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The James Webb Space Telescope continues to transform our understanding of galactic structure and evolution, with researchers announcing multiple significant discoveries in early 2026. New observations have revealed both stunning visual details of nearby spiral galaxies and unexpected findings about galactic architecture in the early universe.

A team of researchers using Webb data announced the discovery of a barred spiral galaxy existing a remarkably short time after the Big Bang, challenging existing models of galactic formation and evolution. The galaxy, informally designated Alaknanda, shows structural maturity typically associated with galaxies billions of years older. The discovery suggests that physical processes driving galaxy formation, including gas accretion, disk settling, and spiral density wave development, may operate more efficiently than current theoretical models predict.

Dr. Amanda Garfield, an astrophysicist at the University of Pittsburgh and lead author of the study, noted that finding such a well-organized spiral disk at this epoch was unexpected. The bar structure, a linear feature extending from galactic centers that helps funnel material inward, was thought to require substantial time to develop through gravitational interactions and dynamical evolution.

The observations indicate that the universe was capable of producing structurally mature galaxies much earlier than previously believed. This finding has prompted astrophysicists to reconsider the initial conditions and feedback mechanisms involved in galaxy formation, potentially requiring revisions to cosmological simulations that model the evolution of cosmic structure.

In separate observations, Webb captured a spectacular new image of the Circinus Galaxy, located approximately 14 million light-years from Earth in the constellation Circinus. The composite visualization combines data from both the Hubble Space Telescope and the James Webb Space Telescope, revealing details invisible to previous observatories. Webb’s infrared capabilities penetrate the thick dust clouds that obscure the galactic center in optical images, exposing the glowing inner regions of the active galactic nucleus.

The Circinus Galaxy represents a Seyfert galaxy, a class of active galaxies characterized by extremely luminous cores powered by accretion onto a supermassive black hole. Webb’s mid-infrared observations reveal the structure of the torus-shaped dust cloud surrounding the central engine, providing new data about the physical conditions in these energetic galactic regions.

The telescope’s high-resolution imaging also continues to yield detailed views of stellar nurseries within spiral arms. The intricate networks of dusty filaments and hot young star clusters, previously obscured by interstellar dust, are now visible in unprecedented detail. These observations help astronomers understand the cycle of star formation and the ways that massive stars influence their galactic environments through radiation pressure, stellar winds, and supernova explosions.

The 19 nearby spiral galaxies observed as part of Webb’s PHANGS (Physics at High Angular Resolution in Nearby Galaxies) program have provided a statistical sample for studying the relationship between galactic structure and star formation. The combination of near-infrared and mid-infrared imaging allows researchers to simultaneously observe both the older stellar populations in galactic cores and the youngest stellar objects embedded in dust clouds along spiral arms.

Webb’s capabilities have fundamentally changed the field of extragalactic astronomy in the years since its launch. The observatory’s large mirror and sensitive infrared instruments enable observations that were previously impossible, opening new windows into galactic dynamics, black hole physics, and the early universe. Researchers around the world continue to analyze the torrent of data flowing from the telescope, with each discovery raising new questions about the nature of cosmic structure and evolution.

The European Space Agency’s Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer, known as JUICE, has achieved an unexpected milestone in its journey toward the Jovian system by capturing the first detailed images of interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS. The spacecraft, currently en route to study Jupiter and its ocean-bearing moons, turned its instruments toward the visitor from beyond our solar system in late February 2026, producing remarkable imagery that reveals the comet’s structure in unprecedented detail.

Comet 3I/ATLAS represents only the third confirmed interstellar object ever detected in our solar system, following the discoveries of 1I/’Oumuamua in 2017 and 2I/Borisov in 2019. While those objects provided valuable glimpses into planetary formation processes elsewhere in the galaxy, 3I/ATLAS offered something unique: an approach to the inner solar system that allowed multiple spacecraft and ground-based observatories to observe it simultaneously. JUICE’s position and instrumentation made it particularly well-suited for this unexpected observation opportunity.

The images captured by JUICE’s science camera show the comet’s nucleus surrounded by a luminous coma, the glowing envelope of gas and dust that forms when solar radiation heats the icy body. A distinct tail extends away from the Sun, consisting of particles pushed outward by solar radiation pressure. The spacecraft observed the comet at a distance of approximately 50 million kilometers, close enough to resolve features that ground-based telescopes could only glimpse indirectly.

