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Scientists are making significant strides toward potentially adding a new element to the periodic table. Currently, the table includes 118 elements, each with a distinct number of protons in its nucleus. For example, hydrogen has one proton, while oganesson has 118. The quest to explore the limits of atomic physics has led researchers to focus on creating element 120. If successful, this new element could be the next addition to the periodic table, marking a significant milestone in our understanding of chemistry and physics.

Exploring the Path to Element 120

The strategy to produce element 120 involves using titanium ions in a particle accelerator. Researchers aim to collide these ions with californium atoms, which have 98 protons. Since titanium has 22 protons and californium has 98, their collision should theoretically result in element 120, which would have a total of 120 protons. This approach is innovative, as titanium beams have not previously been used to create such heavy elements. The success of this method hinges on the ability to manage and direct these high-energy particles precisely.

Testing the Feasibility

In a recent experiment, scientists directed titanium ions at plutonium, which has 94 protons, with the goal of creating livermorium, an element with 116 protons. Over a span of 22 days, the team successfully detected two livermorium atoms in the aftermath of their particle collisions. This result suggests that titanium beams might indeed be a viable tool for creating new heavy elements. However, scientists anticipate that producing element 120 will be significantly more challenging and time-consuming, possibly requiring up to ten times longer than the livermorium experiment.

The Challenge of Creating New Elements

Historically, creating elements beyond the current 118 has involved using calcium-48 beams. Calcium-48, an isotope of calcium with 28 neutrons, has been employed in various experiments to push the boundaries of the periodic table. However, this method has its limitations, particularly with the use of radioactive target materials that decay too quickly for thorough analysis. By switching to titanium-50 beams, researchers aim to use more practical target materials, potentially overcoming the constraints imposed by faster-decaying elements.

Looking Ahead

The process of creating a new element is complex and requires meticulous experimentation. The shift to using titanium ions represents a promising new approach to discovering elements beyond those currently known. As research continues, scientists are hopeful that element 120 will soon join the periodic table, offering new insights into atomic physics and expanding our knowledge of the fundamental building blocks of matter. This advancement would not only enhance our understanding of chemistry but also push the boundaries of what is possible in scientific research.

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Astronomers Spot Nearly Perfect Supernova Remnant of Unknown Size and Distance

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May 28, 2025

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Astronomers Spot Nearly Perfect Supernova Remnant of Unknown Size and Distance

Glowing faintly on the Milky Way’s outskirts, astronomers have found a nearly perfect spherical relic of a supernova, challenging accepted knowledge of stellar explosions. Apart from its terrible symmetry, the orb, G305.4–2.2 or “Telios”—Greek for “perfect”—is confusing in terms of size and distance. Captured on radio pictures from the Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder (ASKAP), the object might be either remarkably young or old. Its remarkable shape raises fundamental questions about how such near-perfect remnants form, especially given the chaotic nature of typical stellar deaths.

Astronomers Find Rarely Symmetrical Supernova Remnant in Milky Way Outskirts

As per a recent study published on the preprint server arXiv and accepted by Publications of the Astronomical Society of Australia, Telios was detected during the Evolutionary Map of the Universe project. Most supernova remnants (SNRs) have spheroidal shapes, none close to the smooth circular extremity of this record-holding SNR. “This object is circularly symmetric, indicating that it is one of the most circular galactic SNRs ever seen,” the authors mentioned.

Telios’ unusual symmetry is paired with extremely low brightness, making it difficult to pinpoint its distance or dimensions. Ranging from 45.6 to 156.5, it lets astronomers pin down that it could be anywhere from 7,170 to 25,101 light-years away from us. Its position below the galactic plane, in the thin disc of the galaxy where very few stars live, adds another layer of complexity. Its symmetric shape indicates a recently born neutron star, albeit with fainter light, supporting two other possibilities: an old, slowing-down neutron star or a young one that hasn’t lost its initial shape.

