(C) Daily Kos
This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered.
. . . . . . . . . .



Overnight News Digest July 19th 2025 Science Edition [1]

['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.']

Date: 2025-07-19

x Scientists have released the closest images ever taken near the sun, captured by NASA’s Parker Solar Probe flying 3.8 million miles above the solar surface. See more images of solar eruptions on the sun: wapo.st/3Irm3P3 — The Washington Post (@washingtonpost.com) 2025-07-15T13:27:27.659Z

If This Comet Is What We Think It Is, It’s Unlike Any Object Humanity Has Ever Seen

Few rogue interstellar objects (ISOs) have entered our Solar System. ‘Oumuamua nearly broke the internet in 2017 when it streaked past, and Comet 2I/Borisov was caught trespassing by NASA Hubble Space Telescope in 2019. Now, we have another interloper. Astronomers first observed Comet 31/ATLAS on July 1. Though its origins remain unknown, the researchers who have eyes on it think the flying hunk of ice, dust, and frozen gases came from what is known as the thick disk of the Milky Way. This region of ancient stars—most over 10 billion years old—is scattered in a layer above and below our galaxy’s thin disk (which is populated by younger stars). If 31/ATLAS really was born in the thick disk, it might be the oldest comet ever spotted, at around 7 billion years old; that’s 3 billion years older than the Solar System. And the way it moves suspiciously up and down in the galactic plane is possibly indicative of an object having originated from and stayed in the disk for literal eons. If we’re lucky, it could give us an inside look at the formation of the early Milky Way.

Welcome to the Overnight News Digest with a crew consisting of founder Magnifico, regular editors side pocket, maggiejean, Chitown Kev, eeff, Magnifico, annetteboardman, Besame, jck, JeremyBloom, and doomandgloom. Alumni editors include (but not limited to) Interceptor 7, Man Oh Man (RIP), wader, Neon Vincent, palantir, Patriot Daily News Clearinghouse (RIP), ek hornbeck (RIP), rfall, ScottyUrb, Doctor RJ, BentLiberal, Oke (RIP) and jlms qkw. OND is a regular community feature on Daily Kos since 2007, consisting of news stories from around the world, sometimes coupled with a daily theme, original research or commentary. Editors of OND impart their own presentation styles and content choices, typically publishing each day near 12:00 AM Eastern Time. Please feel free to share your articles and stories in the comments.

x The heat index reached 149°F (65°C) in Iran along the Persian Gulf today.



Deadly heat and humidity. pic.twitter.com/fh6DJBw6wU — Colin McCarthy (@US_Stormwatch) July 16, 2025

Scientist issue warning about concerning phenomenon ahead of upcoming winter season: 'Keeps the surface cooler'

Experts have projected record low levels of Arctic sea ice for the coming winter, which counterintuitively could mean frigid conditions for the United States, Canada, and Europe, Severe Weather Europe reported. The Arctic ice melting season typically runs from March to September, and already scientists have observed record low levels of ice for the time of year, per Severe Weather Europe. Unlike the ice sheets of Antarctica and Greenland, Arctic sea ice does not sit atop a land mass. Instead, it floats in the ocean, meaning that when it melts, it does not contribute to sea-level rise in the same manner as melting land ice.

Experts issue warning on ocean phenomenon that could impact hurricane season: 'It's been notable over the month'

Despite rising sea surface temperatures across the globe, the emergence of an Atlantic Niña has brought cooler waters to portions of the Atlantic. However, experts believe that its potential effects may be short-lived. An Atlantic Niña, characterized by persistent cool surface temperatures in the tropical Atlantic, typically lasts for at least two consecutive three-month periods. An Atlantic Niña can cool the eastern equatorial Atlantic Ocean by over one degree Fahrenheit below normal. In August 2024, a report from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration first made note of the potential for the development of an Atlantic Niña.

x What would you do if you were in this situation?😳 pic.twitter.com/syVY3rjxLi — Nature is Amazing ☘️ (@AMAZlNGNATURE) July 18, 2025

JWST finds unusual black hole in the center of the Infinity Galaxy: 'How can we make sense of this?'

Using the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), astronomers have discovered an oddball galaxy, dubbed the Infinity Galaxy, that could be host to a "direct collapse black hole." That is, a black hole originally created directly from a vast cloud of collapsing gas and dust rather than a dying star. The Infinity Galaxy gets its name from the fact that its shape resembles an infinity symbol (a sideways 8) with two red lobes or "nuclei." This shape is thought to have arisen because the Infinity Galaxy was formed as two disk galaxies engaged in a head-on collision. What makes this highly unusual is the fact that this black hole sits between the two colliding galaxies in a vast cloud of gas, rather than in either respective nucleus. From its perch between these galaxies, the black hole now feeds greedily on that gas, but researchers think that same cloud also once birthed it. That would make this the first observational evidence of the direct collapse pathway of black hole birth.

