The James Webb Space Telescope has taken its first direct image of a planet in a distant star system nearly 400 light years away, producing an image with a clarity that exceeds JWST’s designers’ expectations by about ten times. HIP 65426 b is a Jupiter-sized gas planet 385 light years awayread more
On April 20 the Sun unleashed a class X2.2 solar flare, the strongest seen yet in this cycle, and an eruption that illustrates the strength of solar cycle 25’s exceeding expert predictions. Although the resulting coronal mass ejection (CME) wasn’t aimed at Earth, such a solar storm couldread more
Astronomers have discovered the presence of what is the largest molecule yet detected in a protoplanetary cloud that surrounds a young star. While not expected to have been produced by biological means, this relatively complex organic compound could be a precursor to the formation of even larger molecules, including onesread more
Researchers have discovered what may have been a powerful solar storm that occurred nearly 9,200 years ago that may have been two orders of magnitude stronger than anything recorded in the modern era. Aside from the apparent sheer strength of the storm, the event has researchers concerned because it alsoread more