Though the source of Telios is yet unknown, astronomers choose Type Ia supernovae, explosions from less massive stars with a more constant force. Starting from more massive red giants, these are not as far-off or as lovely in quality as core-collapse supernovae. That notion is called into doubt, though, by the absence of a recognised parent star. Although the Type Ia scenario was recommended without direct data, the writers actively argued for more high-resolution studies.

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Planet Moving Backwards Found in Binary Star System Nu Octantis

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May 28, 2025

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Planet Moving Backwards Found in Binary Star System Nu Octantis

A binary star system is a pair of stars gravitationally bound and orbiting a common centre of mass. In 2004, David Ramm at the University of Canterbury in New Zealand spotted a mysterious repeating signal while observing the motion of a pair of stars in a system called Nu Octantis. The signal hinted that a massive planet, twice Jupiter’s size, might exist in that system. In a new study, a small group of astronomers used improved measuring devices to confirm the planet’s existence and explain how the system can remain stable.

Retrograde motion of the planet

According to the study, new data from the HARPS spectrograph at the European Southern Observatory, the main star in the system is a sub-giant. The smaller star, a white dwarf, and the planet both orbit the larger star. But, oddly enough, they go around the star in opposite directions. These reversed trajectories reduce the risk of gravitational disruption and make the system stable.

The planet’s signal has remained consistent for more than 20 years, which strongly suggests it is not caused by stellar activity. According to Man Hoi Lee, co-author of the study, researchers are pretty sure about the planet’s existence. This highlights how long-term stability in the data supports the existence of this strange planet with a tight but stable path through the binary system.

Origin of the planet

There are two possibilities: the planet either used to orbit both stars at once but then radically shifted trajectory when one of the two stars became a white dwarf, or it was formed from the mass that the star ejected as it transformed into a white dwarf. Future observations and a lot more mathematical modelling may be able to pinpoint which of these scenarios is more likely to have occurred, but both are rather novel.

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Quantum Tech Could Finally Let Astronomers Snap Direct Images of Earth-Like Exoplanets

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May 27, 2025

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Quantum Tech Could Finally Let Astronomers Snap Direct Images of Earth-Like Exoplanets

A team of U.S.-based astronomers is building a new kind of coronagraph — one powered by quantum mechanics — that could enable direct imaging of Earth-like exoplanets previously considered too faint or too close to their host stars to detect. Traditional telescopes have advanced since Galileo’s time, with instruments like the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) now capable of analysing distant planetary atmospheres. But even these devices generally are not able to capture images of planets and asteroids that orbit nearby bright stars, as their light is frequently drowned out. Now, a breakthrough could be in sight.

Quantum-Sensitive Coronagraph May Revolutionize Exoplanet Imaging With Sub-Diffraction Precision

As per a recent Space.com report, researchers from the University of Arizona and the University of Maryland have developed a “quantum-sensitive” coronagraph that filters starlight before it reaches the telescope’s detector. By exploiting differences in the spatial modes of photons — how light waves behave in space — the device physically separates planetary light from overwhelming stellar glare. “This method routes photons to different regions before they even hit the sensor,” one co-author explained, emphasising its superiority to digital image processing.

This experimental device uses a “spatial mode sorter”, a series of precision-crafted optical phase masks that redirect light waves from exoplanets, allowing astronomers to view them below the diffraction limit. Normally, achieving this resolution would require telescopes too massive for current spaceflight capabilities. But quantum engineering may bypass that need altogether, provided that light purity — known as mode fidelity — reaches the stringent 1-in-a-billion requirement needed to block star photons while preserving exoplanet signals.

In lab tests, researchers successfully simulated star-planet systems and demonstrated that their system could resolve a dim, Earth-like planet even when positioned one-tenth the distance modern coronagraphs can handle. At higher star-to-planet contrast ratios — up to 1,000:1 — the device maintained accuracy within a few percentage points of theoretical limits, showcasing its potential for space-based observatories.

The technology could augment missions like NASA’s upcoming Habitable Worlds Observatory, designed to detect biosignatures on exoplanets. While scientists caution that the method isn’t a standalone solution, they believe it could dramatically expand the toolkit for planetary discovery. The findings were published on April 22 in Optica.

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