Here are today’s most important updates from the realm of Science and Space.
Astronomers have discovered a unique exoplanet, GJ 1214 b, nicknamed Enaiposha, which has defied previous classifications. This hazy planet, located about 47 light-years away from Earth, orbits a red dwarf star. Initially thought to be a mini-Neptune, new observations from the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) reveal it is more similar to Venus-but on a much larger scale. Enaiposha's thick atmosphere and composition set it apart, making it unlike anything seen before. Scientists have introduced a new category, calling it a "Super-Venus," as it shares characteristics with Venus yet stands out due to its size and other unique features.
2025 Maha Kumbh Mela Ganges River pilgrimage from the ISS at night. The largest human gathering in the world is well lit. pic.twitter.com/l9YD6o0Llo
— Don Pettit (@astro_Pettit) January 26, 2025
Credit- X/@astro_Pettit
NASA astronaut Don Pettit has shared stunning pictures of the Maha Kumbh mela underway in Pryagraj. The images were captured from the vantage point of space as the International Space Station (ISS) flew over India. The unique beauty of Kumbh lies in the confluence of three rivers and its spiritual significance. People are drawn to this sacred event purely out of faith, without the need for advertisements or invitations. The festival’s schedule is determined by specific planetary alignments, with Jupiter playing a central role. Jupiter’s 12-year orbit around the Sun aligns it periodically with particular zodiac signs that signify auspicious times.
Researchers from Arizona State University (ASU) and the National University of the Peruvian Amazon reveals the existence of an unknown family of microbes thriving in the waterlogged, low-oxygen peatlands of Peru’s northwestern Amazon rainforest with the power to shape entire ecosystems and influence the Earth’s climate. These tiny organisms play a crucial role in the carbon cycle, with the ability to either stabilize carbon for long-term storage or release it into the atmosphere as greenhouse gases, particularly carbon dioxide and methane. These microbes, belonging to the ancient Bathyarchaeia group determine whether the peatlands remain vast carbon reservoirs or become sources of emissions that accelerate climate change.
Astronomers have detected fast-repeating radio bursts from a distant "dead" galaxy that should not contain the energy to produce these types of signals, according to new research.
— ABC News (@ABC) January 26, 2025
Read more: https://t.co/YfJsZZ8vsK pic.twitter.com/NSsomKXJnD
Credit - X/@ABC
Fast radio bursts (FRBs) are intense flashes of radio light that last for only a fraction of a second. These mysterious fast radio bursts, or millisecond-long bright flashes of radio waves from space, have intrigued astronomers since the first detection of the phenomenon in 2007. They are likely caused by the intense magnetic fields of a magnetar, which is a highly magnetic neutron star. Thanks to one repeating FRB, scientists detected something new about them. FRB 20240209A, which observed 21 times between February and June, allowed researchers to pinpoint the source, a dead galaxy located two billion light-years away. Large stars have cosmically short lifetimes, so the fact that this FRB occurred in an old, long-dead galaxy means that the neutron star that generated it must also be old.
