Space and astronomy news
200 light-years away from Earth, there’s a K-type main-sequence star named TOI (TESS Object of Interest) 178. When Adrian Leleu, an astrophysicist at the Center for Space and Habitability of the University of Bern, observed it, it appeared to have two planets orbiting it at roughly the same distance. But that turned out to be …
Continue reading “Exoplanetary System Found With 6 Worlds in Orbital Resonance”
Planetary nebulae are the most beautiful objects in the night sky. Their gossamer shells of gas are otherworldly and evocative. They captivate the eye, and viewers need no scientific knowledge to get drawn in. How are they created, and why do they look so beautiful?
The ultra-powerful James Webb Space Telescope will launch soon. Once it’s deployed, and in position at the Earth-Sun Lagrange Point 2, it’ll begin work. One of its jobs is to examine the atmospheres of exoplanets and look for biosignatures. It should be simple, right? Just scan the atmosphere until you find oxygen, then close your …
Continue reading “If a Planet Has a Lot of Methane in its Atmosphere, Life is the Most Likely Cause”
A recent study shows how the Sun could be used as a gravitational lens to take direct images of nearby exoplanets – like Proxima b!
A new study suggests that planets smaller than Earth form much later than large planets, which could point to a rare Earth.
Could it be that we haven’t heard from any aliens because theyre mainly space whales living live inside icy bodies with interior oceans?
Consumption and disintegration. Next time you want to be the life of the party—if you’re hanging out with cool nerds that is—just drop that phrase into the conversation. And when they look at you quizzically, just say that’s the eventual fate of the Solar System. Then adjust your cravat and take another sip of your …
Continue reading “In the Far Future, Stellar Flybys Will Completely Dismantle the Solar System”
Is it possible that the reason we haven’t heard from any aliens is because there’s too much water out there?
Meteorites often offer terrific glimpses into worlds we are unable to otherwise access. Sometimes those worlds are simply fragments of asteroids that didn’t burn up when they entered the atmosphere. But sometimes, they come from the Moon or Mars. Part of what makes these types of meteorites interesting is that they don’t necessarily come from …
Continue reading “Meteorite Tells Us About Water on Mars 4.4 Billion Years Ago”
I don’t know if you’ve noticed by now, but the Earth is a little bit wet. How Earth got all its water is one of the major mysteries in the formation of the solar system, and a team of Japanese researchers have just uncovered a major clue. But not on Earth – the clue is …
Continue reading “How did the Earth get its water? The answer might be found on Mercury”