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Astronomy / Space Science - Environment - 12.07.2019

New Findings on Early Bombardment of the Earth and Moon and Their Development
Freie Universität Researchers Contribute to International Study Published in Nature No 215/2019 from Jul 12, 2019 How did the Earth evolve from a fireball about 4.5 billion years ago to a habitable world? The key to this question lies in the early history of our planet, when the bombardment with cosmic bodies slowly declined.

Astronomy / Space Science - Earth Sciences - 11.06.2019

Dwarf planet Ceres: a new form of volcanism found
An international research team solves the mystery of how the mountain Ahuna Mons on Ceres was probably formed / Study in "Nature Geoscience" The scientists could hardly believe their eyes when they first saw this formation on the images acquired by their Framing Camera on board the Dawn space probe: a symmetrical mountain over 4000 metres tall and with steep, smooth sides rising over the crater-strewn surface of.

Astronomy / Space Science - 20.05.2019

Formation of the moon brought water to earth
The Earth is unique in our solar system: It is the only terrestrial planet with a large amount of water and a relatively large moon, which stabilizes the Earth's axis. Both were essential for Earth to develop life. Planetologists at the University of Münster have now been able to show, for the first time, that water came to Earth with the formation of the Moon some 4.4 billion years ago.

Environment - Astronomy / Space Science - 14.05.2019

EUMETSAT, Japanese space agency to cooperate on greenhouse gas monitoring
EUMETSAT and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) today signed an agreement which will result in the agencies working closely together to monitor greenhouse gases in the Earth's atmosphere. Mr Kazuo Tachi, on behalf of the Direc tor General of JAXA's Space Technology Directorate 1 Ryoichi Imai, and EUMETSAT Director-General Alain Ratier signed the agreement at a ceremony at EUMETSAT's Darmstadt headquarters today.

Physics - Astronomy / Space Science - 24.04.2019

Astroparticle physicists observe the longest half-life ever directly measured
The universe is almost 14 billion years old. An inconceivable length of time by human standards - yet compared to some physical processes, it is but a moment. There are radioactive nuclei that decay on much longer time scales. An international team of scientists has now directly measured the rarest decay process ever recorded in a detector.

Astronomy / Space Science - 29.03.2019

Cassini mission reveals the secrets of Saturn’s walnut-shaped ring moons
New study in in the high-ranking journal Science No 73/2019 from Mar 29, 2019 A new study of Saturn's small inner moons was published in the high-ranking journal Science . Images of Pan, Daphnis, Atlas, Pandora and Epimetheus, obtained by the Cassini spacecraft in winter 2016/17, show that several of these so-called "shepherd moons" exhibit huge ridges around their equators, giving them a very peculiar and impressing walnut-like shape (Fig.

Astronomy / Space Science - 15.11.2018

Our stellar neighbourhood expands
Astronomers from the Observatory of the University of Hamburg were involved in the discovery of a new planet. As part of an international research team led by the Institut de Ciències de l'Espai (ICE, CSIC), they have found a planet in orbit of Barnard's star. Barnard's star is a so-called red dwarf and after the Alpha-Centauri triple stellar system the second closest star to the Sun.

Astronomy / Space Science - 14.11.2018

Newly discovered planet sets Barnard’s Star in motion
International team unveils Super Earth at second closest star to the Earth. Scientists have discovered a planet in the orbit of Barnard's Star, which is about six light years from us. They assume that the planet, which has about 3.2 times as much mass as Earth, orbits the star. This was discovered by an international team involving the University of Göttingen.

Physics - Astronomy / Space Science - 05.10.2018

Mission Cassini: Nano Dust Rain from Saturn’s Rings
Findings Published in "Science" No 260/2018 from Oct 05, 2018 Nanometer-sized particles of dust are whirling in the gap between the planet Saturn and its rings, as shown by experiments following the grand finale of the Cassini spacecraft, which burned out in 2017. The particles consist of water ice and silicates, and according to the latest measurements, they come from Saturn's rings.

Astronomy / Space Science - 25.07.2018

How to Weigh Stars With Gravitational Lensing
Using data from Gaia astrometry satellite, astronomers at Heidelberg University investigated the movement of millions of stars in the Milky Way galaxy. For the first time, they were able to predict the approach of two stars with extreme precision and to forecast characteristic effects of relativistic light deflection that can be used to precisely measure the mass of stars.

