Tag

Spectroscopy

All articles tagged with #spectroscopy

space6 days ago•158 min saved

Helium Emerges from the Sun: 1868 Eclipse Unveils a New Element

On Aug. 18, 1868, during a total solar eclipse in India, French astronomer Pierre Janssen used a spectroscope to observe a bright yellow line not matching any known element, signaling the discovery of helium; English astronomer Norman Lockyer independently identified the same line as a new element, later named helium after Helios. This was the first time spectroscopy revealed an element in an astronomical object before it was found on Earth, and helium would later prove essential for spaceflight and stellar physics.

via Space|

#helium #janssen #lockyer

space10 days ago•9 min saved

Exoplanet WASP-127b Unleashes Record-Breaking Equatorial Jet Winds

Astronomers using ESO's VLT CRIRES+ measured an exceptionally fast equatorial jet on the bloated hot Jupiter WASP-127b (about 520 light-years away). Doppler shifts in water vapor and carbon monoxide during transit reveal two opposing velocity peaks, indicating a strong eastward jet. After subtracting the planet’s rotation, the jet speed is 7.7 ± 0.2 km/s (roughly 27,700 km/h); including rotation, the maximum equatorial motion reaches about 9 km/s (≈33,000 km/h)—the fastest wind observed on any planet. The result demonstrates a method to map atmospheric circulation on unresolved exoplanets and confirms molecules in the atmosphere, while suggesting cooler poles or high-altitude clouds and paving the way for finer measurements with the Extremely Large Telescope.

via Space Daily|

#atmospheres #eso #exoplanets

science12 days ago•7 min saved

First Martian Corundum Detected: Tiny Gem Grains in Jezero Crater Rocks

NASA's Perseverance rover identified chromium-bearing corundum grains (the mineral behind rubies and sapphires) in three plagioclase-rich float rocks at Jezero Crater using time-resolved luminescence spectroscopy, marking the first detection of corundum on Mars. The grains imply aluminum-rich, silicon-poor chemistry likely formed during ancient impacts or hydrothermal activity; spectral matches to Earth corundum suggest a surprising Martian geology, and returning a sample could confirm exactly how this mineral formed.

via ScienceAlert|

#corundum #jezero-crater #mars

astronomy-and-space13 days ago•6 min saved

Two-Minute Eclipse Window Could Reveal the Sun's Magnetic Secrets

During the 12 August total solar eclipse over Greenland, researchers will have about two minutes at observing sites in Spain and Iceland to study the corona with spectrometers and high‑resolution cameras, aiming to answer why the corona is millions of degrees hotter than the Sun's surface and how magnetic energy heats it, with the goal of improving space‑weather forecasts ahead of the 2027 eclipse.

via Nature|

#astronomy-and-space #geomagnetic-storms #solar-corona

science18 days ago•13 min saved

Webb spots the same mysterious molecule on Titan and Pluto

NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope detected an unidentified absorption feature at about 5.113 micrometers on both Titan and Pluto, seen in data from NIRSpec and MIRI, and not matched by published lab spectra of known ices or organics. The feature behaves like a surface absorption and varies across Titan’s disk, suggesting a material near the surface rather than in the atmosphere; the two bands differ in width, implying environmental differences rather than an identical fingerprint. While several candidate substances come close in theory (e.g., certain ices or allenes), none provide a perfect match, revealing a gap in laboratory libraries. The absorber could be a single compound, a related set, or a mixture whose spectrum shifts with conditions. Further work—targeted low-temperature lab measurements under Titan- and Pluto-like conditions and potential in-situ confirmation from Dragonfly on Titan—will be needed to identify it.

via spacedaily.com|

#james-webb-space-telescope #pluto #science

space19 days ago•12 min saved

Helium leak confirms atmosphere on first rocky world in a habitable zone

Astronomers detected a helium signal escaping from LHS 1140 b duringtransits, providing the first atmospheric confirmation for a rocky planet in a star’s habitable zone and placing it 48 light-years away in Cetus. The finding shows an atmosphere exists, but leaves questions about its composition, pressure and surface conditions. The observation used the Magellan telescope in 2024, with a recheck in 2025 that yielded a non-detection, suggesting the escape can vary with the star’s high-energy output; further repeated helium detections and Webb observations are planned to probe the planet’s gases and potential habitability.

via Space Daily|

#atmosphere #exoplanets #habitable-zone

science24 days ago•5 min saved

Sun’s Silver Recalibrated: New 3D Model Indicates 55% More Silver in Our Star

A new, detailed 3D model of the Sun’s atmosphere reinterprets its spectral lines, boosting the solar silver abundance by about 55% and bringing it in line with meteorite samples; this refines our understanding of Milky Way chemical evolution and early cosmic history, though results remain sensitive to hydrogen-collision data and require further calibration with SUSI data and application to other stars.

