In the event of an impact with the Moon, the explosion of asteroid 2024 YR4 would hurl millions of tons of lunar rocks toward Earth, posing a serious risk to satellites but producing an unprecedented and spectacular meteor shower.
Sergio Messina is Researcher Astronomer. He graduated in Physics in 1993 and, subsequently, got the PhD in Astrophysics in 1998 at the University of Catania. It has been since 2000 permanent Researcher Astronomer of the Italian National Institute of Astrophysics based at the Catania Astrophysical Observatory.
His research activity deals with phenomena of magnetic activity and variability in young stars of solar type, with the characterization of stars with exoplanets, evolution of stellar angular momentum. He is also involved in the GAIA and PLATO space missions of the European Space Agency (ESA). He is the author of about 250 articles in high impact-factor peer-reviewed international scientific journals.
He has been conducting research and dissemination activities in the field of climate and climate change for several years. His book "Understanding climate changes: the first step" dates back to 2017. His research in the fields of meteorology and climate is carried out using both satellite observations and measurements from networks of ground-based weather stations.
It conducts dissemination activities using the personal blog “Cambiamenti climatici…per non specialisti” and the Facebook page “Comprendere i cambiamenti climatici”.
News by Sergio Messina
The dust nebula observed by the European Southern Observatory, with its spirals and red color, is curiously reminiscent of the giant serpent that represented the ancient Egyptian deity Apep.
The Martian canyons and valleys, so similar to those on Earth, were formed by the erosion of rivers fed by rain and snow, rather than by the melting of the polar ice caps, a recent study reveals.
The Giant Magellan Telescope will be a true giant in the telescope family. With its seven mirrors, each 8.4 m in diameter, it will be, along with the Extremely Large Telescope, the largest ever built.
Comet SWAN25F is rapidly approaching the Sun, developing a tail that could make it bright enough to be visible to the naked eye. Already visible before dawn with binoculars, it will be more easily visible in the evening after Easter.
Several telescopes, which will be among the largest in the world, are currently in the design or construction phase. Among the first to come online this year is the 8.4-meter Vera Rubin telescope in northern Chile.
Stars much smaller than the Sun can form many more planets. In fact, their protoplanetary disks, in which planets form, last longer than those of Sun-like stars, increasing the likelihood of planet formation.
The idea of black holes passing through the human body seems strange. However, a recent study has formally calculated the minimum mass a black hole would need to have to cause serious injury or death.
The Earth is at serious risk of being hit by an asteroid. The impact, if confirmed, will occur in 2032 and could destroy an entire city, putting the lives of tens of millions of people at risk. It is a race against time to calculate the orbit.
Among the mysteries of the early Universe that have not yet been solved is the recent one of the “red dots” discovered in 2022 by the James Webb telescope and whose nature is still being investigated.
There are many known voracious black holes, but LID-568, recently observed by the James Webb telescope, seems to surpass them all. The rate at which it devours matter is a good 40 times greater than theoretically predicted limits.
Theorists rejoice! A primordial galaxy whose gas shines brighter than its stars has been observed for the first time, in agreement with previous theoretical predictions. This is an important step in understanding the young Universe.
A faint dot in the sky (as the galaxy SDSS1335+0728 appears) is growing brighter and brighter. The black hole that was sleeping inside it has been awakened and is very hungry.
A galaxy has recently been observed by the James Webb telescope, the most distant, and therefore also the youngest after the Big Bang discovered so far. However, it presents unexpected characteristics that do not fit with our predictions.
Only 21 of these strange pairs of stars are known. Although born at the same time and therefore twins, one will still live for billions of years, the other has aged prematurely and has long since passed away.
The prize has been awarded for the #MetContest24, now in its third edition. The photography competition organized by Meteored rewards a photo of the Milky Way taken by Alejandra Brusadin.
They are called Citizen Science Projects. They are scientific projects in which ordinary citizens can make a significant contribution, even if they are not professionals. This is the case of the "red elves" for which NASA started the "spritacular" project.
It was selected as "image of the month", the most special obtained by the James Webb Space Telescope. You photographed an object with an incredible ring shape with trilogy. Let's see what it's about.
Inspired by the hexagonal cells of beehives, the mirrors of the largest telescopes are made by assembling numerous small hexagonal mirrors to form a large reflecting "hive". This is what was done with the Extremely Large Telescope. Let's understand the reason for this technique.
The planet Uranus was observed by the James Webb Space Telescope. Thanks to the properties of its infrared camera, the planet's disk, its rings and its moons were photographed, all shining not with reflected light but with their own light.