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Caltech

All articles tagged with #caltech

Caltech Study: Random Solar Mass Ejections Will Destroy Outer Planets in 1 Billion Years

A new study led by Konstantin Batygin at Caltech argues that the outer solar system will collapse within one billion years after the Sun becomes a white dwarf, a timeline a billion times shorter than previous estimates. The research suggests that random, violent mass ejections from the dying Sun, rather than smooth mass loss, will destabilize the orbits of Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune. While earlier models predicted stability for trillions of years, this new analysis indicates that stochastic 'kicks' from the Sun will trigger violent scattering, potentially ending the solar system's existence far sooner than anticipated.

via futurism.com|

#astronomy #caltech #orbital-mechanics

science6 days ago•2 min saved

Solar System Collapse Timeline Shortened by Billion-Fold Due to Random Solar Mass Ejections

New research from Caltech indicates the outer planets will be ejected from the solar system roughly one billion years after the Sun becomes a white dwarf, a timeline a billion times shorter than previous estimates. The study attributes this accelerated collapse to random, violent mass ejections from the dying Sun, which destabilize planetary orbits far sooner than smooth mass loss models predicted.

via Euronews.com|

#astronomy #caltech #planetary-orbits

science16 days ago•24 min saved

Caltech researchers use new algorithm to visualize black hole jet in 3D

Caltech astrophysicists have released a high-resolution video of a supermassive black hole’s plasma jet using a new neural field algorithm called 'kine.' The footage, derived from 27 years of data on the blazar 3C 345, allows scientists to observe different parts of the jet moving at varying speeds, a capability previously limited to overall velocity tracking.

via New York Post|

#astronomy #black-holes #blazars

technology28 days ago•4 min saved

OpenAI Exits Caltech Math Hackathon Amid Mathematicians' Backlash

OpenAI pulled its sponsorship of Caltech's math hackathon after an open letter from Caltech mathematicians warning that AI's rapid progress in mathematics could disrupt the field. OpenAI says it wants to engage with the math community to assess responsible use of AI, while organizers emphasized the event would help students explore modern tools. The program, backed by Anthropic and OpenAI with about $2 million in AI credits, faced controversy following claims that AI solved the Navier-Stokes equations and concerns about researchers bearing uncredited verification work.

via Business Insider|

#ai-in-mathematics #caltech #mathathon

science3 months ago•4 min saved

Nevada Desert to Welcome 1,650-Dish Deep Synoptic Array

Caltech’s Deep Synoptic Array will be built in Nevada’s White Pine County as a 1,650-dish radio telescope network designed to survey the sky 100 times faster and produce sharper radio images, enabling precise localization of radio sources for follow-up by optical, infrared and X-ray observatories; funded by Schmidt Sciences, with prototype dishes already built and construction planned to begin next year and finish by 2029.

via NBC News|

#caltech #deep-synoptic-array #nevada

space-and-spaceflight3 months ago•17 min saved

Nevada hosts Caltech's 1,650-dish Deep Synoptic Array for real-time cosmic surveys

Caltech’s Deep Synoptic Array (DSA) will comprise 1,650 radio dishes spread over roughly 12 by 10 miles in Nevada, designed to survey the cosmos 100 times faster than existing telescopes and relay radio images in real time through a powerful supercomputer, with data made openly accessible to researchers and the public.

via Gizmodo|

#caltech #deep-synoptic-array #open-data

space4 months ago•4 min saved

NASA opens JPL to new management, inviting bids to replace Caltech after 70 years

NASA announced it will solicit bids to operate the Jet Propulsion Laboratory when Caltech's 68-year management contract ends in 2028, marking the biggest leadership shakeup in JPL's history. As a federally funded R&D center, JPL has faced cost pressures amid a booming private space sector, and NASA seeks a cheaper operator—potential bidders include Boeing, Lockheed Martin, and universities such as Caltech. The change could preserve JPL's robotic-mission legacy while shifting efficiency and work culture, though funding and missions remain controlled by Congress and NASA HQ.

via Jalopnik|

#bids #caltech #jpl

space4 months ago•11 min saved

JPL Contract Up for Bid as NASA Signals a Reboot of Its Space Lab

NASA will competitively bid the management and operation of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), the Caltech-run lab that has operated under a long-standing arrangement since 1958. The move, tied to NASA’s broader realignment and focus on faster, more cost-conscious delivery, could test whether JPL’s distinctive culture and staff can survive a change in operator—or require NASA to remake parts of its own space enterprise. The contract, currently valued at up to $30 billion and slated to run through Sept. 30, 2028, marks more than routine procurement by examining how much continuity of culture, incentives, and mission focus would endure under new leadership.

