada.</p>

<p><strong>Watch:&nbsp;China hosts Arab leaders | North Korea drops trash balloons on the South</strong></p>

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<p>"When the spaceplane passes over me, it only emits on a certain trajectory of pass that appears to favor a location south to southwest of me," Tilley said.</p>

<p>"I.e., on higher elevation passes over me, there are no signals, but on ocean-hugging passes to my southwest, all of my observations of the object have occurred," he added.</p>

<p>Tilley joined a group in Switzerland that specialises in optical-band space surveillance and the collaboration has been able to monitor the plane since it launched on December 15.</p>

<p><em>(With inputs from agencies)</em></p>


A mysterious object was released into the Earth's orbit by China’s top-secret spaceplane nearly 372 miles above the surface. The situation is being monitored by the US Space Force, however, the reason why the mysterious object was ejected on May 24 remains unknown.

A mysterious object was released into the Earth's orbit by China’s top-secret spaceplane nearly 372 miles above the surface. The situation is being monitored by the US Space Force, however, the reason why the mysterious object was ejected on May 24 remains unknown. The mysterious object was first spotted by a Harvard astrophysicist who speculated that it could be a subsatellite deployment or perhaps a piece of hardware which was released by the spaceplane before its mission ended and it deorbited. Harvard-Smithsonian Centre for Astrophysics' Jonathan McDowell, after first spotting the object, wrote on X, "This object could be a subsatellite deployment, or it could be a piece of hardware ejected prior to end of the mission and deorbit (the spaceplane's first flight did something similar)." The spacecraft, which was named Shenlong after a Chinese mythological spirit dragon, was launched last December and since then, it has released several objects into orbit. This action of the Chinese spaceplane has sent strong signals to the United States. Also Read: China says hello to 'Chat Xi PT', AI chatbot trained on Xi Jinping's thoughts China has remained secretive regarding the spaceplane which it said has the job of providing "technical support for the peaceful use of space." “After operating in orbit for a period of time, the experimental spacecraft will return to the designated landing site in China,” stated China’s state media outlet Xinhuanet. “During this period, it will carry out reusable technology verification and space science experiments as planned, providing technical support for the peaceful use of space," it added. China launched the craft one day after the United States scrubbed the flight of its ‘spy’ plane. The US Space Force chief said that this was 'no coincidence.' "It's probably no coincidence that they're trying to match us in timing and sequence of this," said General Chance Saltzman, Space Force's Chief of Space Operations. US Space Force tracks down mysterious object Currently, the mysterious object is being tracked down by the United States Space Force. Meanwhile, amateur astronomer Scott Tilley, who was tracking the spaceplane when the six objects were ejected in December and signals were emitted over North America, said the signals most probably targeted a ground station or boat which was close to British Columbia, Canada. Watch: China hosts Arab leaders | North Korea drops trash balloons on the South "When the spaceplane passes over me, it only emits on a certain trajectory of pass that appears to favor a location south to southwest of me," Tilley said. "I.e., on higher elevation passes over me, there are no signals, but on ocean-hugging passes to my southwest, all of my observations of the object have occurred," he added. Tilley joined a group in Switzerland that specialises in optical-band space surveillance and the collaboration has been able to monitor the plane since it launched on December 15. (With inputs from agencies)

China’s secret spaceplane ejects mysterious object into Earth’s orbit. US hunts it down

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<p>The scientists, while analysing data which was collected nearly 30 years ago&nbsp;on Venus, have concluded that the volcanoes are likely to be active currently on the planet.</p>

<p>A research group, which was headed by David Sulcanese of the Universita d'Annunzio in Pescara, Italy, used data collected from radar mapping of the surface of the Earth's twin sister in the 1990s when the experts were searching for volcanic lava flows and found their presence in two regions.</p>

<p>The latest discovery has hinted that volcanic activity taking place&nbsp;currently on Venus may be more widespread than believed.</p>

<p><strong>Also Read:&nbsp;</strong><a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/sygazers-assemble-six-planets-are-set-to-align-in-spectacular-view-for-planet-parade-in-june-details-724934">Skygazers assemble! Six planets are set to align in spectacular view for 'planet parade' in June&nbsp;</a></p>

<p>The work was published&nbsp;in the journal&nbsp;Nature Astronomy.</p>

<p>Venus, which is also known as "Earth's twin sister", has a CO2-dominated atmosphere which leads to a massive greenhouse effect and bakes the planet's surface at around 465°C (870°F).</p>

<p>According to scientists, the surface of Venus was very similar to that of Earth billions of years ago. The presence of liquid water, the brightening sun and volcanic activity increased the planet's temperatures and led to evaporation of all water from the planet, creating a runaway greenhouse effect.</p>

<p>Currently, Venus is broiling hot&nbsp;and appears dead as dense clouds of sulfuric acid surround it.</p>

<h2><strong>Venus likely to witness&nbsp;42 volcanic eruptions&nbsp;a year: study</strong></h2>

<p>Scientists, while studying a host of other possibilities, said their "best interpretation" of the observation is that the planet's surface scattering properties like its roughness and composition went through a change between the first cycle of scans and the third cycle, which spanned across nearly 16 months.&nbsp;</p>

<p>"Our study covered only about 16% of Venus's surface due to the limitation of comparing images from just the two left-look cycles," stated lead author Sulcanese, who has been employed at his university's International Research School of Planetary Sciences.</p>

<p>&nbsp;"Therefore, it is likely that more evidence of this nature exists on Venus," he added.</p>

<p><strong>Watch:&nbsp;Gravitas: Most promising indication of life on another planet found</strong></p>

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/gravitas-most-promising-indication-of-life-on-another-planet-found-716425/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

<p>The observations have also supported earlier work that had inferred the current volcanic activity on Venus from indirect evidence like changes in a region's thermal emissivity data, variations in the atmosphere's sulfuric acid and morphological analysis of volcanic-like surface features.</p>

<p>It was also discovered by scientists that Venus is likely to face nearly 42 volcanic eruptions&nbsp;every year and around 20 eruptions&nbsp;will last more than 1,000 Earth days.&nbsp;</p>

<p><em>(With inputs from agencies)</em></p>


The scientists, while analysing data which was collected nearly 30 years ago on Venus, have concluded that the volcanoes are likely to be active currently on the planet.

The scientists, while analysing data which was collected nearly 30 years ago on Venus, have concluded that the volcanoes are likely to be active currently on the planet. A research group, which was headed by David Sulcanese of the Universita d'Annunzio in Pescara, Italy, used data collected from radar mapping of the surface of the Earth's twin sister in the 1990s when the experts were searching for volcanic lava flows and found their presence in two regions. The latest discovery has hinted that volcanic activity taking place currently on Venus may be more widespread than believed. Also Read: Skygazers assemble! Six planets are set to align in spectacular view for 'planet parade' in June The work was published in the journal Nature Astronomy. Venus, which is also known as "Earth's twin sister", has a CO2-dominated atmosphere which leads to a massive greenhouse effect and bakes the planet's surface at around 465°C (870°F). According to scientists, the surface of Venus was very similar to that of Earth billions of years ago. The presence of liquid water, the brightening sun and volcanic activity increased the planet's temperatures and led to evaporation of all water from the planet, creating a runaway greenhouse effect. Currently, Venus is broiling hot and appears dead as dense clouds of sulfuric acid surround it. Venus likely to witness 42 volcanic eruptions a year: study Scientists, while studying a host of other possibilities, said their "best interpretation" of the observation is that the planet's surface scattering properties like its roughness and composition went through a change between the first cycle of scans and the third cycle, which spanned across nearly 16 months. "Our study covered only about 16% of Venus's surface due to the limitation of comparing images from just the two left-look cycles," stated lead author Sulcanese, who has been employed at his university's International Research School of Planetary Sciences. "Therefore, it is likely that more evidence of this nature exists on Venus," he added. Watch: Gravitas: Most promising indication of life on another planet found The observations have also supported earlier work that had inferred the current volcanic activity on Venus from indirect evidence like changes in a region's thermal emissivity data, variations in the atmosphere's sulfuric acid and morphological analysis of volcanic-like surface features. It was also discovered by scientists that Venus is likely to face nearly 42 volcanic eruptions every year and around 20 eruptions will last more than 1,000 Earth days. (With inputs from agencies)

Volcanoes have turned alive on Venus. Is an eruption underway on Earth's 'twin sister'?

