Carolyn Collins Petersen

Denver

On Earth, work in space. Wear mask, wash hands, get shots. Watch launches! Science: it works! Joined July 2008. date below should match.

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Articles

Failing to find life tells us a lot about life in the universe

1 week ago | knowridge.com | Carolyn Collins Petersen

The search for life involves the most sophisticated observational machines known to humanity. They peer out across the light-years, looking for some proof – any proof – that other life exists, out there. What if, despite all our efforts, those observations turn up NO evidence of life elsewhere in our Milky Way Galaxy? That’s a scary question. What if we continue building more and more sensitive telescopes to survey temperature exoplanets and still find nothing?
Scientists discover long-chain hydrocarbons on Mars

4 weeks ago | knowridge.com | Carolyn Collins Petersen

The search for evidence of life on Mars just got a little more interesting with the discovery of large organic molecules in a rock sample. The Mars Curiosity Rover, which is digging in the Martian rock beds as it goes along, tested pieces of its haul and found interesting organic compounds inside them. To be specific, the sample contains three molecules called decane, undecane, and dodecane.
How an actively feeding supermassive black hole could be good for life

1 month ago | knowridge.com | Carolyn Collins Petersen

When it comes to safe places for life, supermassive black holes are probably the last place you’d consider safe for nearby planets, let alone life-bearing ones. There are good reasons for this: those monsters at the hearts of galaxies suck down everything that comes into contact with them. When they do that, they blast out killer radiation. Neither activity is necessarily good for life. Or is it?
We're one step closer to a giant interferometer on the moon

1 month ago | phys.org | Carolyn Collins Petersen

What's on and in a star? What happens in an active galactic nucleus? Answering those questions is the goal of a proposed giant interferometer on the moon. It's called the Artemis-enabled Stellar Imager (AeSI) and would deploy a series of 15–30 optical/ultraviolet-sensitive telescopes in a 1-km elliptical array across the lunar surface.
Bridging the gap between the cosmic microwave background and the first galaxies

1 month ago | phys.org | Carolyn Collins Petersen

One of the Holy Grails in cosmology is a look back at the earliest epochs of cosmic history. Unfortunately, the universe's first few hundred thousand years are shrouded in an impenetrable fog. So far, nobody's been able to see past it to the Big Bang. As it turns out, astronomers are chipping away at that cosmic fog by using data from the Atacama Cosmology Telescope (ACT) in Chile.
New Horizons needs a new flyby target-Vera Rubin can help

1 month ago | phys.org | Carolyn Collins Petersen

Exploration of the outer solar system may be getting a boost from the Vera Rubin Observatory (VRO). When this gigantic telescope opens its eye later in 2025, it begins a decade-long survey of the ever-changing sky. As part of this time-lapse vision of the cosmos, distant objects in the Kuiper Belt will be among its most challenging targets.
New Horizons Needs a New Flyby Target. Vera Rubin Can Help.

1 month ago | universetoday.com | Carolyn Collins Petersen

Exploration of the outer Solar System may be getting a boost from the Vera Rubin Observatory (VRO). When this gigantic telescope opens its eye later in 2025, it begins a decade-long survey of the ever-changing sky. As part of this time-lapse vision of the cosmos, distant objects in the Kuiper Belt will be among its most challenging targets.
Blue Ghost is on the Moon and Ready to Watch an Eclipse

1 month ago | universetoday.com | Carolyn Collins Petersen

The Moon's getting to be a popular place. Firefly's Blue Ghost touched down on March 2nd in Mare Crisium. It's the first privately built lander to land safely and begin its mission. The little spacecraft set down safely in an upright, stable position and sent back an "I'm here" signal right away. Firefly is one component of NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Services and Artemis programs and it carried 10 science and technology instruments.
A New Way to Measure Where the Milky Way's Dark Matter Is

1 month ago | universetoday.com | Carolyn Collins Petersen

Our Milky Way Galaxy is rich in dark matter. The problem is, we can't see where it's distributed because, well, it's dark. We also don't completely understand how it's distributed—in clumps or what? A team at the University of Alabama-Huntsville has figured out a way to use solitary pulsars to map this stuff and unveil its effect on the galaxy. A technique developed by Dr. Sukanya Chakrabarti and her team is based on some unique characteristics of pulsars.
A new way to measure where the Milky Way’s dark matter is

1 month ago | knowridge.com | Carolyn Collins Petersen

Our Milky Way Galaxy is rich in dark matter. The problem is, we can’t see where it’s distributed because, well, it’s dark. We also don’t completely understand how it’s distributed—in clumps or what? A team at the University of Alabama-Huntsville has figured out a way to use solitary pulsars to map this stuff and unveil its effect on the galaxy. A technique developed by Dr. Sukanya Chakrabarti and her team is based on some unique characteristics of pulsars.