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Nasa’s 31-year-old Hubble Space Telescope has made another incredible discovery — it has found a “lopsided” spiral galaxy that has been deformed by the gravitational tug of another nearby galaxy. NASA has shared the stunning image of the galaxy called “NGC 2276”, which is located in the constellation Cepheus, about 120 million light-years away from the Earth. In the image, dust of blue stars surrounds the yellowish core just like the scene from the Avengers: Age Of Ultron movie when the AI Ultron attacks and tries to swallow another AI Jarvis developed by Tony Stark, aka Iron Man.

NASA said the spiral galaxy looks a bit lopsided because of the “galactic game of tug-of-war”. “A neighbouring galaxy is gravitationally tugging on its disk of blue stars, pulling the stars on one side of the galaxy outward,” NASA captioned the post on Instagram.

In a statement on its website, NASA said that a bright hub of older yellowish stars normally lies directly in the centre of most spiral galaxies, and added ”but the bulge in NGC 2276 looks offset to the upper left”.

“In reality, a neighbouring galaxy to the right of NGC 2276 (NGC 2300, not seen in the image) is gravitationally tugging on its disk of blue stars, pulling the stars on one side of the galaxy outward to distort the galaxy’s normal fried-egg appearance,” said NASA. This gravitational pull between galaxies that pass close enough is not uncommon in the universe, but all such close encounters look differently.

Commenting on the image on Instagram, a user, Ilaibaah, wrote, “That’s the most gigantic tug of war I’ve seen.”

“Is that other galaxy the main cause of those blue stars,” asked a person with the username Geejay1976.

Another user, Astro.nor, said that the colour of a star was due to its temperature. “Blue stars are hotter, red stars are cooler (but still very, very hot),” the user added.

Spiral galaxy

A spiral galaxy is a twisted collection of hot young stars and gas. Most of the galaxies that scientists have discovered, roughly 72 per cent of all the galaxies, are spiral, as opposed to elliptical and irregular galaxies. Our Milky Way is an example of a spiral galaxy.

Hubble Space Telescope

The Hubble Space Telescope is a project of international cooperation between the European Space Agency (ESA) and NASA. To celebrate the 31st anniversary of the Hubble Space Telescope in April this year, NASA had released a celebratory image of one of the brightest stars in our galaxy, named AG Carinae, located approximately 20,000 light-years away.

Since its launch in 1990, the Hubble Space Telescope has made more than 1.4 million observations as it has an “unobstructed view” of the universe, according to NASA.

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New Study Reveals How Jupiter’s Storms Hide Ammonia

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May 1, 2025

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New Study Reveals How Jupiter’s Storms Hide Ammonia

Jupiter’s weather just got even stranger. A new study published in the Journal Science Advances revealed that the gas giant’s turbulent thunderstorms create massive, softball-sized hailstones called “mushballs,” made of ammonia and water ice. These violent storms churn Jupiter’s atmosphere so deeply that they may explain a long-standing mystery among the scientists: the missing ammonia in the planet’s upper layers. For years, scientists were puzzled over why deep pockets of ammonia seemed absent across Jupiter’s atmosphere.

Mushballs Shake Up Old Assumptions

As per a report by LiveScience, Scientists believed Jupiter’s atmosphere was well mixed, much like a pot of boiling water. However, after analysing a massive 2017 storm captured by Juno, researchers found that even local storms can punch ammonia deep into the planet, shattering the old assumption. “The top of the atmosphere is actually a pretty poor representation of what the whole planet looks like,” explained study lead author Chris Moeckel from the University of California, Berkeley, told the publication. On April 15, 2025, as per EarthSky, his team’s findings suggest that the atmosphere becomes well-mixed only much deeper down than previously thought.

Ammonia as a Tracer Beneath the Clouds

Jupiter’s thick cloud cover blocks direct observation, and ammonia acts as a critical tracer to understand the hidden activity beneath the clouds. Scientists theorised in 2020 that Jupiter’s powerful storms lift ammonia-rich ice particles to high altitudes, where they combine with water ice to create a mushy, slushy hailstone. These mushballs then grow larger and heavier, cycling up and down in the atmosphere before plunging deep, carrying ammonia and water with them. This process leaves the upper atmosphere depleted, matching observations from Juno.

Confirmation came during Juno’s February 2017 flyby. While passing over a storm zone, the spacecraft detected an unexpected deep signal rich in ammonia and water beneath the storm clouds. Moeckel recalled spotting the discovery while casually running data on his laptop at a dentist’s office, describing the moment he realised the mushball theory must be true.

A Universal Phenomenon Beyond Jupiter

Researchers now believe that Jupiter might not be unique. Gas giants across the universe and even newly forming planets could experience similar mushball processes. “I won’t be surprised if this is happening throughout the universe,” Moeckel told to LiveScience, suggesting that Jupiter’s stormy secrets may echo far beyond our solar system.

