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Newly Found Spider Web Traverses Two Countries, Hosting 100,000 Creatures

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For those with arachnophobia, it might be best to look away, as scientists have unearthed the largest spider colony in the world.

The nest spans 106 square meters (1,140 square feet) and is believed to host up to 111,000 spiders—roughly half the size of a tennis court.

Recently, researchers published their findings in Underground Biology, revealing that two distinct species of spiders formed this massive colony.

This remarkable spider colony is situated in the Sulfur Caves of the Vromoner Valley, straddling the Greece-Albania border.

The nest resides in a permanently dark section of the cave, extending 50 meters (164 feet) from the entrance through a narrow, low-ceilinged passage. It comprises a multilayered patchwork of individual funnels that merge to create a spongy mass.

Researchers estimate the colony houses around 69,000 spiders, including Tegenaria domestica (commonly known as the barn funnel weaver or common house spider) and approximately 42,000 of The Vagrant of Prineligone species.

While these two species often coexist nearby, they typically do not share close quarters.

In fact, barn funnel weavers usually prey on smaller creatures, including The Vagrant of Prineligone. A truce between the two is unlikely, as the low light within the cave hinders the spiders’ vision.

Tegenaria domestica hides in a funnel-shaped nest and emerges when prey approaches – Credit: Getty

Instead, the spiders primarily feed on non-stinging midges, which swarm thickly in proximity to their colonies. These midges thrive on nutrients provided by natural springs and sustained by the sulfur-rich river navigating through the cave.

DNA analysis indicates that these spiders are genetically distinct from their surface relatives, highlighting adaptations to their unique environment.

Conversely, a sulfur-rich diet significantly diminishes the variety of gut microbiota.

Both factors imply that these spiders do not intermingle with their cousins found above ground.

The colony was initially discovered in 2022 by a group of cavers from the Czech Speleological Society during their exploration of the area.

A team of researchers followed up in 2024, estimating the spider population by counting the web funnels and collecting specimens for further analysis.

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Source: www.sciencefocus.com

The Hubble Telescope Reveals a Galaxy Hosting a Supernova

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The NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope has captured an impressive photo of a well-known galaxy called Wisea J070815.11+210422.3.

SN 2022AJN looks like a blue point in the center of this Hubble image, brightening the Wisea J070815.11+210422.3 blurred body. Image credit: NASA / ESA / Hubble / RJ Foley, UC Santa Cruz.

Wisea J070815.11+210422.3 is situated approximately 600 million light years away in the Gemini constellation.

This image was captured about two months following the supernova event in the galaxy, known as SN 2022AJN.

“Up until the announcement made in November 2022, SN 2022AJN had not been the focus of published research,” stated Hubble astronomers.

“Hubble observed this supernova for a reason. SN 2022AJN is classified as a Type IA supernova, resulting from the explosive death of a star’s core.”

Type IA Supernovae are valuable to astronomers for determining distances to distant galaxies.

“This is feasible because Type IA supernovae exhibit consistent brightness, emitting the same amount of light regardless of their distance from Earth,” they explained.

“Thus, by comparing observed brightness to expected brightness, the distance to the supernova and its host galaxy can be calculated.”

“Despite its apparent simplicity, this measurement method is complicated by intergalactic dust.”

“A supernova appearing red when it should be blue can be due to dust between galaxies affecting its appearance.”

“To address this complication, Hubble is being employed to study a total of 100 Type IA supernovae across seven wavelength bands, ranging from ultraviolet to near-infrared.”

The color image of Wisea J070815.11+210422.3 was produced from various exposures collected in the infrared part of the spectrum using Hubble Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3).

Four filters were utilized to sample different infrared wavelengths, with each filter assigned a different hue to represent a single color image.

“This image blends data from four infrared wavelengths,” explained scientists.

“Infrared light passes through dust more effectively than visible or ultraviolet light.”

“By comparing supernova brightness across different wavelengths, researchers can mitigate the impact of dust and distance, enhancing measurements of distant galaxies and the universe’s expansion.”

Source: www.sci.news

Hubble’s Observation of a Spiral Galaxy Hosting a Supernova

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NASA has released a beautiful photo of spiral galaxy LEDA 22057 taken by the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope.