The JUICE mission was designed primarily for planetary science, with its ten scientific instruments optimized for studying Jupiter’s atmosphere, magnetosphere, and the subsurface oceans suspected to exist beneath the icy crusts of Ganymede, Callisto, and Europa. The spacecraft launched from French Guiana in April 2023 and has been performing a complex trajectory that includes multiple gravity assists, including an unprecedented double Earth-Moon flyby in August 2024. The encounter with 3I/ATLAS represents a bonus observation that demonstrates the versatility of the spacecraft’s instrumentation.

Interstellar comets provide scientists with a rare opportunity to study material from other planetary systems without the need for interstellar travel. The composition of such objects, preserved since their formation around another star, carries chemical fingerprints that may inform our understanding of how planets form and evolve throughout the galaxy. 3I/ATLAS exhibited characteristics consistent with comets originating from distant, cool stellar environments, with activity levels suggesting the release of water vapor, carbon dioxide, and other volatiles as it approached the Sun.

The JUICE observations were not without technical challenges. The spacecraft’s medium-gain antenna had to be used for data transmission rather than the high-gain antenna, reducing the data rate due to the spacecraft’s orientation relative to the Sun and Earth. Despite these constraints, the mission team successfully retrieved images that have already contributed to scientists’ understanding of cometary activity mechanisms.

Beyond the immediate scientific value, the JUICE observations highlight the importance of spacecraft flexibility and the potential for serendipitous discoveries in space exploration. Planetary missions often encounter unexpected targets or phenomena that fall outside their primary objectives but represent valuable science opportunities. TheJUICE team’s ability to reorient the spacecraft and repurpose its instruments on short notice reflects both the spacecraft’s robust design and the team’s scientific adaptability.

As 3I/ATLAS continues its journey back toward interstellar space, observations from JUICE will be supplemented by other missions and facilities. The Juno spacecraft orbiting Jupiter may observe the comet during its close approach to the giant planet in March 2026, though fuel constraints and operational priorities complicate any potential redirection. Each new observation adds to our growing picture of these interstellar travelers and what they can teach us about the cosmos beyond our own solar system.

In the history of astronomy, certain instruments do more than gather light — they reshape perspective. The Hubble Space Telescope revealed a universe of breathtaking clarity and depth. The James Webb Space Telescope opened a new infrared frontier, peering into the earliest epochs of galaxy formation. And now, standing on the shoulders of those giants, NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope prepares to widen our cosmic view in a way no space observatory has done before.

Named after Nancy Grace Roman, NASA’s first Chief of Astronomy and one of the architects of the Hubble program, the Roman Space Telescope is built on a bold premise: if we want to understand the structure and fate of the universe, we must not only see deeply — we must see broadly. Roman is not designed to zoom in on a single galaxy with exquisite detail. Instead, it is built to survey immense swaths of the sky with Hubble-level sharpness, combining resolution and scale in a way that has never before been achieved.

At the heart of Roman is a 2.4-meter primary mirror — the same diameter as Hubble’s — but paired with a field of view nearly one hundred times larger. That combination defines the mission. Where Hubble sees a small patch of sky in exquisite detail, Roman will see vast cosmic landscapes with comparable clarity. It is as though we have replaced a telescope’s keyhole view with a panoramic window.

The mission has two central scientific pillars. The first is to investigate the nature of dark energy, the mysterious force driving the accelerated expansion of the universe. The second is to conduct a census of exoplanets through gravitational microlensing, extending our knowledge of planetary systems far beyond what current techniques allow. Together, these goals address some of the most profound questions in modern astrophysics: What is the universe made of? How did it evolve? And how common are worlds like our own?

The engineering behind Roman reflects the demands of those ambitions. The telescope’s Wide Field Instrument is its primary scientific eye, operating in near-infrared wavelengths. This wavelength range is critical because it allows astronomers to observe distant galaxies whose light has been stretched, or redshifted, by cosmic expansion. The instrument consists of eighteen state-of-the-art infrared detectors arranged in a mosaic, creating a detector array of enormous scale and sensitivity. Each exposure captures a sky area equivalent to dozens of Hubble images stitched together — except it happens all at once.

