Sharmila Kuthunur, Author at Astronomy.com

Apollo astronaut on the Moon

Traces of Earth’s earliest atmosphere could be buried on the Moon

Robotic Spaceflight, Solar System

Could we experience the first-ever human-made meteor shower?

Mars

Science, Solar System

Mars is bombarded by more meteorites than previously thought

An artist impression of a Fast Radio Burst (FRB) reaching Earth. The colors represent the burst arriving at different radio wavelengths, with long wavelengths (red) arriving several seconds after short wavelengths (blue). This delay is called dispersion and occurs when radio waves travel through cosmic plasma.

Exotic Objects, Science

One-shot fast radio bursts may emerge from Milky Way-like galaxies, new research suggests

A mosaic of the Cloverleaf radio emission in multiple wavelengths: visible light observations from the DESI (Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument) Legacy Survey in white and yellow; X-rays from XMM-Newton in blue; and radio from ASKAP (the Australian Square Kilometer Array Pathfinder) in red. Credit: Xiaoyuan Zhang & Matthias Kluge (MPE), Baerbel Korbalski (CSIRO).

Exotic Objects, Science

Mysterious Cloverleaf ‘odd radio circle’ could be a merger of a dozen galaxies

TIC365102760 b, shown in this artist’s concept, is nicknamed Phoenix because of its ability to be very near a red giant star and yet survive the intense radiation. Credit: Roberto Molar Candanosa/Johns Hopkins University.

Exoplanets, Science, Uncategorized

Neptune-like planet ‘Phoenix’ baffles astronomers with its atmosphere

Frost (colored blue) coats the top of Olympus Mons, the tallest volcano in our solar system. This image was shot by ESA’s Mars Express orbiter at 7:20 A.M. local martian time. The mountain’s right side is illuminated by the rising Sun in the east. Credit: ESA/DLR/FU Berlin.

Ephemeral morning frost discovered atop Mars’ tallest volcanoes

Around a star in our Milky Way galaxy, astronomers have discovered an extremely low-density planet that is as light as cotton candy. The new planet, named WASP-193b, appears to dwarf Jupiter in size, yet it is a fraction of its density. Credit: K. Ivanov/MIT.

Exoplanets, Science

‘This planet should not be there.’ Second lightest exoplanet known to date surprises astronomers

This breathtaking image features Messier 78 (the central and brightest region), a vibrant nursery of star formation enveloped in a shroud of interstellar dust. Credit: ESA.

Cosmology, Robotic Spaceflight, Science

Euclid’s new portraits of the dark universe are filled with detail, and wonder

This image from 2013 shows the bright light of a solar flare on the left side of the sun and an eruption of solar material shooting through the sun’s atmosphere, called a prominence eruption. Credit: NASA/Goddard/SDO.

The Sun’s magnetic field is generated surprisingly close to its surface, new study suggests

A visualization of the Milky Way galaxy spotlights the two newfound streams of ancient stars, Shiva (green) and Shakti (pink). Credit: S. Payne-Wardenaar/K. Malhan/MPIA

Milky Way, Science

Ancient star streams, named Shiva and Shakti, may be Milky Way’s earliest building blocks

An artist’s conception shows the orbits of both the star (in blue) and the black hole (in red), dubbed Gaia BH3, around their common center of mass. Credit: ESO/L. Calçada/Space Engine (spaceengine.org)

Exotic Objects, Milky Way, Science

Astronomers uncover ‘sleeping giant’ black hole Gaia BH3, the largest ever found in the Milky Way