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<p>US space agency NASA&nbsp;has collaborated with a private company to develop a new rocket&nbsp;that can&nbsp;reduce space travel time between Earth and Mars.</p>

<p>The scientists will design the engine of this rocket in a way to sharply increase the amount of thrust for accelerating space travel and take rocket&nbsp;efficiency to another level.</p>

<p>Thrust is the force which lifts the spacecraft in the air. A propulsion system produces this thrust by burning a gas or liquid fuel at the back of a spacecraft to propel it forward at high speed.</p>

<p>The new design,&nbsp;which is&nbsp;known as the Pulsed Plasma Rocket (PPR), is being developed by Howe Industries, an Arizona-based company. Currently, the company is in the early stages of studying the&nbsp;technology&nbsp;after which they will start working on building engine models.</p>

<p><strong>Also Read:&nbsp;</strong><a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/nasa-launches-satellite-to-monitor-and-mitigate-climate-change-725385">NASA launches satellite PREFIRE to monitor, predict and help mitigate climate change</a></p>

<p>Howe Industries,&nbsp;in a recent statement, said,&nbsp;"Such rocket technology will be needed&nbsp;to support&nbsp;NASA’s&nbsp;plans to return humans to the moon and, after that, possibly Mars."</p>

<p>A goal has&nbsp;been established&nbsp;by the space agency&nbsp;for building a long-term base in space.&nbsp;However, one hurdle in all these plans is the long travel times required in the current spacecraft systems.</p>

<p>As per the estimated distance of NASA, the moon is around 382,500 kilometres&nbsp;away&nbsp;from Earth. The distance between Earth and its satellite keeps&nbsp;on&nbsp;changing because of the&nbsp;moon's&nbsp;orbit. The average distance between Earth&nbsp;and Mars is 225 million kilometres.</p>

<h2><strong>NASA says SLS rocket system is most powerful one built till now</strong></h2>

<p>NASA&nbsp;said it takes at least 200 days to reach Mars from Earth with existing spacecraft.&nbsp;The proposed Pulsed Plasma Rocket's developers said&nbsp;that&nbsp;it&nbsp;could reduce travel time to the red planet to&nbsp;around two months&nbsp;one way.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Howe Industries said that the new design&nbsp;has&nbsp;given the rocket the power to reach extremely high speeds for completing “reasonable” space travel times.&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>Watch:&nbsp;NASA restores contact with Voyager 1 after months of silence</strong></p>

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/nasa-restores-contact-with-voyager-1-after-months-of-silence-714348/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

<p>According to the development&nbsp;team's&nbsp;estimates, the PPR system&nbsp;has the capacity to&nbsp;produce around 100,000 Newtons of thrust.&nbsp;</p>

<p>According to&nbsp;NASA,&nbsp;its&nbsp;Space Launch System&nbsp;(SLS) is the most powerful one ever built.&nbsp;The agency said&nbsp;that the SLS rocket system is likely to provide around 53 Newtons of thrust amid space travel.</p>

<p>PPR's&nbsp;developers said that along with a huge increase in thrust, the new design also gives a&nbsp;“specific impulse”&nbsp;rate of 5,000. Specific impulse&nbsp;is a method which is used to measure the levels of thrust and efficiency in rocket engines in seconds.</p>

<p><em>(With inputs from agencies)</em></p>


US space agency NASA has collaborated with a private company to develop a new rocket that can reduce space travel time between Earth and Mars. The scientists will design the engine of this rocket in a way to sharply increase the amount of thrust for accelerating space travel and take rocket efficiency to another level.

US space agency NASA has collaborated with a private company to develop a new rocket that can reduce space travel time between Earth and Mars. The scientists will design the engine of this rocket in a way to sharply increase the amount of thrust for accelerating space travel and take rocket efficiency to another level. Thrust is the force which lifts the spacecraft in the air. A propulsion system produces this thrust by burning a gas or liquid fuel at the back of a spacecraft to propel it forward at high speed. The new design, which is known as the Pulsed Plasma Rocket (PPR), is being developed by Howe Industries, an Arizona-based company. Currently, the company is in the early stages of studying the technology after which they will start working on building engine models. Also Read: NASA launches satellite PREFIRE to monitor, predict and help mitigate climate change Howe Industries, in a recent statement, said, "Such rocket technology will be needed to support NASA’s plans to return humans to the moon and, after that, possibly Mars." A goal has been established by the space agency for building a long-term base in space. However, one hurdle in all these plans is the long travel times required in the current spacecraft systems. As per the estimated distance of NASA, the moon is around 382,500 kilometres away from Earth. The distance between Earth and its satellite keeps on changing because of the moon's orbit. The average distance between Earth and Mars is 225 million kilometres. NASA says SLS rocket system is most powerful one built till now NASA said it takes at least 200 days to reach Mars from Earth with existing spacecraft. The proposed Pulsed Plasma Rocket's developers said that it could reduce travel time to the red planet to around two months one way. Howe Industries said that the new design has given the rocket the power to reach extremely high speeds for completing “reasonable” space travel times. Watch: NASA restores contact with Voyager 1 after months of silence According to the development team's estimates, the PPR system has the capacity to produce around 100,000 Newtons of thrust. According to NASA, its Space Launch System (SLS) is the most powerful one ever built. The agency said that the SLS rocket system is likely to provide around 53 Newtons of thrust amid space travel. PPR's developers said that along with a huge increase in thrust, the new design also gives a “specific impulse” rate of 5,000. Specific impulse is a method which is used to measure the levels of thrust and efficiency in rocket engines in seconds. (With inputs from agencies)

Here's how NASA is planning to reduce travel time between Mars and Earth

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<p>In a path-breaking discovery,&nbsp;scientists have spotted the largest-ever planet-forming disk - officially called IRAS 23077+6707 - nearly&nbsp;1,000 light-years away from Earth.&nbsp;</p>

<p>When the scientists initially spotted it in 2016, the planet-forming disk's true nature remained hidden for years.&nbsp;</p>

<p>In the new research, which was carried out using advanced telescopes, it was found that this cosmic element is the largest&nbsp;planet-forming disk&nbsp;ever discovered.</p>

<h2><strong>A cosmic butterfly?</strong></h2>

<p>When the planet-forming disk was first observed by Ciprian T.&nbsp;Berghea from the&nbsp;U.S.&nbsp;Naval Observatory using the Panoramic Survey Telescope and Rapid Response System (Pan-STARRS),&nbsp;the disk's unique appearance made it look like a giant cosmic butterfly.&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>Also Read:&nbsp;</strong><a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/another-milestone-in-alien-hunt-earth-size-exoplanet-may-be-hiding-life-in-goldilocks-zone-724909">Another milestone in alien hunt? Earth-size exoplanet may be hiding life in 'Goldilocks Zone'</a></p>

