Get the appAstronomers are divided over the James Webb Telescope's tiny red dots, which appear across its images. Some researchers suspect the objects may be giant stars that contain black holes at their centres, though no consensus has been reached.
The Orionid meteor shower is made up of small fragments left behind by Halley's Comet. These meteors are known for being especially bright and fast.
The Orionid meteor shower, produced by Halley's comet, will peak on Thursday morning. Experts suggest viewing between 4am and 5am for the best chance to see a meteor every 4-5 minutes. The shower will be visible until early November, with the best viewing times being early mornings from Wednesday to Friday. A bright Moon may wash out earlier viewing, but it will set before the optimal time.
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Get the appSpaceX has applied to the US Federal Communications Commission to launch and operate up to one million satellites as orbiting data centres. The filing has been accepted for public comment but is not approval to deploy. Astronomers warn the satellites could fill the night sky with moving lights and disrupt telescope observations. The American Astronomical Society has asked regulators to deny the application. Western Australian photographer John Goldsmith is among those opposing the plan, arguing that communities worldwide should have a say in changes to the sky.
Astronomers have produced the most detailed image yet of the Pa 30 nebula, the remnant of a supernova that people recorded in 1181. The Gemini North telescope in Hawaii revealed about ten times more structures than earlier images. The filaments appear as chains of pearl-like gas knots, each about four light-days across, with a surprisingly uniform size. The central star is also unusual, as it has survived the explosion as a so-called zombie star. Researchers hope the structures will help explain how such stars survive.
NASA has released 800 gigabytes of Artemis II mission data, including 11,000 images, videos, and astronaut notes. The agency says it is the first planetary science data collected by humans outside Earth in over 50 years. Researchers can access the data to study the moon's surface, meteoroid impacts, and lunar regions. NASA also published three reports summarising the mission's findings.
A radio telescope has detected a 10-billion-year-old signal from the early universe, captured as a millisecond flash of light called FRB 20240304B. The signal, recorded by the MeerKAT telescope in South Africa, is the oldest fast radio burst (FRB) discovered and may help scientists understand the universe better. Researchers from the University of Sydney and Swinburne University suggest potential sources for FRBs include magnetars, but the exact cause remains unknown.
Astronomers have identified some of the Milky Way's earliest stars, dating back approximately 12 billion years. This remarkable find offers fresh insights into the galaxy's formation and development. Dr Sven Buder, an astrophysicist from the Australian National University, discussed the significance of these ancient celestial bodies. The discovery was reported by The Wire, providing a glimpse into our galaxy's ancient history. These primordial stars may hold key information about the Milky Way's early evolution.