Beyond the Fermi Paradox V: What is the Aestivation Hypothesis? Is it possible that the aliens are not hiding, but sleeping and waiting for the Universe to get better? The post Beyond the Fermi Paradox V: What is the Aestivation Hypothesis? appeared first on Universe Today. Universe Today Go to SourceRead More →
NASA sounding rocket finds helium structures in sun’s atmosphere Helium is the second most abundant element in the universe after hydrogen. But scientists aren’t sure just how much there actually is in the Sun’s atmosphere, where it is hard to measure. Knowing the amount of helium in the solar atmosphere is important to understanding the origin and acceleration of the solar wind—the constant stream of charged particles from the Sun. phys.org Go to SourceRead More →
Stellar egg hunt with ALMA—Tracing evolution from embryo to baby star Astronomers using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) took a census of stellar eggs in the constellation Taurus and revealed their evolution state. This census helps researchers understand how and when a stellar embryo transforms to a baby star deep inside a gaseous egg. In addition, the team found a bipolar outflow, a pair of gas streams, that could be telltale evidence of a truly newborn star. phys.org Go to SourceRead More →
Meteors of August: Our Guide to the 2020 Perseids It’s August and that means the Perseid meteors are inbound, starting this weekend this shower is a sure-fire bet, though 2020 sees the spectacle go down under somewhat challenging circumstances. The post Meteors of August: Our Guide to the 2020 Perseids appeared first on Universe Today. Universe Today Go to SourceRead More →
Antarctica Is the Best Place On Earth for a Telescope, Is Also the Hardest Place to Put a Telescope Twinkling stars might make for spectacular viewing on a hot summer’s night, but they are an absolute nightmare to astronomers. That twinkling is caused by disturbances in the Earth’s atmosphere, and can wreak havoc on brightness readings, a key tool for astronomers everywhere. Those readings are used for everything from understanding galaxy formation to the … Continue reading “Antarctica Is the Best Place On Earth for a Telescope, Is Also the Hardest Place to Put a Telescope” The post Antarctica Is the Best Place On EarthRead More →
A Strange Planet has been Found that’s Smaller than Neptune But 50% More Massive Astronomers have found another strange exoplanet in a distant solar system. This one’s an oddball because its size is intermediate between Earth and Neptune, yet it’s 50% more massive than Neptune. Astronomers have found what they call “puff planets” in other Solar Systems. Those are planets that are a few times more massive than Earth, … Continue reading “A Strange Planet has been Found that’s Smaller than Neptune But 50% More Massive” The post A Strange Planet has been Found that’s Smaller than Neptune But 50% More Massive appeared first onRead More →
Martian Features Were Carved by Glaciers, not Flowing Rivers Orbiters are giving us a chance to study the surface of Mars closely, and some of the features that pop to prominence are dry river channels. There are over 10,000 of them. But a new study suggests that glaciers on ancient Mars are responsible for many of them. According to the study, those glaciers and … Continue reading “Martian Features Were Carved by Glaciers, not Flowing Rivers” The post Martian Features Were Carved by Glaciers, not Flowing Rivers appeared first on Universe Today. Universe Today Go to SourceRead More →
Hubble uses Earth as proxy for identifying oxygen on potentially habitable exoplanets Taking advantage of a total lunar eclipse, astronomers using NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope have detected Earth’s own brand of sunscreen—ozone—in our atmosphere. This method simulates how astronomers and astrobiology researchers will search for evidence of life beyond Earth by observing potential “biosignatures” on exoplanets (planets around other stars). phys.org Go to SourceRead More →
New Solar Model Successfully Predicted Seven of the Sun’s Last Nine Big Flares Since it launched in 2010, the Solar Dynamics Observatory has helped scientists understand how the Sun’s magnetic field is generated and structured, and what causes solar flares. One of the main goals of the mission was to be able to create forecasts for predicting activity on the Sun. Using mission data from the past … Continue reading “New Solar Model Successfully Predicted Seven of the Sun’s Last Nine Big Flares” The post New Solar Model Successfully Predicted Seven of the Sun’s Last Nine Big Flares appeared first on Universe Today. UniverseRead More →
