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A planetary system anchored by a white dwarf star, located approximately 4,000 light-years away, provides astronomers with insights into what could happen to our Sun and Earth in about 8 billion years. This scenario unfolds if the Earth survives the Sun’s transformation into a red giant, expected to occur in 5 to 6 billion years. During this phase, the Sun will expand, potentially engulfing Mercury, Venus, and possibly Earth before shrinking into a white dwarf.

The Potential for Earth’s Survival

One scenario for Earth’s survival involves its migration to an orbit similar to Mars or beyond, resulting in a radiation-battered yet frozen world orbiting a burnt-out star, as per a study published in the journal Nature Astronomy. The newly discovered system reveals a white dwarf with half the mass of the Sun and an Earth-sized planet in a wider orbit, showcasing what a surviving Earth might resemble.

Keming Zhang, a researcher from the University of California, San Diego, highlighted that there is no consensus on whether Earth could escape being swallowed by the red giant Sun. This system stands out because it also contains a massive companion, likely a brown dwarf, which is a stellar body that fails to ignite nuclear fusion.

The Discovery Process

The planetary system was identified through a microlensing event, where the gravitational influence of a body distorts the light from a more distant source. Observations of this event, dubbed KMT-2020-BLG-0414, were conducted using the Korea Microlensing Telescope Network. The investigation continued with the Keck telescopes in Hawaii, ultimately confirming the nature of the central star as a white dwarf based on the absence of light expected from a main sequence star.

Future Habitable Possibilities

While this discovery suggests that Earth could escape destruction, it raises questions about the potential for life to persist on our planet. Jessica Lu, an astronomer at UC Berkeley, noted that while Earth may avoid being engulfed, it might not remain habitable during the Sun’s red giant phase. The habitable zone will shift beyond Earth’s orbit, with Zhang suggesting that humanity might need to consider migrating to the moons of Jupiter or Saturn, which could become viable ocean worlds as the Sun expands.

Conclusion

This research illustrates the significance of microlensing in exploring planetary systems. The upcoming Nancy Grace Roman Telescope, set for launch in 2027, is expected to enhance our ability to discover and study exoplanets, potentially unveiling more unique configurations in the cosmos.

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Sun Unleash a 600,000-Mile Filament in Fiery Eruption

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May 19, 2025

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Sun Unleash a 600,000-Mile Filament in Fiery Eruption

A stunning solar eruption captured on video on the night of May 12-13 has revealed a 600,000-mile-long filament blasting away from the sun’s northern hemisphere. The outburst occurred around 8 p.m. EDT (0000 GMT) and spanned a distance more than twice that between Earth and the moon. A massive solar filament suspended above the sun’s surface became unstable and erupted, blasting a CME into space along with a cloud of plasma and magnetic energy. Preliminary models show Earth is nowhere in the firing range of this fiery ejection, but researchers are still watching the phenomenon closely.

Sun’s 600,000-Mile-Long ‘Angel-Wing’ Eruption Stuns Skywatchers, Signals Rising Solar Activity

As per the Space.com report, the eruption originated from a filament structure composed of dense, cooler solar plasma held aloft by magnetic fields. These structures often appear as dark ribbons across the sun’s disk and can become unstable without warning. Solar observers noted that this latest eruption dwarfed similar recent events, both in scale and intensity. Aurora chaser Jure Atanackov remarked that the CME from the blast was among the most spectacular seen this year, although fortunately, it is headed north and will miss Earth.

The event, dubbed the “angel-wing” or “bird-wing” eruption by observers online, was widely shared among solar watchers. Vincent Ledvina, another aurora chaser, noted its incredible visual impact, describing it as a sight worth watching on loop. The eruption is, in fact, so long, by more than a million kilometres, that it is of scientific interest and visually striking as well. Geomagnetic storms resulting from this kind of CME can affect satellites, communication systems, and even Earth.

Although it foreshadows the unpredictable nature of our host star, this particular CME does not pose a threat to Earth at the moment. Solar activity is ramping up as we approach the peak of Solar Cycle 25 in 2025. What’s more, more — and maybe more Earth-threatening — solar explosions could follow.
As a reminder of the formidable and delicate forces at play relatively close by on Earth, the sun remains a source of wonder for astronomers and skywatchers alike.