The spacecraft itself is designed for precision and stability. Roman will operate in a Sun-Earth L2 orbit, approximately 1.5 million kilometers from Earth. This location provides a thermally stable environment, continuous sunlight for solar power, and a steady observational platform free from Earth’s shadow. Maintaining exquisite pointing accuracy is essential; even slight jitter would compromise measurements of subtle cosmic distortions. Advanced reaction wheels, gyroscopes, and fine guidance sensors work together to ensure the telescope holds its gaze with extraordinary steadiness.

One of Roman’s most important capabilities is its ability to measure weak gravitational lensing. According to Einstein’s general theory of relativity, mass bends spacetime, and light traveling through that curved spacetime follows the distortion. When light from distant galaxies passes near massive structures such as galaxy clusters or dark matter halos, its path is subtly altered. By statistically analyzing the shapes of millions of galaxies across vast areas of sky, Roman will map the invisible distribution of dark matter and trace how cosmic structures have grown over billions of years.

This mapping is essential for understanding dark energy. The rate at which cosmic structures form and evolve is influenced by the balance between gravity, which pulls matter together, and dark energy, which pushes space apart. Roman will measure this balance with unprecedented statistical power, surveying thousands of square degrees of sky and collecting data from billions of galaxies. The resulting dataset will refine our understanding of cosmic expansion and test whether dark energy behaves like Einstein’s cosmological constant or something more exotic.

At the same time, Roman will search for planets in a way unlike any previous mission. Most exoplanet discoveries have relied on transit photometry, observing the dimming of a star as a planet crosses its face, or radial velocity measurements that detect the gravitational tug of an orbiting planet. Roman’s microlensing survey will instead exploit a phenomenon predicted by general relativity: when a foreground star passes in front of a more distant background star, its gravity magnifies the background star’s light. If the foreground star hosts a planet, that planet can create a distinctive, temporary signature in the magnified light curve.

This technique is uniquely sensitive to planets at greater distances from their stars, including cold, Earth-mass planets and even free-floating planets that drift through space unbound to any star. Roman is expected to discover thousands of new worlds, filling in a region of planetary parameter space that remains largely unexplored. In doing so, it will help astronomers build a more complete picture of planetary system formation and diversity.

Roman will also carry a coronagraph instrument, a technology demonstration designed to block out the light of a star and directly image faint nearby exoplanets. While primarily experimental, the coronagraph will test technologies essential for future missions aimed at imaging Earth-like planets and analyzing their atmospheres for signs of habitability or life.

Perhaps what makes Roman most exciting is the scale of its data. It is not simply another observatory; it is a survey engine. The volume of information it will collect will fuel research for decades, enabling discoveries not yet imagined. Just as the Hubble Deep Field revealed galaxies that challenged cosmological models, Roman’s wide-field surveys are likely to uncover unexpected structures, rare objects, and statistical anomalies that reshape theoretical frameworks.

In many ways, the Roman Space Telescope represents the maturation of space astronomy. It is not designed solely for spectacle, though it will undoubtedly produce stunning images. It is built for measurement — precise, repeatable, statistically robust measurement. It embodies a shift from isolated observations to cosmic cartography.

When Roman opens its wide eye to the sky, it will not simply extend our reach deeper into space. It will expand our view sideways, revealing the structure of the universe at scales we have only begun to comprehend. In doing so, it will continue a legacy that Nancy Grace Roman herself helped establish: that by investing in bold, carefully engineered observatories, we do more than observe the cosmos — we learn to understand our place within it.

Video credit: NASA Goddard

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In the early hours of July 2, 2025, astronomers around the world were startled by an astonishing signal: a burst of extremely energetic gamma-rays originating from a distant galaxy approximately 8 billion light-years away in the constellation Scutum. This event, designated GRB 250702B, is not just another gamma-ray burst (GRB) — it turned out to be the longest and most unusual gamma-ray explosion ever observed, challenging decades of understanding about how these cosmic events work. Rather than fading within seconds or minutes like typical GRBs, GRB 250702B continued to flash in gamma-rays and X-rays for hours, possibly extending nearly a full day in total activity, punctuated by multiple bursts separated by regular intervals — behavior never before seen in the cosmic fireworks of the universe.

