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Astronomers Discover Primordial Extreme Objects in the Universe

Scientific American | Scientific Research

Astronomers Discover Primordial Extreme Objects in the Universe

“At the heart of many galaxies lie supermassive blackholes. These engines power quasars—active galactic nuclei that emit some of the brightest light astronomers can possibly see in the sky. How these extreme objects formed in the earliest years of the universe—when the cosmos was less than a billion years old—has long been something of a mystery.

But now, the European Space Agency's Euclid Space Telescope has identified a clutch of primordial quasars, dating to some 13 billion years ago—putting them among the oldest of these objects ever found in the universe.

Ancient quasars offer glimpses into the universe in its chaotic infancy; but actually finding these primordial objects can be very difficult. Because they formed so long ago, they are extremely far away from Earth, which can cause their bright light to be mistaken for a signal of a more run-of-the-mill celestial object.”

From Scientific American.

Casey Handmer | Science & Technology

Solar-Powered Electrolyzer Slashes Hydrogen Production Costs

“Most commercial electrolyzers need carefully conditioned power from expensive battery-meditated backup systems. Ours runs directly off the sun. Clouds pass, the day turns to night, and we maintain purity from a stack whose Bill of Materials cost is well below $100/kW. Terraform’s single-minded focus on capex reduction has allowed us to convert sunlight to hydrogen in an unprecedented demo at a cost below $2/kg. If that wasn’t enough, we have a crystal clear plan of steady execution to push that cost below $1/kg in the coming years.”

From Casey Handmer.

Financial Times | Natural Disasters

Greece Turns to Space in Fight Against Wildfires

“With wildfires burning north-west of Athens, Greece is testing whether a new fleet of thermal satellites can give firefighters earlier warning and a clearer view of the blazes that are becoming harder to contain in a warming climate.

The Hellenic Fire System, a constellation of four compact, low-flying thermal satellites, transmitted its first images to Earth in June. The system is due to become fully functional in September, with firefighters still being trained to use it.

But it is already providing data to authorities, including about devastating fires that ripped across popular Greek island resorts and the region of Attica near Athens in recent weeks.”

From Financial Times.

Space.com | Space

SpaceX Launches 3 Giant BlueBird Direct-to-Cell Satellites

“A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying three of AST SpaceMobile's massive direct-to-cell BlueBird satellites launched from Florida's Cape Canaveral Space Force Station at 3:50 a.m. EDT (0650 GMT) on Wednesday, minutes after the opening of its 96-minute window.

Today's launch further expands AST SpaceMobile's constellation in low Earth orbit (LEO), which will beam internet service directly to unmodified smartphones once operational.

The newcomers bring the total number of BlueBird spacecraft launched to 13 and marks a significant milestone toward getting the constellation fully up and running, according to AST SpaceMobile.”

From Space.com.

Wall Street Journal | Space

Starlink Ends Quarter With 12 Million Subscribers

“Starlink has enjoyed a robust expansion in recent years, with subscribers rising to 8.9 million by the end of 2025. The subscriber count jumped almost 16% between then and the end of March. The latest tally represents a 17% gain from that quarter.

Revenue per Starlink subscriber during the latest quarter held steady at $66 from the first three months of 2026, though it was down from $85 per subscriber for the year-earlier period. The company has said it expects this measurement to decline as it signs up customers outside of North America and adds lower-priced service plans.”

From Wall Street Journal.