<p>“After finding out about this possible planet-forming disk from Pan-STARRS data,&nbsp;we were keen to observe it with the SMA,&nbsp;which allowed us to understand its physical nature,” said Kristina Monsch,&nbsp;an astrophysicist who headed the Submillimeter Array (SMA) campaign, as reported by Earth.com.</p>

<p>The SMA is&nbsp;an array of telescopes in Hawaii which is capable of detecting millimetre wavelengths that are important in unravelling the composition of cosmic objects like IRAS 23077.</p>

<h2><strong>Protoplanetary disks are nothing but 'nurseries' of&nbsp;planets</strong></h2>

<p>With the help of SMA, it was found that the massive&nbsp;protoplanetary disk is a cloud of dust and gas in which planets are born.&nbsp;</p>

<p>“What we found was&nbsp;incredible&nbsp;—&nbsp;evidence that this was the largest planet-forming disk ever discovered.&nbsp;It is extremely rich in dust and gas, which we know are the building blocks of planets,” Monsch explained.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Protoplanetary disks, in a way, are nurseries for planets. In these disks, giant planets like Jupiter and Saturn, and rocky planets like Earth and Mars are formed around young stars.&nbsp;</p>

<p>These disks are filled with dust and gas in abundance and rotate in a way which helps astronomers find their sizes as well as the masses of their central stars.</p>

<h2><strong>Here's what these disks contain</strong></h2>

<p>While observing the IRAS 23077, the astronomers were able to gather multiple information regarding the unique protoplanetary disk.&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>Watch:&nbsp;Gravitas: Most promising indication of life on another planet found</strong></p>

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/gravitas-most-promising-indication-of-life-on-another-planet-found-716425/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

<p>“The data from the SMA offer us the smoking-gun evidence that this is a disk,&nbsp;and coupled with the estimate of the system’s distance,&nbsp;that it is rotating around a star likely two to four times more massive than our&nbsp;own&nbsp;sun,” Monsch said.</p>

<p>Such information is important in understanding how the planets are formed in such extreme environments.</p>

<p><em>(With inputs from agencies)</em></p>


In a path-breaking discovery, scientists have spotted the largest-ever planet-forming disk - officially called IRAS 23077+6707 - nearly 1,000 light-years away from Earth.

In a path-breaking discovery, scientists have spotted the largest-ever planet-forming disk - officially called IRAS 23077+6707 - nearly 1,000 light-years away from Earth. When the scientists initially spotted it in 2016, the planet-forming disk's true nature remained hidden for years. In the new research, which was carried out using advanced telescopes, it was found that this cosmic element is the largest planet-forming disk ever discovered. A cosmic butterfly? When the planet-forming disk was first observed by Ciprian T. Berghea from the U.S. Naval Observatory using the Panoramic Survey Telescope and Rapid Response System (Pan-STARRS), the disk's unique appearance made it look like a giant cosmic butterfly. Also Read: Another milestone in alien hunt? Earth-size exoplanet may be hiding life in 'Goldilocks Zone' “After finding out about this possible planet-forming disk from Pan-STARRS data, we were keen to observe it with the SMA, which allowed us to understand its physical nature,” said Kristina Monsch, an astrophysicist who headed the Submillimeter Array (SMA) campaign, as reported by Earth.com. The SMA is an array of telescopes in Hawaii which is capable of detecting millimetre wavelengths that are important in unravelling the composition of cosmic objects like IRAS 23077. Protoplanetary disks are nothing but 'nurseries' of planets With the help of SMA, it was found that the massive protoplanetary disk is a cloud of dust and gas in which planets are born. “What we found was incredible — evidence that this was the largest planet-forming disk ever discovered. It is extremely rich in dust and gas, which we know are the building blocks of planets,” Monsch explained. Protoplanetary disks, in a way, are nurseries for planets. In these disks, giant planets like Jupiter and Saturn, and rocky planets like Earth and Mars are formed around young stars. These disks are filled with dust and gas in abundance and rotate in a way which helps astronomers find their sizes as well as the masses of their central stars. Here's what these disks contain While observing the IRAS 23077, the astronomers were able to gather multiple information regarding the unique protoplanetary disk. Watch: Gravitas: Most promising indication of life on another planet found “The data from the SMA offer us the smoking-gun evidence that this is a disk, and coupled with the estimate of the system’s distance, that it is rotating around a star likely two to four times more massive than our own sun,” Monsch said. Such information is important in understanding how the planets are formed in such extreme environments. (With inputs from agencies)

Largest-ever planet-forming disk found. Here's what it tells us about Earth

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<p>In continuation with the hunt for aliens, scientists have now found a new planet which may be habitable and have the capacity to sustain human life.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The new planet named Gliese 12 b has been brought to attention in the latest study published in&nbsp;Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society&nbsp;on Thursday (May 23).</p>

<p>Scientists said it is “the nearest, transiting temperate, Earth-sized planet found to date.”</p>

<p>The planet was discovered by an international team of scientists&nbsp;with the help of NASA’s Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS).</p>

<p>According to scientists, this is one of the few rocky planets which has the potential of carrying human lives.</p>

<p>The planet is only 40 light-years away from Earth, which makes it the closest one yet discovered.</p>

<p><strong>Also Read:</strong>&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/a-super-earth-exoplanet-has-its-own-atmosphere-scientists-now-hunt-for-life-719532">Is an ocean of magma creating atmosphere on this 'Super Earth'? The possibility has scientists excited</a></p>

<p>"The majorly interesting thing is that this is a planet that's&nbsp;really&nbsp;nearby; in fact, it's one of the closest transiting planets to Earth," said University College of London scientist Larissa Palethorpe, who was part of the team, while speaking to Space.com.</p>

<p>"It's either in the habitable zone of its star or it is right on the edge of it — so, it could be habitable," he added.</p>

<p>In size, Gliese 12 b is only a little smaller in comparison to Earth and has been found orbiting a small and cool red dwarf star.</p>

<p><img alt="nasa" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="ad486c76-be85-419b-a65c-318ef9f0d3b1" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/Untitled%20design%20-%202024-05-24T141528.056.png" /></p>

<p><em>Artists concept of&nbsp;Gliese 12 b whose estimated size may be as large as Earth or slightly smaller. (Credits: NASA)</em></p>

<p>This means the exoplanet, even if its distance from its&nbsp;red dwarf parent is almost 7 per cent of the distance between the sun and Earth,&nbsp;still&nbsp;remains in the habitable zone of the planetary system.</p>

<p>This habitable zone is called the "Goldilocks Zone". This region around a star is neither too cold nor too hot for hosting liquid water, which is an important ingredient for life.&nbsp;</p>

<h2><strong>A child of Venus and Earth?</strong></h2>

<p>This exoplanet also resembles Venus which is generally called Earth’s “twin” due to the similarities they share.&nbsp;</p>

<p>"To find it to be such a similar size to Earth was kind of a lovely surprise. So that was a&nbsp;really&nbsp;nice thing to be able to nail down, but I think especially knowing that, in terms of habitability, it could lie between Earth and Venus, is&nbsp;really&nbsp;exciting," Palethorpe said.</p>

<p>Gliese 12 b receives about 1.6 times more heat from its star in comparison to the energy Earth receives from the sun, said the scientists.</p>

<p><strong>Watch:&nbsp;Gravitas: Most promising indication of life on another planet found</strong></p>

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/gravitas-most-promising-indication-of-life-on-another-planet-found-716425/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

<p>The average estimated surface temperature of the planet is only 50°F warmer than Earth’s.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Although both Earth and Venus are in the&nbsp;sun's habitable zone, one planet can support life and its atmosphere is favourable while the other planet is inhospitable&nbsp;in nature. The study of Gliese 12 b can help scientists understand why there is a difference between the two.</p>

<p><em>(With inputs from agencies)</em></p>


In continuation with the hunt for aliens, scientists have now found a new planet which may be habitable and have the capacity to sustain human life. The new planet named Gliese 12 b has been brought to attention in the latest study published in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society on Thursday (May 23).

