gravity Archives

Space experiments identify pathways that transmit external information into cells - Overview of gravity-mediated mitochondrial translation regulation (generated by Issei Takahashi)

Gravity Activates Mitochondrial Translation

by Keith CowingJuly 2, 2026July 2, 2026

Space experiments identify pathways that transmit external information into cells – Overview of gravity-mediated mitochondrial translation regulation (generated by Issei Takahashi) [RIKEN] An international collaborative research group consisting of Shintaro […]

GLS periodograms of individual wavelength contrast lightcurves. In each of the panels, the light pink, dark pink, and black highlighted lines are the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd 12CO bandheads, respectively. The grey horizontal lines indicate the 1%, 5%, and 10% false alarm probabilities. The black vertical lines indicate the expected rotation period at 8.7 hrs and its first integer harmonic at 4.35 hrs. The top panel shows the uncorrected periodogram, with all wavelengths significantly affected by systematic effects caused by the fibre coupling. The middle panel shows the periodogram after the polynomial correction, while the bottom panel adds Gaussian smoothing to this to highlight strong periodic signals. -- astro-ph.EP

Astrochemistry, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Beta Pictoris, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Interstellar, Status Report

13CO And Potential Variability In β Pictoris b With GRAVITY+

by Keith CowingJune 14, 2026June 14, 2026

The 12CO/13CO ratio was introduced as an indicator for where in the disk a planet has formed. Previously a lower value compared to the host star’s was suggested to show […]

Left panel: Original L-band detection of CC1 in Close et al. (2025a). Middle panel: New H-band detection of WISPIT 2c following RDI. We show a confined annulus that was used for optimal stellar signal subtraction. Note that the bright arch on the right side of the annulus is the forward scattering side of the circumstellar disk. Right panel: Detection map of WISPIT 2c planet with VLTI/GRAVITY on the night of 2025-10-04. The map shows the periodogram power maps of a point source companion as a function of angular offset from the star, where the companion location corresponds to the strongest peak. -- ESO

Astrogeology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Press Release

A Solar System In The Making?

by Keith CowingMarch 25, 2026March 25, 2026

Astronomers have observed two planets forming in the disc around a young star named WISPIT 2. Having previously detected one planet, the team have now employed European Southern Observatory (ESO) […]

Time-dependent geoid predictions. Geoid anomalies are shown at: (A) 65 Ma, (B) 40 Ma, and (C) 0 Ma, predicted from the time-dependent reconstruction of 3D mantle structure at 70 Ma. (D) The geoid anomalies based on present-day GyPSuM tomography model. In all cases, the V1 viscosity model is employed, and the geoid predictions are represented by a spherical harmonic expansion truncated at degree 32. The yellow star marks the present-day geographical location of Earth’s lowest point for nonhydrostatic geoid based on the Chambat et al. ellipticity correction. The magenta star marks the location of the maximum geoid depression after removal of the gravitational signal generated by isostatically compensated crustal heterogeneity. This crust-corrected, nonhydrostatic geoid was employed as a constraint in the derivation of the GyPSuM tomography model. The black and grey lines display the reconstruction position of the plate boundaries and coastlines. Regional variance reduction values over Antarctica (lat ≤ –60°) are: 94% (observation, Fig. 1B, vs. initial GyPSuM model, Fig. 2D), 88% (observation, Fig. 1B, vs. prediction, Fig. 2C), and 96% (initial GyPSuM model, Fig. 2D, vs. prediction, Fig. 2C). -- Scientific Reports

Arctic / Antarctic / Alpine, Astrogeology, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Press Release

Antarctica Sits Above Earth’s Strongest Gravity Hole

by Keith CowingMarch 3, 2026March 3, 2026

Gravity feels reliable — stable and consistent enough to count on. But reality is far stranger than our intuition.

Analytical predictions for the astrometric effect of a moon with varying mass and distance to HD 206893 B. GRAVITY could in principle detect moons lower than a Neptune mass at larger periods. The fit of the GRAVITY data is shown as a green point assuming the mass and period as upper limits in our tentative detection. The orange area shows the plausible parameter space where a moon could be located, and still be potentially detectable with GRAVITY assuming an astrometric accuracy of 10 µas (see section 3.3). -- astro-ph.EP

Astronomy & Telescopes, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Status Report

Exomoon Search With VLTI/GRAVITY Around The Substellar Companion HD 206893 B

by Keith CowingNovember 26, 2025June 10, 2026

Direct astrometric detection of exomoons remains unexplored. This study presents the first application of high-precision astrometry to search for exomoons around substellar companions.

