The Great Red Spot (GRS) on Jupiter is a giant anticyclonic storm system that has endured for an estimated period exceeding 350 years. This longevity is attributed to several unique factors associated with Jupiter's atmospheric dynamics. 1/

👉 jpl.nasa.gov/images/pia2177…
The GRS, an area of high pressure, exhibits substantial size and wind speeds. Currently, the storm measures approximately 16,000 kilometers in width, about 1.3 times the diameter of Earth, with wind velocities reaching up to 430 miles per hour (680 kilometers per hour). 2/

The final parsec problem presents a significant challenge in astrophysics, particularly in the study of the coalescence of binary black hole systems. This problem arises from the inefficiency of gravitational wave emission in driving the black holes together once ... 1/ ... they reach a separation of approximately one parsec. Various mechanisms have been proposed to address this issue, including stellar dynamical processes, gas dynamics, and the role of massive perturbers. 2/

The Everest climbing season has just begun & there are already several deaths. The overcrowding of recent years is becoming highly dangerous.

This overcrowding is preventing those who have reached the summit from descending. 1/3 Climbers share the same route up & down. A high volume of climbers can create bottlenecks, especially in the death zone where thin air & extreme cold already make climbing dangerous. Getting stuck in a bottleneck increases the risk of altitude sickness, exhaustion & can be fatal.

Stars, those cosmic luminaries that grace the night sky, are not mere flickers of light; they are complex cosmic engines, where the fusion of atomic nuclei fuels their radiance & shapes their destinies. 1/

Video: NASA SDO
Images: ESA Science Imagine a colossal cloud of gas slowly coalescing under the grip of gravity. Within this cosmic womb, pressure mounts, densities surge & temperatures soar. It's at this critical juncture that nuclear fusion, the very essence of stellar energy production, ignites. 2/

Neutrinos. The name itself sounds like something out of a science fiction novel, and in a way, these subatomic particles are truly fantastic. 1/ They're some of the most abundant particles in the universe, zipping through everything from your body to the cores of stars, yet they manage to be almost invisible. 2/

What Exactly is the Zenithal Hourly Rate?

The Zenithal Hourly Rate serves as a crucial metric for measuring the intensity of meteor showers. Meteor showers occur when the Earth traverses the debris left behind by comets or asteroids. 1/ As these celestial remnants collide with our atmosphere, they create a dazzling display of shooting stars streaking across the sky.

The ZHR represents the hypothetical number of meteors an observer would see under ideal conditions, with the radiant point ... 2/

The expansion of the universe, represented by the Hubble constant, has been a well-accepted concept for nearly a century. However, recent measurements have caused tension: while those derived from the CMB suggest a value of ~ 67 km s–1 Mpc–1, .... 1/

👉🏻 desi.lbl.gov
... direct measurements using a local distance-ladder favor larger values ~ 73 km s–1 Mpc–1. This discrepancy, at the 4–5σ level, prompts the need for new measurements. 2/

Magnetars are extraordinary celestial objects, among the most magnetic in the universe. These neutron stars possess magnetic fields that are mind-bogglingly intense, orders of magnitude stronger than those of typical neutron stars or even other exotic objects like pulsars. 1/ The magnetic field strength of a magnetar is so immense that it defies easy comprehension, measured in units of gauss or tesla, they register in the quadrillions, far surpassing anything we can produce on Earth. 2/

Saturn, the 6th planet from the Sun & the 2nd-largest in our solar system, is a mesmerizing world with its intricate ring system & a plethora of moons. Among its many enigmatic features, perhaps none are as captivating as the hexagon-shaped cloud pattern found near its N pole. 1/ This mesmerizing structure, known simply as Saturn's hexagon, has puzzled scientists and stargazers alike since its discovery by the Voyager spacecraft in the early 1980s. 2/

👉 science.nasa.gov/mission/cassin…

New models challenge the notion of Mimas, Saturn's icy moon, being an inactive snowball, suggesting the presence of a young stealth ocean. 1/

👉 arxiv.org/ftp/arxiv/pape…
Although no observable evidence of tectonic activity or the theoretical subsurface ocean has been found, a new structural geological map of Mimas reveals signs of various tectonic features, including putative lineaments, ridges, and troughs. 2/

The Cherenkov Effect is a fascinating phenomenon in physics that occurs when a charged particle travels through a medium faster than the speed of light in that medium. 1/

(Particles can't travel faster than light in a vacuum, but they can exceed the s.o.l in a specific medium) Named after the Soviet physicist Pavel Cherenkov, who 1st theoretically predicted it in 1934 & whose discovery was later recognized with a Nobel Prize in Physics in 1958, this effect has numerous ... 2/

MY feelings about war, the ultimate failure of humanity.

