On May 11, 2024, a rare blue-dominant aurora was seen in Japan. These auroras, captured in videos and images by the public, were analyzed by Sota Nanjo, a postdoctoral researcher at the Swedish Institute of Space Physics in Sweden, and Professor Kazuo Shiokawa at Nagoya University in Japan. The researchers propose a different explanation for the current theory, suggesting that nitrogen molecular ions might be accelerated into the magnetosphere through an unknown process. The new discovery prompts further investigation into how nitrogen ions, known to affect Earth through geomagnetic storms and auroras, can exist at high altitudes.

- A team of researchers from the UK and Europe used remote sensing data to describe the landscape structure of forest disturbances and assess how these differ across regions and under human influence

- The new study shows that humans leave consistent disturbance patterns on forest landscapes across the world, as captured by remote sensing data

- The study highlights that human activities are driving a homogenisation of disturbance structures worldwide, which may have profound consequences for forest ecology and functions in the future

Astrophysicists find the birth sites of gigantic elliptical galaxies which they say gives new clues about how they were formed. The galaxies look like bulging footballs and how they were created remains a mystery to scientists - until now.

The fate of telescopes in space is looking better now that they are being designed to be serviceable. Researchers developed a servicing plan that can be applied to future space observatories based on current missions such as the James Webb Space Telescope and the European Space Agency’s Gaia.

A research group led by Associate Professor Tatsuya Kobayashi, Assistant Professor Mikiro Yoshinuma, and Professor Katsumi Ida of the National Institute for Fusion Science (Toki City, Gifu Prefecture) has achieved a high-speed measurement of plasma distribution in phase-space using a data analysis method called phase-space tomography*1. Phase-space is expressed in terms of the coordinates of the position and velocity of plasma particles. Distortion of the plasma phase-space distribution can occur in high-temperature plasmas and is believed to have a significant impact on plasma performance. The research group conducted spectroscopic measurements to analyze the light emitted from plasma using three different types of devices, and measured the distortion of the plasma phase-space distribution with high precision, using phase-space tomography. They also found that the distortion is the result of efficient plasma heating mediated by waves. Observation of plasma phase-space distribution is an important theme not only in fusion plasmas but also in plasma research on celestial bodies, the sun, and auroras, and is expected to have a ripple effect.