A Laboratory of the Future Human Experience
This planet of extragalactic origin was detected by a European team of astronomers
Over the last 15 years, astronomers have detected nearly 500 planets orbiting stars in our cosmic neighbourhood, but none outside our Milky Way has been confirmed.
Continue reading… “Planet from Another Galaxy Discovered!!!”
Who knew the moon looked like a whole bunch of melted skittles rolled into one!
A bulge of elevated topography on the far side of the moon — known as the lunar far side highlands — has defied explanation for decades. But a new study led by researchers at the University of California, Santa Cruz, shows that the highlands may be the result of tidal forces acting early in the moon’s history when its solid outer crust floated on an ocean of liquid rock.
Continue reading… “Formation of Bulge on Far Side of Moon Explained”
This image shows an amateur astronomer’s view of Jupiter Thursday June 3, 2010.
The stargazers witnessed the brilliant flash from the cosmic collision from sites in Australia and the Philippines on Friday. Anthony Wesley, an Australian computer programmer, first noticed the collision in Jupiter’s cloud tops and notified other astronomers. (video)
ISS crossing paths with Jupiter
It’s been an amazing couple of weeks for amateur astronomers. Last Sunday, one of their ilk spied the super-secret X37-B space shuttle making the rounds, and this Sunday another has imaged the ISS crossing paths with Jupiter—during the daytime!
Continue reading… “Amateur Astronomers Capture Amazing Images in Space”
Jupiter loses a band.
Jupiter has lost one of its prominent bands, leaving its southern half looking unusually blank. Scientists are not sure what triggered the disappearance of the band.
Continue reading… “One of Jupiters Bands Disappears”
Invisible star may be shooting deadly comets towards Earth.
In what sounds like a chilling script of a Hollywood science fiction, scientists have claimed that an invisible star, five times the size of Jupiter, might be lurking near our solar system, occasionally kicking deadly comets towards the Earth.
Continue reading… “Invisible ‘Death Star’ Shooting Comets at Earth?”
An international group of astrophysicists has determined that a massive planet outside our Solar System is being distorted and destroyed by its host star — a finding that helps explain the unexpectedly large size of the planet, WASP-12b.
Continue reading… “Torn Apart by Its Own Tides, Massive Planet Is on a ‘Death March’”
A binary pair of red stars, one giant one dwarf, has been discovered by a collaboration of astrophysicists from the University of Hertfordshire and The Chinese Academy of Sciences.
Continue reading… “Red Dwarf-Red Giant Binary Pair of Stars Found”
Astronomers have discovered the youngest extra-solar planet around a solar-type star, named BD+20 1790b.
Continue reading… “Youngest Extra-Solar Planet Discovered Around Solar-Type Star”
Scientists once thought that life could originate only within a solar system’s “habitable zone,” where a planet would be neither too hot nor too cold for liquid water to exist on its surface. But according to planetary scientist Francis Nimmo, evidence from recent NASA missions suggests that conditions necessary for life may exist on the icy satellites of Saturn and Jupiter.
Continue reading… “Icy Moons of Saturn and Jupiter May Have Conditions Needed for Life”
Model of Europa’s interior, including a global ocean
New research suggests that there is plenty of oxygen available in the subsurface ocean of Europa to support oxygen-based metabolic processes for life similar to that on Earth. In fact, there may be enough oxygen to support complex, animal-like organisms with greater oxygen demands than microorganisms.
Continue reading… “Enough Oxygen For Life On Jupiter’s Moon Europa”
Comet 147P/Kushida-Muramatsu was captured as a temporary moon of Jupiter in the mid-20th century and remained trapped in an irregular orbit for about twelve years. Continue reading… “Jupiter Captured Comet For 12 Years In Mid-20th Century”
