inspiriences

Astronomers have captured a breathtaking image that could mark the birth of a new planet located 430 light-years away. The discovery was made using the European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope (VLT) in Chile. It features a young star named 2MASSJ16120668-3010270, or simply 2MASSJ1612, surrounded by swirling gas and dust. This detailed view shows striking features such as spiral arms and rings, confirming theoretical models of how planets form. Scientists are calling it a textbook example of planetary birth. The Role Of Modern Telescopes In Uncovering New Worlds This exciting image was captured with the VLT’s SPHERE instrument, designed to detect exoplanets in high contrast. Earlier observations by the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) had hinted at a mysterious gap in the disk around the star . The SPHERE instrument revealed even more of a detailed ring structure and two spiraling arms within the disk. These shapes suggest the pre...

For the first time ever, scientists have used ground-based telescopes to look back over 13 billion years and capture signs from the Cosmic Dawn, a mysterious period when the universe’s first stars began to shine. The CLASS (Cosmology Large Angular Scale Surveyor) project pioneered this breakthrough, which is changing how we think about the early universe. It’s not only a technological leap but a window into the very moment light first pierced the cosmic darkness. Set high in the Andes of northern Chile. The CLASS telescopes were specially designed to pick up extremely faint signals from this ancient era. Understanding Cosmic Dawn: The Universe’s First Stars The Cosmic Dawn refers to the time around 800 million years after the Big Bang when the universe’s first stars and galaxies were born. Before this era, the universe was a thick fog of particles where light couldn’t travel freely. Once the universe cooled, protons and electrons combined to form neutral hydro...

Just after sunset on an October evening in 1408, six years into the reign of the Ming dynasty’s Emperor Yongle, Chinese court astronomers spotted a mysterious new star glowing high in the southern sky, near the heart of the Milky Way. “It was about the size of a cup-shaped oil lamp, with a pure yellow colour, smooth and bright,” according to Hanlin Academy scholar Hu Guang, in a formal report to the emperor that interpreted its appearance as a heavenly endorsement. “We, your ministers, have encountered this auspicious sign, and respectfully offer our congratulations … This splendid omen is truly a sign of an enlightened era,” Hu wrote, praising the ruler whose sweeping ambition had launched Zheng He’s treasure fleets and extended China’s reach as far as Africa. Do you have questions about the biggest topics and trends from around the world? Get the answers with SCMP Knowledge , our new platform of curated content with explainers, FAQs, analyses an...