In continuation with the hunt for aliens, scientists have now found a new planet which may be habitable and have the capacity to sustain human life. The new planet named Gliese 12 b has been brought to attention in the latest study published in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society on Thursday (May 23). Scientists said it is “the nearest, transiting temperate, Earth-sized planet found to date.” The planet was discovered by an international team of scientists with the help of NASA’s Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS). According to scientists, this is one of the few rocky planets which has the potential of carrying human lives. The planet is only 40 light-years away from Earth, which makes it the closest one yet discovered. Also Read: Is an ocean of magma creating atmosphere on this 'Super Earth'? The possibility has scientists excited "The majorly interesting thing is that this is a planet that's really nearby; in fact, it's one of the closest transiting planets to Earth," said University College of London scientist Larissa Palethorpe, who was part of the team, while speaking to Space.com. "It's either in the habitable zone of its star or it is right on the edge of it — so, it could be habitable," he added. In size, Gliese 12 b is only a little smaller in comparison to Earth and has been found orbiting a small and cool red dwarf star. Artists concept of Gliese 12 b whose estimated size may be as large as Earth or slightly smaller. (Credits: NASA) This means the exoplanet, even if its distance from its red dwarf parent is almost 7 per cent of the distance between the sun and Earth, still remains in the habitable zone of the planetary system. This habitable zone is called the "Goldilocks Zone". This region around a star is neither too cold nor too hot for hosting liquid water, which is an important ingredient for life. A child of Venus and Earth? This exoplanet also resembles Venus which is generally called Earth’s “twin” due to the similarities they share. "To find it to be such a similar size to Earth was kind of a lovely surprise. So that was a really nice thing to be able to nail down, but I think especially knowing that, in terms of habitability, it could lie between Earth and Venus, is really exciting," Palethorpe said. Gliese 12 b receives about 1.6 times more heat from its star in comparison to the energy Earth receives from the sun, said the scientists. Watch: Gravitas: Most promising indication of life on another planet found The average estimated surface temperature of the planet is only 50°F warmer than Earth’s. Although both Earth and Venus are in the sun's habitable zone, one planet can support life and its atmosphere is favourable while the other planet is inhospitable in nature. The study of Gliese 12 b can help scientists understand why there is a difference between the two. (With inputs from agencies)

Another milestone in alien hunt? Earth-size exoplanet may be hiding life in 'Goldilocks Zone'

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<p>The intensity of the recent solar storm which had filled the skies of Earth with Northern Lights in May 2024 was so huge that its effects travelled to the bottom of the ocean.</p>

<p>In the magnetic compasses, which were used by Ocean Networks Canada (ONC) for monitoring the ocean off Canada's coast, a major distortion&nbsp;was recorded in the magnetic field of Earth because it was buffeted by a strong influx of particles released by the Sun.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Measuring these powerful solar storms will help scientists determine what are they dealing with when similar solar eruptions occur during solar storms in the future. The data will also help scientists understand how Earth is getting affected by such solar storms.&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>Also Read:</strong>&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/sun-releases-strongest-x-ray-flares-since-2005-scientists-warn-massive-sunspot-yet-to-burst-721537">Sun releases strongest X-ray flares since 2005, scientists warn massive sunspot yet to burst</a></p>

<p>"The next two years will be the peak of the 11-year solar cycle. After a decade of relative inactivity, aurora events like this past weekend are likely to become more frequent over the next couple of years, although solar variability makes precise prediction of such events impossible,"&nbsp;said physicist Justin Albert, who is from the University of Victoria in Canada, while speaking to Science Alert.</p>

<p>"ONC's network might provide a very helpful additional window into the effects of solar activity on the Earth's terrestrial magnetism," he added.</p>

<h2><strong>Why has Sun been so active lately?</strong></h2>

<p>Solar storms, which are also called geomagnetic storms, are among those activities of the Sun which have the biggest impact on Earth.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Solar storms occur when an eruption takes place on the Sun's surface and ejects billions of tonnes of material which are&nbsp;tangled up with magnetic fields at high speed in the Solar System.</p>

<p>When the Sun's coronal mass ejection (CME) reaches Earth's surface, the particles hit the magnetic field and then they become entangled and accelerated till they are dumped in our atmosphere. The sparkling aurora is created by the interactions with other particles.&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>Watch:&nbsp;Strong solar storm hits earth; threatens to disrupt communication &amp; power grids</strong></p>

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/strong-solar-storm-hits-earth-threatens-to-disrupt-communication-power-grids-720548/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

<p>Recently, the Sun has been particularly active since it is escalating towards a solar maximum and will reach its peak in its 11-year activity cycle.</p>

<p>It was first noticed by ONC data specialist Alex Slonimer in the compass data back in March.&nbsp;</p>

<p>"I looked into whether it was potentially an earthquake, but that didn't make a lot of sense because the changes in the data were lasting for too long and concurrently at different locations,"&nbsp;Slonimer said.&nbsp;</p>

<p>"Then, I looked into whether it was a solar flare as the sun has been active recently," he added.</p>

<p><em>(With inputs from agencies)</em></p>


The intensity of the recent solar storm which had filled the skies of Earth with Northern Lights in May 2024 was so huge that its effects travelled to the bottom of the ocean.

The intensity of the recent solar storm which had filled the skies of Earth with Northern Lights in May 2024 was so huge that its effects travelled to the bottom of the ocean. In the magnetic compasses, which were used by Ocean Networks Canada (ONC) for monitoring the ocean off Canada's coast, a major distortion was recorded in the magnetic field of Earth because it was buffeted by a strong influx of particles released by the Sun. Measuring these powerful solar storms will help scientists determine what are they dealing with when similar solar eruptions occur during solar storms in the future. The data will also help scientists understand how Earth is getting affected by such solar storms. Also Read: Sun releases strongest X-ray flares since 2005, scientists warn massive sunspot yet to burst "The next two years will be the peak of the 11-year solar cycle. After a decade of relative inactivity, aurora events like this past weekend are likely to become more frequent over the next couple of years, although solar variability makes precise prediction of such events impossible," said physicist Justin Albert, who is from the University of Victoria in Canada, while speaking to Science Alert. "ONC's network might provide a very helpful additional window into the effects of solar activity on the Earth's terrestrial magnetism," he added. Why has Sun been so active lately? Solar storms, which are also called geomagnetic storms, are among those activities of the Sun which have the biggest impact on Earth. Solar storms occur when an eruption takes place on the Sun's surface and ejects billions of tonnes of material which are tangled up with magnetic fields at high speed in the Solar System. When the Sun's coronal mass ejection (CME) reaches Earth's surface, the particles hit the magnetic field and then they become entangled and accelerated till they are dumped in our atmosphere. The sparkling aurora is created by the interactions with other particles. Watch: Strong solar storm hits earth; threatens to disrupt communication & power grids Recently, the Sun has been particularly active since it is escalating towards a solar maximum and will reach its peak in its 11-year activity cycle. It was first noticed by ONC data specialist Alex Slonimer in the compass data back in March. "I looked into whether it was potentially an earthquake, but that didn't make a lot of sense because the changes in the data were lasting for too long and concurrently at different locations," Slonimer said. "Then, I looked into whether it was a solar flare as the sun has been active recently," he added. (With inputs from agencies)

