This Week in Astronomy: Bennu - A Time Capsule, Hunting Cosmic Rays with Neutrinos and Before the Big Bang cover art

This Week in Astronomy: Bennu - A Time Capsule, Hunting Cosmic Rays with Neutrinos and Before the Big Bang

This Week in Astronomy: Bennu - A Time Capsule, Hunting Cosmic Rays with Neutrinos and Before the Big Bang

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 Bennu: A Time Capsule from the Early Solar System: Asteroid Bennu is made of material from different regions of the solar system and even from other stars. NASA’s OSIRIS-REx mission returned samples from Bennu in 2023, revealing ancient stardust, water-altered minerals, and organic molecules. These findings show Bennu preserves a rich record of early solar system history, including evidence of space weathering and chemical changes driven by water. Because the samples were collected directly in space, they offer an uncontaminated glimpse into the building blocks of planets and life.

Hunting Cosmic Rays with Neutrinos: Scientists are using the IceCube observatory in Antarctica to detect neutrinos and trace the origins of cosmic radiation. Neutrinos can travel across the universe without much interference, making them ideal messengers. New fast and accurate data analysis methods now allow telescopes worldwide to respond quickly to neutrino detections. The improved algorithms also helped scientists rule out some earlier suspected sources, like tidal disruption events. While the exact source of cosmic rays remains unknown, the new tools mark important progress.

Before the Big Bang: Simulating the Unknown: Physicists are using computer simulations to explore what may have happened before the Big Bang. Standard equations from general relativity break down at the universe's beginning, but numerical relativity can handle these extreme conditions. Originally developed to simulate black hole collisions, this technique may help test ideas like cosmic inflation, cosmic strings, the multiverse, or a cyclical universe. As computing advances, this method could bridge gaps between cosmology and gravitational physics and offer insights into the origins of our universe.
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