Statistical evidence for temperature inversions in ultra-hot Jupiters The thermal structure of hot gas giant exoplanet atmospheres is likely to be inverted for the hottest planets, a class of planets known as ultra-hot Jupiters. This is the conclusion from astrophysicists based at the University of Amsterdam (UvA) in collaboration with an international team from the United States and the United Kingdom. phys.org Go to SourceRead More →
Stellar pulsations distribute key ingredient for life As Carl Sagan famously said, “We’re made of star stuff”—but how do stars distribute their essential “stuff” for life into space? NASA’s telescope on an airplane, SOFIA, is finding some answers by watching pulsating stars as they expand and contract, almost like-beating hearts. phys.org Go to SourceRead More →
Record EOS measurement pressures shed light on stellar evolution Using the power of the National Ignition Facility (NIF), the world’s highest-energy laser system, researchers at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) and an international team of collaborators have developed an experimental capability for measuring the basic properties of matter, such as the equation of state (EOS), at the highest pressures thus far achieved in a controlled laboratory experiment. phys.org Go to SourceRead More →
NASA Astronauts are Back on Earth After a Successful Crew Dragon Splashdown Astronauts Robert Behnken and Douglas Hurley just returned from the ISS, completing the first crewed mission from US soil in almost a decade. The post NASA Astronauts are Back on Earth After a Successful Crew Dragon Splashdown appeared first on Universe Today. Universe Today Go to SourceRead More →
Finally! SpaceX Starship Prototype SN5 Flies Just Over 150 Meters Into the Air Yesterday, SpaceX moved one step closer to sending people to the Moon and Mars when its SN5 prototype successfully made a 150 m (~500 ft) hop test! The post Finally! SpaceX Starship Prototype SN5 Flies Just Over 150 Meters Into the Air appeared first on Universe Today. Universe Today Go to SourceRead More →
There’s One Cloud on Mars That’s Over 1800 km Long Mars’ massive cloud is back. Every year during Mars’ summer solstice, a cloud of water ice forms on the leeward side of Arsia Mons, one of Mars’ largest extinct volcanoes. The cloud can grow to be up to 1800 km (1120 miles) long. It forms each morning, then disappears the same day, only to reappear … Continue reading “There’s One Cloud on Mars That’s Over 1800 km Long” The post There’s One Cloud on Mars That’s Over 1800 km Long appeared first on Universe Today. Universe Today Go to SourceRead More →
Ammonia-rich hail sheds new light on Jupiter’s weather New Juno results suggest that the violent thunderstorms taking place in Jupiter’s atmosphere may form ammonia-rich hail, or ‘mushballs,’ that play a key role in the planet’s atmospheric dynamics. This theory, developed using data from Juno’s microwave radiometer by the Juno team, is described in two publications led by a researcher at the Laboratoire Lagrange (CNRS/Observatoire de la Côte d’Azur/Université Côte d’Azur) with support from the CNES. The theory sheds light on some puzzling aspects of the meteorology of Jupiter and has implications for how giant planet atmospheres work in general. This, and related findings, are presentedRead More →
Some Stars Could Support as Many as 7 Habitable Planets A new study by a team of astronomers and planetary scientists calculate that some stars could have as many as 7 habitable planets orbiting them! The post Some Stars Could Support as Many as 7 Habitable Planets appeared first on Universe Today. Universe Today Go to SourceRead More →
Surprisingly dense exoplanet challenges planet formation theories New detailed observations with NSF’s NOIRLab facilities reveal a young exoplanet, orbiting a young star in the Hyades cluster, that is unusually dense for its size and age. Weighing in at 25 Earth-masses, and slightly smaller than Neptune, this exoplanet’s existence is at odds with the predictions of leading planet formation theories. phys.org Go to SourceRead More →
The Universe is the Same, Everywhere We Look. Even More than Cosmologists Predicted The Universe is about 10% smoother than we expect, and astronomers aren’t entirely sure why. The post The Universe is the Same, Everywhere We Look. Even More than Cosmologists Predicted appeared first on Universe Today. Universe Today Go to SourceRead More →
Microbes Were Dormant for Over 100 Million Years, But They Were Able to Spring Back to Life At the bottom of the ocean in the South Pacific Gyre, there’s a sediment layer that is among the most nutrient-starved environments on Earth. Because of conditions in that area, there’s almost no “marine snow”—the shower of organic debris common in the ocean—that falls to the ocean floor. Without all that organic debris falling to … Continue reading “Microbes Were Dormant for Over 100 Million Years, But They Were Able to Spring Back to Life” The post Microbes Were Dormant for Over 100 Million Years, But They WereRead More →