Intense solar storm shakes Earth’s core, travels to bottom of ocean

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<p>Earth has a magnetic field&nbsp;which&nbsp;appears very similar to a bar magnet&nbsp;that has&nbsp;a north and south pole.&nbsp;However, it is not comparatively stable since it gets generated by complex processes which are going on in the inner crust of the planet.&nbsp;This&nbsp;leads to the wandering of the magnetic poles.</p>

<p>The North Pole has been shifting at a speed of 15 kilometres every year&nbsp;historically.&nbsp;However, the pace of shifting has increased since the 1990s to about 55 kilometres per year in the direction of Siberia.</p>

<p>It&nbsp;is believed&nbsp;that the shifting of poles may foreshadow a ‘magnetic reversal’ in which the locations of the magnetic north and south poles may change.&nbsp;</p>

<p>As per the scientists, the location of the two poles has changed 171 times in the last 71 million years&nbsp;and&nbsp;now, Earth is overdue for a flip.</p>

<p><strong>Also Read:&nbsp;</strong><a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/will-earth-turn-as-arid-as-sahara-desert-heres-what-disappearance-of-grasslands-hint-720991">Will Earth turn as arid as Sahara Desert? Here's what disappearance of grasslands hint at</a></p>

<h2><strong>Why&nbsp;have&nbsp;the magnetic poles not flipped?</strong></h2>

<p>Models of the Earth’s magnetic field, which have&nbsp;been created&nbsp;on the basis of&nbsp;satellite observations, have hinted that the present wandering has taken place because of conflict between ‘blobs’ which have intense magnetic fields and are present deep inside the planet.</p>

<p>However, no one is 100 per cent sure when the magnetic field of Earth will flip.</p>

<h2><strong>What will happen if magnetic poles flip?</strong></h2>

<p>The magnetic reversals were found by the scientists by measuring the magnetic field on the two sides of mid-Atlantic ridges.&nbsp;From the ridges, the molten rock flows slowly.</p>

<p>As the molten rock solidifies, its crystals align in the direction of the magnetic field of the Earth and leave a ‘tape recording’ of reversals.</p>

<p><strong>Watch:&nbsp;Biggest solar flare in 10 years hits earth</strong></p>

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/biggest-solar-flare-in-10-years-hits-earth-722059/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

<p>It is said that reversals take place over 1,000 to 10,000 years during which the magnetic field shrinks to zero, after which it grows again with the opposite polarity.</p>

<p>Hence, for centuries, Earth did not have any magnetic field. Such an absence of a magnetic field is dangerous for life.</p>

<p>This is because the magnetic field extends into space and creates a protective bubble around the planet and saves the Earth from the hurricane of particles emitted by the ‘solar wind’&nbsp;of the Sun and higher energy ‘cosmic ray’ particles from deep space.</p>

<p><em>(With inputs from agencies)</em></p>


Earth has a magnetic field which appears very similar to a bar magnet that has a north and south pole. However, it is not comparatively stable since it gets generated by complex processes which are going on in the inner crust of the planet.

Earth has a magnetic field which appears very similar to a bar magnet that has a north and south pole. However, it is not comparatively stable since it gets generated by complex processes which are going on in the inner crust of the planet. This leads to the wandering of the magnetic poles. The North Pole has been shifting at a speed of 15 kilometres every year historically. However, the pace of shifting has increased since the 1990s to about 55 kilometres per year in the direction of Siberia. It is believed that the shifting of poles may foreshadow a ‘magnetic reversal’ in which the locations of the magnetic north and south poles may change. As per the scientists, the location of the two poles has changed 171 times in the last 71 million years and now, Earth is overdue for a flip. Also Read: Will Earth turn as arid as Sahara Desert? Here's what disappearance of grasslands hint at Why have the magnetic poles not flipped? Models of the Earth’s magnetic field, which have been created on the basis of satellite observations, have hinted that the present wandering has taken place because of conflict between ‘blobs’ which have intense magnetic fields and are present deep inside the planet. However, no one is 100 per cent sure when the magnetic field of Earth will flip. What will happen if magnetic poles flip? The magnetic reversals were found by the scientists by measuring the magnetic field on the two sides of mid-Atlantic ridges. From the ridges, the molten rock flows slowly. As the molten rock solidifies, its crystals align in the direction of the magnetic field of the Earth and leave a ‘tape recording’ of reversals. Watch: Biggest solar flare in 10 years hits earth It is said that reversals take place over 1,000 to 10,000 years during which the magnetic field shrinks to zero, after which it grows again with the opposite polarity. Hence, for centuries, Earth did not have any magnetic field. Such an absence of a magnetic field is dangerous for life. This is because the magnetic field extends into space and creates a protective bubble around the planet and saves the Earth from the hurricane of particles emitted by the ‘solar wind’ of the Sun and higher energy ‘cosmic ray’ particles from deep space. (With inputs from agencies)

The deadline for flipping Earth's magnetic poles has long passed. Here's how it is threatening life

MOON: Earth's only natural satellite. Just like Earth, Moon is going to have 'RAILWAY TRACKS' as well. NASA announced its plans to build a robot train on the moon. For it, NASA will be sending its astronauts to the Earth's only natural satellite.

What are NASA's plans to lay down railway tracks on the Moon?

<p>Astronomers have detected a new Earth-sized planet, which is just 55 light-years away. It is orbiting an ultra-cool red dwarf star. The discovery is published in Nature Astronomy. The international team of astronomers revealed that the planet is only the second of its kind to be discovered around this type of star.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The star, known as SPECULOOS-3 b, takes approximately 17 hours to complete an orbit, meaning a year on the planet is shorter than a single Earth day.&nbsp;</p>

<p>It is more than twice as cold as our sun. The astronomers said that it is ten times less massive and one hundred times less luminous. As per the discovery, days and nights on SPECULOOS-3 b are endless.&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/three-stars-found-circling-milky-ways-halo-study-shows-they-were-formed-13-billion-years-ago-721754">Three stars found circling Milky Way's halo, study shows they were formed 13 billion years ago</a>&nbsp;</strong></p>

<p>As quoted by phys.org, Michaël Gillon, who is an astronomer at the University of Liège in Belgium and also the lead author of the study, said, "We believe that the planet rotates synchronously, so that the same side, called the day side, always faces the star, just like the moon does for the Earth. On the other hand, the night side hand, would be locked in endless darkness."&nbsp;</p>

<p>Ultra-cool red dwarf stars account for around 70 per cent of all stars in our galaxy. They have a lifespan of about 100 billion years, making them competitors for the final stars to shine in the universe.&nbsp;</p>

<p>It also becomes important for astronomers to monitor them for several weeks to identify planets passing in front of them because they are so weak and scattered throughout the sky.&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/asteroid-alert-car-sized-space-rock-closely-passes-by-earth-in-a-near-miss-721689">Asteroid flies by Earth at an eerily close distance nearer than the moon</a>&nbsp;</strong></p>

<p>The SPECULOOS project aided the discovery, which is led by the University of Liège, in Belgium, in collaboration with the Universities of Birmingham, Cambridge, Bern, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.&nbsp;</p>

<p>SPECULOOS (Search for Planets EClipsing ULtra-cOOl Stars) looks for potentially habitable exoplanets around the smallest and coldest stars of the solar neighbourhood with the help of robotic telescopes based around the world.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Gillon said, "We designed SPECULOOS specifically to observe nearby ultracool dwarf stars in search of rocky planets that lend themselves well to detailed studies."&nbsp;</p>

<p>"In 2017, our SPECULOOS prototype using the TRAPPIST telescope discovered the famous TRAPPIST-1 system made up of seven Earth-sized planets, several of them potentially habitable. This was an excellent start," he added.&nbsp;</p>

<p><em>(With inputs from agencies)</em></p>


Astronomers have detected a new Earth-sized planet, which is just 55 light-years away. It is orbiting an ultra-cool red dwarf star. The discovery is published in Nature Astronomy.

