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The coda correlation wavefield technique provides a powerful tool for surveying planetary interiors using only data from a single station. Its application to the SEIS seismometer on the InSight lander, which has been providing unique data on the interior of Mars since 2018, is a promising example of what it can bring to planetary seismology studies.
Preliminary observations from the Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer of a well-studied X-ray pulsar are discordant with theoretical expectations, prompting a reassessment of our understanding of the accretion process.
The European Astronomical Society (EAS) awarded its most prestigious prizes during its annual meeting held in Valencia, Spain. After two virtual meetings, astronomers attended in-person or watched some of the sessions remotely.
A non-accreting and non-beaming neutron star in a close binary is discovered and characterized by modelling the observed periodic variabilities in the visible companion star. This neutron star belongs to an abundant but less-explored population that cannot be seen with popular techniques such as X-ray and gamma-ray observations.
The limits of our knowledge on light–matter interactions (that is, opacity models) will affect the exploration of exoplanetary atmospheres. Accounting for these limits will prevent biased claims. Guided improvements in opacity models, their standardization and dissemination will ensure maximum return on investment from the next-generation observatories, including the JWST.
Mars hosted hundreds of lakes, most of which formed earlier than 3.7 billion years ago and lasted only a limited amount of time. This overview of their characteristics and mineralogy highlights the importance of the Martian lakes as a record of ancient climate and potential for biogenesis.
Black-hole activity feedback is intensively studied on both galaxy-cluster scales and parsec scales. There are, however, many open questions about how the close surroundings of supermassive black holes affect large-scale structure and vice versa.
Writing a good scientific paper is a challenging task that benefits from training and practice. In this second Perspective in a short series, the authors share their wisdom on the process of writing a manuscript, from the most appropriate content for each section to the language to use.
Writing a good scientific paper is a challenging task that becomes easier with training and practice. Here the authors share their wisdom on useful preparations to make before starting to write, and a companion Perspective provides advice on the actual writing process.
Light pollution is a growing problem affecting the night sky. This Review takes a comprehensive look at the factors contributing to elevated brightness at night, the measurement techniques and the ongoing assessment of sky quality.
Surface-energy effects, such as the Kelvin effect, that regulate the formation of ice determine the observed abundance, distribution and evolution of CO in protoplanetary disks.
The use of sound to represent astronomical data complements visual analysis tools and makes astronomy more accessible. This Perspective presents a growing number of projects with increasing applications in research, education and outreach across astronomy.
The precise location of megamaser emission regions in galactic accretion disks has been challenging to pinpoint. Now with interferometric observations leveraging baselines larger than the Earth’s diameter, the missing information is getting closer and closer.
Observations have mapped the distribution of gas velocities in a circumstellar disk wind for the first time. The high spatial resolution required for these observations is achieved by measuring the maser emission of water molecules. These findings validate theoretical predictions from the 1980s and can be replicated by modern numerical models.
A number of recent laboratory studies—summarized in this Review—have improved our understanding of the origin of presolar grains, with at least a quarter of presolar grains now being understood to originate in supernovae and their progenitors.
This review summarizes our understanding of early-type dwarfs, which are the end-points of the evolution of low-mass galaxies. Their primeval stellar populations provide a unique laboratory for studying the physical conditions on small scales at epochs beyond z = 2.