1/ Despair: The utter hopelessness that comes from seeing the worst of human nature unleashed. A feeling of humanity being fundamentally flawed and incapable of progress. 2/ Disillusionment: The shattering of ideals & the belief that peace can be achieved. A feeling of cynicism towards humanity's ability to solve problems peacefully.

The discussion surrounding what happened before the #BigBang is a perennial one in cosmology, alongside inquiries about the universe's expansion and black holes.
Initially, it seemed nonsensical to inquire about events before the origin of time itself, akin to asking ... 1/ ... about existence before birth. However, the analogy breaks down when considering causal chains in everyday experiences. If everything has a cause, why should the universe be different? 2/

The cosmic distance ladder is the essential tool astronomers use to measure the vast expanses of our universe, answering the age-old question of how far?. With each rung, we reach further into the cosmos, akin to climbing a ladder whose steps are marked by celestial phenomena. 1/ This ladder, constructed of various methods & observations, stitches together distance measurements, enabling us to unravel the mysteries of our vast universe. 2/

Astrobiologists are keen on exploring ice worlds due to the possibility of subsurface oceans, with Enceladus standing out thanks to its known vent systems linked to such oceans. 1/

👉🏻 jpl.nasa.gov/robotics-at-jp…
NASA's @NASAJPL is developing a snake-like robot, dubbed Exobiology Extant Life Surveyor (EELS), to potentially sample Enceladus' ocean water through its vents. However, navigating Enceladus poses challenges due to limited orbital data and communication, ... 2/

In October 2017, astronomers made a startling discovery that captivated the world's imagination: an object hurtling through our Solar System at an incredible speed, seemingly originating from interstellar space. Named 'Oumuamua which loosely translates to "scout" ... 1/ ... or "messenger" in Hawaiian, this enigmatic visitor has sparked intense scientific interest & speculation ever since.

First detected by the Pan-STARRS1 telescope in Hawaii, Oumuamua's unique trajectory & speed immediately distinguished it from any known celestial object. 2/

Star Clusters: Open vs. Globular.

Open star clusters, as the name suggests, lack a defined shape, appearing as loose groupings of stars scattered across the sky. These clusters typically contain a few dozen to thousands of stars, with the Pleiades being a well-known ... 1/ ... example visible to the naked eye. Despite appearing as a handful of stars to the unaided observer, open clusters often contain hundreds or even thousands of stars when observed closely. 2/

The Great Attractor was first detected by astronomer R. Brent Tully and his team in the 1970s. They observed that the motion of galaxies in our vicinity was not solely dictated by the gravitational pull of the Milky Way and its immediate neighbors. 1/

#Thread #Cosmos Instead, there seemed to be a larger gravitational force tugging at these galaxies, pulling them towards a specific region of the sky - the Great Attractor. Situated roughly 150 million light-years away in the direction of the Hydra and Centaurus constellations, ... 2/

In Sagittarius constellation lies a celestial enigma that has puzzled astronomers since its discovery in 1996. Known as Sakurai's Object, this stellar anomaly challenges conventional understanding of stellar evolution, presenting a rare spectacle in the cosmic theater. 1/ Discovered by Japanese astronomer Yukio Sakurai, Sakurai's Object, cataloged as V4334 SGR, initially appeared to be a typical nova, a stellar explosion resulting in a sudden brightening of a star. However, further scrutiny revealed a story far more intriguing. 2/

Certain moments, in scientific discovery, stand out as watershed events, forever altering our understanding of the cosmos. One such pivotal moment occurred on May 29, 1919, during a rare celestial spectacle: a solar eclipse. 1/ This particular eclipse not only mesmerized onlookers with its ethereal beauty but also catalyzed a revolution in physics, challenging centuries-old notions of gravity and space-time. 2/

Iron meteorites are among the most captivating celestial objects to grace our planet. Within these extraterrestrial fragments lies a hidden beauty, known as Thomson structures or Widmanstätten patterns. 1/ These intricate crystalline formations, composed primarily of nickel-iron alloys such as kamacite and taenite, offer a glimpse into the cosmic journey of these meteorites and the conditions they endured over millions of years. 2/