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New Study Challenges Fuzzy Dark Matter with Stronger Mass Constraint

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May 19, 2025

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New Study Challenges Fuzzy Dark Matter with Stronger Mass Constraint

Over 80 years, dark matter has been a great mystery for the researchers. Elusive of direct observation, it has made its existence known only by the gravitational impacts it makes on cosmic structures. Even though there is a lot of indirect evidence of its existence, the real nature of dark matter is still unknown. An important attribute of its particle is mass. While past studies have constrained the mass of fermionic dark matter using quantum principles like Pauli’s exclusion principle, bosonic dark matter remained less constrained. In a recent study, scientists have estimated a new lower bound on the mass of ultra-lightweight bosonic dark matter particles.

About the study

According to the study published in Physical Review Letters, the mass of ultralight bosonic dark matter must be more than 2 × 10-21 electron volts (eV), 100 times more than previous estimates using Heisenberg’s uncertainty principle.

The team of researchers, led by the first author of the study, Tim Zimmermann, a Ph.D. candidate at the Institute of Theoretical Astrophysics, University of Oslo, focused their method on the data of Leo II, the Milky Way’s satellite galaxy. It is a dwarf galaxy 1,000 times smaller than the Milky Way. By analyzing the internal motions of stars within Leo II—heavily influenced by dark matter—the team derived 5,000 possible dark matter density profiles using a tool called GRAVSPHERE.

They compared these with profiles generated by quantum wave functions of various dark matter particle masses. If the particle is too light, quantum fuzziness spreads it too thinly, preventing it from forming the observed structures. The study concluded that the dark matter particle must have a mass greater than 2.2 × 10⁻²¹ electron volts (eV)—over 100 times more than previous lower estimates.

Impact on dark matter studies

The findings have significant implications for popular ultralight dark matter models, particularly fuzzy dark matter, which typically proposes particles with masses around 10-22 ev.

Looking ahead, the team plans to extend their methodology to mixed dark matter scenarios, where dark matter is composed of particles with different masses.

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NASA’s Perseverance Captures Deimos Before Dawn in Striking Martian Sky Image

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May 19, 2025

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NASA’s Perseverance Captures Deimos Before Dawn in Striking Martian Sky Image

NASA’s Perseverance rover has delivered a striking early morning image of Mars’ moon Deimos, taken just before dawn on March 1, 2025 — Sol 1433 of the mission. Captured at 4:27 a.m. local time using the rover’s left navigation camera, the view combines 16 long-exposure shots taken over 52 seconds. Each frame used the maximum exposure setting of 3.28 seconds, enabling the camera to glimpse faint celestial features in Mars’ dim pre-dawn sky. Though the image appears hazy due to low light and digital noise, the effort reveals a rare visual of Deimos suspended in the Martian atmosphere.

Perseverance’s Celestial Snapshot Reveals Deimos, Distant Stars, and Martian Sky Dynamics

As per a report from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, the brightness of Deimos is accompanied by multiple white specks across the sky, many of which are likely caused by image noise. Some of them could be cosmic rays hitting the sensor while exposing. Two bright spots, Regulus and Algieba, are easily found in the image. It adds perspective on the rover’s unique view of things, these stars, which belong to the Leo constellation. The image was stitched together onboard and transmitted later to Earth, where researchers analysed the result.

These make the resultant composition an example of other possible roles of the Perseverance rover as an observational instrument apart from geology and surface exploration. While atmospheric haze and digital distortion make it difficult to show in full clarity, the long-exposure effort shows the faintness with which Martian moons and nearby stars can, in fact, still be tracked under controlled conditions. Deimos appears brighter due to its reflective nature and proximity during this early-morning observation.

Researchers believe this type of celestial photography may enhance understanding of Mars‘ sky conditions and moon dynamics. Deimos and Phobos, the Red Planet’s two moons, are of growing interest as potential markers for future orbit-based missions. Capturing them from the surface during optimal lighting conditions offers new insights into their behaviour.

NASA continues to push imaging capabilities on Mars through Perseverance’s tools. With each sol, even distant cosmic views — like Deimos before dawn — offer new visual science from the Martian frontier.

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