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A recent effort to do away with singularities — the infinitely dense points believed to be at the heart of black holes — has reignited debate among physicists. Now, a team led by Robie Hennigar of Durham University suggests a new model that has gravity undergoing a different type of behaviour at the extreme limits and replaces the singularity of the black hole with a small, compact core that always remains static and very strongly curved. The modified Einstein’s equations, representing general relativity, have been generalised, and higher-dimensional effects are incorporated. Although the discoveries garnered attention for perhaps explaining a fundamental cosmic paradox, critics have mentioned that the model has no experimental underpinning and is based on overly speculative mathematical concepts.

Critics Challenge 5D Gravity Theory Aimed at Replacing Black Hole Singularities Without Evidence

As per a Space.com report, Hennigar’s theory introduces modified gravity in five dimensions, which some scientists argue goes beyond what current observations allow. Nikodem Poplawski, a physicist at the University of New Haven in Connecticut, pointed out three things that stood out to him: there is no experimental evidence for extra dimensions, the current study only assumes a static black hole interior, and the model uses an infinite series of mathematical terms that don’t have any physical justification.

Poplawski stressed that changing general relativity without experimental evidence makes the model more of a theoretical curiosity than a real physical theory. He also highlighted the fact that black hole interiors, according to conventional field equations, should not be static. He further stated that just changing equations to get rid of singularities doesn’t fix the physics behind them; it can only hide it behind complicated mathematics.

Hennigar’s team used modified gravity to deal with the singularity, but scientists say that general relativity and quantum mechanics should be combined. The problems with string theory, however, include features such as dimensions that have never been fixed and supersymmetric particles that have never been detected.

Poplawski concurs that investigating mathematics may be fruitful and also hopes that bold ideas, such as the notion that black holes spawn new universes, may prove profitable in the future.

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ESA’s Solar Orbiter Unveils First View of the Sun’s Mysterious South Pole

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June 12, 2025

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ESA’s Solar Orbiter Unveils First View of the Sun’s Mysterious South Pole

The European Space Agency has released an image showing the south pole of the Sun. This image was taken on March 23, 2025, but was revealed yesterday on June 11, 2025. These new images from the Solar Orbiter spacecraft show a view of the Sun that has never been recorded before. Solar Orbiter spent its last months tilting its orbit to 17 degrees underneath the solar equator, bringing the elusive south pole to view, which could never be done before.

Images Found had Visible UV Wavelengths

Carolle Mundell, the director of Science, told Live Science that today, we reveal the first ever views of the Sun’s pole by humankind. The new images caught the solar pole in broader, visible and ultraviolet wavelengths, with the help of three of the Solar Orbiter’s 10 instruments. These caught colourful confetti of the Sun’s data, with fathomable tangles of its magnetic field. It flips with high velocity movement of chemicals and makes up the solar wind.

Flips of the Magnetic Field Due to Solar Activity

According to ESA, these data will provide an understanding of the solar wind, space weather and the 11-year activity of the Sun. Through the measurement of the Solar Orbiter’s Polarimetric and Helioseismic Imager instrument, the Sun can be seen as throwing out flares in overdrive during the period of peak activity.

This mess of magnetic fields is temporary and flips after every 11 years. This signifies the end of the maximum solar activity and the beginning of the transition towards the relative calm of the next solar minimum. Further, after five to six years, when the solar minimum begins, the Sun’s poles show only one type of magnetic polarity.

First Step towards the Sun

With the coming years, there will be many stances for the Solar Orbiter to test further. Through the little help of the gravitational pull of Venus, it will tilt its orbit again from the solar equator to 24 degrees in December 2026, 33 degrees in June 2029. This will help us know the Sun from different regions and, in turn, know about the magnetic field, solar wind and activity.

