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In this newsletter

• Cosmic ‘ghost particle’ with highest energy ever

• NASA highlights sinking of California coast

• Asteroid to hit Earth in 2032

• Some hummingbirds live in a hive

Cosmic ‘ghost particle’ with highest energy ever

Using a giant network of sensors, astronomers have found a ‘ghost particle’ formally known as neutrino, which has 30 times more energy than any of the hundreds of neutrinos previously observed. These particles can pass through any kind of matter and are extremely vaporous or volatile, earning the moniker ‘ghost particles’. 

They barely interact with matter and can traverse stars and galaxies unchanged. The record-breaking neutrino, KM3-230213A, possessed an energy of 220 million billion electron volts. This is 30,000 times greater than what CERN's Large Hadron Collider can achieve.

Though neutrinos rarely interact with matter, they do interact with ice and water, producing a detectable bluish light when they strike. This light can be captured by optical sensors making their detection possible.

On February 13, 2023, Cubic Kilometre Neutrino Telescope (KM3NeT's) ARCA detector, located 11,319 feet (3,450 meters) deep in the Mediterranean, registered the record-breaking neutrino. Despite being only 10% complete, the ARCA detector registered the record-breaking neutrino traveling horizontally through it, as it triggered over a third of its sensors and recorded more than 28,000 photons.

The neutrino's energy amounts to 0.04 joules, which can power a small LED for about a second but is ultra-energetic on a particle scale. 

Researchers suspect a powerful event, like a gamma-ray burst or cosmic ray interaction with cosmic microwave background photons, created this neutrino likely far beyond the Milky Way.

The analysis was published in the journal Nature. 

NASA highlights sinking of California coast

 A NASA study of California demonstrates how even small land movements can substantially affect local sea levels in the coming decades. California's sea levels are projected to rise by nearly 15 inches by 2050, driven by melting ice and warming oceans.

JPL and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) researchers used data from Sentinel-1 satellite data, along with InSAR (Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar) technique to map changes in California's coastline.

In the San Francisco Bay Area, subsidence of over 0.4 inches/year is expected which could lead to sea level rise exceeding 17 inches by 2050. Conversely, uplift was observed in Santa Barbara and Long Beach, where sea level projection uncertainties of up to 15 inches in parts of Los Angeles and San Diego are expected due to human activities.

Central Valley subsidence up to 8 inches/year, is linked to groundwater withdrawal. This study demonstrates the unpredictable nature of vertical land motion, influenced by both human activities (e.g., groundwater pumping) and natural processes (e.g., tectonic activity).

Satellite observations provide more accurate land motion and relative sea level rise estimates than current tide gauge-based models. The NASA study highlights the importance of considering land elevation changes in adaptation strategies.

The study was published in Science Advances.

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Asteroid to hit Earth in 2032

An asteroid has a 1 in 48 chance of hitting the Earth in 2032. The space rock is designated as 2024 YR4 is 177-feet (54-meter) wide asteroid about the size of the Leaning Tower of Pisa.

Discovered by NASA's Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System (ATLAS) on December 27, 2024, asteroid 2024 YR4 quickly became a top concern and is ranking high on the Center for Near Earth Objects Study (CNEOS) Sentry impact risk table. It is gaining due to its potential impact probability increasing over the next seven years.

The object was detected using twelve 200-second exposures in the red band, where its motion was tracked. However, its receding trajectory means a clear ground-based view may be delayed.

The asteroid will become increasingly faint until mid-March and only be visible to ground telescopes around mid-2028 as it approaches Earth.

Details were published by Space.com. 

Some hummingbirds live in a hive

Despite being tiny and delicate, hummingbirds are among the most aggressive birds in the avian kingdom. They compete with other hummingbirds over patches of flowers or mates, where one can see high-speed aerial chases, dive bombing, and even beak jousting.

But recently, an ornithologist stumbled in a cave full of hummingbirds in Ecuador’s High Andes. He documented 23 birds and four chicks, all of the subspecies known as Chimborazo hillstar. This is the first documented example of hummingbirds that have nested and rooted communally.

Further exploration in the region led to the discovery of more such hives leading to the conclusion that the birds were actively choosing to live in groups. It could be that harsh environmental conditions along the Chimborazo volcano caused the birds to aggregate.

Animals that live in colonies usually benefit from their neighbours. They work together to find food and predators. In the case of hummingbirds in colonies there is no evidence of social behavior but they seem to departed and return to the cave in cohesive social groups.

Through behavioural surveys, researchers aim to find if hummingbirds are merely tolerating each other or are actively cooperating.

The discovery is published in the journal Ornithology.

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Thanks for reading.
Until next time,
Adya