Category: 7. Science

Chinese researchers have developed an innovative method to extract water and generate fuel from lunar soil, offering a potentially game-changing solution for future Moon missions.

By harnessing a ‘photothermal strategy’—a technique that converts light into heat—they demonstrated how carbon dioxide exhaled by astronauts could be transformed into oxygen, hydrogen, and carbon monoxide using water extracted directly from Moon dust.

The breakthrough, detailed in the journal Joule, centres on integrating water extraction with gas conversion in a single, energy-efficient step.

Professor Lu Wang from the Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen, described the discovery as a surprise, especially the soil’s unexpected catalytic potential. The integrated system could dramatically reduce reliance on costly Earth-supplied water, currently at about $83,000 per gallon.

The team used actual lunar samples collected during China’s Chang’E-5 mission to test their method. These samples, retrieved from the Moon’s near side in 2020, helped validate the concept in controlled lab conditions.

However, researchers caution that challenges such as radiation, microgravity, and extreme temperature fluctuations may complicate implementation on the Moon’s surface.

Even so, the results underscore the rapid progress of space programme in China. From relative obscurity just two decades ago, the country now positions itself as a frontrunner in building a sustainable Moon base, with ambitions to establish a permanent outpost by 2035.

Would you like to learn more about AI, tech and digital diplomacy? If so, ask our Diplo chatbot!

Comets are primitive remnants of the early Solar System whose composition offers fundamental clues to their formation and evolution. High-resolution, broad-wavelength spectroscopy is crucial for identifying volatile species and constraining the physical conditions within the coma.

We aim to characterize the gas composition and physical environment of the newly discovered comet C/2025 N1 through optical and near-infrared spectroscopy. We used a medium-resolution spectrum of comet C/2025 N1 with X-shooter at the ESO Very Large Telescope (VLT), covering the 300-2500 nm wavelength range. Standard data reduction and flux calibration were applied.

Although the object clearly shows activity, only upper limits to the production rates of OH and CN can be estimated: 8.0×1024 s⁻¹ and 4.9×1023 s⁻¹, respectively. We obtained red spectral slopes consistent with those of typical D-type asteroids and outer Solar System objects.

A. Alvarez-Candal, J. L. Rizos, L. M. Lara, P. Santos-Sanz, P. J. Gutierrez, J. L. Ortiz, N. Morales

Comments: 4 pages, 2 figures, submitted as a Letter to the Editor
Subjects: Earth and Planetary Astrophysics (astro-ph.EP); Astrophysics of Galaxies (astro-ph.GA)
Cite as: arXiv:2507.07312 [astro-ph.EP] (or arXiv:2507.07312v2 [astro-ph.EP] for this version)
https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2507.07312
Focus to learn more
Submission history
From: Alvaro Alvarez-Candal
[v1] Wed, 9 Jul 2025 22:18:50 UTC (249 KB)
[v2] Sat, 12 Jul 2025 20:58:05 UTC (249 KB)
https://arxiv.org/abs/2507.07312

Astrobiology

The object was found as part of the survey project FOSSIL (Formation of the Outer Solar System: An Icy Legacy), which takes advantage of the Subaru Telescope’s wide field of view. The object was discovered through observations taken in March, May, and August 2023 using the Subaru Telescope. The object is currently designated 2023 KQ₁₄; a more classical name will be assigned later by the International Astronomical Union. After that, follow-up observations in July 2024 with the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope and a search for unrecognized sightings of the object in old data from other observatories allowed astronomers to track the object’s orbit over 19 years. Due to its peculiar distant orbit, 2023 KQ₁₄ has been classified as a “sednoid,” making it only the fourth known example of this rare type of object.

Numerical simulations conducted by the FOSSIL team, some of which used the PC cluster operated by the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan, indicate that 2023 KQ₁₄ has maintained a stable orbit for at least 4.5 billion years. Although its current orbit differs from those of the other sednoids, the simulations suggest that their orbits were remarkably similar around 4.2 billion years ago.

