TYB
NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day
April 23, 2026
Large Scale Structure of the Universe
This is a map of the universe. The Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) at Kitt Peak National Observatory, Arizona, has finished its five-year survey. It observed more than 47 million galaxies and quasars and created a 3D map centered on the Earth. Today's featured image shows a thin slice of these data: the black gaps indicate where our Galaxy obscures distant objects. The feathery web in the inset shows the large scale structure of the universe. Light of the most distant galaxies shown here travelled for 11 billion years to reach the Earth. Galaxies cluster throughout cosmic history under the competing influences of gravity and dark energy, responsible for the accelerated expansion of the universe. Analysis of early DESI results hinted at the possibility that dark energy, described as a cosmological constant by Albert Einstein, may not be constant after all. But we still have to wait for the analysis of the now complete dataset. The nature of dark energy is the biggest mystery of cosmology.
https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/astropix.html
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kyA6RcDf1Y0
Solar Flares Return, Solar Watch is High, Organic Mars | S0 News and frosted frens
Apr.23.2026
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=89NzoaD6KR4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w6AQ8ut9soU (S0: MARS COVERUP - What is Really Happening?)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nEsLtHQo9QU (EarthMaster: New 4.8 Earthquake Nevada. Largest aftershock from the 5.7 EQ Wednesday Earthquake activity)
https://www.2news.com/news/local/magnitude-4-8-earthquake-rattles-parts-of-silver-springs/article_de3037a3-74d8-4e4a-84b7-ced17117d3c6.html
https://x.com/StefanBurnsGeo/status/2047194825758519354
https://x.com/OMApproach/status/2047298692554649805
https://x.com/MrMBB333/status/2047101892485075416
https://meteoagent.com/schumann-resonance-forecast
https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/map/
https://www.volcanodiscovery.com/earthquakes-volcanoes/news/300491/Volcano-earthquake-report-for-Thursday-23-Apr-2026.html
https://www.swpc.noaa.gov/
https://spaceweather.com/
ALMA Reveals Interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS Formed in a Far Colder World Than Our Own
23 April, 2026
First-ever measurement of deuterated water in an interstellar object shows its home system formed under extreme conditions
New observations from the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) have yielded the first-ever measurement of deuterated water — also known as semi-heavy water — in an interstellar object.
The discovery reveals that the interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS contains at least 30 times the proportion of semi-heavy water found in comets from our own Solar System, providing a direct chemical window into the frigid conditions under which its home star system formed.
The research was led by PhD student Luis E. Salazar Manzano at the University of Michigan, working with assistant professor Teresa Paneque-Carreño, who served as Principal Investigator of the ALMA Director's Discretionary Time program that made these observations possible.
The data were obtained with ALMA's Atacama Compact Array (ACA) just six days after 3I/ATLAS reached its closest point to the Sun — a narrow observing window made possible by ALMA's unique ability to point toward the solar direction, unlike most optical telescopes.
"Our new observations show that the conditions that led to the formation of our Solar System are much different from how planetary systems evolved in different parts of our Galaxy," said Salazar Manzano.
Comets are often nicknamed dirty snowballs, in part because of their high water content — water that carries frozen chemical records of the environment in which they formed.
Alongside ordinary water (H₂O), comets contain a molecular variant called deuterated water (HDO), in which one hydrogen atom is replaced by deuterium, a hydrogen atom with an extra neutron.
In Solar System comets, roughly one molecule of semi-heavy water exists for every ten thousand molecules of ordinary water. In 3I/ATLAS, that ratio is at least 30 times higher — and over 40 times the proportion found in Earth's oceans.
Notably, ordinary water (H₂O) itself fell below ALMA's detection threshold during these observations.
The team constrained the D/H ratio indirectly, by detecting HDO directly and inferring the water production rate through the excitation of methanol lines — a sophisticated modeling approach that showcases ALMA's unique analytical capabilities.
This elevated ratio points to an origin in an exceptionally cold and chemically distinct environment.
"The chemical processes that lead to the enhancement of deuterated water are really sensitive to temperature and usually require environments colder than about 30 Kelvin, or about minus 406 degrees Fahrenheit," explained Salazar Manzano.
The ratio was set as the comet's home system formed and has been preserved intact throughout its interstellar journey.
