New Imager Finds Distant Planets Unlike Others in Known Universe
Thanks to new technology, astronomers are conducting the first remote reconnaissance of a distant solar system, allowing them to collect the first chemical fingerprints of four exoplanets orbiting a star some 128 light years from Earth. Astronomers involved with Project 1640, a high-contrast imaging program at the Palomar Observatory in California, say the four exoplanets […]
Third Radiation Belt Discovered Around Earth
NASA scientists have discovered a third radiation belt briefly surrounded Earth for about a month before being blasted away by an interplanetary shock wave from the sun. Experts had long thought there were only two distinct regions of trapped radiation. But the third ring was spotted by twin Van Allen radiation probes NASA launched in 2012 […]
Earth Gets a Hit, Braces for a Miss
Earth suddenly seems to be dodging celestial objects, although there was a direct hit earlier today when a streaking meteorite exploded above Russia’s Ural Mountains. Hundreds of people were injured. The powerful blast damaged the facades of buildings and shattered windows, according to the Russian Interior Ministry, Now all eyes are on an asteroid that […]
NASA Launches Powerful Earth-Observing Satellite
NASA’s latest Earth-observing satellite rocketed into space today continuing a program which began more than 40 years ago. An Atlas V rocket carrying the Landsat Data Continuity Mission (LDCM) spacecraft launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base in Lompoc, California. NASA officials called today’s launch “picture perfect.” The spacecraft is now on its own after a […]
Science Images of the Week
Earth Preps for Close Encounter with Asteroid
Earth is about to have a close encounter with an asteroid, the nearest an object of its size has ever come to our planet. The fly-by is expected to occur at around 1924 UTC on Feb. 15, according to scientists at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. The US space agency says there’s no chance the asteroid […]
Living Microorganisms Found High Above Earth
Scientists have discovered a considerable number of living microorganisms, including bacteria, in the middle to upper regions of the troposphere, the region of our atmosphere that’s about seven to 20 kilometers above the Earth’s surface. Researchers from the Georgia Institute of Technology said their findings might help other scientists learn more about the role microorganisms […]
Science Images of the Week
Milky Way Contains Billions of Earth-sized Planets, Studies Find
There are at least 17 billion Earth-sized worlds in our Milky Way galaxy, according to two new studies. Both groups of scientists used data from NASA’s Kepler mission to reach their conclusions, which were presented to the American Astronomical Society in Long Beach, California. The scientists found that the closer the planets are to their […]
Mars Meteorite Sparks New Questions About Red Planet
Scientists have determined a meteorite discovered in the Sahara Desert in 2011 is about 2.1 billion years old and could be the first meteorite to come from the surface of Mars. The meteorite, designated NWA (North West Africa) 7034 and nicknamed “Black Beauty,” weighs about 320 grams and is loaded with Martian water. It is […]