Astronomers using the W. M. Keck Observatory tracked the “rain” of charged water particles into the atmosphere of Saturn and found the extent of the ring-rain is far greater, and falls across larger areas of the planet, than previously thought. The work reveals the rain influences the composition and temperature structure of parts of Saturn’s [continue reading]
Using data from an aging NASA spacecraft, researchers have found signs of an energy source in the solar wind that has caught the attention of fusion researchers. NASA will be able to test the theory later this decade when it sends a new probe into the Sun for a closer look. The solar wind [continue reading]
During a chance encounter with an unusually strong blast of solar wind arriving at Saturn, the international Cassini spacecraft detected particles being accelerated to ultra-high energies, similar to the acceleration that takes place around supernova explosions. Saturn, the second largest planet in our Solar System. Image Credit: NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute Shock waves are commonplace in [continue reading]
ESA’s Venus Express has made unique observations of Venus during a period of reduced solar wind pressure, discovering that the planet’s ionosphere balloons out like a comet’s tail on its night-side. The change in ionosphere of Venus during normal solar wind conditions (left) and reduced solar wind activity (right), as observed by ESA’s Venus Express [continue reading]
An international team – led by Dutch astronomers (SRON, NOVA and ASTRON) – has made a tantalizing discovery about the way pulsars emit radiation. The emission of X-rays and radio waves by these pulsating neutron stars is able to change dramatically in seconds, simultaneously, in a way that cannot be explained with current theory. [continue reading]
A continuous stream of charged particles is erupting from the center of our galaxy, the Milky Way. This, conclude astronomers on 3 January in Nature, is a by-product of the birth of new stars. The outflow would also seem to play a part in the Milky Way’s magnetic field. One of the authors is astronomer Marijke [continue reading]