ALMA's instrumental role in this discovery was essential. Paneque-Carreño noted: "Most instruments can't point toward the Sun, but radio telescopes like ALMA can.
We were able to observe the comet within days after perihelion, just as it peeked out from its transit behind the Sun. This gave us a constraint on these molecules that's not possible using other instruments."
Beyond being a chemical fingerprint of a distant planetary system, the HDO/H₂O ratio carries a special cosmological significance: the abundances of deuterium and hydrogen were set during the Big Bang itself, making this measurement a uniquely fundamental probe of the conditions under which other worlds are born.
"Each interstellar comet brings a little bit of its history, its fossils, from elsewhere. We don't know exactly where, but with instruments like ALMA we can begin to understand the conditions of that place and compare them to our own," said Paneque-Carreño.
https://www.almaobservatory.org/en/press-releases/alma-reveals-interstellar-comet-3i-atlas-formed-in-a-far-colder-world-than-our-own/
other celestial objects
https://www.fox13now.com/news/local-news/northern-utah/fireball-seen-over-northern-utah-early-thursday-morning
https://www.livescience.com/space/comets/what-are-the-odds-superbright-comet-and-exploding-fireball-meteor-form-near-perfect-x-over-european-castle
https://earthsky.org/space/comet-r3-panstarrs-pics-and-chart/
https://avi-loeb.medium.com/evidence-for-the-first-generation-of-stars-dd353be7da95
https://www.ibtimes.co.uk/rare-interstellar-comet-3i-atlas-insight-early-milky-way-1793298
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bUVsvwKDZvQ (Dobsonian Power: LIVE TELESCOPE - MASSIVE SPACESHIP CAPTURED NEAR JUPITER!)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k5aUqKQ8KOg (Ray's Astro: How can We Land on the Moon With 20,000 Meteor Impacts a Year? | What They Don’t Explain)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DthtTdlFLsI (Chuck's Astro: Live - Lyrid Meteor Shower in Detroit)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BjuxOrDgmr0 (Changes Everything! Scientists Just Confirmed the Universe Doesn't Match Our Models)
>>24529675 LB
>what's going on?
made me think of this post.
What if…?
TUPACABRA
@tupacabra
🛸 The most underrated scene in Close Encounters of the Third Kind.
Pilots and soldiers from WWII are the first to exit the UFO. They haven't aged at all and the government appears to be expecting them. 🤯👀
10:03 AM · Apr 17, 2026
https://x.com/tupacabra/status/2045186339155673425
NASA Nuclear Engineer Found Dead In Burned Tesla, FBI Launches Multi-Agency ProbeThe FBI is investigating mysterious deaths and disappearances of US scientists linked to sensitive research.
Apr 23, 2026 18:53 pm IST
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has launched a multi-agency investigation into a series of mysterious deaths and disappearances among American scientists.
The probe has gained pace following new developments in the case of Joshua LeBlanc, a 29-year-old NASA aerospace technologies electrical engineer who disappeared in July last year.
LeBlanc, a key contributor to the critical nuclear propulsion project for future Mars missions, was found dead inside his burned Tesla in rural Alabama.
LeBlanc's car was found burned beyond recognition at about 2:45 pm local time after it collided with a guardrail and several trees, according to a report in New York Post.
Earlier in the morning, his family had reported him missing after he failed to show up at his job. The family at the time claimed that LeBlanc may have been kidnapped as he left his phone and wallet at home.
Using data from his Tesla Sentry Mode, the police found that the car had stood still at the airport in Huntsville for four hours on the morning of the death.
The FBI is now reviewing 11 cases of deaths and disappearances between 2022 and 2026, investigating potential links to sensitive national research.
Notable cases include MIT nuclear professor Nuno Loureiro, who was fatally shot in his home in 2025, and Amy Eskridge, an aerospace researcher whose 2022 death remains under scrutiny.
Others, including Los Alamos employee Melissa Casias and retired Air Force Major General Neil McCasland, have missing persons cases that remain unsolved.
“The FBI is spearheading the effort to look for connections into the missing and deceased scientists. We are working with the Department of Energy, Department of War, and with our state and local law enforcement partners to find answers," the agency said in a statement.