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Archaeologists Discover 4,400-Year-Old Tomb of Egyptian Prince in Saqqara

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May 1, 2025

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Archaeologists Discover 4,400-Year-Old Tomb of Egyptian Prince in Saqqara

Archaeologists have unearthed a stunning 4,400-year-old tomb of an unknown Egyptian prince while digging at the old cemetery of Saqqara (roughly 30 km south of Cairo). The tomb is said to belong to Userefre (or Waser-If-Re) and is now recognised as a son of King Userkaf, Egypt’s Fifth Dynasty founder (c. 2465–2458 B.C.). The tomb’s most impressive element is its colossal pink granite false door—some 4.5 meters (14.8 feet) high and 1.2 meters (3.8 feet) wide—representing a gateway for the soul during and after death. The first of its kind to be discovered at Saqqara, this monumental pink granite false door indicates the prince’s elevated rank, excavation director Zahi Hawass told Live Science in an email. The expensive Aswan granite, generally reserved for the elite class, emphasises the prince’s exalted rank.

Tomb Architecture and Inscriptions

As per a report by LiveScience, Userefre’s tomb entrance was lavishly decorated in pink granite, and hieroglyphs on the false door enumerate his high-ranking titles, such as “Hereditary Prince,” “Governor of Buto and Nekheb,” “Vizier,” and “Royal Scribe.” The report further highlighted that there was no prior historical trace of Prince Userefre before this discovery. His name probably signifies “Re is powerful,” calling on the sun god. A red granite offering table was also found close to the door, evidencing ancient Egyptian mortuary practices of magically accepting food offerings, the report further added.

Within the tomb, scholars discovered artifacts dating to the early Fifth Dynasty. Thirteen stone stools were found, each of which once held a pink granite statue thought to represent Userefre’s wives, though two of the statues lacked heads. A secondary pink granite doorway featuring the cartouche of King Neferirkare, Userkaf’s successor, and a black granite statue, which had been knocked over among the ruins, were discovered.

Later Reuse and Historical Significance

Evidence shows the tomb was later reused during the 26th Dynasty (c. 688–525 B.C.). Archaeologists also uncovered sculptures from King Djoser’s Third Dynasty (c. 2630–2611 B.C.), including a sandstone statue showing Djoser seated with his wife and ten daughters—a rare depiction of royal women. A standing black granite figure from the 26th Dynasty was also discovered, verifying the tomb’s extended reuse.

Work continues on the site, and the prince’s real burial chamber remains to be discovered. Egyptologist Lara Weiss told LiveScience in a statement the discovery’s significance, saying it “adds to the growing evidence that Saqqara remained a prestigious burial site during the Fifth Dynasty” and sheds light on Egypt’s evolution from a centralised monarchy to a more dispersed elite system.

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NASA’s Lunar Space Station Module Enters Final Phase Before Artemis Gateway Launch

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NASA’s Lunar Space Station Module Enters Final Phase Before Artemis Gateway Launch

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May 1, 2025

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NASA’s Lunar Space Station Module Enters Final Phase Before Artemis Gateway Launch

NASA’s Artemis program has passed a significant milestone in the development of the agency’s “Gateway” in the orbit of the Moon with the delivery of the Habitation and Logistics Outpost (HALO) module to Northrop Grumman’s facility in Gilbert, Arizona. Part of the moon-orbiting Gateway facility, HALO will serve as a habitat and office to astronauts and researchers travelling to and from the lunar surface under NASA’s Artemis moon program. Critical systems for power, data, life support, and temperature control are being attached to the module. Once finished, HALO will permit NASA and associates to conduct long-term missions and experiments in deep space as part of humanity’s lunar return.

NASA’s HALO Module Begins Final Outfitting for Artemis Lunar Gateway

As per the NASA report, the HALO module was shipped from Thales Alenia Space in Turin, Italy, on April 1, and the spacecraft was greeted during an April 24 viewing milestone. The gathering included remarks from NASA’s Lori Glaze, Gateway Program Manager Jon Olansen, and astronaut Randy Bresnik. Attendees such as NASA Administrator Senior Advisor Todd Ericson and local officials viewed the module and engaged in virtual reality tours showcasing its future role in lunar exploration. The event underscored HALO’s strategic importance to NASA’s lunar infrastructure.

At Northrop Grumman, engineers will install the core systems hardware into HALO, including propellant lines, thermal-control radiators, electric wiring, racks for avionics and other electronics, as well as the hardware to support the spacecraft’s life-support systems. Integration would also be designed for docking with Orion spacecraft, lunar landings and other visiting vehicles. This phase marks HALO’s transition from a basic structure to an operational habitat ready for rigorous space conditions.

ESA’s Lunar Link system will be installed on HALO for communication between lunar missions and Earth and will undergo rigorous environmental testing before launch. NASA is assembling the Power and Propulsion Element (PPE), a solar electric propulsion system, to support the Gateway station in lunar orbit. The 12-kilowatt thruster is currently being tested at Glenn Research Centre.

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