This Hubble image shows spiral galaxy LEDA 22057 about 650 million light-years away in the constellation Gemini. Image credits: NASA/ESA/Hubble/RJ Foley, University of California, Santa Cruz.

Leda 22057 It is located in the constellation Gemini, about 650 million light years away from Earth.

Also known as AGC 170923, MaNGA 11743-12703, or 2MASX J07524264+1450263, this galaxy is the site of a supernova explosion.

“This special supernova… SN2024piwas discovered by automated research in January 2024,” Hubble team members said in a statement.

“This survey covered the entire northern half of the night sky every two days and cataloged more than 10,000 supernovae.”

New images of LEDA 22057 consist of observations from. Hubble’s Wide Field Camera 3 (WCF3) Located in the infrared part of the spectrum.

“SN 2024pi is visible in this image,” the astronomers said.

“SN 2024pi’s pale blue dot, located just below and to the right of the galactic nucleus, stands out against the galaxy’s ghostly spiral arms.”

“This image was taken about a month and a half after the supernova was discovered, so the supernova appears many times fainter here than at its peak brightness.”

According to the researchers, SN 2024pi supernova belongs to type Ia.

“This type of supernova requires a remarkable object called a white dwarf, which is the crystallized core of a star with a mass less than about eight times the mass of the Sun,” the researchers said.

“When a star of this size runs out of hydrogen in its core, it expands into a red giant, becoming colder, swollen, and brighter.”

“Over time, pulsations and stellar winds strip away the star’s outer layers, leaving behind a white dwarf and a colorful planetary nebula.”

“White dwarfs can have surface temperatures of over 100,000 degrees Celsius and are extremely dense, packing almost the mass of the Sun into a sphere the size of Earth.”

“Nearly all stars in the Milky Way will someday evolve into white dwarfs, a fate that awaits our Sun in about 5 billion years, but not all of them will explode as Type Ia supernovae.”

“For that to happen, the white dwarf must be part of a binary star system.”

“If a white dwarf siphons material from its stellar partner, it could become too massive to support itself.”

“The resulting runaway fusion explosion destroys the white dwarf in a supernova explosion visible many galaxies away.”

Source: www.sci.news

Twisted Spiral Arms Galaxy Hosting Supernova Discovered by Hubble Space Telescope

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Astronomers used the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope to capture this image of the barred spiral galaxy LEDA 857074.

This Hubble image shows the barred spiral galaxy LEDA 857074. The color image was created from observations in the near-infrared part of the spectrum with Hubble’s Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3). Four filters were used to sample different wavelengths. Color is produced by assigning a different hue to each monochromatic image associated with an individual filter. Image courtesy of NASA / ESA / Hubble / RJ Foley.

LEDA857074 It is a barred spiral galaxy located in the constellation Eridanus.

“Hubble has observed a wide range of celestial objects, from galaxies, nebulae and star clusters to planets in our solar system and beyond,” Hubble astronomers said in a statement.

“Observing programs typically aim to collect data that will enable astronomers to answer specific questions.”

“Naturally, this means that most of the planned observations will be directed at objects that astronomers have already studied.”

“Some are well-known, such as the Crab Nebula and the globular cluster Omega Centauri, while others, such as the Spider Galaxy and NGC 4753, are less well known to the public but have been featured in hundreds of scientific papers.”

“This galaxy is not like that: LEDA 857074 has been named in fewer than five papers, one of which is the Lyon-Meudon extragalactic database itself.”

“Apart from its location, virtually no data has been recorded about this object. It has never been studied since it was discovered. So why did it attract the attention of the legendary Hubble telescope?”

In 2022, an automated survey observed a supernova event in LEDA 857074 called SN 2022ADQZ.

“Although astronomers have catalogued millions of galaxies and tens of thousands of supernovae are detected annually today, the probability of discovery in any particular galaxy is low,” the researchers said.

“We don’t know how actively LEDA 857074 is forming stars, and therefore how frequently it will undergo supernova explosions.”

“The spotlight from this supernova made this galaxy an unexpected and lucky target for Hubble!”

“This object joins the ranks of many other well-known celestial objects thanks to its unique imaging by the Hubble Space Telescope.”

Source: www.sci.news