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Observations using JWST show water, probably from a subsurface ocean on Saturn’s icy moon, spewing into a large plume that extends far beyond the moon’s surface. This continuous outgassing results in a torus of water along Enceladus’s orbit and is so intense that the plume is the prime source of water across the Saturnian system.
The different roles of outflows in the removal of angular momentum from young stellar systems are becoming clearer with high-angular-resolution spectral-line studies.
A nearby galaxy provides a clue for resolving a long-standing issue in the way we measure elemental abundances from spectra, setting the stage for better interpreting the chemical evolution of galaxies across different cosmic epochs.
Radial velocity observations of a binary star system have led to the discovery of a gas-giant circumbinary planet, BEBOP-1 c, which is 65 times more massive than Earth, with an orbital period of 215.5 days. The binary system also hosts a smaller, inner transiting planet, TOI-1338 b, making this system a rare multi-planet circumbinary system.
The quantization of spacetime could be revealed indirectly through its imprint on the propagation of particles. An analysis combining data from the IceCube Neutrino Observatory and the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope shows preliminary statistical evidence of such a quantum-spacetime effect.
As pairs of black holes inspiral and merge, they create gravitational waves. These waves hold information about the environment in which the black holes are embedded: using future space-based gravitational-wave detectors, it will be possible to distinguish what kind of environment that is.
The first post-launch science meeting dedicated to the ESA/NASA Solar Orbiter spacecraft met in-person in Belfast nearly two and a half years into the mission, focusing on building new collaborations and rekindling old friendships.
Why the outer regions of the solar atmosphere are much hotter than the underlying surface is a long-standing question. New high-resolution observations revise the role of waves in the energy transfer and offer an insight into the processes at play.
The mechanisms that generate magnetic fields in stars are complex, but computational models of dynamo action show how magnetic fields can be generated by extremely turbulent flows.
A brief but bright flash of optical radiation has been captured only 30 seconds after the onset of a gamma-ray burst. Produced in the interior of the shocked relativistic jet that powered the burst, the optical flash reveals the jet to be narrow and magnetized.
A group of amateur astronomers made key observations during the impact of the Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) spacecraft into asteroid Dimorphos — a pioneering experiment aimed at modifying the dynamical state of an asteroid.
The first maps of the magnetic field in the nebula surrounding the Crab pulsar have been drawn using X-ray polarimetry. They provide insight into the flow of relativistic particles through the nebula and the generation of turbulence.
A laboratory experiment has replicated the braided strands of solar coronal loops and shown that the bursting of individual strands produces X-rays. Measurements of these braided strands and the generated X-rays reveal a multi-scale process that could be responsible for the energetic particles and X-rays that accompany solar flares.
Long-exposure spectra taken with the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) reveal the most distant galaxies ever observed — back to a time when the Universe was only 2% of its present age.
The exploration of small planetary bodies depends crucially on the success of anchoring robots. This Perspective takes us through the diverse challenges and technological innovations involved when making contact with unknown surfaces.
Each space launch is assessed for various risks, but not its wider impacts. This Perspective shows how the aggregate effects of space launches, plus the attendant rise of space debris, affect the darkness of our night sky now and in the future.
The arrangement of dwarf galaxies in a thin plane surrounding the Milky Way has been thought to contradict the prevailing cosmological model of cold dark matter in the Universe. New work suggests that this arrangement may just be a temporary alignment, bringing our galaxy back into agreement with theoretical expectations once the radial distribution of satellites is taken into account.
A probabilistic machine learning-based framework for recognizing and predicting microbial landscape patterns at nested spatial scales was developed. The approach substantially increased the probability of detecting biosignatures when tested at a Martian analogue in the high Andes. This search tool has applications for detecting biosignatures on terrestrial or icy planets.
A solar-cycle-length study reveals the detailed structure of the outer heliosphere. The boundary of our heliosphere is more dynamic and structured than previously known.