Impacts of microgravity on plants (A) At the phenotypic level, plants exhibit random root growth direction, larger branch and silique angles, delayed flowering, and smaller seed size. (B) At the cellular level, plants in microgravity show dispersed amyloplasts, enhanced cell proliferation, and thinner, less rigid cell walls. (C) Omics analyses reveal alterations in several signaling pathways under microgravity, including those related to the cell wall, stress responses, reactive oxygen species, and epigenetic regulation. -- Plant Communications

Astropharmacy / Biotechnology, Gravitational Biology, Life Support Systems, Microgravity, Plant Biology, Space Agriculture, Space Life Science, Status Report

Exploring Plant Responses To Altered Gravity For Advancing Space Agriculture

by Keith CowingJuly 14, 2025July 14, 2025

Plants are vital to human space exploration, providing oxygen, food, and psychological benefits to astronauts while contributing to water regeneration by recycling organic waste.

a) Potential array layout of an Extended VLTI configuration, using the hills sourrounding the existing infrastructure of Paranal. b) Brown-dwarf and exoplanet radii in our Solar system neighborhood which could be resolved by a kilometer baseline interferometer. -- astro-ph.IM

Astronomy & Telescopes, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Status Report

Kilometer-baseline Interferometry: Science Drivers For The Next Generation Instrument

by Keith CowingOctober 30, 2024October 30, 2024

Infrared interferometry has seen a revolution over the last few years. The advent of GRAVITY+ is about to enable high-contrast observations, all-sky coverage and faint science up to K=21, with […]

Cartoon illustrating the physical configuration for sustaining a hydrothermal siphon, with primary driving and resistive forces as applied in this study. Terms are discussed in text and combined in Equation 2. ∆Pv (>0) is primary driving energy in simulations, based on differences in temperature and density between recharging and discharging columns of pore fluid. ∆PR, ∆PD, ∆PC, and ∆PL (≤0) are pressure (energy) losses, depending on formation properties and the extent of secondary convection. ∆Psiph is what remains of ∆Pv after accounting for loss terms, available to drive siphon flow. s = sediment/conductive boundary layer, bu = upper rocky layer, ba = aquifer layer. This cartoon neglects other potential driving forces such as tidal pumping and buoyancy generated by exothermic reactions. -- Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets

Astrogeology, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Enceladus, Europa, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Gravitational Biology, Habitable Zones, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Missions & Hardware, ROVs/Submersibles/Diving, Status Report, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography

Sustaining Hydrothermal Circulation With Gravity Relevant to Ocean Worlds

by Keith CowingJune 28, 2024June 28, 2024

Some ocean worlds may sustain active, seafloor hydrothermal systems, but the characteristics and controls on fluid-heat transport in these systems are not well understood.

Gravitational Biology, Moon, Plant Biology, Press Release

Gravitational Action Of Sun And Moon Influences Behavior Of Animals And Plants, Study Shows

by Keith CowingJanuary 5, 2022August 23, 2022

The rhythms of activity in all biological organisms, both plants and animals, are closely linked to the gravitational tides created by the orbital mechanics of the Sun-Earth-Moon system. This truth […]

Image: Satellite data over the tropics, between 10 degrees S and 10 degrees N, shows a slight dip in rainfall when the moon is directly overhead or underfoot. The top panel shows the air pressure, the middle shows the rate of change in air pressure, and the bottom shows the rainfall difference from the average. The change is 0.78 micrometers, or less than one ten thousandth of an inch, per hour. Credit: Tsubasa Kohyama/University of Washington

Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Gaia - Planetary Perspectives, Moon, Press Release

Phase of the Moon affects Amount of Rainfall

by Keith CowingJanuary 31, 2016June 13, 2024

When the moon is high in the sky, it creates bulges in the planet’s atmosphere that creates imperceptible changes in the amount of rain that falls below.

gravity

Gravity Activates Mitochondrial Translation

13CO And Potential Variability In β Pictoris b With GRAVITY+

A Solar System In The Making?

Antarctica Sits Above Earth’s Strongest Gravity Hole

Exomoon Search With VLTI/GRAVITY Around The Substellar Companion HD 206893 B

Exploring Plant Responses To Altered Gravity For Advancing Space Agriculture

Kilometer-baseline Interferometry: Science Drivers For The Next Generation Instrument

Sustaining Hydrothermal Circulation With Gravity Relevant to Ocean Worlds

Gravitational Action Of Sun And Moon Influences Behavior Of Animals And Plants, Study Shows

Phase of the Moon affects Amount of Rainfall

NASA Establishes Mars Forward Operational Risk and Contamination Evaluation (M-FORCE) Tiger Team to Shape Mars Planetary Protection Protocols

Opportunity to Contribute to NASA DARES Community White Paper on Phototrophic Biosignatures

The Search For Life Elsewhere: Avoiding Hype and Fostering Public Understanding

Panchromatic Spectra of Nearby Low-mass and Sun-like Stars with Directly Imageable Habitable Zones

Alfred: A Flexible, User-Friendly Python Package for Exoplanet Confirmation