Astronomers have detected a new Earth-sized planet, which is just 55 light-years away. It is orbiting an ultra-cool red dwarf star. The discovery is published in Nature Astronomy. The international team of astronomers revealed that the planet is only the second of its kind to be discovered around this type of star. The star, known as SPECULOOS-3 b, takes approximately 17 hours to complete an orbit, meaning a year on the planet is shorter than a single Earth day. It is more than twice as cold as our sun. The astronomers said that it is ten times less massive and one hundred times less luminous. As per the discovery, days and nights on SPECULOOS-3 b are endless. Also read: Three stars found circling Milky Way's halo, study shows they were formed 13 billion years ago As quoted by phys.org, Michaël Gillon, who is an astronomer at the University of Liège in Belgium and also the lead author of the study, said, "We believe that the planet rotates synchronously, so that the same side, called the day side, always faces the star, just like the moon does for the Earth. On the other hand, the night side hand, would be locked in endless darkness." Ultra-cool red dwarf stars account for around 70 per cent of all stars in our galaxy. They have a lifespan of about 100 billion years, making them competitors for the final stars to shine in the universe. It also becomes important for astronomers to monitor them for several weeks to identify planets passing in front of them because they are so weak and scattered throughout the sky. Also read: Asteroid flies by Earth at an eerily close distance nearer than the moon The SPECULOOS project aided the discovery, which is led by the University of Liège, in Belgium, in collaboration with the Universities of Birmingham, Cambridge, Bern, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. SPECULOOS (Search for Planets EClipsing ULtra-cOOl Stars) looks for potentially habitable exoplanets around the smallest and coldest stars of the solar neighbourhood with the help of robotic telescopes based around the world. Gillon said, "We designed SPECULOOS specifically to observe nearby ultracool dwarf stars in search of rocky planets that lend themselves well to detailed studies." "In 2017, our SPECULOOS prototype using the TRAPPIST telescope discovered the famous TRAPPIST-1 system made up of seven Earth-sized planets, several of them potentially habitable. This was an excellent start," he added. (With inputs from agencies)

Astronomers found new Earth-sized planet where days and nights are never-ending

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<p>A car-sized asteroid had a close shave with Earth on Tuesday morning (May 14), two days after the astronomers discovered it.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The&nbsp;asteroid&nbsp;2024 JN16 was nearly the size of a car, less than 15 feet (4 metres) wide. The asteroid did not hit Earth, however, it came as close as 11,500 miles (18,500 kilometres) from the surface of our planet when it zipped by at 5:50 am EDT (0950 GMT) on Tuesday (May 14), as per The Virtual Telescope Project.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Amateur astronomer&nbsp;Gennadiy Borisov&nbsp;discovered asteroid 2024 JN16&nbsp;two days ago with the use of the MARGO Observatory in Nauchnij, Crimea.&nbsp;The space rock is part of the Apollo asteroid group whose orbit intersects with Earth's orbit.&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>Also Read:&nbsp;</strong><a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/sun-releases-strongest-x-ray-flares-since-2005-scientists-warn-massive-sunspot-yet-to-burst-721537">Sun releases strongest X-ray flares since 2005, scientists warn massive sunspot yet to burst</a></p>

<p>The&nbsp;Chelyabinsk meteor, which was as big as a six-storey building and broke up&nbsp;into pieces over the Russian city of Chelyabinsk in 2013 leading to a blast stronger than a nuclear explosion, was a famous asteroid from this group.&nbsp;</p>

<h2><strong>Asteroid reaches inside the moon's orbit</strong></h2>

<p>The orbits of such cosmic objects increase the risk of them colliding with a planet or other asteroids. As per astronomers, such asteroids survive for fairly short periods like 10 million years in our&nbsp;solar system.&nbsp;</p>

<p>When it came close to Earth, 2024 JN16 was within the moon's orbit&nbsp;and half as distant as the geostationary satellites from Earth. These shells of geostationary satellites rotate at an altitude of 22,236 miles (35,785 km).&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>Watch:&nbsp;Asian continent bears brunt of heatwave</strong></p>

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/asian-continent-bears-brunt-of-heatwave-721664/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

<p>Since it came so close to Earth, the asteroid shined at magnitude 13 at its brightest and hence, was visible to telescopes.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The asteroid is presently more than 186,400 miles (300,000 kilometres) from Earth and is located in the constellation Serpens. However, one can only see it using long-exposure photography.</p>

<p>More than 40 asteroids have been found by astronomers whose paths came closer to Earth than the moon's orbit, as per the&nbsp;Watchers.&nbsp;</p>

<p><em>(With inputs from agencies)</em></p>


A car-sized asteroid had a close shave with Earth on Tuesday morning (May 14), two days after the astronomers discovered it. The asteroid 2024 JN16 was nearly the size of a car, less than 15 feet (4 metres) wide.

A car-sized asteroid had a close shave with Earth on Tuesday morning (May 14), two days after the astronomers discovered it. The asteroid 2024 JN16 was nearly the size of a car, less than 15 feet (4 metres) wide. The asteroid did not hit Earth, however, it came as close as 11,500 miles (18,500 kilometres) from the surface of our planet when it zipped by at 5:50 am EDT (0950 GMT) on Tuesday (May 14), as per The Virtual Telescope Project. Amateur astronomer Gennadiy Borisov discovered asteroid 2024 JN16 two days ago with the use of the MARGO Observatory in Nauchnij, Crimea. The space rock is part of the Apollo asteroid group whose orbit intersects with Earth's orbit. Also Read: Sun releases strongest X-ray flares since 2005, scientists warn massive sunspot yet to burst The Chelyabinsk meteor, which was as big as a six-storey building and broke up into pieces over the Russian city of Chelyabinsk in 2013 leading to a blast stronger than a nuclear explosion, was a famous asteroid from this group. Asteroid reaches inside the moon's orbit The orbits of such cosmic objects increase the risk of them colliding with a planet or other asteroids. As per astronomers, such asteroids survive for fairly short periods like 10 million years in our solar system. When it came close to Earth, 2024 JN16 was within the moon's orbit and half as distant as the geostationary satellites from Earth. These shells of geostationary satellites rotate at an altitude of 22,236 miles (35,785 km). Watch: Asian continent bears brunt of heatwave Since it came so close to Earth, the asteroid shined at magnitude 13 at its brightest and hence, was visible to telescopes. The asteroid is presently more than 186,400 miles (300,000 kilometres) from Earth and is located in the constellation Serpens. However, one can only see it using long-exposure photography. More than 40 asteroids have been found by astronomers whose paths came closer to Earth than the moon's orbit, as per the Watchers. (With inputs from agencies)

Asteroid flies by Earth at an eerily close distance nearer than the moon

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<p>After the recent discovery of the possibility of green pastures and grasslands in the Sahara Desert nearly 4,000 years ago, scientists are now trying to understand if the Earth will undergo a dramatic transformation like northern Africa.&nbsp;</p>

<p>A recent study has explained how grasslands, forests and lakes disappeared and the Sahara desert expanded due to which humans were forced to retreat to the mountains, the&nbsp;Nile valley, the oases, and the delta.</p>

<p>This geographical transition from the "African humid period", which existed from 15,000 to 5,500 years ago, led to the creation of current dry conditions in northern Africa, which scientists are now seeing as the best example of a climate tipping point in recent geological history.&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>Also Read:&nbsp;</strong><a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/has-sahara-desert-always-been-barren-a-4000-year-old-rock-art-holds-the-answer-719730">Has Sahara Desert always been barren? A 4,000-year-old rock art holds the answer</a></p>