The fact that 2023 KQ₁₄ now follows an orbit different from the other sednoids indicates that the outer Solar System is more diverse and complex than previously thought. This discovery also places new constraints on the hypothetical Planet Nine. If Planet Nine exists, its orbit must lie farther out than typically predicted.

Dr. Yukun Huang of the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan who conducted simulations of the orbit comments, “The fact that 2023 KQ₁₄‘s current orbit does not align with those of the other three sednoids lowers the likelihood of the Planet Nine hypothesis. It is possible that a planet once existed in the Solar System but was later ejected, causing the unusual orbits we see today.”

Regarding the significance of this discovery, Dr. Fumi Yoshida states, “2023 KQ₁₄ was found in a region far away where Neptune’s gravity has little influence. The presence of objects with elongated orbits and large perihelion distances in this area implies that something extraordinary occurred during the ancient era when 2023 KQ₁₄ formed. Understanding the orbital evolution and physical properties of these unique, distant objects is crucial for comprehending the full history of the Solar System. At present, the Subaru Telescope is among the few telescopes on Earth capable of making such discoveries. I would be happy if the FOSSIL team could make many more discoveries like this one and help draw a complete picture of the history of the Solar System.”

Astronomers thought the young star MP Mus had no planet in sight. But a closer look revealed a giant planet hidden in the surrounding gas and dust – one they had completely missed.

A team of scientists from the University of Cambridge, along with colleagues from Germany, Chile, and France, revisited MP Mus using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) and data from the European Space Agency’s Gaia mission.

The findings point to a gas giant planet – anywhere from three to ten times the size of Jupiter – lurking inside the disc. This is the first time Gaia has helped identify a planet still embedded in its protoplanetary disc.

Planets hidden inside their discs

Studying young planets like this gives us important clues about how our own Solar System might have formed. When stars are young, they’re surrounded by discs of gas, dust, and ice.

Over time, gravity pulls these particles together to form larger bodies like asteroids and planets. As planets take shape, they start to clear paths in the disc – like grooves in a vinyl record.

But spotting those young planets is tough. Gas and dust interfere with most observations. So far, scientists have only made three solid detections of young planets still sitting inside their discs. This discovery adds a fourth.

Signs of a hidden planet

The study was led by Dr Álvaro Ribas from Cambridge’s Institute of Astronomy. He has spent years studying protoplanetary discs.

“We first observed this star at the time when we learned that most discs have rings and gaps, and I was hoping to find features around MP Mus that could hint at the presence of a planet or planets,” said Dr. Ribas.

In 2023, his team used ALMA to observe MP Mus, also known as PDS 66. What he saw was underwhelming. The star looked alone. Its disc showed no gaps, no ridges – just a flat, lifeless expanse.

“Our earlier observations showed a boring, flat disc,” said Dr. Ribas. “But this seemed odd to us, since the disc is between seven and ten million years old. In a disc of that age, we would expect to see some evidence of planet formation.”

So the team tried again. They used ALMA to look at the star at a longer wavelength – 3mm – which allowed them to see deeper into the disc. This time, the picture changed.

The experts spotted a cavity near the star, plus two distant gaps. These features had been invisible in the first set of images. It was the first hint that a planet might be shaping the disc from the inside.

A star that wobbles

At the same time, another researcher was noticing something strange. Miguel Vioque, a scientist at the European Southern Observatory, was analyzing Gaia data when he noticed MP Mus wasn’t sitting still.

“My first reaction was that I must have made a mistake in my calculations, because MP Mus was known to have a featureless disc,” said Vioque.

“I was revising my calculations when I saw Álvaro give a talk presenting preliminary results of a newly-discovered inner cavity in the disc, which meant the wobbling I was detecting was real and had a good chance of being caused by a forming planet.”

A wobbling star is a classic clue. When a planet orbits a star, its gravity pulls slightly on the star, causing a small but measurable motion. Combine that motion with the new disc structures seen by ALMA, and things start to add up.

Indirect observations of new planets

The team used computer models to pull the clues together. What they found fits the pattern of a gas giant orbiting between one and three times the distance between Earth and the Sun.

