Observations of ZTF SLRN-2020, a short-lived optical outburst in the Galactic disk accompanied by bright, long-lived infrared emission, show that the resulting light curve and spectra are consistent with the signatures of a planet being engulfed by its host star.
With the power of the Gemini South Adaptive Optics Imager (GSAOI) on Gemini South, one half of the International Gemini Observatory, operated by NSF’s NOIRLab, astronomers have observed the first direct evidence of a dying star expanding to engulf one of its planets. Evidence for this event was found in a telltale “long and low-energy” outburst from a star in the Milky Way about 13,000 light-years from Earth. This event, the devouring of a planet by an engorged star, likely presages the ultimate fate of Mercury, Venus, and Earth when our sun begins its death throes in about five billion years.
“These observations provide a new perspective on finding and studying the billions of stars in our Milky Way that have already consumed their planets,” says Ryan Lau, NOIRLab astronomer and co-author on this study, which is published in the journal Nature.
Researchers from the University of Aberdeen develop an AI algorithm to detect planetary craters with high accuracy, efficiency, and flexibility.
A team of scientists from the University of Aberdeen has developed a new algorithm that could revolutionize planetary studies. The new technology enables scientists to detect planetary craters and accurately map their surfaces using different data types, according to a release.
Continue reading “AI-powered crater detection algorithm to unlock the secrets of the universe” »
😗
Texas-based Venus Aerospace is working with rotating-detonation propulsion technology to turn the “Stargazer” from sci-concept to Mach-9 business jet that flies at 11110km/h.
By Michael Verdon 02/05/2023
Join top executives in San Francisco on July 11–12, to hear how leaders are integrating and optimizing AI investments for success. Learn More
After several decades of hope, hype and false starts, it appears that artificial intelligence (AI) has finally gone from throwing off sparks to catching fire. Tools like DALL-E and ChatGPT have seized the spotlight and the public imagination, and this latest wave of AI appears poised to be a game-changer across multiple industries.
But what kind of impact will AI have on the 3D engineering space? Will designers and engineers see significant changes in their world and their daily workflows, and if so, what will those changes look like?
Please make sure your browser supports JavaScript and cookies and that you are not blocking them from loading. For more information you can review our Terms of Service and Cookie Policy.
While NASA prepares to launch its lunar space station, other groups are working to ensure we still have an off-world home closer to Earth.
😗
A pair of anthropologists at Tulane University has solved the mystery of the Mayan 819-day count, a type of ancient Mesoamerican calendar system. In their paper published in the journal Ancient Mesoamerica, John Linden and Victoria Bricker suggest that the calendar might be representing a much longer timescale than others had considered.
In studying ancient Maya inscriptions, prior researchers had come across mention of a system they referred to as the 819-day count, which appeared to be in reference to a calendar of some sort. But the astronomers had not left behind any other sort of definition or text describing how it might fit in with their regular calendar system. Prior researchers had found some evidence suggesting that it might be tied to the synodic period, the cyclic period that describes when a given planet will appear at a given point in the sky. They noted that for Mercury, the synod period is 117 days, which, when multiplied by seven, equals 819. Unfortunately, the same formulation did not work with the other planets, leaving the 819-day count a mystery—until now.
Continue reading “Anthropologist pair solve the mystery of Mayan 819-day count” »
Using an advanced method, researchers have discovered seven elements, including the rare substance terbium, which has never before been found in any exoplanet’s atmosphere.
Last week.
On the heels of the previous discovery, scientists have detected another element, Terbium, in an exoplanet’s atmosphere for the first time. Known as KELT-9, the exoplanet is said to be the galaxy’s hottest, orbiting its distant star about 670 light years from Earth.
