Space and astronomy news
As readers of Universe Today know, exoplanets are one of the hottest topics in astronomy today. In just the past six months, astronomers have announced the discovery of more than 700 planets orbiting other stars, bringing the total to more than 1700. These discoveries include the first Earth-size planet found in what’s called the habitable …
Continue reading “Join the Live Discussion: The Hunt for Other Worlds Heats Up”
On a clear night, you might be able to spot the red dwarf star Gliese 832 through a backyard telescope, as it is just 16 light years away. Today, astronomers announced the discovery of super-Earth planet orbiting this nearby star and say it might be the best candidate yet for habitable world. Gliese 832c was …
Continue reading “Nearby Super-Earth is Best Habitable Candidate So Far, Astronomers Say”
Goodbye Moon. Every year, the Moon slips a few centimeters away from us, slowing down our day. Why is the Moon drifting away from us, and how long will it take before the Earth and the Moon are tidally locked to each other? We had a good run, us and the Moon. Grab your special …
Saturn has 53 confirmed and named moons, though as many as 150 may exist. This makes it second only to Jupiter in terms of the number of natural satellites it has orbiting it
It’s truly a “eureka” moment for Kepler scientists: the first rocky Earth-sized world has been found in a star’s habitable “Goldilocks” zone, the narrow belt where liquid water could readily exist on a planet’s surface without freezing solid or boiling away. And while it’s much too soon to tell if this really is a “twin …
Continue reading “Kepler Has Found the First Earth-Sized Exoplanet in a Habitable Zone!”
Don’t let them pass you by. Right now and continuing through July, the biggest and brightest asteroids will be running on nearly parallel tracks in the constellation Virgo and so close together they’ll easily fit in the same binocular field of view. The twofer features Ceres (biggest) and Vesta (brightest) which are also the prime …
Continue reading “Ceres and Vesta Converge in Virgo, Watch it Happen With Just Binoculars”
When you’re talking to spacecraft billions of miles away, you need a powerful voice. And when you’re listening for their faint replies from those same staggering distances, you need an even bigger set of ears. Fortunately, NASA’s Deep Space Network has both — and last week I had the chance to see some of them up close …
Continue reading “50 Years of Talking to Space: a NASA Social for the Deep Space Network”
What is a dwarf planet? Some astronomers have been asking that question after Pluto was demoted from planethood almost a decade ago, partly due to discoveries of other worlds of similar proportions. Today, astronomers announced the discovery of 2012 VP113, a world that, assuming its reflectivity is moderate, is 280 miles (450 kilometers) in size and orbiting …
Continue reading “Discovery! Possible Dwarf Planet Found Far Beyond Pluto’s Orbit”
When you throw a bunch of rock and debris at a rapidly spinning star, what happens? A new study suggests that so-called pulsar stars change their dizzying spin rate as asteroids fall into the gaseous mass. This conclusion comes from observations of one pulsar (PSR J0738-4042) that is being “pounded” with debris from rocks, researchers …
Continue reading “Asteroid Swarm ‘Pounded’ Pulsar Star, Causing Changes Visible From Earth”
Growing up, my sister played video games and I read books. Now that she has a one-year-old daughter we constantly argue over how her little girl should spend her time. Should she read books in order to increase her vocabulary and stretch her imagination? Or should she play video games in order to strengthen her …
Continue reading “Search for Planetary Nurseries in the Latest Citizen Science Project”