New Delhi: The ground and space-based astronomical instruments are revealing the cosmos in unprecedented ways, with astronomers witnessing events that
challenge conventional theories and stretch the limits of physics. The speeds, scales and timelines of these events can be staggering, and challenging to imagine. The extreme physics and environments observed in space can never be recreated in the laboratories of Earth. Some of these extreme events may even hint at exotic physics beyond the standard model. Here are the record-setting observations from 2025.
Fastest Atmospheric Jetstream
About 500 lightyears from the Earth is a ‘Hot Jupiter’ exoplanet designated as WASP-127 b. Astronomers have spotted winds moving at 33,000 km/h on WASP-127 b, nearly six times faster than the rotation of the planet. The gas giant is in a tight orbit around the host star, where a year lasts only four Earth days. WASP-127 b is also tidally locked to the host star, with permanent day and night sides. One side of the planet is perpetually cooked, resulting in the extreme supersonic jetstream. The injection of heat has also inflated the atmosphere, much like a hot air balloon, which is why WASP-127 b is called a ‘puffball’ exoplanet.
Most Massive Black Hole Merger
The global network of gravitational wave detectors announced the discovery of the most massive merger between black holes till date. The signal, designated as GW231123 was originally picked up in 2023, with the resulting black hole containing 225 times the mass of the Sun. The individual black holes that combined, contained about 100 and 140 solar masses. The pair of black holes were also spinning rapidly, close to the limits allowed by Einstein’s Theory of General Relativity. The detection challenges conventional theories on black hole mergers, as scientists cannot explain how such massive black holes can be formed through purely astrophysical processes.
Black Hole at Eddington Limit
12.8 billion lightyears from the Earth is a black hole designated as RACS JO320-25, that is among the fastest growing black holes. It contains about a billion times the mass of the Sun, that it accumulated within 920 million years of the Big Bang. The black hole is growing so fast that it the radiation from the intense friction of the infalling material should push away any more gas and dust from falling inwards. This is known as the Eddington Limit. The black hole is also the brightest black hole in X-rays formed in the first billion years of the universe. Note that the record for the fastest growing black hole is held by J059-4351, at a distance of 12 billion lightyears, accreting a Sun’s worth of mass every day.
Fastest Growing Rogue Planet
Astronomers detected a growth spurt in an object designated as Cha 1107-7626, a free-floating world unattached to a host star. The object was scooping up six billion tons of gas and dust from its surroundings every second. While most planets are assembled in the debris disk surrounding a newborn star, Cha 1107-7626 is growing within a nebula, much like the birth of a star. Scientists believe that at least some low-mass planets can form through processes similar to the formation of the star, from dense knots in stellar nurseries, or vast clouds of gas and dust. The object may also have been kicked out from a planetary system because of chaotic gravitational interactions.
All docking ports occupied on ISS for first time
There are a total of eight docking ports on the International Space Station, with five on the Russian segment and three on the US segment. For the first time in December 2025, all the eight docking ports on the orbital complex were occupied. Two Russian Progress Cargo Shuttles, a pair of Russian Soyuz spaceships, a Cygnus Cargo Shuttle operated by US-based Northrop Grumman, a Cargo Dragon and a Crew Dragon operated by US-based SpaceX and the Japanese XTV-X1 Cargo Shuttle are all docked to the ISS. Early in the year, Sunita Williams set the record for the longest cumulative spacewalk time for a female astronaut.