<p>Climate tipping points are thresholds which once passed through lead to a dramatic&nbsp;climate change&nbsp;setting up of a new stable climate.</p>

<h2><strong>Climate flickering in Africa</strong></h2>

<p>According to a new study, which was published in&nbsp;Nature Communications, it was revealed that before the dry out of northern Africa, its climate "flickered" between two stable climatic conditions before permanently tipping.</p>

<p>For the first time, it has been observed that such flickering took place in the past on Earth.&nbsp;For scientists in today's world, the biggest concern is whether humans will get any warnings of climate tipping points.</p>

<p>According to the scientists, after crossing the global warming of 1.5˚C, the&nbsp;most obvious tipping points are the collapsing ice sheets in Antarctica or Greenland, abrupt thawing of Arctic permafrost or tropical coral reefs dying off.</p>

<p>According to some, the Earth is likely to give warning signs of these major climate shifts.&nbsp;However, it will depend on what is the type of tipping point, and hence, it is difficult to interpret these signals.</p>

<p>One of the major questions is if tipping points will be characterised by flickering or if the climate will appear to be very stable before suddenly tipping over.</p>

<p><strong>Watch:&nbsp;Climate change fuels global floods</strong></p>

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/climate-change-fuels-global-floods-720913/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

<p>An international team of scientists to further study the climatic shifts went to the basin of Chew Bahir in southern Ethiopia.&nbsp;</p>

<p>They found the existence of an extensive lake in this region during the last African humid period. The existence of the lake has been recorded by the deposits of sediment which are underneath the lake bed.</p>

<p>The lake has today largely disappeared and the deposits can be cheaply&nbsp;drilled by the people.</p>

<p><em>(With inputs from agencies)</em></p>


After the recent discovery of the possibility of green pastures and grasslands in the Sahara Desert nearly 4,000 years ago, scientists are now trying to understand if the Earth will undergo a dramatic transformation like northern Africa.

After the recent discovery of the possibility of green pastures and grasslands in the Sahara Desert nearly 4,000 years ago, scientists are now trying to understand if the Earth will undergo a dramatic transformation like northern Africa. A recent study has explained how grasslands, forests and lakes disappeared and the Sahara desert expanded due to which humans were forced to retreat to the mountains, the Nile valley, the oases, and the delta. This geographical transition from the "African humid period", which existed from 15,000 to 5,500 years ago, led to the creation of current dry conditions in northern Africa, which scientists are now seeing as the best example of a climate tipping point in recent geological history. Also Read: Has Sahara Desert always been barren? A 4,000-year-old rock art holds the answer Climate tipping points are thresholds which once passed through lead to a dramatic climate change setting up of a new stable climate. Climate flickering in Africa According to a new study, which was published in Nature Communications, it was revealed that before the dry out of northern Africa, its climate "flickered" between two stable climatic conditions before permanently tipping. For the first time, it has been observed that such flickering took place in the past on Earth. For scientists in today's world, the biggest concern is whether humans will get any warnings of climate tipping points. According to the scientists, after crossing the global warming of 1.5˚C, the most obvious tipping points are the collapsing ice sheets in Antarctica or Greenland, abrupt thawing of Arctic permafrost or tropical coral reefs dying off. According to some, the Earth is likely to give warning signs of these major climate shifts. However, it will depend on what is the type of tipping point, and hence, it is difficult to interpret these signals. One of the major questions is if tipping points will be characterised by flickering or if the climate will appear to be very stable before suddenly tipping over. Watch: Climate change fuels global floods An international team of scientists to further study the climatic shifts went to the basin of Chew Bahir in southern Ethiopia. They found the existence of an extensive lake in this region during the last African humid period. The existence of the lake has been recorded by the deposits of sediment which are underneath the lake bed. The lake has today largely disappeared and the deposits can be cheaply drilled by the people. (With inputs from agencies)

Will Earth turn as arid as Sahara Desert? Here's what disappearance of grasslands hint at

<p>A team of scientists has now discovered that some ancient black holes could be altering the orbit of the Earth.</p>

<p>A team of scientists from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) has said that swirling masses of matter, known as primordial black holes (PBHs), have been soaring past our solar system at least once in a decade and causing disruptions in planets and moons.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The PBHs, which were created shortly after the Big Bang occurred in the universe nearly 12.8 billion years ago, are as big as a microbe, but they have a density similar to that of an asteroid which can cause orbits to 'wobble.'</p>

<p><strong>Also read:&nbsp;</strong><a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/astronomers-uncover-18-black-holes-devouring-stars-in-cosmic-feast-685645">Astronomers spot 18 black holes devouring stars in cosmic feast</a></p>

<p>The claim made by the team suggests that these black holes can also change the distances of planets from the sun or the Earth in a specific period.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The PBHs were proposed by astrophysicist&nbsp;Stephen Hawking and his PhD student Bernard Carr. They had suggested that in the first moments of the Big Bang, the 'lumpy' regions had an extra mass which had been created in the universe and ultimately turned into black holes after collapsing.&nbsp;</p>

<h2><strong>Ancient black holes not yet detected in the universe?</strong></h2>

<p>However, scientists have not yet detected&nbsp;ancient black holes in the universe.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The new study carried out by the scientists is based on the theory that the universe is teeming with PBHs, which means the objects will have to pass by the Earth's cosmic neighbourhood.</p>

<p><strong>Watch:&nbsp;Universe's oldest and farthest black hole ever discovered by Scientists</strong></p>

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/universes-oldest-and-farthest-black-hole-ever-discovered-by-scientists-681409/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

<p>The scientists calculated how close to the planet or moon will a PBH have to come in our solar system so that it can alter movement.<br />
&nbsp;<br />
A simulation was used by the study which featured all eight planets, more than 1.3 million asteroids, about 300 planetary satellites (like moons) and almost 4,000 comets. The model also included rogue PBHs.</p>

<p>The scientists observed that the orbits of planets and moons altered by several feet if an object, with a mass of an asteroid, came within just two astronomical units from the sun.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>

<p><em>(With inputs from agencies)&nbsp;</em></p>


A team of scientists has now discovered that some ancient black holes could be altering the orbit of the Earth. A team of scientists from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) has said that swirling masses of matter, known as primordial black holes (PBHs), have been soaring past our solar system at least once in a decade and causing disruptions in planets and moons.

A team of scientists has now discovered that some ancient black holes could be altering the orbit of the Earth. A team of scientists from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) has said that swirling masses of matter, known as primordial black holes (PBHs), have been soaring past our solar system at least once in a decade and causing disruptions in planets and moons. The PBHs, which were created shortly after the Big Bang occurred in the universe nearly 12.8 billion years ago, are as big as a microbe, but they have a density similar to that of an asteroid which can cause orbits to 'wobble.' Also read: Astronomers spot 18 black holes devouring stars in cosmic feast The claim made by the team suggests that these black holes can also change the distances of planets from the sun or the Earth in a specific period. The PBHs were proposed by astrophysicist Stephen Hawking and his PhD student Bernard Carr. They had suggested that in the first moments of the Big Bang, the 'lumpy' regions had an extra mass which had been created in the universe and ultimately turned into black holes after collapsing. Ancient black holes not yet detected in the universe? However, scientists have not yet detected ancient black holes in the universe. The new study carried out by the scientists is based on the theory that the universe is teeming with PBHs, which means the objects will have to pass by the Earth's cosmic neighbourhood. Watch: Universe's oldest and farthest black hole ever discovered by Scientists The scientists calculated how close to the planet or moon will a PBH have to come in our solar system so that it can alter movement. A simulation was used by the study which featured all eight planets, more than 1.3 million asteroids, about 300 planetary satellites (like moons) and almost 4,000 comets. The model also included rogue PBHs. The scientists observed that the orbits of planets and moons altered by several feet if an object, with a mass of an asteroid, came within just two astronomical units from the sun. (With inputs from agencies)

Ancient black holes altering Earth's orbit once in 10 years, claim scientists

The existence of aliens has always been a hot topic of discussion among humans. While some believe in their presence, others deny it. Elon Musk too isn't convinced that aliens have ever visited our planet Earth.

