UC Berkeley astronomers searching for massive black holes shredding stars found one in an unusual place — 2,600 light years from the core of a galaxy. The roque black hole may be from an earlier merger with another galaxy, or have been tossed out of the core after interacting with two other black holes. This is the first ever optically discovered off-nuclear tidal disruption event. Eventually, the two could merge and produce ripples of gravitational waves.

A joint research team from the Defense Innovation Institute at the Chinese Academy of Military Science and the College of Aerospace Science and Engineering at the National University of Defense Technology has developed a novel method for satellite 3D component layout optimization based on engineering requirements. The satellite 3D component layout problem involves determining both component assignment schemes and position variables simultaneously with complex multidisciplinary constraints, making it an NP-hard multi-constrained bilevel combinatorial optimization problem. The team proposed a Mixed Integer Programming (MIP) model to formulate the heat dissipation performance objective and the constraints of component 3D geometry, system stability, and special component position, transforming the original bilevel problem into a single-level optimization problem. Case studies demonstrate that the proposed method can efficiently generate layout solutions, providing fresh insights for engineering layout design.

As volcanic magma ascends through the Earth’s crust, it releases carbon dioxide and other gases which rise to the surface. Trees that take up the carbon dioxide become greener and more lush. These changes are visible in images from NASA satellites such as Landsat 8, along with airborne instruments flown as part of the Airborne Validation Unified Experiment: Land to Ocean (AVUELO).

SAN ANTONIO — May 15, 2025 — The Southwest Research Institute-led Ultraviolet Spectrograph (UVS) aboard NASA’s Europa Clipper spacecraft has successfully completed its initial commissioning following the October 14, 2024, launch. Scheduled to arrive in the Jovian system in 2030, the spacecraft will orbit Jupiter and ultimately perform repeated close flybys of the icy moon Europa. Previous observations show strong evidence for a subsurface ocean of liquid water that could host conditions favorable for life.

Researchers at Nagoya University in Japan have discovered that Cepheid variable stars in our neighboring galaxy, the Small Magellanic Cloud, are moving in opposing directions along two distinct axes. They found that stars closer to Earth move towards the northeast, while more distant stars move southwest. This newly discovered movement pattern exists alongside a northwest-southeast opposing movement that the scientists previously observed in massive stars.