QUICK TAKES

FROM ERRORS, DATA

Cosmic rays — radiation in the form of atomic nuclei moving at near light speed — regularly zip through satellite computers, causing errors. By combing through 15 years of error logs from ESA’s Rosetta and Mars Express probes, researchers found that increased solar activity results in fewer cosmic rays penetrating the solar system.

WATER, WATER EVERYWHERE

New calculations suggest liquid water can exist on the surfaces of moons of free-floating planets — worlds with no host star. Under certain conditions, cosmic rays and tidal forces can melt water on these moons in quantities large enough to support life.

DARK MATTER’S A DRAG

The rotation of the Milky Way’s central bar has slowed by more than 24 percent since it formed, according to an analysis of the ages of stars within the bar. The galaxy’s dark matter halo appears to act as a gravitational counterweight to the bar’s rotation.

BLINKING GIANT

Astronomers analyzing archival data have uncovered a giant star that nearly disappeared from the sky for several months in 2012, dimming by a factor of 30. Dubbed VVV-WIT-08 (WIT stands for “what is this?”), the object may be a new class of star eclipsed by a companion object with an extended disk.

DEEP NOTES

Rocket launches can be heard up to 5,600 miles (9,000 km) away by infrasound sensors designed to detect nuclear tests. Unlike most infrasound sources, the times of rocket launches are well known, which could make them useful for studying how infrasound propagates through the atmosphere.