'We're Going to Look At It'
While no official link has been established, the White House is monitoring the growing number of mysterious deaths and disappearances involving US scientists and defence personnel.
On Sunday, Energy Secretary Chris Wright stated that the government was investigating the recent string of disappearances and deaths. He said a formal probe had been launched within the Department of Energy that's part of a coordinated investigation across various branches.
"A lot of the nuclear security scientists are in DOE. So yes, of course we are looking into this," said Wright, adding: "Hopefully, I don't know, coincidence, whatever you wanna call it, but some of them were very important people, and we're going to look at it."
https://www.ndtv.com/feature/nasa-nuclear-engineer-found-dead-in-burned-tesla-fbi-launches-multi-agency-probe-11399254
https://www.livemint.com/news/us-news/nasa-engineer-died-in-fiery-alabama-car-crash-last-year-death-adds-to-mystery-over-us-scientists-disappearances-11776955609595.html
DNA Research on Station Promoting Cancer Therapies, Radiation Repair
April 22, 2026 12:24PM
More biotechnology research was underway aboard the International Space Station on Wednesday taking advantage of the microgravity environment to boost knowledge about the properties of DNA and DNA-like nanomaterials.
The Expedition 74 crew also completed the installation of an advanced exercise device and tested a set of new virtual reality goggles while continuing to unpack a U.S. cargo spacecraft.
Flight engineers Chris Williams of NASA and Sophie Adenot of ESA (European Space Agency) joined each other in the Kibo laboratory module processing samples of genetic materials for the DNA Nano Therapeutics-3 experiment.
The investigation is exploring DNA-inspired assembly techniques as a way to manufacture treatments, or nano-therapies such as chemotherapy and immunotherapy, to kill cancer cells and activate the immune system.
The manufactured samples will be analyzed first on the orbital outpost with a spectrophotometer then returned to Earth for more analysis.
NASA flight engineer Jessica Meir began her shift swapping scientific hardware inside the Columbus laboratory module’s BioLab, an incubator supporting research into the effects of microgravity on small organisms.
The science maintenance work is supporting the Lux in Space investigation that observes how DNA damaged by space radiation repairs itself. While still working inside Columbus, Meir checked and secured power connections for the new European Enhanced Exploration Exercise Device, or E4D. The E4D is being tested for its ability to support crew workouts on missions to the Moon, Mars, and beyond.
Finally, Meir reviewed the Nevada Vision Screening System, a head-mounted virtual reality display that measures as astronaut’s visual function to protect eyesight in space.
NASA flight engineer Jack Hathaway worked throughout Wednesday supporting his crewmates with the scientific work then continued with cargo transfers and medical inventory management.
He first activated Kibo’s Life Science Glovebox enabling Williams and Adenot to work on the DNA therapy study then photographed Meir as she swapped hardware on the BioLab.
Next, Hathway unpacked more cargo from Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus XL resupply ship then refilled the Columbus lab’s Human Research Facility with medical gear including blood tube kits, needles, electrodes, and gloves.
Working together in the Roscosmos segment of the orbital outpost, flight engineers Sergei Mikaev and Andrey Fedyaev participated in a fitness evaluation.
Mikaev pedaled on an exercise cycle while attached to sensors measuring his cardiac activity while Fedyaev assisted him. Next, Fedyaev tested the operation of the Zvezda service module’s treadmill then worked on the Nauka science module’s orbital plumbing system.
Later, Mikaev joined station commander Sergey Kud-Sverchkov and began configuring simulation hardware that will help the duo prepare for the automated rendezvous and docking of the Progress 95 cargo mission planned for 8 p.m. EDT on Monday, April 27.
Kud-Sverchkov also worked inside the Zarya module replacing battery units inside its power supply system.
https://www.nasa.gov/blogs/spacestation/2026/04/22/dna-research-on-station-promoting-cancer-therapies-radiation-repair/
other NASA
https://www.nasa.gov/image-article/nasas-chandra-finds-young-stars-dim-quickly/
https://www.nasa.gov/news-release/nasa-astronaut-anil-menon-to-discuss-upcoming-launch-mission/
https://science.nasa.gov/earth/earth-observatory/smoke-shrouds-northern-thailand/
https://www.nasa.gov/image-article/night-and-earth-day/