collapse

Why Isn’t Jupiter a Star?

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The smallest known main-sequence star in the Milky Way galaxy is a real pixie of a thing. It’s called EBLM J0555-57Ab, a red dwarf 600 light-years away. With a mean radius of around 59,000 kilometers, it’s just a smidge bigger than Saturn. That makes it the tiniest known star to support hydrogen fusion in its core, … Read more

What happened at the Arecibo Observatory? New inquiry launched into iconic telescope’s collapse.

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It’s been more than a year since scientists lost one of the most iconic telescopes ever built — and yet the collapse of the famed Arecibo Observatory remains something of a mystery. Nestled into the jungle of Puerto Rico, the Arecibo Observatory‘s jewel was its vast radio dish, spanning 1,000 feet (305 meters) across and … Read more

What Antarctica’s ‘Doomsday’ Glacier Could Mean For The World

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The massive Thwaites glacier in West Antarctica contains enough ice to raise global sea levels by 65cm if it were to completely collapse. And, worryingly, recent research suggests that its long-term stability is doubtful as the glacier hemorrhages more and more ice.   Adding 65cm to global sea levels would be coastline-changing amounts. For context, … Read more