Once a star has exhausted the nuclear fuel available in its core, it can no longer exert the necessary outward pressure to counteract the gravitational pressure from its own mass.
Following the formation of baryonic matter just after the Big Bang, the universe entered a period known as the dark ages, where this matter drifted aimlessly through an otherwise empty cosmos.
On the 27th of August, the Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System (ATLAS), observing from Sutherland, South Africa, captured data on asteroid 2024-PT5.
In 2013, NASA's Curiosity rover detected organic compounds in Martian rock samples, prompting further investigation into their implications for the planet's history.
I have been fascinated by the night sky since I ‘discovered’ Saturn with my 60mm refractor at the age of 10. An APOD-winning astrophotographer, I have been published in Sky & Telescope, Astronomy Magazine, and Space.com. As a NASA Solar System Ambassador, I have conducted thousands of public outreach programs and am a registered cruise ship speaker on astronomy and space science, as well as a Director of the Phoenix Astronomical Society. I frequently post astrophotography images, news, and tutorials on social media. My solar imaging and videos are particularly popular, and I have conducted extensive research on solar cameras and solar image processing techniques.