Gamma-ray bursts themselves are among the most powerful explosions known. They release more energy in a blink of an eye than the Sun will emit over its entire 10-billion-year lifetime. Astronomers classify GRBs into two broad categories: short bursts lasting less than about two seconds, typically associated with the merger of compact objects like neutron stars or black holes; and long bursts, usually tied to the catastrophic collapse of a massive star’s core into a black hole or neutron star at the end of its life. In both cases, collapsing matter drives ultrarelativistic jets — beams of particles moving at nearly the speed of light — that produce gamma rays when they interact with surrounding material. These jets, narrowly focused and extremely bright, can be detected across vast cosmic distances, briefly outshining entire galaxies.

What set GRB 250702B apart was not only its **extraordinary duration — around seven hours in gamma-rays with associated X-ray activity detected even earlier — but also the fact that the burst appeared to repeat multiple times over that period. Traditional GRB models involve a one-time, catastrophic event that destroys the progenitor star, meaning the central engine powering the burst should cease after a singular explosion. In contrast, GRB 250702B produced distinct pulses spaced quasi-periodically over hours, an anomaly that pushed researchers to consider more exotic origins. Telescopes including NASA’s Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope and the Chinese Einstein Probe first recorded the unusual emission, later confirmed by follow-up observations from space and ground-based facilities that tracked the afterglow across the electromagnetic spectrum.

One of the leading interpretations emerging from this unprecedented data is that GRB 250702B may not fit neatly into the classic “collapsar” model for long GRBs — the collapse of a single massive star. Instead, astronomers have explored scenarios involving tidal interactions between a black hole and a companion star. In one compelling model consistent with both the timing and periodicity of the pulses, a stellar-mass black hole — perhaps just a few times the mass of the Sun — was in a tight orbit with a companion star. Over time, this black hole spiraled into the star’s outer layers and then its dense core, slowly shredding and consuming the stellar material from within. As it tore through the star, enormous amounts of gas would have accreted onto the black hole, fueling sustained jets of gamma-ray-emitting plasma over many hours, rather than the brief flash typical of ordinary GRBs. While this “black hole eating a star from within” picture remains theoretical, it provides a framework for the extended engine activity and repeating pulses seen in GRB 250702B, and could represent a new class of gamma-ray transient.

Alternative explanations have also been proposed. Some researchers have suggested that the long emission could be produced by a tidal disruption event (TDE), where a black hole — potentially larger than a stellar-mass black hole — comes close enough to a star to rip it apart through extreme gravitational forces. The debris from the disrupted star could feed the black hole over extended periods, powering a prolonged gamma-ray and X-ray signal. Others have proposed models involving magnetic jets with precession — a wobbling motion caused by misalignment between the black hole’s spin and the accretion disk — that could produce repeated pulses spaced at regular intervals as the jet sweeps across our line of sight. New work from theoretical astrophysicists suggests that the structure and timing of the emissions from GRB 250702B can be explained by such a precessing magnetic jet engine, offering a coherent explanation for the “heartbeat-like” nature of the burst.

Beyond the theoretical intrigue, GRB 250702B is significant because it highlights how cosmic explosions can transcend familiar categories, revealing physics and astrophysical environments more complex than previously understood. This event not only broke records for duration, but also offered the first case where a gamma-ray source exhibited multiple, spaced bursts over hours, suggesting a central engine that remained active far longer than classic models predict. Continued analysis of the afterglow — the fading light across X-ray, optical, and radio wavelengths — and characterization of the host galaxy will help astronomers distinguish between rival models and refine our understanding of these powerful cosmic beacons. With each new observation, events like GRB 250702B deepen our grasp of how matter and energy behave under the most extreme conditions and remind us that the universe still holds phenomena that challenge existing theories.

Video credit: NASA/LSU/Brian Monroe, Animator: Brian Monroe, Producer: Scott Wiessinger (eMITS), Science Writer: Francis Reddy (University of Maryland College Park), Scientist: Eric Burns (LSU)

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The Moon’s phases are among the most familiar and enduring rhythms in the natural world, quietly unfolding overhead as the Moon appears to change shape night after night. Although these changes may seem mysterious at first glance, they are the result of straightforward celestial geometry governed by the motions of the Earth, Moon, and Sun. Understanding the phases of the Moon not only reveals fundamental principles of physics and astronomy, but also explains why this cycle has played such a significant role in human culture, natural ecosystems, and life on Earth for thousands of years.

