Infinity Cosmos

  In a groundbreaking study, astronomers have unveiled new evidence that the universe's most massive black holes can influence their own feeding process by generating outbursts that help cool down gas. Using data from NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory and the Very Large Telescope (VLT), the team has made significant progress in understanding how black holes feed on gas through a self-sustaining cycle. The research focused on seven clusters of galaxies, which house the largest galaxies and the most massive black holes, with masses ranging from millions to billions of times the size of our Sun. These black holes are known to produce powerful jets driven by the consumption of gas. The new findings suggest that these jets not only feed the black holes, but also play a role in regulating the temperature of surrounding gas, facilitating the black holes' continued feeding. Images captured by Chandra and VLT show the Perseus and Centaurus galaxy clusters, with Chandra’s X-ray data in bl...

NASA has awarded new study contracts aimed at advancing the capabilities necessary for long-term human exploration on the lunar surface. Announced Thursday, the agency awarded contracts to nine American companies across seven states as part of its ongoing efforts to support the Artemis program and deep space exploration. The Next Space Technologies for Exploration Partnerships Appendix R contracts will focus on overcoming everyday challenges associated with the lunar environment, as identified in NASA’s Moon to Mars architecture. These contracts are integral to developing sustainable solutions for life and work on the Moon, setting the stage for future missions, including those to Mars. “These contract awards are the catalyst for developing critical capabilities for the Artemis missions and the everyday needs of astronauts for long-term exploration on the lunar surface,” said Nujoud Merancy, Deputy Associate Administrator for NASA’s Strategy and Architecture Office. “The strong respons...

This NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope image captures a section of the Tarantula Nebula in the Large Magellanic Cloud.   A breathtaking new image from the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope showcases a dusty yet sparkling scene from the Large Magellanic Cloud, one of the Milky Way’s satellite galaxies. Located about 160,000 light-years away in the constellations Dorado and Mensa, the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) may be only 10–20% as massive as our own galaxy, but it is home to some of the most remarkable star-forming regions in the nearby universe. The image focuses on the outskirts of the Tarantula Nebula, the largest and most active star-forming region within the LMC, and indeed the entire local universe. In the heart of the Tarantula Nebula lie some of the most massive stars known, each weighing around 200 times the mass of the Sun. Within this section of the nebula, the telescope reveals serene blue gas clouds, patches of brownish-orange dust, and a scattered array of multicolored ...

  On January 17, 2025, a tropical low formed over the Indian Ocean off Western Australia. By January 19, the system had intensified into Tropical Cyclone Sean, marking the second tropical cyclone of Australia’s 2024–2025 season. NASA’s Terra satellite, using the MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) instrument, captured a detailed image of the storm at around 10 a.m. local time (02:00 Universal Time) on January 20, 2025. Later that same day, Cyclone Sean reached its peak strength as a Category 4 storm. Despite staying offshore and not making landfall, Cyclone Sean still brought significant impacts to the Pilbara coast. The Australian Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) reported that Karratha, a coastal city in the region, received a staggering 274.4 millimeters (10.8 inches) of rain in just 24 hours, setting a new single-day rainfall record for the city. The powerful storm caused widespread flooding, with roads submerged, homes affected, and power infrastructure damaged. Se...

  In mid-January 2025, ESA and NASA’s SOHO spacecraft captured comet C/2024 G3 (ATLAS) passing just 8 million miles from the Sun, with the comet's bright head causing sensor "bleeding" in the images from SOHO’s LASCO instrument. From January 11 to 15, 2025, a dazzling comet, C/2024 G3 (ATLAS), caught the attention of astronomers as it surged through the solar system, captured in stunning images from the European Space Agency (ESA) and NASA’s SOHO (Solar and Heliospheric Observatory) spacecraft. The comet made its closest approach to the Sun, known as perihelion, on January 13, passing a mere 8 million miles from our star — just 9% of the average distance between Earth and the Sun. The views of comet ATLAS were obtained using SOHO’s LASCO (Large Angle and Spectrometric Coronagraph) instrument, which obscures the Sun's surface to reveal the faint structures in its corona and around it. First discovered in April 2024 by the NASA-funded ATLAS (Asteroid Terrestrial-impact ...

  Asteroids typically come from the main asteroid belt, but a small group of near-Earth objects may actually originate from the Moon, ejected by past impacts. In a surprising breakthrough, astronomers have found that the small near-Earth asteroid 2024 PT5, which captivated the world’s attention in 2024, may have been ejected from the Moon’s surface following a massive impact thousands of years ago. The discovery, made possible through observations by several NASA-supported telescopes, sheds light on a rare population of asteroids and could provide new insights into lunar science. 2024 PT5, measuring only about 33 feet (10 meters) across, doesn’t pose any threat to Earth but follows an unusual orbit that closely matches our planet’s, suggesting it may have originated in the Moon’s vicinity. While initially thought to be a typical near-Earth object, researchers have gathered new evidence supporting the idea that it is actually composed of rock that was once part of the Moon’s surface...

  In a year that promises to be a visual spectacle for skywatchers, 2025 is already off to a stellar start with a plethora of astronomical events and groundbreaking discoveries. Planetary Parade in January : One of the most anticipated events of the year kicked off with a rare planetary parade on January 21 and 25, where four planets — Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn — were visible to the naked eye just after sunset. For those equipped with telescopes, Uranus and Neptune also made appearances, adding to the celestial show. This alignment, often referred to as a 'planet parade', offered a unique opportunity for amateur astronomers and enthusiasts alike to see the planets aligned in the night sky, a phenomenon not to be missed. NASA and Dark Matter:  The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has been at the forefront of unraveling cosmic mysteries, with six mind-blowing facts about dark matter and dark energy revealed, shedding light on the universe's most eni...