There’s something magnetic about Sagittarius. This zodiac sign, active from November 22 to December 21, carries a spark that feels instantly recognizable—bold, curious, and constantly on the move. Sagittarius blends passion, intensity, and flexibility in a way that sets them apart. Their symbol, the archer, reflects a spirit that shoots toward distant horizons, eager to uncover meaning in places many people would skip. From remote rivers to historic sites filled with forgotten stories, Sagittarius pursues knowledge with an energy that rarely slows down. The Core Nature of Sagittarius Sagittarius is the final fire sign, and its traits burn with motion and curiosity. This sign is mutable, which explains its constant pull toward change and exploration. Freedom...
In his newest deep-space image, astrophotographer Greg Meyer turns the cosmos into a canvas. His subject — a nebula shaped like a furious baboon — has been dubbed the Rampaging Baboon Nebula. Streams of gas and dust weave through the frame, glowing in hues that give the scene a startling sense of movement. The photograph spotlights the complex beauty and creative chaos that define our galaxy’s stellar nurseries. A Nebula Like No Other The nebula lies about 500 light-years away in the constellation Corona Australis. Its shape suggests the face of a mandrill, with molecular dust sculpting the mouth and facial contours. The bright blue eyes are created by reflection nebulas that scatter starlight, adding a...
Lightning might seem like a sudden burst from the sky, but the science behind it runs deep—and recent research has added an electrifying twist. Scientists have long known that thunderstorms build electrical charges until they discharge in brilliant flashes of lightning. What’s new is the evidence pointing to an unexpected trigger: cosmic rays. Researchers at Los Alamos National Laboratory have uncovered clues that suggest lightning may actually start with particles from outer space, opening a fresh angle on this natural phenomenon. A Shift in Understanding Thunderclouds have always been the stage for lightning. Traditional understanding says it begins when opposite charges build up in a storm—positive at the top, negative at the bottom. Once the difference...
The Vera C. Rubin Observatory has officially raised the bar for what “big data” means in astronomy. After releasing its first batch of cosmic images, the observatory isn't just capturing the night sky—it's creating one of the most extensive visual datasets humanity has ever seen. Powered by the world’s largest digital camera, the images are so detailed and expansive that processing them requires not just high-speed networks, but a whole digital ecosystem: seven international data brokers, three massive data centers, and a uniquely named management system called the Data Butler. The Scale of Rubin’s Cosmic Images What makes Rubin Observatory's contribution truly staggering is the sheer volume and precision of the data it collects. Once it...
In a groundbreaking observation, astronomers have captured an extraordinary moment in the cosmos—a high-speed, high-stakes confrontation between two galaxies over 11 billion light-years away. This isn’t just any merger. It’s a rare, aggressive event where one galaxy is striking the other with intense quasar radiation, dramatically changing its ability to form new stars. This unprecedented sighting is now offering a deeper look into how galaxies interact, evolve, and sometimes collide with devastating consequences. The "Cosmic Joust"—When Galaxies Collide Researchers used the combined power of ALMA and the Very Large Telescope (VLT) in Chile to observe two galaxies locked in what they describe as a “cosmic joust.” The term goes beyond metaphor—it reflects the actual movement. These...
While dark matter remains one of the universe’s greatest mysteries, scientists believe they are now one step closer to unlocking its secrets. A new device, creatively dubbed a "cosmic car radio," may soon allow researchers to detect particles believed to make up this invisible force. These elusive particles, called axions, could explain the untraceable gravitational pull influencing stars and galaxies. And now, thanks to groundbreaking research, scientists aim to locate them within just 15 years. What Are Axions and Why Do They Matter? One of the best candidates for dark matter is thought to be axions. These minuscule, lightweight particles behave more like waves, and their effects ripple across the cosmos. Although theorized for decades, scientists...
Why Mars’ Mantle Holds Clues to 4.5 Billion Years of Planetary History
Mars has always been a planet of mystery, but fresh research suggests the Red Planet hides something far more unusual beneath its surface. Instead of a neatly layered interior, scientists have discovered that Mars’ mantle may be filled with giant chunks of rock left over from its violent early years.
This finding reshapes the way experts view the inner structure of the planet and offers a rare glimpse into conditions dating back more than 4 billion years.
Mars’ Messy Interior
Instagram | nasasolarsystem | Rather than a tidy, layered structure, Mars has a chaotic and irregular mantle.
When most people think about the inside of a planet, the picture is often a series of tidy layers stacked one on top of another, like a clean geological cake. Mars, however, refuses to fit that description. Its mantle is irregular and chaotic, more like a hardened stew of scattered debris.
Seismic data gathered by NASA’s InSight lander between 2018 and 2022 revealed these details. Researchers studying the waves of eight strong marsquakes found clear patterns showing interference, a signal that Mars’ interior contains massive rock fragments. These blocks are not small—some are thought to be as wide as 2.5 miles (around 4 kilometers).
Traces of a Violent Past
The origin of these fragments goes back to a time when Mars was still young. During its early formation, the planet was hit by massive bodies, some almost the size of small planets themselves. The impacts generated extreme heat, creating vast oceans of magma across the surface.
As the molten layers cooled, they began to crystallize, leaving behind pieces with distinct chemical makeups. Those solidified fragments remained trapped inside the mantle, becoming permanent markers of Mars’ turbulent beginnings. Scientists now believe these preserved pieces are the very ones picked up in InSight’s seismic data.
Why Mars Preserves Its Past
Unlike Earth, where tectonic plates are constantly shifting and recycling crust into the mantle, Mars operates under a stagnant system. After the surface cooled billions of years ago, it formed a hard outer shell that locked the mantle in place. This lack of movement prevented the inner structure from blending or erasing the evidence of early collisions.
The result is a kind of planetary time capsule. Deep within Mars, the record of its formation and bombardment remains sealed and untouched, waiting for scientists to interpret through seismic signals.
A Window Into Planetary Formation
Freepik | The findings about Mars give us a better understanding of how rocky planets evolve.
The findings don’t just tell us about Mars—they also highlight the broader process of how rocky planets develop. Earth, Venus, and Mercury each followed their own geological paths. Mars, with its static interior, offers an unaltered archive of its earliest days. This makes it a valuable subject for understanding planetary formation across the solar system.
Data from InSight continues to reshape ideas about Mars long after the lander’s mission ended. Each quake recorded has opened new opportunities to “listen in” on the planet’s interior. The fact that researchers are still uncovering insights years later shows how rich the dataset truly is.
Looking Back 4.5 Billion Years
Peering into the Red Planet’s interior is like looking back through time. Every quake that shakes Mars carries traces of the planet’s birth and the catastrophic events that shaped it. These insights not only help explain Mars itself but also provide a window into how early Earth and other worlds might have formed before their surfaces changed beyond recognition.
Mars’ interior is far from smooth and predictable. Beneath its dusty surface lies a jumble of ancient rock fragments, remnants of colossal impacts from its early history. Thanks to seismic data from the InSight mission, scientists can now see beyond the planet’s crust and uncover its hidden story.
Mars stands today as a preserved record of planetary formation, a reminder that some worlds hold onto their past instead of rewriting it.