At its core, a lunar phase describes how much of the Moon’s sunlit surface is visible from Earth at a given time. The Moon does not produce its own light; it reflects sunlight. As the Moon orbits Earth roughly once every 27.3 days, the angle between the Sun, Earth, and Moon continuously changes. This changing geometry determines which portion of the Moon’s illuminated hemisphere faces our planet. When the Moon lies between Earth and the Sun, its illuminated side is turned away from us, producing a new moon. As the Moon moves along its orbit, more of its sunlit surface becomes visible, leading to the waxing crescent, first quarter, waxing gibbous, and eventually the full moon, when Earth sits between the Moon and the Sun and the entire near side of the Moon is illuminated. The cycle then reverses through waning gibbous, last quarter, and waning crescent, completing a full sequence known as the synodic month, which lasts about 29.5 days.

The physics behind the Moon’s phases is a clear demonstration of orbital mechanics and light reflection. The Moon’s orbit is slightly tilted relative to Earth’s orbit around the Sun, which is why we do not experience eclipses every month. Instead, the phase cycle proceeds smoothly as a function of orbital position rather than alignment. Importantly, the phases are not caused by Earth’s shadow falling on the Moon, a common misconception. Earth’s shadow only plays a role during a lunar eclipse, a relatively rare event. The regular waxing and waning we observe is simply a matter of perspective: we are watching different fractions of the Moon’s illuminated half come into view as it travels through space. This predictable pattern has allowed astronomers to model lunar motion with great precision and has historically served as one of humanity’s earliest tools for tracking time.

Beyond their physical explanation, lunar phases have long held practical and symbolic significance. Before mechanical clocks and modern calendars, many civilizations relied on the Moon as a natural timekeeper. Lunar calendars guided agricultural cycles, religious observances, and social organization across cultures ranging from ancient Mesopotamia and China to Indigenous societies around the world. The regularity of the lunar cycle made it a reliable framework for structuring human activity long before scientific explanations were available.

The Moon’s influence on Earth extends beyond cultural symbolism into the realm of physical interaction, most notably through tides. While the phases themselves do not cause tides, they are closely linked to tidal strength. During new and full moons, the Sun, Earth, and Moon align in a configuration producing stronger spring tides due to the combined gravitational pull of the Moon and Sun. During first and last quarter phases, when the gravitational forces act at right angles, tidal ranges are reduced, creating neap tides. These tidal cycles play a critical role in shaping coastlines, mixing ocean waters, and supporting marine ecosystems that depend on predictable changes in sea level for feeding, breeding, and migration.

Life on Earth has also adapted to the Moon’s changing illumination. Many species exhibit behaviors synchronized with lunar phases, a phenomenon known as lunar rhythm. Corals, for example, time mass spawning events to specific phases of the Moon, ensuring reproductive success across vast reef systems. Nocturnal animals adjust hunting, foraging, and movement patterns based on moonlight levels, while some predators and prey alter their behavior to exploit or avoid increased visibility during brighter nights. Even humans, though largely insulated from natural light cycles by modern technology, continue to mark lunar events, reflecting a deep-seated psychological and cultural connection to the Moon’s steady cadence.

In a broader sense, the Moon’s phases remind us of Earth’s place in a dynamic cosmic system. They illustrate how motion, gravity, and light interact on a planetary scale, turning abstract physical laws into visible, recurring phenomena. The same principles that govern the Moon’s changing face also shape the behavior of planets, moons, and stars throughout the universe. By observing the Moon’s phases, we are witnessing orbital mechanics in action, played out on a scale that is both accessible and profound.

Ultimately, the phases of the Moon are more than a visual curiosity. They are a bridge between physics and lived experience, linking celestial motion to tides, ecosystems, calendars, and human history. Night after night, as the Moon waxes and wanes, it offers a quiet demonstration of the forces that govern our solar system and a reminder that life on Earth is deeply connected to the rhythms of the cosmos.

