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| A new map reveals hundreds of previously unknown valleys beneath Greenland's vast ice sheet. |
Top 15 Space & Astronomy Stories
- Hidden Valleys Mapped Under Greenland Ice Sheet — NASA Science
A newly developed method called Ice Flow Perturbation Analysis produced the most detailed view yet of the bedrock beneath the Greenland Ice Sheet. Researchers manually mapped one thousand nine hundred forty three subglacial valleys. About a third of these valleys are newly identified. About half of the valleys already in BedMachine Greenland now extend farther inland than that earlier map indicated, in some cases by hundreds of kilometers. The map shows long straight valleys in the west-central region that formed well before most of the ice above them existed. Scientists described the findings in a NASA-led paper published in Geophysical Research Letters. The Greenland ice sheet spans one point seven million square kilometers and measures more than three kilometers thick at its maximum. The new technique infers buried topography from subtle surface signatures created as ice flows over valleys and ridges. Source: science.nasa.gov - Astronomy Picture of the Day Used in Classrooms — NASA Science
Astronomy Picture of the Day serves as an educational resource from elementary school through graduate school. Teachers have shared examples of how they incorporate the daily images into lessons across grade levels. The archive supplies ready visuals for topics ranging from planetary surfaces to distant galaxies. Educators report using the images to illustrate concepts in both introductory and advanced astronomy courses. Source: science.nasa.gov - Shapley-Curtis Great Debate Marks One Hundred Years — NASA Science
The one hundredth anniversary of the 1920 Scale of the Universe debate is being commemorated with historical summaries and family reflections from descendants of Harlow Shapley and Heber Doust Curtis. The original debate addressed whether the universe consisted of a single galaxy or many separate island universes. Modern reflections include contributions from Virginia Trimble and Deborah Shapley. The commemoration also references a follow-up 2020 debate on the search for life beyond Earth. Source: science.nasa.gov - Lab Experiment Explains Ancient Star's Strontium Levels — Universe Today
A paper in Nature Communications Physics reports that a laboratory test led by graduate student Caley M. Harris at Michigan State University resolved why strontium levels appeared skewed in an ancient star. The work traces how elements such as strontium form in stars and why measured abundances sometimes deviate from models. The experiment recreated stellar nucleosynthesis conditions to match observed elemental ratios. The findings address long-standing discrepancies between theory and spectroscopic data from metal-poor stars. Source: universetoday.com - Early Solar System Planets Formed From Fire Not Ice — Universe Today
A paper in Nature Astrophysics led by Damanveer Grewal at Yale concludes that the solar system's first planets formed under high-temperature conditions rather than icy ones. The study examined chemical signatures preserved in meteorites to determine the thermal environment during the earliest stages of planet formation. The results indicate that inner solar system materials experienced temperatures high enough to vaporize water ice before planetesimals accreted. This thermal history contrasts with models that assumed cold, ice-rich building blocks for the terrestrial planets. Source: universetoday.com - Apollo Astronauts Assigned New NASA Tasks — SciTechDaily
Astronauts who previously flew around the Moon now have new assignments from NASA. The agency is redirecting their experience toward upcoming exploration goals. The reassignments draw on the crew members' prior lunar orbital flights to support current mission planning. NASA has not released the specific roles or timelines for the new positions. Source: scitechdaily.com - Planet Found Orbiting Backward Around Its Star — SciTechDaily
Observations show one planet moving in the opposite direction from its host star's rotation. Researchers have not yet identified the mechanism that produced this reversed orbit. The discovery adds to the small number of known retrograde exoplanets. Current formation theories struggle to explain how such an orbit could arise without external gravitational influence. Source: scitechdaily.com - Nullarbor Caves Studied for Mars Life Clues — ABC News
Research suggests that caves in Australia's Nullarbor Plain may preserve chemical or structural evidence similar to what could exist on Mars. Scientists are examining mineral formations and microbial traces inside the caves to refine search strategies for future Mars missions. The arid environment and stable geology of the Nullarbor provide a terrestrial analog for potential subsurface habitats on the red planet. The study focuses on secondary mineral deposits that could record past biological activity. Source: abc.net.au - Radio Galaxy Shows Four Separate Jet Outbursts — r/space
High-resolution observations with the upgraded Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope combined with MeerKAT and Very Large Array data reveal four pairs of radio structures around galaxy J023721.13−010528.5. The central black hole appears to have launched powerful jets on four distinct occasions, making this the first confirmed example of a quadruple-double radio galaxy. A paper describing the discovery was posted to the arXiv preprint server on September eighth. The source lies at a redshift of zero point three seven two and is hosted by a massive elliptical galaxy. Each pair of radio lobes records a separate episode of jet activity separated by millions of years. Source: reddit.com - NASA Asks Public for Cloud Photographs — cw39.com
NASA renewed its request for people to submit photos of the sky to help calibrate satellite instruments and study cloud patterns. Participants can upload images through the agency's citizen science portal. The photographs assist in validating data from orbiting sensors that monitor atmospheric conditions. The call builds on previous citizen science campaigns that have collected thousands of sky images. Source: cw39.com - MeerKAT Telescope Data Suggest Possible Exoplanet — 2oceansvibe News
Observations from South Africa's MeerKAT radio telescope have produced signals consistent with an exoplanet candidate. Further analysis is underway to confirm the detection. The telescope's high sensitivity to radio wavelengths allows it to search for planetary signatures that optical instruments might miss. Confirmation would add to the growing catalog of worlds discovered by radio methods. Source: 2oceansvibe.com - Louisiana Letters Discuss Space Industry Future — NOLA.com
A published letter argues that data centers and spaceports could position Louisiana as a leader in space exploration while rebuilding coastal areas and retaining skilled workers. The author contrasts this vision with the state's current challenges of population loss and land erosion. The letter notes that existing industries have already produced thousands of workers with relevant technical skills. It calls for leadership that balances economic development with environmental protection. Source: nola.com
Cosmic Spotlight
The new Ice Flow Perturbation Analysis technique detects faint surface signatures left by buried valleys and ridges. Researchers used these signatures to trace valleys that previous maps had left fragmented or missed entirely. Extending some valleys hundreds of kilometers farther inland changes how models reconstruct the island's pre-glacial landscape. The updated topography will feed into future versions of BedMachine Greenland and improve projections of how the ice sheet may respond to warming.
Cosmic Deep Dive: How Subglacial Valleys Record Pre-Ice Landscapes
Imagine the Greenland ice sheet as a layer of frosting three kilometers deep spread across an area larger than the distance from Vancouver to Halifax. Beneath that frosting lies a network of valleys that formed when the rock was still exposed to rivers and glaciers long before the ice arrived. Satellites measure tiny bumps and dips on the ice surface that trace the shape of those hidden valleys because flowing ice bends slightly over ridges and dips. Researchers manually traced one thousand nine hundred forty three such valleys, finding that roughly six hundred fifty of them had never been recorded before. The longest newly extended segments reach hundreds of kilometers farther inland than earlier maps showed. We can now see the ancient river and glacial channels that predate the ice sheet, yet no one knows exactly how much of that older topography still steers the ice flow today or how quickly those channels might change if the ice thins.
That covers today's space and science news. | 