Understanding the Sun’s active regions is crucial for predicting space weather, but scientists have historically lacked continuous, detailed measurements of the Sun's hidden far side. New research by a team of scientists led by the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) National Solar Observatory have developed a novel approach to estimate the magnetic configuration of these hidden regions using helioseismic data (sound waves within the Sun). The method relies on crucial helioseismic data including measurements from the NSF-NOAA Global Oscillation Network Group (NSF-NOAA GONG), operated by NSO with support from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). This breakthrough paves the way for a more complete, full-Sun map of magnetic activity when combined with observations of the front-side to improve simulations of the solar environment and help forecasters anticipate potentially hazardous solar events.

Tokyo, Japan – A scientist from Tokyo Metropolitan University has proposed using safety monitoring at synchrotron facilities to study the properties of dark photons, hypothetical particles proposed to explain dark matter. Calculations showed that the X-ray source at these sites and a Geiger-Muller counter behind safety shielding could be used to propose limits on how strongly dark photons interact with normal photons. The experiment would not involve a dedicated facility and can run alongside other experiments.

The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) has long been deeply and successfully engaged in the field of space technology. The University’s Department of Aeronautical and Aviation Engineering has developed Hong Kong’s first low-Earth-orbit (LEO) communication-navigation integrated satellite payload “LEO CNAV”, which was recently successfully launched aboard the Yuxing-3 No. 05 satellite (also known as “Tech-Innovation-1”) from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre in Gansu. The launch of the satellite payload, which will undergo in-orbit testing, marks a historic milestone for PolyU in satellite technology and space applications.

Ultra-faint dwarf galaxies, tiny satellite galaxies orbiting the Milky Way, have long been seen as cosmic fossils. Now, a new study by researchers at the Oskar Klein Centre and the LYRA collaboration uses an unprecedented set of simulations to show just how powerfully these faint systems can reflect the conditions of the early Universe and tell us why some galaxies grew and others did not. 

Ultra-faint dwarf galaxies – tiny satellite galaxies orbiting the Milky Way – have long been seen as cosmic fossils. Now, a new study published today in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society uses an unprecedented set of simulations to show just how powerfully these faint systems can reflect the conditions of the early universe and tell us why some galaxies grew and others did not. They could also reveal what the universe's earliest 'climate' was like – for example, the level of radiation and how this impacted whether and where stars formed. Dwarf galaxies are often described as small cousins of the Milky Way. They form in small dark matter halos which are predicted by the standard model of cosmology. The faintest examples of such systems are extreme in both size and fragility, and lie on the boundary of our knowledge about galaxy formation and dark matter.