Astronomy / Space Science - 12.07.2018

First evidence on the source of extragalactic particles
Research news For the first time ever, scientists have determined the cosmic origin of highest-energy neutrinos. A research group led by Prof. Elisa Resconi from the Technical University of Munich (TUM), provides an important piece of evidence that the particles detected by the IceCube neutrino telescope at the South Pole originate from a galaxy four billion light-years away from Earth.

Chemistry - Astronomy / Space Science - 28.06.2018

Complex Organic Molecules On Saturn’s Moon Enceladus
Under its icy crust, Saturn's moon Enceladus conceals an global ocean of liquid water. A detector on the Cassini space probe detected ice particles propelled from Enceladus that contain high concentrations of organic substances. They exhibit the structures typical of highly complex macromolecular compounds.

Astronomy / Space Science - 17.06.2018

Antarctic ice cap melting faster and faster
Research news Melting ice in the Antarctic has resulted in a 7.6 millimeter rise in the global sea level since 1992. Three millimeters of this increase were recorded in the last five years alone, according to a comprehensive study conducted with the participation of scientists from the Technical University of Munich (TUM).

Astronomy / Space Science - 20.04.2018

Stars Are Born in Loose Groupings
Based on previously published data from the Gaia Mission, researchers at Heidelberg University have derived the conditions under which stars form. The Gaia satellite is measuring the three-dimensional positions and motions of stars in the Milky Way with unprecedented accuracy. Using these data, Dr Jacob Ward and Dr Diederik Kruijssen determined the positions, distances and speeds of a large number of young massive stars within 18 nearby loose stellar groupings.

Astronomy / Space Science - 06.04.2018

Globular Clusters as Relics of Star Formation in the Early Universe
The globular clusters that surround our Milky Way are nearly as old as the universe itself. Computer simulations conducted by a team led by Dr Joel Pfeffer of Liverpool John Moores University (United Kingdom) and Dr Diederik Kruijssen of Heidelberg University suggest that these ancient star clusters were formed via the same mechanisms as our home galaxy's new-born stars, which makes them natural relics of star formation in the early universe.

Astronomy / Space Science - Earth Sciences - 22.11.2017

Frictional Heat Powers Hydrothermal Activity on Enceladus
Heat from the friction of rocks caused by tidal forces could be the "engine" for the hydrothermal activity on Saturn's moon Enceladus. This presupposes that the moon has a porous core that allows water from the overlying ocean to seep in, where the tidal friction exerted on the rocks heats it. This shows a computer simulation based on observations from the European-American Cassini-Huygens mission.

Physics - Astronomy / Space Science - 16.10.2017

Breakthrough in multi-messenger astronomy
Research news For the first time ever, scientists have measured electromagnetic and gravitational signals generated by the collision of neutron stars. In a special research project led by the Technical University of Munich (TUM), physicists with the Collaborative Research Center 1258 "Neutrinos and Dark Matter" team recorded the aftermath of the powerful event.

Astronomy / Space Science - Environment - 28.09.2017

It Takes the Right Amount of Carbon
The element carbon and its compounds form the basics for life on Earth. Short-duration flash-heating events in the solar nebula prior to the formation of planets in our solar system were responsible for supplying the Earth with a presumably ideal amount of carbon for life and evolution. This shows a carbon chemistry model developed by Heidelberg University researchers.

Astronomy / Space Science - 21.08.2017

A Trace of Galaxies at the Heart of a Gigantic Galaxy Cluster
Very large yet faint galaxies have been found where no one would have expected them - in the middle of a giant galaxy cluster. Heidelberg astronomers discovered the extremely-low-density galaxies, known as ultra-diffuse galaxies, a find that is "both remarkable and puzzling", states Dr Thorsten Lisker.

Astronomy / Space Science - Chemistry - 13.07.2017

Complex Gas Motion in the Centre of the Milky Way
How does the gas in the centre of the Milky Way behave? Researchers from Heidelberg University, in collaboration with colleagues from the University of Oxford, recently investigated the motion of gas clouds in a comprehensive computer simulation. The new model finally makes it possible to conclusively explain this complex gas motion.