Shipping company unveils game-changing vessel that will traverse seas using ancient tech: 'The beginning of a new era'

This time, London's Union Maritime is outfitting its Brands Hatch tanker with 123-foot-tall windcatchers that are projected to cut dirty fuel consumption by more than 1,320 tons each year, according to Renewable Energy Magazine and a news release from Lloyd's Register. The London firm specializes in maritime classification and compliance services and was involved with this project from "design to delivery." The massive 114,000 deadweight-ton tanker is now the most powerful wind-assisted ship on the seas. Union's plan is for 34 ships to eventually be aided by the wind, with 14 featuring WindWings designed by the United Kingdom's BAR Technologies. Brands Hatch's sails were manufactured by CMET, according to Renewable Energy Magazine. The sails aren't something Blackbeard would find familiar. They are tall, rigid rectangles made from "robust marine steel and advanced industrial composite construction materials," per BAR's website.

x Sunset in Arizona

pic.twitter.com/6kX2d6AoSJ — Science girl (@gunsnrosesgirl3) July 16, 2025

Scientists Just Solved a Solar Mystery That Baffled Humanity For Centuries

Sunspots were observed on the surface of our star centuries before Galileo suffered eye damage peering at them through his telescope. The first known records were written down by Chinese astronomers in 27 B.C., but observation may go even further back if Greek philosopher Anaxagoras really, ahem, spotted one in 467 B.C. While some of the ancients thought that these shadows on our star meant changes in the cosmos, sunspots are surprisingly stable—and now we know why. Sunspots are actually byproducts of magnetic field chaos. Inside the sun’s convective zone, scorching plasma cools as it moves towards the solar surface, taking energy with it. This plasma becomes denser as it loses heat and sinks, forming cooler dark spots until heat from further inside the sun causes it to rise again. And all the while, magnetic fields keep twisting and breaking and rearranging themselves. This explains the association of sunspots with the outbursts we know as solar flares and coronal mass ejections, which can release enough electromagnetic radiation to threaten satellites and electrical infrastructure on Earth. More stable sunspots can possibly give more insight to the solar activity cycle, which is about 11 years long and peaks during a solar maximum. Previous explanations for their stability suggested an equilibrium between magnetic fields and gas pressure, but magnetic turmoil has long made this difficult to observe. Now, an international research team using Germany’s GREGOR solar telescope has finally cleared up the hazy observations of sunspots with a new method that removes interference from Earth’s atmosphere and reveals strikingly clear images.

Scientists discover worrying phenomenon after drilling into glaciers: 'We need to be prepared'

Scientists tracking the loss of glaciers in the Swiss Alps have uncovered an alarming development regarding their disappearance, and it could have devastating implications for the future. Most discussions about the loss of glaciers tend to focus on the polar ice caps, but Switzerland is rightly regarded as the undisputed European capital of glaciers. There are around 1,400 glaciers in the landlocked European nation that provide drinking water and irrigation for millions. As global temperatures rise, they're disappearing at an unsustainable rate. The Associated Press reported that 1,000 smaller glaciers have been lost, and things don't look better for the larger ones. Scientists tracking the glaciers are drilling holes to gain further insights, and they have uncovered an alarming detail. Typically, a glacier melts from the top, but as glaciologist Matthias Huss of the Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich explained, they're also disappearing from the bottom.

x A time lapse photo of hundreds of Sunsets.😍 pic.twitter.com/RepPiSIF79 — Shining Science (@ShiningScience) July 8, 2025

A Gaping Hole Full of Milky Blue Water Has Appeared at Yellowstone

In April, when Yellowstone National Park geologists made their first visit this year to the Norris Geyser Basin, they encountered a new feature they hadn't seen before. They were checking the area's temperature logging stations, a routine maintenance job – but since their last visit, something was different. Where previously there had been a rather featureless patch of ground at the northwestern tip of a landmark known informally as 'Tree Island', there was now a gaping hole about 4 meters (13 feet) wide, filled with milky, light blue water. Evidence of a violent birth lay scattered around the tranquil, warm waters: many rocks about 30 centimeters (1 foot) across, covered with a fine silt of light gray mud that matched the exposed walls of the young spring.

Officials celebrate as key reservoir reaches water levels not seen since 1941: 'Hope for robust water availability'

One of India's most iconic reservoirs has reached high water levels not seen since 1941, reported The Times of India. The Krishna Raja Sagar reservoir, which is used for irrigation in Mysore and Mandya and is the main source of drinking water for residents, had neared its highest levels in the month of June. "With the current water level at 120.2 feet, the dam is just a few feet shy of its full capacity," said Raghuram, executive engineer at Cauvery Neeravari Nigama Limited. It's the highest the water has been in recent history. According to Tamil Nadu Agriculture, the reservoir reached its full depth of 124.8 feet on July 3, an increase of 28.3 feet from the same time last year.

[END]
---
[1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/7/19/2333771/-Overnight-News-Digest-July-19th-2025-Science-Edition?pm_campaign=front_page&pm_source=trending&pm_medium=web

Published and (C) by Daily Kos
Content appears here under this condition or license: Site content may be used for any purpose without permission unless otherwise specified.

via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds:
gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/dailykos/

You are viewing proxied material from magical.fish. The copyright of proxied material belongs to its original authors. Any comments or complaints in relation to proxied material should be directed to the original authors of the content concerned. Please see the disclaimer for more details.