This weekend’s stories include: Iconic James Webb Images Show an Alien World in Unprecedented Detail to Is Dark Energy a Uniform Force Across Space and Time?, and much more.
Frank Drake Pioneering Radio Astronomer in Search for Alien Life Dies at 92, reports UC Santa Cruz. “Drake is widely known for, among other things, the ‘Drake Equation, which he devised in 1961 to estimate the number of communicative extraterrestrial civilizations that might be detectable in our galaxy. Drake was head of telescope operations at the National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO) where he had conducted the first organized search for radio signals from intelligent extraterrestrial sources in 1960 (Project Ozma).
Why do galaxies stop making stars? A huge collision in space provides new clues, reports the University of Pittsburgh. “One of the biggest questions in astronomy is why the biggest galaxies are dead,” said David Setton, a sixth-year physics and astronomy Ph.D. student. “What we saw is that if you take two galaxies and smash them together, that can actually rip gas out of the galaxy itself.”
An Astronomer Is Privately Funding a Search for Alien Technology on the Ocean Floor, reports Extreme Tech. “The astronomical community has treated Harvard astrophysicist, Avi Loeb, suggestions with skepticism, as you would expect from those in a profession that thrives on evidence. The confirmation that CNEOS 2014-01-08 came from another solar system has given Loeb something new on which to focus.”
Future microbatteries could help tiny robots tackle space and time, reports Interesting Engineering. “Advancing smart dust concepts is inhibited by a lack of equally small on-chip power sources that can function anytime and anywhere. Could this microbattery the size of a grain of salt be the solution?”
‘Bouncing’ universe theory still can’t explain what came first, reports Space.com. “New research shows that a new model of a universe with endless periods of expansion and collapse still needs a beginning.”
Is Dark Energy a Uniform Force Across Space and Time? asks The Daily Galaxy. “Astronomers may soon have the answer to what is perhaps the greatest mystery of modern science –is dark energy a uniform force across space and time, or has its strength evolved over eons?”
Aliens may already be here, but how would we know? asks Science journalist and astrophysicist, Graham Phillips. “Can we really use science and logic to determine if aliens are here? Given ET and its tech will almost certainly be well beyond our comprehension, our misguided arguments are probably doomed to failure.”
“Cosmic collision”: A stunning photo of the galactic merging of two galaxies is a preview of what scientists say is to come for the Milky Way. “This image from the Gemini North telescope in Hawai’i reveals a pair of interacting spiral galaxies — NGC 4568 (bottom) and NGC 4567 (top) — as they begin to clash and merge. The galaxies will eventually form a single elliptical galaxy in around 500 million years.”
‘Historic’ James Webb images show an alien world in unprecedented detail. Telescope uses infrared light to reveal blazing gas giant shrouded in dusty red clouds, reports The Guardian.
YouTube: An astrophysicist on the fact that “black holes” are neither black nor holes
JPL tries to keep Voyager space probes from disconnecting the world’s longest phone call, reports Yahoo News.”It’s been 45 years since NASA’s Voyager spacecraft blasted off from Earth, but the twin explorers still call home from billions of miles away. ‘We do the ‘Hello, are you OK?’ call once a week,’ said Suzanne Dodd, project manager for the long-running mission at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in La Cañada Flintridge.
Why China is fuming over NASA’s Artemis program, reports The Hill. “An article in the Global Times, China’s English language mouthpiece, accused the United States of fomenting a new space race. “China’s crewed moon landing is more in line with scientific principles, but NASA might grow more hostile against China in the space domain given the huge pressure it is facing to maintain its global leadership in moon exploration.”
‘Not progress’: NASA’s giant SLS rocket is expensive and late, ex-Deputy Administrator says. “Even I could not have imagined how late and how over budget it would be,” reports Interesting Engineering.
Has an Artificial-Intelligence Revolution Happened at Other Points in the Universe, asks The Daily Galaxy. “Ultimately, we may launch our AI systems for interstellar travel towards distant destinations, such as habitable planets around other stars, where they could reproduce themselves with the help of accompanying 3D printers.”
Curated by The Daily Galaxy Editorial Staff
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Recent Galaxy Reports:
Unmistakable Signal of Alien Life to What Happens if China Makes First Contact?
Clues to Alien Life to A Galaxy 100 x Size of Milky Way
Cracks in Einstein’s Theory of Gravity to Colossal Shock Wave Bigger than the Milky Way
Monster Comet Arriving from the Oort Cloud to Black Hole Apocalypse
Enigmas of Stephen Hawking’s Blackboard to Why the Universe and Life Exist
Einstein’s Critics to NASA Theologians Prepare for Alien Contact
Mind-Bending New Multiverse Theory to Dark-Matter Asteroids of the Milky Way
Mysterious Expanding Regions of Dark Matter to Are Black Holes Holograms
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