All articles tagged with #dust
iFixit's teardown of a Galaxy Z Fold 8 shows that foldable OLEDs, despite IP-rated water resistance, are vulnerable to dust ingress in the hinge. UV-dust testing reveals grime crawls into the hinge causing crunching noises and eventual hinge failure, while the display halves remain relatively clean—highlighting a fundamental cleanability challenge for foldable designs.
JWST’s mid-infrared study of the inner parsec around the Milky Way’s Sagittarius A* detects water and dust being expelled by the dying AGB star IRS 3, showing that star-produced material can endure in the harsh galactic-center environment. Models suggest IRS 3 formed farther out and migrated inward, continuing to enrich its surroundings with a bright, long-lived stellar wind; the work demonstrates that molecular material can survive near a supermassive black hole and was published in Astronomy & Astrophysics.
Using the James Webb Space Telescope to study Sextans A, a metal-poor dwarf galaxy 4.6 million light-years away, researchers map dust-producing stars and find that about 2–3 billion years after their formation, a subset of asymptotic giant branch stars produced thick dust shells. This helps explain how the first generations of stars seeded the interstellar medium with metals and dust, enabling the early universe to become the birthplace of stars and galaxies.
Astrophysicist Adam Becker says Martian dust is a major obstacle to SpaceX’s Mars colonization dream: the fine, toxic dust could cling to spacesuits and contaminate habitats, water, and food, and underground shelters wouldn’t fully solve the problem. Coupled with radiation, low gravity, and massive life-support challenges, a self-sustaining Mars settlement is not theoretically impossible but far more difficult and likely to take much longer than current plans suggest.
NASA’s Parker Solar Probe detected voltage spikes from clouds of charged dust near the Sun, suggesting dust interacts with Alfvén waves and the solar wind to deposit energy into the corona. This could help explain why the corona reaches millions of degrees hotter than the Sun’s surface and may influence how future solar missions study near-sun dust.
Astronomers used X-ray echoes from rare gamma-ray bursts observed by NASA’s Chandra and ESA’s XMM-Newton to geometrically measure dust rings in the Milky Way’s spiral arms, finding the outer arms extend farther than previously known (one distant dust cloud about 3,500 light-years across). This geometry-based method, not dependent on the galaxy’s rotation, could prompt revisions to estimates of the Milky Way’s mass and structure, though its data are limited by the rarity of bright gamma-ray bursts.
A NASA Parker Solar Probe study suggests tiny charged dust grains near the Sun can alter kinetic Alfvén waves that carry energy through the corona and into the young solar wind, offering a new angle on the long-standing coronal heating puzzle. Although dust grains should vaporize in the extreme near-Sun environment, the probe’s indirect dust signatures indicate they could change how energy is transported, either by moving heat deeper into the corona or releasing energy where grains interact with the plasma. The finding adds a missing ingredient rather than solving the problem on its own, and it relies on assumptions about dust impact rates and grain charging; future missions with dedicated dust detectors could test whether dust truly helps heat the Sun’s outer atmosphere.
Mars’s first crews will be radiation workers, dust custodians, and weather watchers, focusing on continuous dose budgeting, dust control, and light monitoring rather than heroic feats. A round-trip transit could deliver about 0.66 Sv, with a 500‑day surface stay bringing near 1 Sv—above some lifetime cancer risk thresholds and within NASA/ESA limits depending on shielding and solar conditions. Dust carries toxins and clings to gear, making filtration, airlocks and suitports essential. Dust storms primarily dim the Sun, so the job is about preserving power and visibility, not fending off wind. The frontier favors methodical, disciplined minds; the reward is the actual desert dawn, not the drama surrounding it.
Stagecoach 2026 delivered star moments—David Lee Roth joined Teddy Swims to sing Jump again—while new features like the Mustang Stage, extended pit access and a livestream schedule added to the buzz, and organizers warned of dusty air and high winds.
New evidence shows that ordinary nightly fan use does not cause irreversible lung damage; any irritation is typically temporary and linked to dryness, dust, or indoor pollutants. Those with asthma, allergic rhinitis, COPD, or dust sensitivities may notice symptoms more, but risks can be reduced by directing airflow away from the face, cleaning blades, using a HEPA purifier, maintaining 40–50% humidity, and ensuring some fresh air exchange. If wheezing or coughing persists, consult a healthcare professional.
New COLIBRE cosmological simulations include detailed physics for cold gas, dust (three grain types in two sizes), and powerful star/black hole outflows to model the early universe. The virtual universe produced by these high‑fidelity models resembles real JWST observations, suggesting that the presence of large early galaxies can fit standard cosmology when richer physics is included. The work, which required vast compute (about 72 million CPU hours), also highlights ongoing puzzles like the Little Red Dots. The study is published in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society.
NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope, combined with archival Hubble data, identified the red supergiant star that exploded as supernova SN 2025pht in the galaxy NGC 1637—Webb’s first published detection of a supernova progenitor. The progenitor appeared unusually red due to surrounding dust, supporting ideas that dusty, massive stars can be missed in pre-explosion imaging. The dust is likely carbon-rich, prompting future searches for similar progenitors, including with the upcoming Roman Space Telescope.
A major pile-up on southbound I-25 near Pueblo, Colorado, involved more than 30 vehicles in heavy wind and blowing dust, leaving at least four dead; I-25 was shut in both directions and the crash is under investigation as weather advisories warn of significant blowing dust with gusts to 65 mph on the plains.
Astronomers monitoring WOH G64, a red supergiant in the Large Magellanic Cloud, report real-time changes: the star has dimmed and appears warmer, while its surroundings show more dust and ionized gas. New SALT observations hint at a hotter, smaller companion heating gas near the star and influencing its wind, suggesting binary interaction. If this relationship persists, the star’s visible characteristics could continue to shift, offering a rare live view of the final stages in a massive star’s life.
The James Webb Space Telescope has captured the first detailed image of a red supergiant star before it exploded as a supernova, revealing that many such stars are hidden behind thick dust layers, which obscures them from optical telescopes. This discovery helps explain the previously observed scarcity of luminous red supergiants in pre-explosion images and provides new insights into the life cycle of massive stars.