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Hubble Finds Cosmic Dust Coating Uranus’ Moons, Not Radiation Scars

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June 12, 2025

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Hubble Finds Cosmic Dust Coating Uranus’ Moons, Not Radiation Scars

The latest Hubble Space Telescope observations reveal a twist in the story of Uranus’s moons. Rather than the expected radiation “sunburn,” the moons Ariel, Umbriel, Titania and Oberon seem to be literally gathering cosmic dust. It turns out the planet’s odd tilt isn’t scorching their backsides as predicted, but coating the front ends of the two outer moons in a kind of space-grime instead. This result has astronomers scratching their heads, because it’s just the opposite of what they expected under Uranus’s warped magnetic field.

Dust, Not Radiation

According to the data from NASA’s Voyager 2 flyby in 1986 and decades of modelling, scientists assumed Uranus’s sideways spin meant its magnetic field blasted each moon’s trailing side (the “back window”) with charged particles, darkening it. The rear halves were expected to look dull and dark. Instead, Hubble’s ultraviolet data tell a different story: Titania and Oberon (the distant pair) are actually darker on their leading faces – the opposite of what that radiation hypothesis predicted. In other words, the effect isn’t radiation damage at all. Instead, it looks like Uranus’s magnetosphere largely misses these moons.

A Cosmic Windshield Effect

Space dust kicked up by Uranus’s far-flung irregular moons. Micrometeorites constantly pummel those distant satellites, flinging tiny grit inward over millions of years. Titania and Oberon plow through this dust cloud, collecting debris on their forward sides just like bugs on a car’s windshield. This cosmic “bug splatter” coats their leading faces with a slightly darker, reddish tint.

Meanwhile, Ariel and Umbriel ride in the dust shadows of their bigger siblings and look about the same brightness on both sides. Uranus’s big moons have gone through a slow-motion cosmic car wash, dusting their fronts instead of catching a UV burn. In other words, a dusty windshield — not radiation — is painting these moons. It’s a reminder that space can surprise us, sometimes with nothing more exotic than plain old dust.

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LOx Leak in Falcon 9 Delays Axiom-4 Launch Carrying Indian Astronaut

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June 12, 2025

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LOx Leak in Falcon 9 Delays Axiom-4 Launch Carrying Indian Astronaut

The Axiom-4 mission, which will carry Indian payload specialist Shubhanshu Shukla, was delayed yet again due to a propellant leak in the Falcon 9 rocket. SpaceX, the company behind the mission, also confirmed that a liquid oxygen (LOx) leak was detected in post-static fire testing, which tests the rocket while it’s still attached to the launch pad. Initially targeted for May 29, the mission has faced successive delays, the latest pushing the launch further from its recent 11 June schedule. ISRO scientists have mentioned the issue may delay liftoff by “another few days” depending on repair progress and safety validations.

LOx Leak in Falcon 9 Forces Fourth Delay of Axiom-4 Mission with India’s Shubhanshu Shukla

As per a statement from SpaceX, the LOx leak was identified after the static fire booster test, prompting the team to stand down from the latest launch window. According to The Print, ISRO officials said that an LOx issue this close to launch generally requires the rocket to be pulled back for thorough inspection. However, the ISRO team, unfamiliar with SpaceX’s proprietary systems, refrained from commenting on specific technical procedures, the publication said. The first signs of the leak were reportedly detected on 8 June.

Falcon 9’s Merlin engines rely on LOx (liquid oxygen), along with RP-1 (rocket-grade kerosene), as an oxidiser to propel the vehicle. During static fire tests, the engines are briefly ignited to validate their performance. Detection systems, including oxygen sensors and thermal imaging, help identify leaks in these stages. The Ax-4 mission had already been rescheduled multiple times — initially from 29 May to 8 June, then to 10 June, and again to 11 June — due to weather concerns.

SpaceX vice president Bill Gerstenmaier told reporters during a pre-launch briefing that a solution was underway. “We’re putting in a purge that will stop the leak,” he mentioned, adding that the problem was under control. Still, the ultimate launch date is up in the air and will rely on the results of continuing safety assessments.

Axiom Space is in charge of the project, a major step for India’s human spaceflight program. It features Shubhanshu Shukla as part of a commercial crew going to the International Space Station. Technical problems are common in space operations, but this fourth delay shows how hard it is to make sure that everything is perfect for crewed missions to take off.

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