This ultra-fast black hole stuns scientists: “It breaks all known physics” - Futura, le média qui explore le monde

More than 99% of the US population lives under light-polluted skies, according to a 2016 study published in Science Advances. With streetlights, brightly lit parking lots, arenas, and passing headlights brightening the night, it can be easy to forget how dark the sky actually is and how many stars appear when you get away from populated areas. Seeing that many stars for the first time can make you pause and remember where you truly are. You are on a rock spinning through space, surrounded by a universe filled with stars, planets, and galaxies larger than anything you can imagine. A remote mountain excursion can combine a dark sky encounter with a day of hiking and sightseeing. After sunset, bright stars emerge above the slopes and ridgelines. These American mountains lie within officially designated dark sky locations that protect natural darkness and the views of the universe it reveals. In northeastern New Mexico, Capulin Volcano sits among volcanic cones, mesas, and buttes in one of the darker areas of the lower 48 states. These landforms help shield the night sky from distant lights, while the rugged terrain has discouraged development in the area.

Here is SpacePolicyOnline.com’s list of space policy events for the week of October 18-24, 2026 and any insight we can offer about them. The House and Senate are in recess, except for pro forma sessions, until after the midterm elections. This week has two especially interesting events — the launch of JAXA’s Martian Moons eXploration (MMX) mission tomorrow (Monday) afternoon EDT, and a NASA update on the Artemis program on Friday — plus many others. We’re also keeping track of the discussions on social media about the very close approach of Russia’s Kosmos 2612 to the U. S.-registered ICEYE X36 Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) satellite.

We’re sharing this article early to provide faster access to peer-reviewed, accepted research. It is citable and carries a permanent DOI. This version is subject to further edits and will be replaced automatically by the final Version of Record. All legal disclaimers apply. AbstractSodium-salt-based physical inhibitors reduce coal–oxygen interactions through moisture absorption and retention in the prevention of coal spontaneous combustion, but their wetting and spreading performance on coal surfaces can be further improved. To enhance the overall inhibition performance of sodium-salt-based inhibitors, the anionic surfactant sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) was introduced to modify the sodium chloride (NaCl) inhibition system, and the optimal composite inhibitor formulation was selected through experimental characterization and comprehensive evaluation using the entropy weight method. The results showed that SDS further enhanced the moisture-regulation capacity of the NaCl system.

We’re sharing this article early to provide faster access to peer-reviewed, accepted research. It is citable and carries a permanent DOI. This version is subject to further edits and will be replaced automatically by the final Version of Record. All legal disclaimers apply. AbstractThis study presents the development of high-sensitivity real-time X-ray dosimeters based on room-temperature-vulcanized (RTV-2) silicone nanocomposites incorporating 0–60 wt% Bi2O3 nanoparticles, fabricated via solution casting. Structural and morphological characterization using X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) with elemental mapping, and elemental analysis confirmed the uniform dispersion of monoclinic Bi2O3 nanorods within the amorphous RTV-2 matrix. Complementary Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), Raman spectroscopy, and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) validated the chemical integrity, thermal stability, and mechanical robustness of the resulting nanocomposites. Dosimetric performance was investigated under diagnostic-range X-ray exposure using a COMET MXR 320/26 source (dose rates: 2.8–12 mGy/min).

Antarctica’s towering ice cliffs may be more resilient than scientists once feared. New satellite observations reveal surprising natural mechanisms that could reshape predictions of future sea level rise. Credit: ShutterstockSatellite observations show Antarctic ice cliffs stabilizing after unexpectedly rapid collapse, challenging assumptions about runaway ice loss and its contribution to rising seas. Antarctica’s ice shelves help hold back the ice sheet behind them, but rising temperatures are causing these supports to melt and break apart at record rates. As sheer ice cliffs are left exposed, scientists have worried that a collapse could reveal a taller cliff farther inland, setting off a chain of failures that eats into the ice sheet and raises seas worldwide. In a four-year satellite survey of more than 15,000 Antarctic ice cliffs, researchers at MIT and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) found that the tallest cliffs they examined closely did collapse, and the ice sheet in those regions retreated faster than models predicted. “But that retreat was short-lived,” says Caroline Needell, a graduate student in the MIT-WHOI Joint Program.