Scientists have finally identified a mysterious golden orb discovered in the ocean depths off Alaska. Additionally, Hubble revisits the Trifid Nebula after 30 years, Artemis II crew shares their experience of Earth disappearing, and new findings suggest an anomaly in Mars' mantle could trigger volcanic activity. Other highlights include changes in the Crab Nebula over 25 years and the potential visibility of the northern lights in several US states due to a solar phenomenon. Japanese astronomers also found evidence of a thin atmosphere around a Kuiper Belt object.
Mystery of golden orb found in depths of ocean off Alaska finally solved: 'Everyone was like, What the heck? What is that?
'Hubble revisits stunning Trifid Nebula after 30 years, and spots a growing jet of energy — Space photo of the week'Human minds shouldn't have to go through' this: Artemis II crew recalls unreal moment when Earth disappeared — Space photo of the weekAn anomaly in Mars' mantle could trigger volcanoes to erupt — and may be causing the whole planet to spin fasterHubble images taken 25 years apart show big changes in the iconic Crab Nebula — Space photo of the weekNorthern lights may be visible from several US states Friday and Saturday as giant hole opens up in sun's atmosphereContact me with news and offers from other Future brandsSign up for the latest discoveries, groundbreaking research and fascinating breakthroughs that impact you and the wider world direct to your inbox.
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Discover this week's must-see night sky events, moon phases, and stunning astrophotos. Sign up for our skywatching newsletter and explore the universe with us! Japanese astronomers found evidence for a thin atmosphere surrounding the body, which is located within the Kuiper Belt in the cold, is supposed to be too small and too cold to sustain an atmosphere.
At about 311 miles across — a little wider than the Grand Canyon is long — the object is more than four times smaller than Pluto, which was thought to be the only body beyond Neptune with an atmosphere in ourSaturn's chaotic atmosphere revealed in most comprehensive view yet by James Webb and Hubble telescopes 'Interstellar messenger' 3I/ATLAS could be nearly as old as the universe itself, James Webb telescope observations reveal The new observations challenge assumptions about which objects can sustain atmospheres in our solar system.
However, these initial findings must be verified by outside researchers, with some experts keen to make follow-up observations with the's New Horizons mission to explore Pluto and the Kuiper Belt, who was not involved in the new study, toldas it passed directly in front of a distant star in January 2024. The observations were made by a team of professional and amateur astronomers from three sites in Japan.
Their data hinted at attenuation — or gradual loss of starlight caused by an atmosphere, according to the study.
"The observation data showed a smooth change of the star's brightness near the edge of the shadow, lasting about 1.5 seconds," study first author. "This kind of smooth brightness change is naturally explained if the starlight was bent by a very thin atmosphere around the object. "Get the world’s most fascinating discoveries delivered straight to your inbox.
Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsorsThe team's observations suggested that the atmosphere is extremely thin, around 5 million to 10 million times thinner than Earth's atmosphere — too thin to support life. The potential atmosphere is also not permanent, with calculations suggesting that it will last less than 1,000 years unless it's restocked with gas.
NASA shuts off another Voyager 1 instrument as humanity's most distant spacecraft prepares for risky 'Big Bang' maneuver to save power 'A measurable, enormous global impact': Astronaut Chris Hadfield on why the true power of Artemis II could take decades to hitThe discovery raises questions about how an atmosphere could have formed around this small, cold world. Previous JWST observations revealed that the object's surface doesn't appear to have any frozen gas that could have sublimated to produce an atmosphere.
The researchers speculated that the atmosphere could be sustained by cryovolcanoes , with some unknown event forcing gases to the object's surface. Another possibility is that the object was hit by another icy body, such as a comet, which then produced gases to form an atmosphere. Future observations, particularly by JWST — an infrared telescope"That is why future monitoring is so important," Arimatsu told the Associated Press.
"If the atmosphere fades over the next several years, that would support an impact origin. If it persists, or varies seasonally, that would point more toward ongoing internal gas supply.
"Arimatsu, K., Yoshida, F., Hayamizu, T., Takita, S., Hosoi, K., Ootsubo, T., & Watanabe, J. . Detection of an atmosphere on a trans-Neptunian object beyond Pluto. Patrick Pester is the trending news writer at Live Science. His work has appeared on other science websites, such as BBC Science Focus and Scientific American.
Patrick retrained as a journalist after spending his early career working in zoos and wildlife conservation. He was awarded the Master's Excellence Scholarship to study at Cardiff University where he completed a master's degree in international journalism. He also has a second master's degree in biodiversity, evolution and conservation in action from Middlesex University London. When he isn't writing news, Patrick investigates the sale of human remains. Mars
Golden Orb Mystery Hubble Space Telescope Trifid Nebula Artemis II Mission Mars Mantle Anomaly
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