Elon Musk claims aliens have never visited Earth, shares proof

<p><strong>Massive sunspot AR3664:</strong> A gigantic sunspot, AR3664, on the&nbsp;surface of the&nbsp;sun&nbsp;ballooned and grew so massive that it can fit 15 Earths and has become the most active one in the current solar cycle.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Now, this gigantic sunspot released a powerful&nbsp;X-class solar flare towards the Earth&nbsp;which&nbsp;led&nbsp;to radio blackouts in various areas.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Space Weather Prediction Center had earlier this week&nbsp;issued a warning&nbsp;of increased&nbsp;solar flare&nbsp;risk from the&nbsp;Sun.</p>

<p>"Region 3664 has grown considerably and has become much more magnetically complex,"&nbsp;read NOAA's SWPC reports. "This has&nbsp;led to&nbsp;increased solar flare probabilities over the next several days," it added.</p>

<p><strong>Also Read: </strong><a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/sun-fires-massive-solar-flares-directly-at-earth-australia-japan-and-china-witness-radio-blackouts-718609">Sun fires massive solar flares directly at Earth; Australia, Japan and China witness radio&nbsp;blackouts</a></p>

<p>The giant sunspot has fired more powerful solar flares&nbsp;in recent days&nbsp;than estimated.&nbsp;This&nbsp;included a colossal X-class solar flare&nbsp;which&nbsp;was&nbsp;released on May 9 morning and peaked at 5:13 am&nbsp;EDT (0913 GMT).</p>

<p>Solar flares are eruptions from the&nbsp;surface of the&nbsp;sun&nbsp;which&nbsp;release intense bursts of electromagnetic radiation. According to their size, the solar flares have been categorised into lettered groups and the X-class&nbsp;is considered the most powerful.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Because of this, the X-flare led to shortwave radio blackouts across parts of Europe and Africa. The radio blackouts happened due to extreme ultraviolet radiation&nbsp;which&nbsp;was&nbsp;released&nbsp;during the eruption&nbsp;and&nbsp;the strong pulse of X-rays.</p>

<h2><strong>Sunspot visible from Earth&nbsp;</strong></h2>

<p>The sunspot AR3664,&nbsp;which&nbsp;is&nbsp;spread&nbsp;across 124,000 (200,000 kilometres), is currently 15 times wider than Earth, as per Spaceweather.com.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The sunspot is so&nbsp;huge&nbsp;that it is visible from Earth without&nbsp;any need for&nbsp;magnification. Those&nbsp;who have&nbsp;a pair of&nbsp;solar eclipse&nbsp;glasses&nbsp;can use them to observe the&nbsp;sun&nbsp;and observe the mammoth sunspot cross the solar disk.&nbsp;</p>

<h2><strong>NASA shares images of dancing loops</strong></h2>

<p>In a recent post, NASA shared two GIFs (graphics interchange format)&nbsp;which&nbsp;captured the moment&nbsp;two powerful solar flares&nbsp;were unleashed&nbsp;by the&nbsp;sun.&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>Watch:&nbsp;Boeing to send Starliner space capsule with 2 astronauts'</strong></p>

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/boeing-to-send-starliner-space-capsule-with-2-astronauts-718135/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

<p>The two solar flares erupted on May 7 and May 8 from the sunspots AR3663 and AR3664.&nbsp;</p>

<p>"You make a loop-de-loop and pull, and your&nbsp;Sun&nbsp;is looking&nbsp;cool! Late at night on May 7 and in the wee hours of May 8, the&nbsp;Sun&nbsp;emitted this powerful pair of solar flares. These two energetic flashes with dancing loops&nbsp;were captured&nbsp;by @NASAGoddard's Solar Dynamics Observatory, which always has its eye on the&nbsp;Sun," wrote&nbsp;NASA,&nbsp;in the&nbsp;caption of the post.&nbsp;</p>

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<p>"The Sun-like even the most vibrant people-is&nbsp;not&nbsp;a constant ray of sunshine. It constantly cycles through periods of higher and lower activity. High activity can lead to these solar flares, or dramatic&nbsp;explosions of energy&nbsp;out from the&nbsp;Sun," NASA added.</p>

<p><em>(With inputs from agencies)</em></p>


Massive sunspot AR3664: A gigantic sunspot, AR3664, on the surface of the sun ballooned and grew so massive that it can fit 15 Earths and has become the most active one in the current solar cycle.

Massive sunspot AR3664: A gigantic sunspot, AR3664, on the surface of the sun ballooned and grew so massive that it can fit 15 Earths and has become the most active one in the current solar cycle. Now, this gigantic sunspot released a powerful X-class solar flare towards the Earth which led to radio blackouts in various areas. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Space Weather Prediction Center had earlier this week issued a warning of increased solar flare risk from the Sun. "Region 3664 has grown considerably and has become much more magnetically complex," read NOAA's SWPC reports. "This has led to increased solar flare probabilities over the next several days," it added. Also Read: Sun fires massive solar flares directly at Earth; Australia, Japan and China witness radio blackouts The giant sunspot has fired more powerful solar flares in recent days than estimated. This included a colossal X-class solar flare which was released on May 9 morning and peaked at 5:13 am EDT (0913 GMT). Solar flares are eruptions from the surface of the sun which release intense bursts of electromagnetic radiation. According to their size, the solar flares have been categorised into lettered groups and the X-class is considered the most powerful. Because of this, the X-flare led to shortwave radio blackouts across parts of Europe and Africa. The radio blackouts happened due to extreme ultraviolet radiation which was released during the eruption and the strong pulse of X-rays. Sunspot visible from Earth The sunspot AR3664, which is spread across 124,000 (200,000 kilometres), is currently 15 times wider than Earth, as per Spaceweather.com. The sunspot is so huge that it is visible from Earth without any need for magnification. Those who have a pair of solar eclipse glasses can use them to observe the sun and observe the mammoth sunspot cross the solar disk. NASA shares images of dancing loops In a recent post, NASA shared two GIFs (graphics interchange format) which captured the moment two powerful solar flares were unleashed by the sun. Watch: Boeing to send Starliner space capsule with 2 astronauts' The two solar flares erupted on May 7 and May 8 from the sunspots AR3663 and AR3664. "You make a loop-de-loop and pull, and your Sun is looking cool! Late at night on May 7 and in the wee hours of May 8, the Sun emitted this powerful pair of solar flares. These two energetic flashes with dancing loops were captured by @NASAGoddard's Solar Dynamics Observatory, which always has its eye on the Sun," wrote NASA, in the caption of the post. View this post on Instagram A post shared by NASA (@nasa) × "The Sun-like even the most vibrant people-is not a constant ray of sunshine. It constantly cycles through periods of higher and lower activity. High activity can lead to these solar flares, or dramatic explosions of energy out from the Sun," NASA added. (With inputs from agencies)

Gigantic sunspot, wide enough to fill 15 worlds, hits Earth with powerful X-class solar flare

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