SPACERIUM

The search for life beyond Earth has taken a major leap forward with the recent discovery of intriguing biosignatures on K2-18b , an exoplanet located about 120 light-years away in the constellation Leo . Scientists have found promising indications of potential life , sparking global excitement within the astronomical and astrobiological communities. Let’s dive into what makes K2-18b so fascinating, what scientists discovered, and how we are detecting the signs of possible life on this distant world. What is K2-18b? K2-18b is a super-Earth or mini-Neptune —a type of exoplanet that lies between Earth and Neptune in size. It orbits within the habitable zone of its red dwarf star, K2-18 , where temperatures might allow for liquid water to exist. Key facts about K2-18b: Distance from Earth : ~120 light-years Radius : ~2.6 times that of Earth Mass : ~8.6 times Earth’s mass Orbital Period : ~33 days Atmosphere : Hydrogen-rich Its relatively cool star a...

  What is The Gravitational Lensing Picture spacetime as a trampoline. Massive objects like galaxies act like bowling balls, warping the fabric. Light travels in a straight line, but when it passes this warped region, it bends - just like a marble rolling near the bowling ball. This is gravitational lensing. In the JWST image, a foreground galaxy bends light from a distant quasar, RX J1131-1231 , creating the stunning ring - a cosmic magnifying glass revealing the otherwise hidden quasar. How this Quasar is Gravitationally Lensed? The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) continues to impress, this time capturing a once-in-a-lifetime image: a distant quasar warped into a dazzling ring by the gravity of a massive, unseen galaxy. The quasar, a powerhouse galaxy fueled by a supermassive black hole, is dubbed RX J1131-1231 and resides a mind-boggling 6 billion light-years away in the Crater constellation . But the true spectacle lies in the luminous ring surrounding it. This phenomenon,...

Ever since the James Webb Space Telescope was launched, it has been telling us a lot about the universe. Similarly, it has discovered a galaxy that was formed 290 million years after the Big Bang and it is the oldest and farthest galaxy discovered till date. Earlier we had talked about JADES-GS-z7-01-QU  & JADES-GS-z13-0 galaxy, which was the oldest galaxy at that time, but JADES-GS-z14-0 has broken all the records. The JADES Team: Peering into the Distant Past JADES is an international team of astronomers leveraging the JWST's immense power to study the early universe. By observing faint objects at extreme distances, they effectively look back in time, piecing together the cosmos's story. Their recent discovery of JADES-GS-z14-0 pushes the frontier of our knowledge even further. JADES-GS-z14-0: A Galaxy Born in Infancy JADES-GS-z14-0 is estimated to have formed a mere 290 million years after the Big Bang, when the universe was only 2% of its current age. This makes it t...

  The universe holds countless mysteries, with some dating back to its very birth. Recently, the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) unveiled a glimpse into this cosmic past, capturing the farthest black hole collision ever observed. This collision, occurring within a galaxy system called ZS7, offers a groundbreaking opportunity for astronomers to understand the behavior of black holes in the infant universe. A Look Back in Time The beauty of astronomy lies in its ability to act as a time machine. Since light travels at a finite speed, observing distant objects allows us to see them as they existed millions or even billions of years ago. In the case of ZS7, the black hole collision we're witnessing transpired a mere 740 million years after the Big Bang, a time when the universe was only a fraction of its current age. This record-breaking observation provides invaluable insight into how black holes behaved in these primordial conditions. The Titans Collide The JWST's keen eye wasn...

  Imagine a world unlike any you've ever seen. A scorching gas giant where temperatures reach over 4,350 degrees Fahrenheit (2,400 degrees Celsius). Here, iron rains down from the skies, not as a solid metal, but as superheated vapor. This is the bizarre and fascinating world of WASP-76b. A Fiery Giant Close to its Star WASP-76b is a distant exoplanet, located roughly 640 light-years away in the constellation Pisces. Discovered in 2013, this monster of a planet falls under the classification of a "hot Jupiter." These gas giants share similarities with our own Jupiter, but with a dramatic twist: they orbit their stars incredibly close. In WASP-76b's case, it circles its host star in less than two Earth days, this planet revolves around its parent yellow star at a distance of 30 million miles. If we compare it with Jupiter, Jupiter is 484 million miles away from the sun. Even this planet revolves closer than Mercury, the nearest planet to our sun. The distance between M...