Nature Hub

    From :- Sky & Telescope   By :-  Bob King   Edited by :- Amal Udawatta Three fragments in Comet C/2025 K1 (ATLAS) are seen in this image made on Nov. 18th. Instead of the typical rounded appearance, K1's coma exhibits a V-shape that's obvious even at lower magnifications in amateur telescopes. The comet's nuclear region is a very dynamic environment right now as each piece fluctuates in brightness, density, and position from night to night. P. Clay Sherrod Look while you can — a comet is breaking to pieces right before our eyes.  C/2025 K1 (ATLAS) , not to be confused with the interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS, was discovered in May this year. Originating in the relative solitude of the  Oort Cloud , it's now fighting for its life in the inner solar system. At least three fragments have broken away from the comet, all of which are currently visible in 8-inch and larger telescopes. Whether or not it will carry on or fully disintegrate is uncertain, bu...

From :- Sky & Telescope By:  J. Kelly Beatty   Edited by: Amal Udawatta     During the last months of 2025, Saturn and the star Fomalhaut are the only two easy-to-spot objects in a southern sky full of faint constellations (as seen from mid-northern latitudes). Sky & Telescope Bottom of Form In this month’s Sky Tour astronomy podcast, we’ll watch two sets of shooting stars, spot some bright planets, point out a few late-autumn constellations, and put a spotlight on five interesting stars. November is the month when those of us in the U.S. and Canada adjust our clocks to “fall back” an hour to standard time. That takes place before dawn on November 2nd in the U.S. and Canada, a week later than it does for our friends in Europe. Mexico and tropical countries don’t make the change at all, nor do China or Russia. The return to standard time means that most of us are still heading home from work as evening’s twilight sets in. That’s just fine, though, ...

   From - Space,com ,    By   Stefanie Waldek     Edited by  Amal Udawatta An artist's representation of WASP-18b, an exoplanet some 400 light-years from Earth.   (Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech (K. Miller/IPAC)) Astronomers have produced the first-ever three-dimensional map of a planet outside our  solar system  — WASP-18b — marking a major leap forward in exoplanet research. Using the  James Webb Space Telescope , researchers applied a new technique called 3D eclipse mapping, or spectroscopic eclipse mapping, to track subtle changes in various light wavelengths as WASP-18b moved behind its  star . These variations allowed scientists to reconstruct temperature across latitudes, longitudes and altitudes, revealing distinct temperature zones throughout the planet's atmosphere. "If you build a map at a wavelength that water absorbs, you'll see the water deck in the atmosphere, whereas a wavelength that water does not ab...