Astronomers have confirmed that ASASSN-24fw dimmed by an extraordinary 97% over a period of more than nine months, starting in late 2024 making it one of the longest and deepest stellar eclipses ever recorded. The star, located in the Monoceros constellation, was monitored through sky surveys that track brightness changes in stars over time. The data clearly shows a prolonged and structured drop in light, far beyond what a normal planet could cause. Scientists say the most likely explanation is a massive ringed object passing in front of the star either a brown dwarf or a super Jupiter–type planet. Unlike typical transits that last hours or days, this event stretched across months, pointing to something enormous in size. The ring system itself is estimated to span about 16 million miles (25 million km), making it one of the largest ever inferred. As different parts of the rings moved across the star, they created layered dimming patterns, which allowed astronomers to study the...
NASA’s SPHEREx (Spectro-Photometer for the History of the Universe, Epoch of Reionization, and Ices Explorer) telescope has successfully completed its first full 3D infrared map of the sky, revealing hundreds of millions of galaxies across 102 distinct wavelengths.
This massive survey allows scientists to see the universe in three dimensions, capturing both the positions and chemical fingerprints of galaxies. Researchers will use this dataset to study galaxy evolution, the distribution of dark matter, and organic molecules throughout space — data that could reshape our understanding of the cosmos.
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SPHEREx’s infrared capabilities let it detect objects and features invisible to visible-light telescopes. By observing in 102 spectral bands, it can measure galaxy properties such as composition, age, and motion, and trace the large-scale structure of the universe.
“The SPHEREx mission is like giving astronomers a cosmic MRI,” said a NASA scientist. “We’re not just seeing where galaxies are; we’re understanding their chemistry and how the universe evolved over billions of years.”
The survey will also provide critical insights into dark energy and dark matter, which together make up more than 95% of the universe’s mass-energy content. By analyzing how galaxies cluster and move, astronomers can better understand the forces shaping the cosmos.
Additionally, SPHEREx is poised to identify regions rich in organic molecules and ices, helping scientists investigate the building blocks of life and how they are distributed throughout the galaxy.
With the first complete dataset in hand, NASA plans to release much of the information to the global scientific community, allowing astronomers worldwide to explore the most comprehensive 3D infrared view of the universe ever captured.

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