Iron and Titanium Found in Atmosphere of Ultra-hot Exoplanet
The chemical makeup of Earth’s atmosphere is said to contain about 78% Nitrogen and 21% oxygen, with argon, carbon dioxide, and other gases making up the remaining 1%. But an international team of scientists says they have detected vapors of iron and titanium in the atmosphere of what is considered to be the hottest “ultra-hot” […]
Space and Earth Weather Align to Make a Bad Situation Worse
A new study suggests that an unfortunate confluence of space weather and Earth weather events in early September 2017, may have made a bad situation worse in the wake of devastation left by a line of hurricanes in the Caribbean. As three tropical storms, including the category 5 hurricane Irma, were making their way across a […]
How Will Our Sun Die?
Scientists say our Sun has been shining for about the last 4.6 billion years. They also say the Sun is expected to have enough hydrogen to fuel nuclear fusion in its core to allow it to continue shining as it has for about another 5 billion years. Along with creating solar energy, the Sun’s hydrogen […]
Sunlight Can Hinder Oil Spill Cleanup Efforts
A 2003 report by the National Research Council of the National Academies of Sciences estimated that more than 1.3 million metric tons of petroleum make it into the sea each year. Among the tools used to lessen the impact of oil spills are chemical dispersants which break up the floating oil into small droplets. But […]
Astronomers Search for the Sun’s Long-Lost Solar Siblings
While a family reunion is highly unlikely, Australian and European astronomers are still trying to find our Sun’s long-lost solar siblings which are now scattered throughout the sky. To do so, the scientists examined the of some 350,000 stars in the Milky Way – as though they were mapping each star’s DNA. The sun was […]
NASA Wants to Send Your Name to the Sun
How would you like to have your name sent to the Sun? NASA and the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory (JHUAPL) are preparing the Parker Solar Probe for an amazing journey to our star. The Parker Solar probe, scheduled for launch this summer between July 31st and August 19th, will be sent to within six […]
Milky Way and Andromeda Galaxies Have the Same Mass
In 2012, NASA astronomers predicted that our Milky Way galaxy will collide and merge with its neighboring Andromeda galaxy in about 4 billion years. Scientists said that when this galactic collision takes place, Andromeda, which was thought to be two to three times the size of the Milky Way – will completely engulf our galaxy. Now, […]
Light Pollution Increasing; No Flowing H20 on Mars; Keeping Cows Happy
Light Pollution Continues to Ruin View of Night Sky More of us are becoming unable to witness the full breathtaking beauty and majesty of the sparkling Milky Way because of a growing problem called light pollution. According to oxforddictionaries.com, light pollution is defined as the brightening of the night sky caused by street lights and […]
October 2017 Science Images
Goodbye Cassini; Shape-Shifting Bacteria; New Horizons Wakes Up
NASA Cassini Mission to Saturn Comes to Fiery End English Poet Geoffrey Chaucer once said, “all good things must come to an end”. And so it goes with NASA’s Cassini mission, which provided a close-up look of Saturn, its moons and famous rings over the last 13 years, came to a blazing end on September […]