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The infographic titled "The Cosmic Trigger: How Radio Waves Predict Auroral Storms" illustrates the connection between radio wave signals and the prediction of auroral substorms. It highlights the role of auroral beads as visual indicators, the detection of radio signals (specifically Auroral Kilometric Radiation), and the possible universal mechanism affecting other planets like Jupiter and Saturn.

Scientists uncover a hidden radio signal that may hold the key to triggering Earth’s most intense northern and southern lights

The aurora borealis and australis—Earth’s dazzling polar light shows—are more than just natural beauty. At their most intense, they erupt in a phenomenon called a magnetospheric substorm, flooding the sky with waves of green, purple, and red. For decades, scientists have known these storms almost always begin with a subtle precursor: auroral beads—a string of luminous points resembling a glowing necklace across the sky.

"A New Galactic Census Reveals 400 Binary Clusters in the Milky Way, Offering Insights into Star Formation with 61% Sharing a Common Origin and 83% Showing Tidal Interactions."

Astronomers identify 400 binary star clusters in the Milky Way

Stars rarely form alone. Instead, they emerge in clusters—dense groups born from the same stellar nursery. Even more remarkably, these clusters themselves can form in pairs, known as binary clusters (BCs). Now, using ultra-precise data from the European Space Agency’s Gaia satellite, Chinese astronomers have identified 400 such systems in our galaxy, offering unprecedented insight into the hierarchical nature of star formation.

New insights into Sagittarius A* reveal it as a surprisingly stable force in our galaxy's core, where objects like G2, X3, X7, and D9 maintain resilient orbits, challenging the previous belief of inevitable destruction by the black hole.

New VLT/ERIS observations reveal dusty objects orbiting the Milky Way’s black hole in stable paths

At the heart of our galaxy lies Sagittarius A*—a supermassive black hole with a mass four million times that of the Sun. For years, astronomers believed its immense tidal forces would shred any object that ventured too close. But new observations from the European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope (VLT) in Chile, using the advanced instrument ERIS, tell a different story: several enigmatic “dusty objects” are not only surviving—they’re thriving in stable orbits.

Scientists uncover a hidden radio signal that may hold the key to triggering Earth’s most intense northern and southern lights

The aurora borealis and australis—Earth’s dazzling polar light shows—are more than just natural beauty. At their most intense, they erupt in a phenomenon called a magnetospheric substorm, flooding the sky with waves of green, purple, and red. For decades, scientists have known these storms almost always begin with a subtle precursor: auroral beads—a string of luminous points resembling a glowing necklace across the sky.

5 hours ago1 min read

Astronomers identify 400 binary star clusters in the Milky Way

Stars rarely form alone. Instead, they emerge in clusters—dense groups born from the same stellar nursery. Even more remarkably, these clusters themselves can form in pairs, known as binary clusters (BCs). Now, using ultra-precise data from the European Space Agency’s Gaia satellite, Chinese astronomers have identified 400 such systems in our galaxy, offering unprecedented insight into the hierarchical nature of star formation.

5 hours ago1 min read

Blog

What New Scar on the Moon Teaches Us?

Despite eons of gazing at the "Man in the Moon," many of us miss the fact that our celestial neighbor is still under construction. While the massive, basin-forming impacts ended billions of years ago, the Moon is still struck by asteroids and comets today. Catching these impacts is a challenge, but thanks to the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera (LROC), we can now spot fresh craters that appeared almost overnight.

Sandeep K S

6 days ago

The Role of Izaña-2 in Ensuring a Safer Orbital Environment for Satellites

As the threat from space debris becomes a daily concern for satellite operators, the European Space Agency is developing innovative technologies to keep our orbits safe. At the Izaña station in Spain, ESA's Izaña-1 and Izaña-2 laser-ranging stations are testing a high-precision method to track debris, prevent collisions, and eventually, even nudge junk out of the way.

Sandeep K S

Aug 28

TESS Telescope Reveals Interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS Before Official Discovery

When an object from another star system visits ours, astronomers race to learn its secrets. But sometimes, the first clues are found not by looking forward, but by looking back. A new study reveals that the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS)—a telescope designed to find planets around other stars—had captured images of our newest interstellar visitor, 3I/ATLAS, as far back as May 2025. Unearthing this "pre-discovery" data required a clever technique to find a faint,

Sandeep K S

Aug 28