(Press-News.org) Astronomers have created the most detailed weather report so far for two distant worlds beyond our own solar system.
The international study – the first of its kind – reveals the extreme atmospheric conditions on the celestial objects, which are swathed in swirling clouds of hot sand amid temperatures of 950C.
Using NASA’s powerful James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), researchers set out to capture the weather on a pair of brown dwarfs – cosmic bodies that are bigger than planets but smaller than stars.
These brown dwarfs, named collectively as WISE 1049AB, are the brightest and closest objects of their type to Earth, around six light years away.
The team tracked each brown dwarf’s atmosphere by measuring the light waves emitted from their surfaces, which change as more or less cloudy regions revolve in and out of view.
By visualising this data through light curves – a plot of how the brightness of light from each object changes over time – the team was able to build up a detailed 3D picture of how the brown dwarfs’ weather changed over the course of a full rotation or day, between five and seven hours.
The team was also able to plot how the light from each object varied by wavelength, to demonstrate the presence and complex interplay of gases such as water, methane, and carbon monoxide in their atmospheres.
The insights may help astronomers develop the understanding of brown dwarfs as a potential missing link between stars and planets – promising new insights into both.
By observing the infrared part of the light spectrum, the JWST is able to observe wavelengths of light that are blocked by our own atmosphere.
This capability opens frontiers in the study of the early universe, star formation, and so-called exoplanets such as brown dwarfs which lie beyond our solar system.
The latest study builds on previous studies of brown dwarfs, which have mainly been confined to capturing static snapshots of their atmosphere on only one side. This approach is limited, as brown dwarfs are known to rotate relatively quickly and their weather can vary greatly over time, researchers say.
Their findings will pave the way for more detailed studies into brown dwarfs and other distant celestial objects.
The study, published in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, was led by the University of Edinburgh in collaboration with researchers from Trinity College Dublin, the University of Virginia, and other institutes from around the world.
Professor Beth Biller, Personal Chair of Exoplanet Characterisation, Institute for Astronomy, University of Edinburgh, said: “Our findings show that we are on the cusp of transforming our understanding of worlds far beyond our own. Insights such as these can help us understand the conditions not just on celestial objects like brown dwarfs, but also on giant exoplanets beyond our solar system. Eventually, the techniques we are refining here may enable the first detections of weather on habitable planets like our own, which orbit other stars.”
END
Scorching storms on distant worlds revealed in new detail
Astronomers have created the most detailed weather report so far for two distant worlds beyond our own solar system.
2024-07-15
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
JWST unveils stunning ejecta and CO structures in Cassiopeia A's young supernova
2024-07-15
July 15, 2024, Mountain View, CA -- The SETI Institute announced the latest findings from the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) of the supernova remnant, Cassiopeia A (Cas A). These observations of the youngest known core collapse supernova in the Milky Way provide insights into the conditions that lead to the formation and destruction of molecules and dust within supernova ejecta. The study’s findings change our understanding of dust formation in the early universe in the galaxies detected by JWST 300 million years after the Big Bang. ...
UC Irvine Earth system scientists discover missing piece in climate models
2024-07-15
Irvine, Calif., July 15, 2024 — As the planet continues to warm due to human-driven climate change, accurate computer climate models will be key in helping illuminate exactly how the climate will continue to be altered in the years ahead.
In a study published in the Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres, a team led by researchers from the UC Irvine Department of Earth System Science and the University of Michigan Department of Climate and Space Sciences and Engineering reveal how a climate model commonly used by geoscientists currently overestimates ...
Wildfire smoke has a silver lining: It can help protect vulnerable tree seedlings
2024-07-15
CORVALLIS, Ore. – Forest scientists at Oregon State University studying tree regeneration have found that wildfire smoke comes with an unexpected benefit: It has a cooling capacity that can make life easier for vulnerable seedlings.
An OSU College of Forestry collaboration led by faculty research assistant Amanda Brackett made the discovery while working to determine the effect of forest canopy cover on summer maximum temperatures near ground level.
The study’s goal was to describe how heat waves and other future climate conditions might affect canopy cover’s influence on temperature. The scientists used previously established heat stress responses of seedlings from ...
How does superglue work, and what the heck is electroadhesion? (video)
2024-07-15
WASHINGTON, July 15, 2024 — How would you stick a slice of banana to a sheet of copper? Until a few months ago, you couldn’t. But a new discovery called “hard-soft electroadhesion” enables chemists to stick almost any hydrogel to almost any metal, using nothing but an electric current. And you can unstick the materials simply by reversing the current. Recently reported in ACS Central Science, this astonishingly general phenomenon works with a wide variety of gels (including fruits, vegetables, meat and fish) and conductors (including metals and graphite). Join our host George as he attempts to replicate electroadhesion in his basement ...
Progression from pre-symptomatic to clinical type 1 diabetes after COVID-19 infection
2024-07-15
About The Study: Follow-up of youth with pre-symptomatic type 1 diabetes demonstrated that the COVID-19 pandemic was associated with an accelerated progression to clinical disease and that this acceleration was confined to those with COVID-19. Further studies are required to determine whether COVID-19 also accelerates progression to type 1 diabetes in adults and whether vaccination and monitoring for COVID-19 symptoms should be considered for individuals with pre-symptomatic type 1 diabetes.
