November 25, 2020 Jet-like structures from PSRJ1135–6055. The standard model of stellar evolution proposes that pulsars are neutron stars rotating at incredible speed. For example, PSRJ1135–6055, is reported to be spinning at almost 43,000 revolutions per minute (RPM). To put that rotational rate in perspective, the blades of a typical…
November 24, 2020 Quasars are not gravitational entities, they are electrical. According to a recent press release, Lizelke Klindt, a PhD researcher in Durham University’s Centre for Extragalactic Astronomy, said: “How quasars develop has been the cause of significant uncertainty. What our results suggest is that quasars undergo a brief…
November 23, 2020 Astronomers with the Sloan Digital Sky Surveys’ Apache Point Observatory Galactic Evolution Experiment (APOGEE) report a “fossil galaxy” buried within the Milky Way. The primitive galaxy could have collided with the Milky Way about ten billion years ago, in the earliest stages of development. Called Heracles, it…
November 20, 2020 Water features? A recent Picture of the Day discussed what planetary scientists referred to as fossilized mineral springs on Mars. The structures were compared by NASA to dried-up Australian geological features, suggesting that they both are born of similar circumstances. In the image at the top of…
November 19, 2020 What causes waves in Io’s lava lakes? Jupiter’s electromagnetic field, recently measured by the Juno space probe, is twice as strong as consensus models predicted: 7.766 Gauss, compared to 0.66 Gauss at Earth’s South Pole. As previously written, Jupiter’s toroidal magnetosphere is approximately 650 million kilometers wide, extending even…
November 18, 2020 Red giant stars can resemble planetary nebulae. Astronomers think that planetary nebulae are created when shockwaves “blow” through them. Those “winds” come from nearby exploding stars. In some cases, a nebula will emit X-rays, or extreme ultraviolet light, so the consensus opinion is that nuclear fusion is…
November 17, 2020 When science journals discuss the behavior of planetary nebulae, the typical opinion involves gas and dust “blowing” through them. In many cases, a nebula is described as “star forming” when intense X-ray radiation, or extreme ultraviolet light, indicate to astronomers that nuclear fusion is occurring within the…
November 16, 2020 The predominant cosmological theory within which most astronomers conduct their research is based on kinetic energy. In the modern consensus, moving masses and heat are the only factors allowed to operate in the astrophysical Universe. Electric charge is sometimes considered, but it is usually negligible in its…
November 13, 2020 Hydrothermal vents on Mars? The remains of what planetary scientists believe are ancient hydrothermal vents indicate to them that water once flowed on Mars. The structures have a similar appearance to fossilized “mound springs” in the Australian Outback, so researchers theorize that both structures could be of similar origin. Hydrothermal…
November 12, 2020 Brown dwarf stars are another class of stellar object that emit jets of material. A recent press release reports detecting a jet of material erupting from a brown dwarf star. A brown dwarf star earns its name because it is too small to sustain hydrogen fusion reactions…
