rays

Andrew Painter is a trending search term in the United States, coinciding with the Philadelphia Phillies revealing their lineup for what is being described as a must-win game against the Tampa Bay Rays. Painter is a highly regarded Phillies pitching prospect, and fans are closely following team news as the club pushes through a critical stretch of its season.

The SMILE satellite has ended an 18-year gap in observations of the northern lights, and researchers say new views of Earth's x-ray magnetic shield are just weeks away. The mission is expected to provide fresh insight into how the solar wind interacts with Earth's magnetic field, producing auroras. Space science outlets are highlighting the milestone and the images anticipated in the coming weeks.

Astronomers report that enigmatic flashes of X-rays in the sky may come from the catastrophic merger of two stars, producing an ultra-dense, ultra-magnetic remnant known as a magnetar. The findings emerged from a collaboration between Chinese and European science missions, and are drawing attention among space researchers and enthusiasts discussing what the discovery reveals about how magnetars form.

Santa Clara University's College of Arts and Sciences is featuring student research on X-rays in a story on its website. The piece highlights undergraduate work in physics involving X-ray experiments and the students and faculty behind it. Little further detail is available, so the scope and findings of the research remain unclear.

New benchmarks for The Witcher 3 Remastered show that path tracing places an unusually heavy load on processors, with tests describing the effect as a "CPU killer." AMD's Ryzen X3D chips lead the performance charts, suggesting their large 3D V-Cache gives them a clear edge in the remaster's demanding ray-traced mode.

Peter M. Ray, a biologist remembered for his research and his enthusiasm for winemaking, has died at the age of 94. The Stanford School of Humanities and Sciences announced his passing, paying tribute to his contributions to plant biology and his life beyond the laboratory. Colleagues and former students are honoring his legacy in science and in the vineyard.

Astronomers have detected an extraordinarily powerful X-ray flash that could be the first direct observation of a magnetar being born. Magnetars are neutron stars with the strongest magnetic fields known in the universe, usually formed in supernova explosions. Researchers say the record-breaking burst fits theoretical predictions for the moment such a star switches on, offering a rare glimpse into one of the most extreme events in astrophysics.

The Athletic has published its MLB World Series predictions, asking readers whether the Milwaukee Brewers and Tampa Bay Rays could meet in the Fall Classic. The piece gathers picks and analysis from its baseball writers as the season's contenders take shape, with the small-market Brewers and Rays framed as potential surprise finalists. Fans are debating whether either club can sustain its form through October.