via ScienceAlert|

#3d-modeling #science #silver

astronomy29 days ago•8 min saved

Helium Clue Reveals Atmosphere on Earth-Like Exoplanet in Habitable Zone

Astronomers have found the strongest evidence yet that the rocky exoplanet LHS 1140 b, orbiting a red dwarf in its habitable zone, retains an atmosphere, inferred from helium escaping from the planet and detected with ground-based spectroscopy; the result suggests Earth-like worlds can maintain atmospheres for billions of years and opens new avenues to study their habitability.

via SciTechDaily|

#astronomy #atmosphere #exoplanets

science1 month ago•55 min saved

Mysterious molecule ties Pluto and Titan, scientists say they can’t identify it yet

James Webb Space Telescope observations reveal an identical, unexplained infrared absorption feature on Titan and Pluto, suggesting a shared surface chemistry. The signal doesn’t match known spectra and may belong to a hydrocarbon family (potentially allenes) formed in atmospheric photochemistry and deposited on the surfaces. Pluto’s thin atmosphere argues against an atmospheric origin, while Titan’s surface and atmospheric processing are implicated. Ongoing JWST analyses, Titan surface mapping, and the Dragonfly mission could help pinpoint the mystery molecule.

via Yahoo|

#allenes #james-webb-space-telescope #pluto

space1 month ago•6 min saved

Webb Telescope Reveals Hidden Giant Planet in the Beta Pictoris System

Using JWST’s NIRSpec and follow-up imaging from ESO’s VLT, astronomers detected Beta Pictoris d by its atmospheric spectrum, a third planet in the bright Beta Pictoris system—discovered via spectroscopy rather than direct imaging and independently confirmed, highlighting a new way to find worlds hidden in dusty disks.

via PetaPixel|

#beta-pictoris #debris-disk #exoplanet

space-and-spaceflight1 month ago•16 min saved

Sun's Silver Finally Seen: New Solar Atmosphere Model Aligns Sun with Meteorites

A refined model of the Sun's atmosphere shows the Sun contains about 55% more silver than earlier estimates, meaning silver isn't missing but was misread due to simplified models; the solar abundance now aligns better with ancient meteorites and resolves a decades-long discrepancy. The improvement comes from more realistic treatment of the Sun's outer layers and how silver atoms interact with light, rather than discovering new silver. Researchers say the Sun remains a key reference for understanding heavier elements in stars and plan to apply the method to other stars while checking for biases from other elements.

via Gizmodo|

#meteorites #silver #solar-atmosphere

science1 month ago•11 min saved

Relativity Alters the Bonding Rules for Heavy Elements

Brown University researchers show relativistic effects can hybridize sigma and pi bonds in a heavy Bi–C triple bond, using photoelectron spectroscopy, suggesting heavy-element bonds may be stronger than expected and challenging the classic bond picture; the Science paper by Peterson et al. is paywalled.

via Hackaday|

#bismuth #chemical-bonds #heavy-elements

science1 month ago•3 min saved

Sugar from space: first interstellar detection hints at life's cosmic origins

Astronomers detected erythrulose, a four-carbon sugar, in a Milky Way center molecular cloud (G+0.693−0.027) using the Yebes 40m and IRAM, finding it surprisingly abundant and likely formed in interstellar ices; they estimate 0.5–50 million tonnes could have been delivered to Earth during the Late Heavy Bombardment, suggesting space-made sugars may have helped seed Earth's early metabolism and possibly hinting at other sugars like ribose in space.

via BBC Sky at Night Magazine|

#astrochemistry #interstellar-space #molecular-cloud

science1 month ago•12 min saved

Tianwen-2 captures first close-up of Earth's co-orbital Kamoʻoalewa, renewing origin debates

China’s Tianwen-2 reached the tiny co-orbital Kamoʻoalewa, taking its first close-range image from ~20 km on July 2 after a 400‑day, ~1 billion km chase, and will map its shape and composition ahead of a 2027 sample return. The milestone arrives as new dynamical models and spectroscopy from Webb/LBT challenge the leading lunar-fragment origin theory, with alternatives including a main-belt/ Flora-family source or other asteroid analogs, leaving the true origin unresolved.

via Space Daily|

#kamooalewa #lunar-origin #quasi-satellite

space1 month ago•13 min saved

Webb’s tiny red dots may be newborn black holes hidden in dense gas

The James Webb Space Telescope’s deep images uncovered compact, distant “little red dots” whose light could be from either dense early galaxies or rapidly growing black holes. A leading interpretation is that many are “black hole stars”—young black holes enveloped by thick, hot gas that reprocesses accretion energy into a cool, star-like glow. One well-studied dot, GLIMPSE-17775 behind the Abell S1063 cluster, shows a spectrum with hydrogen, helium, and iron lines plus electron scattering—signatures consistent with a dense enveloping medium around a central engine. While this model explains several puzzling features and helps reconcile rapid early growth with galaxy formation, other dots may be obscured AGN or unusually dense stellar populations. Ongoing Webb and Chandra observations aim to test whether a population of black hole stars exists and how they evolve toward ordinary quasars.

via Space Daily|

#abell-s1063 #black-hole-stars #james-webb-space-telescope