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Poland’s Thriving Space Sector: A Rising Star in the Cosmos

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In recent years the Polish space sector has been experiencing dynamic development, although we still have much catching up to do compared to more advanced countries. One of the most important events that drew the attention of the international public was the launching into orbit of the largest Polish satellite, EagleEye. The mission, supported by SpaceX, is proof of Poland’s growing technological capabilities in observing the Earth. Increased involvement in the European Space Agency (ESA) According to the Polish Economic Institute, Poland is systematically increasing its participation in the projects of the European Space Agency (ESA). Since 2015, as many as 199 Polish companies and research institutions have won 595 contracts with ESA, with a total value of EUR 270 million. In August 2023, the Ministry of Development and Technology decided to increase Poland’s contribution to ESA by allocating an additional EUR 360 million for the years 2023-2025. Of particular importance is the incr...
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When JWST observed what was thought to be a hot Jupiter, it uncovered something unexpected: a fluffy, shrinking planet more similar to Neptune.

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"Nearly three decades after the discovery of the first exoplanet, astronomers remain uncertain about how these diverse worlds form. Each young transiting planet offers crucial insights into developing models of planetary formation. This is why, in 2023, the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) focused its attention on a young planet named HIP 67522b for a few hours. At just 17 million years old, HIP 67522b was initially thought to be a typical close-in, Jupiter-sized planet. However, JWST’s observations revealed an unexpected surprise: HIP 67522b is nothing like Jupiter. Instead, it has a puffy, extended atmosphere filled with water vapor and carbon dioxide, suggesting it belongs to a completely different category of planets. The planet’s inflated atmosphere puzzled researchers, led by Pa Chia Thao (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill). If HIP 67522b had Jupiter’s mass, its strong gravity would have kept its atmosphere compact. But the atmosphere’s far-reaching extension indi...
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James Webb Telescope Discovers Over 100 New Asteroids Between Jupiter and Mars

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 Astronomers studying archived images from the James Webb Space Telescope have uncovered a surprisingly large population of the smallest asteroids ever observed in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. Astronomers analyzing archival data from the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) have uncovered an unexpectedly large population of the smallest asteroids ever observed in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. This discovery could improve our ability to track these tiny but potentially dangerous space rocks that may approach Earth. The newly identified asteroids range in size from as small as a bus to several stadiums. Though much smaller than the massive asteroid that caused the extinction of most dinosaurs, these space rocks still hold immense destructive potential. For example, a decade ago, an asteroid only a few tens of meters wide exploded over Chelyabinsk, Russia, releasing energy 30 times greater than the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima during WWII. These "decamet...
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Unveiling the Cosmos: Southampton Astronomers Edge Closer to Cracking the Mystery of Giant Galaxy Formation

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  Astronomers are working to unravel an "intergalactic mystery" about how some of the universe’s largest galaxies came into existence, according to a new study. These massive structures, called elliptical galaxies , resemble bulging footballs in shape, contrasting with the flat disc of the Milky Way. The question of their origin has puzzled researchers for decades. Now, scientists at the University of Southampton believe they are closer to an answer. In a recently published paper, Dr. Annagrazia Puglisi proposes that the formation of these galaxies may be linked to galactic collisions that occurred around 12 billion years ago. "Two disc galaxies smashing together caused gas — the fuel for star formation — to sink into their centers, sparking the creation of trillions of new stars," Dr. Puglisi explained. These cosmic collisions are thought to have occurred during a period of heightened activity in the universe’s evolution, between 8 and 12 billion years ago. ...
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NASA’s Hubble and Chandra Uncover a Supermassive Black Hole Duo

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 Like two Sumo wrestlers locked in combat, the closest confirmed pair of supermassive black holes has been observed in close proximity. Situated about 300 light-years apart, these black holes were detected using NASA's Hubble Space Telescope and the Chandra X-ray Observatory. Buried deep within two merging galaxies, they are powered by infalling gas and dust, shining brightly as active galactic nuclei (AGN). This AGN pair is the closest ever detected in the local universe through multiwavelength (visible and X-ray) observations. While dozens of 'dual' black holes have been found before, their separations are usually much larger than those in the galaxy MCG-03-34-64. Radio telescopes have detected an even closer pair of binary black holes, but they haven't been confirmed in other wavelengths. AGN binaries like these were more common in the early universe when galaxy collisions occurred more frequently. This discovery offers a rare, up-close look at a nearby example, abou...
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Missing link' black hole discovered in unusual binary system with red giant star

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  The binary system G3425 exhibits some unusual and difficult-to-explain features. Astronomers recently discovered an exciting new black hole in the G3425 binary system, located about 5,800 light-years away. This discovery is even more thrilling because the black hole may belong to the "missing link" category of stellar-mass black holes. The visible star in this system is a red giant, a type of star formed when a star runs out of hydrogen fuel, causing its outer layers to expand dramatically. Our sun is expected to undergo a similar process in about 5 billion years, swelling to the orbit of Mars. However, unlike G3425, it is highly unlikely to have a black hole as a companion. In G3425, the red giant star has a mass around 2.7 times that of our sun. What truly fascinates scientists, though, is the black hole's mass, estimated to be between 3.1 and 4.4 times the sun's mass. This makes it one of the lightest black holes ever found and places it in the so-called "ma...
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Planet Unveils Revolutionary Forest Carbon Monitoring System

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SAN FRANCISCO – Earth observation company Planet introduced a groundbreaking product on Sept. 24 aimed at monitoring global forests and tracking carbon levels more accurately. The new tool, called Forest Carbon Monitoring , provides quarterly estimates of the carbon stored in the above-ground plant matter such as branches, leaves, and stems. With a resolution of three meters per pixel, the tool also offers critical insights into canopy height and cover, data essential for carbon markets, environmental regulations, and efforts to combat deforestation. "To protect our planet and preserve its resources, we have to integrate the value of carbon and nature into our economy," said Will Marshall, CEO and co-founder of Planet. "Historically, the choice was between precise but unscalable methods like measuring tree trunks, or large-scale but inaccurate systems. Planet’s forest carbon data bridges this gap — scalable, precise data at the tree level, updated quarterly." Histo...
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