Video credit: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Data visualization by: Ernie Wright (USRA), Planetary scientist: Noah Petro (NASA/GSFC), Producer & Editor: James Tralie

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SS 433 is one of the most extraordinary and enigmatic objects in the Milky Way, a system whose extreme physics has made it a cornerstone of high-energy astrophysics for more than four decades. Located about 5,500 light-years away in the direction of the constellation Aquila, SS 433 is the first known microquasar—a stellar binary with powerful relativistic jets resembling those of supermassive black holes, but scaled to the mass of a single star. At the heart of the system is a compact object whose nature continues to generate debate: although a neutron star cannot be definitively ruled out, mounting evidence points toward SS 433 harboring a stellar-mass black hole, one that is actively feeding on material from its companion star and launching jets at speeds approaching one-quarter the speed of light. The extreme conditions in this system make SS 433 a natural laboratory for studying accretion physics, jet formation, and the limits of matter under relativistic stresses.

One of the defining features of SS 433 is its precessing jet system, a dynamic structure that distinguishes it from nearly all other known X-ray binaries. As the compact object accretes material from its massive donor star—likely an A-type supergiant—the inflowing gas forms a dense, hot accretion disk. From the inner regions of this disk, two opposing jets are launched at roughly 0.26c, a velocity that directly reveals the presence of an intense gravitational well. The jets do not simply stream outward in a straight line; instead, the axis of the disk—and therefore the jets—precesses like a spinning top, tracing a conical pattern every 162 days. As the jets sweep across the sky, their emission undergoes extreme Doppler shifting, which astronomers detect as visibly changing redshifts and blueshifts in the spectral lines of hydrogen and heavier elements. This unique behavior is what enabled SS 433 to become the first system in which relativistic jet speeds were measured outside of an active galactic nucleus.

The environment surrounding SS 433 adds yet another layer of complexity. The system lies at the center of the radio nebula W50, a distorted supernova remnant whose elongated, “manatee-shaped” structure appears to have been sculpted over tens of thousands of years by the persistent, high-energy jets emerging from SS 433. The interaction between these jets and the expanding supernova remnant creates shock waves, particle acceleration sites, and X-ray bright knots that provide insight into how jets deposit energy into their surroundings. Observations from XMM-Newton, Chandra, and radio observatories have revealed that the jets remain collimated over astonishing distances—on the order of dozens of light-years—before finally dispersing into the ambient medium. This durability indicates a stable launching mechanism and considerable energy output, both of which bolster the argument for a black hole rather than a neutron star as the jet-driving engine.

The debate over the compact object’s identity centers on mass estimates derived from orbital dynamics, emission modeling, and binary evolution theory. Early measurements suggested a mass around 10 M☉, comfortably within black hole territory, though later studies have proposed somewhat lower values consistent with heavy neutron stars. Yet the prevailing interpretation emphasizes the system’s extraordinary luminosity, steady high-rate accretion, and jet power—properties more naturally explained by a black hole feeding at or above its Eddington limit. SS 433 is one of the very few objects in the Galaxy that appears to host a supercritical accretion disk, a configuration in which the infalling matter produces thick disk winds and intense radiation pressure, conditions difficult for neutron stars to sustain. Simulations indicate that such a disk geometry can produce the observed precession and collimated outflows, providing a cohesive theoretical framework that aligns with decades of observation.

In the broader astrophysical context, SS 433 continues to serve as a bridge between stellar-mass black holes in our galaxy and the majestic quasars found in distant galaxies. Although microscopic by comparison, its disk–jet dynamics follow the same physical rules that govern the supermassive black holes in active galactic nuclei. Because SS 433 is nearby, bright, and persistently active, it offers a uniquely accessible view of the relativistic processes that shape cosmic evolution on every scale. As modern observatories—from high-resolution X-ray satellites to sensitive radio telescopes—continue to study the system, SS 433 provides ongoing opportunities to refine our understanding of how black holes feed, how jets form, and how extreme gravitational environments sculpt the universe around them. In many respects, SS 433 remains not just an astrophysical curiosity but a cornerstone for testing the laws of physics under conditions that cannot be reproduced anywhere on Earth.

Video credit: X-ray: (IXPE): NASA/MSFC/IXPE; (Chandra): NASA/CXC/SAO; (XMM): ESA/XMM-Newton; IR: NASA/JPL/Caltech/WISE; Radio: NRAO/AUI/NSF/VLA/B. Saxton. (IR/Radio image created with data from M. Goss, et al.); Image Processing/compositing: NASA/CXC/SAO/N. Wolk & K. Arcand; Sonification: NASA/CXC/SAO/K.Arcand, SYSTEM Sounds (M. Russo, A. Santaguida)