I’m off to see Mom

I’m leaving on a jet plane, don’t know when I’ll be back again … stay tuned.

The Sun's Red Dwarf Neighbors Provide Clues to Origins of Carbon and Oxygen January 24, 2026
We live near a fusion reactor in space that provides all our heat and light. That reactor is also responsible for the creation of various elements heavier than hydrogen, and that's true of all stars. So, how do we know that stars are element generators?
The Many Faces of Monster Galaxies January 23, 2026
The earliest galaxies in the universe earned the nickname "monster galaxies" for good reason, they formed stars at rates hundreds of times faster than the Milky Way, growing rapidly after the dawn of time. Astronomers using ALMA and the James Webb Space Telescope have now revealed that three such monsters each achieved their extraordinary growth […]
An Almost-Famous Galaxy Cluster Is The JWST's Picture Of The Month January 23, 2026
Gravitational lensing is a powerful tool that brings impossibly distant galaxies into reach. The JWST uses galaxy clusters and their overpowering to magnify background galaxies that are otherwise beyond our observational capabilities. One cluster, named MACS J1149.5+2223, is 5 billion light-years away and holds at least 300 galaxies, probably many more. It's been chosen as […]
Electric Shocks Could Enforce a Lunar Speed Limit January 23, 2026
As they roll across shadowed regions of the moon's surface, future lunar rovers could develop hazardous buildups of electric charge on their wheels. Through new analysis published in Advances in Space Research, Bill Farrell at the Space Science Institute in Colorado, together with Mike Zimmerman at Johns Hopkins University, outline realistic precautions for mitigating this […]
Mysterious No More: Astronomers Used The Hubble To Solve The Blue Straggler Problem January 22, 2026
How do blue stragglers defy the aging that turns their mates red? Blue stragglers are found in ancient star clusters, where they outshine stars the same age, looking far bluer and younger than their true age. Astrophysicists have tried to understand blue stragglers for decades. New research using the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope is finally […]