Today’s stories range from During the Planck Era the universe was so small that our laws of physics broke down to Pondering the bits that build space-time and brains to Neil deGrasse Tyson on alien contact , and much more. “The Galaxy Report” brings you news of space and science that has the capacity to provide clues to the mystery of our existence and adds a much needed cosmic perspective in our current Anthropocene Epoch.
The Planck era: Imagining our infant universe –During the Planck era, the universe was so small that our laws of physics broke down. To dive deeper back in time, we’ll need new scientific language, reports Sten Odenwald for Astronomy.com.
Quasar Ancestor? A distant object in a deep Hubble Space Telescope field could be in transition from ordinary galaxy to brilliant beacon of light, reports Sky & Telescope. “Astronomers have discovered a precursor to quasars, the brilliant beacons powered by gas-guzzling black holes with masses equivalent to millions or even billions of Suns. The find sheds light on the mystery of how quasars grow so quickly.”
Space needs environmental protection just like Earth, experts say–“The scientific, economic and cultural benefits of space should be considered against the damaging environmental impacts posed by an influx of space debris — roughly 60 miles above Earth’s surface — fueled by the rapid growth of so-called satellite mega-constellations. In a paper published April 22 in Nature Astronomy, the authors assert that space is an important environment to preserve on behalf of professional astronomers, amateur stargazers and Indigenous peoples.”
Inside the simple computer program that could explain why the Universe exists, reports Marcus Chown for BBC Science Focus–“Stephen Wolfram, the British-born scientist, who lives in the US, claims he has found a route to a fundamental theory of physics that answers some of the biggest questions, such as what is space? What is time? And why does the Universe exist?”
Stephen Hawking on “The Ultimate Migration” -Will the Human Species Be Able to Adapt to Life Beyond Earth?, reports astrophysicist Maxwell Moe for The Daily Galaxy. “Before his death in 2018, Stephen Hawking predicted that the world’s mounting population will consume enough energy to render the world a “ball of fire” within 600 years. Speaking via video in 2018 at Beijing’s Tencent WE Summit, Hawking declared that humans must “boldly go where no one has gone before” if they wish to survive another million years. “
Large Hadron Collider to restart and hunt for a fifth force of nature –Latest run is expected to scrutinize findings from last year that may turn into another blockbuster discovery, reports The Guardian. “”The Large Hadron Collider (LHC) will restart on Friday after a three-year hiatus and is expected to resolve a scientific cliffhanger on whether a mysterious anomaly could point to the existence of a fifth fundamental force of nature.”
How the James Webb Space Telescope will search for extraterrestrial life –The world’s most powerful telescope, now in space, will offer new tools to address the timeless question about life in the universe: Are we alone on Earth? reports Astronomy.
Gravitational waves could let us find tiny black holes devouring stars –A primordial black hole falling into a neutron star would sink to its center and devour it in seconds, and we might be able to detect this process using gravitational waves, reports New Scientist.
Thousands of satellites are polluting Australian skies, and threatening ancient Indigenous astronomy practices, reports The Conversation –“Since time immemorial, Indigenous peoples worldwide have observed, tracked and memorized all the visible objects in the night sky. This ancient star knowledge was meticulously ingrained with practical knowledge of the land, sky, waters, community and the Dreaming — and passed down through generations.”
TRAPPIST-1 Star System is the Ultimate James Webb Space Telescope Target –-““No matter what we find by studying planets orbiting ultra-cool dwarfs, we cannot lose. We can only learn,” said the researchers. “If we manage to identify the presence of life on a planet similar to those in the TRAPPIST-1 system, then we can start measuring how frequently biology emerges in the universe. We could have the first clues of extraterrestrial biology in a decade!” reports astrophysicist Maxwell Moe for The Daily Galaxy.
Pondering the Bits That Build Space-Time and Brains –Vijay Balasubramanian investigates whether the fabric of the universe might be built from information, and what it means that physicists can even ask such a question, reports Quanta.
Hubble Explores Galactic Wings, reports NASA–“This image from the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope features two merging galaxies in the VV-689 system, nicknamed the Angel Wing. Unlike chance alignments of galaxies, which only appear to overlap when viewed from our vantage point on Earth, the two galaxies in VV-689 are in the midst of a collision. The galactic interaction has left the VV-689 system almost completely symmetrical, giving the impression of a vast set of galactic wings.”
The Galaxy Report newsletter brings you daily news of space and science that has the capacity to provide clues to the mystery of our existence and add a much needed cosmic perspective in our current Anthropocene Epoch.
Yes, sign me up for my free subscription.
Read about The Daily Galaxy editorial team here