“Our modeling work showed that if you put a giant planet inside the new-found cavity, you can also explain the Gaia signal,” said Dr. Ribas. “And using the longer ALMA wavelengths allowed us to see structures we couldn’t see before.”

This marks the first time a planet has been indirectly discovered inside a protoplanetary disc by combining data from both ALMA and Gaia. It opens the door to new possibilities. If other discs hide their planets just as well, these tools together might help reveal them.

Revealing more hidden planets

“We think this might be one of the reasons why it’s hard to detect young planets in protoplanetary discs, because in this case, we needed the ALMA and Gaia data together,” said Dr. Ribas.

“The longer ALMA wavelength is incredibly useful, but to observe at this wavelength requires more time on the telescope.”

Dr. Ribas noted that upgrades to ALMA and the upcoming next-generation Very Large Array (ngVLA) will allow scientists to peer deeper into these dusty discs and possibly uncover many more hidden planets.

The full study was published in the journal Nature Astronomy.

Image Credit: ALMA(ESO/NAOJ/NRAO)/A. Ribas et al.

—–

Like what you read? Subscribe to our newsletter for engaging articles, exclusive content, and the latest updates. 

Check us out on EarthSnap, a free app brought to you by Eric Ralls and Earth.com.

—–

In a potential milestone for space exploration, scientists have successfully grown algae under simulated Martian conditions using equipment made from biodegradable bioplastics — a step that could bring long-term space colonization closer to reality.

As interest in human missions to Mars grows, scientists are focusing on how to sustain life in space without constant resupply from Earth. A team of researchers led by Robin Wordsworth of Harvard University demonstrated that green algae can not only survive but thrive inside bioplastic chambers designed to mimic the extreme environment of the Red Planet.

A new research has revealed there could be at least 100 other galaxies surrounding the Milky Way though they are invisible.

The Milky Way is the spiral galaxy that includes the Solar System. From Earth, the Milky Way appears as a faint, milky band of light stretching across the night sky.

“Orphan Galaxies”

The cosmologists at Durham University in England, who used an advanced technique that combines the world’s highest-resolution supercomputer simulations with detailed mathematical modeling, revealed clues pointing to the existence of numerous unseen satellite galaxies closely surrounding our own.

The findings were presented at the Royal Astronomical Society’s National Astronomy Meeting in Durham Friday July 18, 2025.

These dwarf galaxies have been dubbed “orphan” galaxies.

“If confirmed, this discovery could reshape our understanding of the Milky Way’s structure and the number of galaxies in its immediate vicinity”, the cosmologists said.

Why these galaxies are invisible?

The 100 other galaxies that the researchers have revealed exist in our vicinity are not visible. The reason for this is, the researchers say, they have remained hidden due to their low brightness and are too faint to be detected by current instruments.

Should these orbiting orphans be detected, they could bolster support for the standard model of the universe, the Lambda Cold Dark Matter (LCDM) model. The LCDM is our current best explanation for the large-scale evolution and structure of the entire cosmos, according to Space.com.

“We know the Milky Way has some 60 confirmed companion satellite galaxies, but we think there should be dozens more of these faint galaxies orbiting around the Milky Way at close distances,” Isabel Santos-Santos, study team leader and a researcher at Durham University, said in a statement.

“If our predictions are right, it adds more weight to the LCDM theory of the formation and evolution of structure in the universe”, she added.

According to the LCDM theory, galaxies form at the centres of massive clumps of dark matter known as halos. It also proposes that just 5% of the Universe is made up of ordinary matter, 25% is cold dark matter, and 70% is dark energy.

Most galaxies in the universe are low-mass dwarf galaxies that orbit larger ones like the Milky Way, astronomers said.

Follow ummid.com WhatsApp Channel for all the latest updates.

Select Language To Read in Urdu, Hindi, Marathi or Arabic.

These mysterious “fireworks” aren’t lighting up the night sky — they’re computer simulations from a recent paper on mixing fluids that don’t want to mix.

Researchers mapped out how two immiscible fluids (two fluids that do not mix, like oil and water) with different viscosities can create “fingers” when they interact. They created different patterns by alternately injecting the fluids at the center of each “firework,” allowing the fluids to spread out.