The study by scientists at UCL (University College London) and the University of Cambridge has revealed that “space ice” is not as disordered as previously assumed. The most common form of ice in the Universe, low-density amorphous ice, contains tiny crystals (about three nanometers wide) embedded within its disordered structures.

For decades, scientists have believed that ice in space is completely amorphous, with colder temperatures meaning it does not have enough energy to form crystals when it freezes. However, the researchers used computer simulations and experimental work to show that this is not entirely true.

They found that low-density amorphous ice contains a mixture of crystalline and amorphous regions, rather than being completely disordered. This has significant implications for our understanding of water and life in the Universe.

The findings also have implications for one speculative theory about how life on Earth began, known as Panspermia. According to this theory, the building blocks of life were carried here on an ice comet. However, the researchers’ discovery suggests that this ice would be a less good transport material for these origin of life molecules.

Lead author Dr Michael B. Davies said: “We now have a good idea of what the most common form of ice in the Universe looks like at an atomic level.” The study’s results raise many additional questions about the nature of amorphous ices, and its findings may hold the key to explaining some of water’s many anomalies.

Co-author Professor Christoph Salzmann said: “Ice on Earth is a cosmological curiosity due to our warm temperatures. Ice in the rest of the Universe has long been considered a snapshot of liquid water.” However, this study shows that this is not entirely true, and that ice can take on different forms depending on its origin.

The research team’s findings also raise questions about amorphous materials in general, which have important uses in advanced technology. For instance, glass fibers that transport data long distances need to be amorphous for their function. If they do contain tiny crystals and we can remove them, this will improve their performance.

In conclusion, the study has revealed that cosmic ice is more complex than previously thought, with tiny crystals hidden within its disordered structures. This has significant implications for our understanding of water and life in the Universe, and raises many additional questions about the nature of amorphous ices.

Frozen in Time: Uncovering the Milky Way’s Recent Eruption

The universe has always been full of mysteries waiting to be unraveled. Recently, scientists have made a groundbreaking discovery that challenges our understanding of the Milky Way galaxy’s center. At the heart of this revelation lies the Fermi bubbles, enormous structures of hot gas extending above and below the galaxy’s disk, spanning a total height of 50,000 light years.

These bubbles are not just any ordinary features; they are a relatively recent discovery, first identified by telescopes that ‘see’ gamma rays in 2010. Theories about their formation vary, but one thing is certain – it was an extremely sudden and violent event, akin to a massive volcanic eruption on a cosmic scale.

Rongmon Bordoloi, associate professor of physics at North Carolina State University, and his research team used the U.S. National Science Foundation Green Bank Telescope (NSF GBT) to observe the Fermi bubbles in high resolution. Their measurements were twice as sensitive as previous radio telescope surveys, allowing them to uncover finer detail within the bubbles.

What they found was astonishing – dense clouds of neutral hydrogen gas, each measuring several thousand solar masses, dotted within the bubbles 12,000 light years above the center of the Milky Way. These clouds are cool, relative to their surroundings, with temperatures around 10,000 degrees Kelvin, which is significantly cooler than the hot, high-velocity environment of the nuclear outflow.

The existence of these clouds is surprising because the hot, high-velocity environment should have rapidly destroyed any cooler gas. Computer models show that cool clouds should be destroyed within a few million years, aligning with independent estimates of the Fermi bubbles’ age. However, this discovery reveals that the bubbles are much younger than previously estimated.

The team was also able to calculate the speed at which the gases are moving, further confirming the age. These gases are moving around a million miles per hour, marking the Fermi bubbles as a recent development – a phenomenon that occurred in cosmic time scales, equivalent to the blink of an eye.

This groundbreaking discovery challenges current understanding of how cold clouds can survive the extreme energetic environment of the Galactic Center. The findings provide a crucial benchmark for simulations of galactic feedback and evolution, reshaping our view of how energy and matter cycle through galaxies.

The work appears in Astrophysical Journal Letters and is supported by the National Science Foundation under grant number AST-2206853. This research opens up new avenues for scientists to explore and understand the mysteries of the universe, one discovery at a time.

The cosmic explosion that marks the end of a star’s life has long been a topic of fascination for astronomers. For the first time, scientists have captured visual evidence of a star meeting its end by detonating twice. The remains of supernova SNR 0509-67.5, studied with the European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope (ESO’s VLT), show patterns that confirm its star suffered a pair of explosive blasts.

The explosions of white dwarfs play a crucial role in astronomy. Much of our knowledge of how the Universe expands rests on Type Ia supernovae, and they are also the primary source of iron on our planet, including the iron in our blood. However, despite their importance, the exact mechanism triggering these explosions remains unsolved.

All models that explain Type Ia supernovae begin with a white dwarf in a pair of stars. If it orbits close enough to the other star in this pair, the dwarf can steal material from its partner. In the most established theory behind Type Ia supernovae, the white dwarf accumulates matter from its companion until it reaches a critical mass, at which point it undergoes a single explosion.

However, recent studies have hinted that at least some Type Ia supernovae could be better explained by a double explosion triggered before the star reached this critical mass. This alternative model suggests that the white dwarf forms a blanket of stolen helium around itself, which can become unstable and ignite. This first explosion generates a shockwave that travels around the white dwarf and inwards, triggering a second detonation in the core of the star — ultimately creating the supernova.

Until now, there had been no clear, visual evidence of a white dwarf undergoing a double detonation. Recently, astronomers have predicted that this process would create a distinctive pattern or fingerprint in the supernova’s still-glowing remains, visible long after the initial explosion. Research suggests that remnants of such a supernova would contain two separate shells of calcium.

Astronomers have now found this fingerprint in a supernova’s remains. Ivo Seitenzahl, who led the observations and was at Germany’s Heidelberg Institute for Theoretical Studies when the study was conducted, says these results show “a clear indication that white dwarfs can explode well before they reach the famous Chandrasekhar mass limit, and that the ‘double-detonation’ mechanism does indeed occur in nature.”

The team were able to detect these calcium layers (in blue in the image) in the supernova remnant SNR 0509-67.5 by observing it with the Multi Unit Spectroscopic Explorer (MUSE) on ESO’s VLT. This provides strong evidence that a Type Ia supernova can occur before its parent white dwarf reaches a critical mass.

Type Ia supernovae are key to our understanding of the Universe. They behave in very consistent ways, and their brightness allows them to be seen from vast distances. By studying these cosmic events, scientists gain insights into the life cycles of stars and the evolution of the cosmos itself.

The discovery of a double-detonation mechanism in Type Ia supernovae has significant implications for our understanding of the Universe. It suggests that these explosions can occur at different stages of a star’s life, potentially leading to new observations and a deeper understanding of the cosmic web.

As scientists continue to study the remnants of supernova SNR 0509-67.5, they may uncover more secrets about the double-detonation mechanism and its role in shaping the Universe. The findings of this research have far-reaching implications for our understanding of the cosmos and the life cycles of stars.