via Space Daily|

#caltech #ffrdc #jpl

space4 months ago•3 min saved

NASA opens JPL management to bids, forcing Caltech to compete for control

NASA will open the Jet Propulsion Laboratory’s management to competitive bidding for the first time, meaning Caltech must compete to keep control of the lab it has run since 1958; the 10-year contract is worth up to $30 billion and runs through September 30, 2028, as part of a broader NASA reorganization aimed at boosting efficiency and mission outcomes.

via Los Angeles Times|

#caltech #contract-bidding #jpl

space4 months ago•74 min saved

NASA to open bid to operate JPL, ending Caltech’s near-century leadership

NASA announced it will competitively bid for operating the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), a Caltech-run lab for NASA since its early days, as part of a broader agency restructuring to increase center specialization and merge mission directorates. The plan could change how JPL is run and governed, though NASA says there will be no layoffs or program cancellations. A new operator could alter day-to-day management while preserving the lab’s scientific capabilities as the agency pursues ambitious Artemis-era goals.

via Space|

#artemis #caltech #jpl

space4 months ago•4 min saved

NASA to Open JPL Management Contract to Competitive Bids

NASA announced it will compete the contract to manage the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), the federally funded R&D center run by Caltech since the 1930s. The current contract runs Oct. 1, 2018–Sept. 30, 2028 with a potential value up to $30 billion; the competition will evaluate whether alternative management approaches can boost mission performance, innovation, and cost efficiency while preserving continuity, the facility’s Southern California location, and ongoing missions. The procurement process has begun to ensure a fair, open competition in line with federal practices.

via NASA Watch|

#caltech #ffrdc #jpl

space4 months ago•2 min saved

NASA to Put JPL Management Up for Bid, Keeping California Lab in Play

NASA announced it will competitively award the management and operations contract for the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), currently operated by Caltech since 1958, with the current contract through Sept. 30, 2028 and a maximum value of up to $30 billion. The procurement aims to explore alternative management approaches to boost mission performance, innovation, and cost efficiency while preserving JPL’s location and ensuring mission continuity.

via NASA (.gov)|

#caltech #contract-competition #ffrdc

science5 months ago•5 min saved

FBI widens probe into deaths and disappearances of scientists tied to sensitive research

The FBI has launched a broad inquiry into the deaths or disappearances of at least 10 scientists tied to highly sensitive research, including four in the Los Angeles area connected to NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory and Caltech. The cases, dating from 2023 to 2026, involve Michael Hicks (died 2023) and Frank Maiwald (died 2024), Monica Jacinto Reza (disappeared 2025), and Caltech astrophysicist Carl Grillmair (shot and killed in 2026), with Freddy Snyder charged in Grillmair’s murder. NASA says there’s no current national-security threat, and officials caution there’s no proven connection among the cases, though Congress is seeking more information from involved agencies.

via Los Angeles Times|

#caltech #fbi-investigation #jpl

science6 months ago•7 min saved

Teen Scientist Uncovers 1.5 Million Hidden Cosmic Objects in NEOWISE Data

A Pasadena high-school student, Matteo Paz, and Caltech researchers used an AI model called VARnet to scan NASA’s NEOWISE infrared sky data, processing about 200 billion detections to flag roughly 1.5 million variable-object candidates. The full catalog, to be published in 2025, could reveal new quasars, variable stars, and transient events, though many candidates will require follow-up observations to confirm their nature. The approach combines wavelet decomposition, irregular time-series analysis, and a convolutional neural network for classification, with potential applications beyond astronomy.

via Indian Defence Review|

#astronomy #caltech #machine-learning

space7 months ago•3 min saved

Earthbound View Reveals Voyager 1's Cosmos-Scale Speed in a Real-World Simulation

A YouTube simulation translates Voyager 1's ~38,000 mph velocity into an Earthbound scenario, highlighting its status as the farthest human-made object and its long-running mission, with contact likely fading after around 2036 as it drifts beyond Earth’s Deep Space Network.

via supercarblondie.com|

#caltech #nasa #simulation