Corresponding ...
Mental health of transgender youth following gender identity milestones by level of family support
2024-07-15
About The Study: The results of this study demonstrate that without a supportive family environment, gender identity development increases the risk of transgender youth attempting suicide or running away from home. Social services and community resources to establish supportive relationships between transgender children and their parents are essential.
Corresponding Author: To contact the corresponding author, Travis Campbell, Ph.D., email campbelt1@sou.edu.
To access the embargoed study: Visit our For The Media website at this link https://media.jamanetwork.com/
(doi:10.1001/jamapediatrics.2024.2035)
Editor’s ...
Use of massage therapy for pain
2024-07-15
About The Study: This study found that despite a large number of randomized clinical trials, systematic reviews of massage therapy for painful adult health conditions rated a minority of conclusions as moderate-certainty evidence and that conclusions with moderate- or high-certainty evidence that massage therapy was superior to other active therapies were rare.
Corresponding Author: To contact the corresponding author, Selene Mak, Ph.D., M.P.H., email selene.mak@va.gov.
To access the embargoed study: Visit our For The Media website at this link https://media.jamanetwork.com/
(doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.22259)
Editor’s ...
Substantia nigra pathology, contact sports play, and parkinsonism in chronic traumatic encephalopathy
2024-07-15
About The Study: In this cross-sectional study of contact sports athletes with chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), years of contact sports participation were associated with substantia nigra tau pathology and neuronal loss, and these pathologies were associated with parkinsonism. Repetitive head impacts may incite neuropathologic processes that lead to symptoms of parkinsonism in individuals with CTE.
Corresponding Authors: To contact the corresponding authors, email Ann C. McKee, M.D. (amckee@bu.edu) and Thor D. Stein, M.D., Ph.D. (tdstein@bu.edu).
To access the embargoed study: Visit our For The Media website at this link https://media.jamanetwork.com/
(doi:10.1001/jamaneurol.2024.2166)
Editor’s ...
Early life antibiotic increases risk of asthma: providing clues to a potential prevention adult asthma
2024-07-15
WHY EARLY LIFE ANTIBIOTIC USE CAN INCREASE RISK OF ASTHMA: A POTENTIAL PREVENTION FOR ASTHMA LATER IN LIFE?
Early exposure to antibiotics can trigger long term susceptibility to asthma, according to new research from Monash University. Importantly the research team isolated a molecule produced by gut bacteria that in the future could potentially be trialed as a simple treatment, in the form of a dietary supplement, for children at risk of asthma to prevent them developing the disease.
Asthma affects over 260 million people globally and causes ...
Tell-tale gene affects success of drug used to treat chronic pain
2024-07-15
Women who carry a particular form of a pain gene are more likely to respond well to a common medication used to treat long-term discomfort, research shows.
In a study, women with chronic pelvic pain who had a naturally occurring variation of a gene, known as Neuregulin 3, in their DNA were more likely to experience relief after taking the painkilling drug gabapentin.
Targeting gabapentin use to those with this genetic marker would avoid ineffective treatment and unwanted side-effects in those who are unlikely to respond, experts say.
The findings could improve use of gabapentin in treating chronic pelvic pain – a persistent, disabling ...
LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:
A toolkit for unraveling the links between intimate partner violence, trauma and substance misuse
Can everyday physical activity improve cognitive health in middle age?
Updated guidance reaffirms CPR with breaths essential for cardiac arrest following drowning
Study reveals medical boards rarely discipline physician misinformation
New treatment helps children with rare spinal condition regain ability to walk
'Grow Your Own' teacher prep pipeline at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette funded by US Department of Education
Lab-grown human immune system uncovers weakened response in cancer patients
More than 5 million Americans would be eligible for psychedelic therapy, study finds
Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia researchers find community health workers play critical role in coordinating asthma care across home, school and community
Comprehensive Genomic Profiling leads to better patient outcomes, new joint study says
Animated movie characters with strabismus are more likely to be villains, study finds
How retailers change ordering strategy when a supplier starts its own direct channel
Young coral use metabolic tricks to resist bleaching
Protecting tax whistleblowers pays off
Bioluminescent proteins made from scratch enable non-invasive, multi-functional biological imaging
New study links air pollution with higher rates of head and neck cancer
LSU researchers excavate earliest ancient Maya salt works
Building a diverse wildland fire workforce to meet future challenges
MBARI researchers discover remarkable new swimming sea slug in the deep sea
Decentralized social media ‘increases citizen empowerment’, says Oxford study
Validating an electronic frailty index in a national health system
Combination approach shows promise for treating rare, aggressive cancers
Raise the roof: How to reduce badminton birdie drift
Ouch! Commonalties found in pain vocalizations and interjections across cultures
Income-related disparities in mortality among young adults with type 2 diabetes
Medical board discipline of physicians for spreading medical misinformation
First-ever randomized clinical trial uses telehealth for suicide prevention
DNA packaging directly affects how fast DNA is copied in cells
Scientists develop advanced catalyst for self-driven seawater splitting with enhanced chloride resistance
City of Hope researchers discover why taking a mushroom supplement slows or prevents prostate cancer from getting worse
[Press-News.org] Scorching storms on distant worlds revealed in new detailAstronomers have created the most detailed weather report so far for two distant worlds beyond our own solar system.