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Categories: Space: Astronomy, Space: The Solar System
Published Exoplanet may reveal secrets about the edge of habitability
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source How close can a rocky planet be to a star, and still sustain water and life? A recently discovered exoplanet may be key to solving that mystery.
Published Jupiter's moon Europa may have had a slow evolution
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Europa may have a metamorphic origin for the ocean. While some scientists speculated this, a research team shows that if Europa indeed formed from hydrated rocks (i.e., rocks have hydrogen and oxygen), then enough of Europa's interior should get hot enough to release water directly from the hydrated rocks to form the ocean and ice shell.
Published Researchers demystify the unusual origin of the Geminids meteor shower
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Princeton researchers used observations from NASA's Parker Solar Probe mission to deduce that it was likely a violent, catastrophic event -- such as a high-speed collision with another body or a gaseous explosion -- that created the Geminids meteoroid stream. Mysteries surrounding the origin of the Geminids have long fascinated scientists because, while most meteor showers are created when a comet emits a tail of ice and dust, the Geminids stem from an asteroid -- a chunk of rock that normally does not produce a tail. Until now, this unusual meteoroid stream had only been studied from Earth.
Published Discovery of white dwarf pulsar sheds light on star evolution
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source The discovery of a rare type of white dwarf star system provides new understanding into stellar evolution.
Published Scientists report 'benchmarks' for extreme space weather
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Extreme space weather threatens vital satellites orbiting the Earth, including the Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) which pass through the heart of the outer radiation belt. New research has now determined a series of benchmarks for the likely severity of extreme space weather events in GPS orbit.
Published Astronomers discover new link between dark matter and clumpiness of the universe
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers reveal a theoretical breakthrough that may explain both the nature of invisible dark matter and the large-scale structure of the universe known as the cosmic web. The result establishes a new link between these two longstanding problems in astronomy, opening new possibilities for understanding the cosmos. The research suggests that the 'clumpiness problem,' which centres on the unexpectedly even distribution of matter on large scales throughout the cosmos, may be a sign that dark matter is composed of hypothetical, ultra-light particles called axions. The implications of proving the existence of hard-to-detect axions extend beyond understanding dark matter and could address fundamental questions about the nature of the universe itself.
Published Earth was created much faster than we thought: This makes the chance of finding other habitable planets in the Universe more likely
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Over the past decades, researchers thought Earth was created over a period of more than 100 million years. However, a new study from suggests that the creation of Earth was much more rapid, and that water and other essential ingredients for life were delivered to Earth very early on.
Published A scorching-hot exoplanet scrutinized by astronomers
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Through the Gemini-North Telescope in Hawai'i, the chemical composition of WASP-76 b is revealed in unprecedented detail, giving new insights also into the composition of giant planets.
Published Plate tectonics not required for the emergence of life
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source New finding contradicts previous assumptions about the role of mobile plate tectonics in the development of life on Earth. Moreover, the data suggests that 'when we're looking for exoplanets that harbor life, the planets do not necessarily need to have plate tectonics,' says the lead author of a new paper.
Published Sun's coldest region stores secret to heating million-degree corona
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers have unveiled the discovery of intense wave energy from a relatively cool, dark and strongly magnetized plasma region on the Sun, capable of traversing the solar atmosphere and maintaining temperatures of a million degrees Kelvin inside the corona. Researchers say the finding is the latest key to unraveling a host of related mysteries pertaining to Earth's nearest star.
Published Key building block for life found at Saturn's moon Enceladus
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source The search for extraterrestrial life in our solar system just got more exciting. A team of scientists has discovered new evidence that the subsurface ocean of Saturn's moon Enceladus contains a key building block for life. The team directly detected phosphorus in the form of phosphates originating from the moon's ice-covered global ocean using data from NASA's Cassini mission. Cassini explored Saturn and its system of rings and moons for over 13 years.
Published Pass the salt: This space rock holds clues as to how Earth got its water
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source The discovery of tiny salt grains in a sample from an asteroid provides strong evidence that liquid water may be more common in the solar system than previously thought.
Published Flaring star could be down to young planet's disc inferno
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source New simulations offer new explanation for star's 85-year flare. In this scenario, a young giant planet is burning up very close to its star, suggesting solar systems may have hosted many of such planets that have since 'evaporated'.
Published A new Tatooine-like multi-planetary system identified
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source An international team of astronomers has announced the second-ever discovery of a multiplanetary circumbinary system.
Published Astronomers discover supernova explosion through rare 'cosmic magnifying glasses'
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source An international team of scientists recently discovered an exceptionally rare gravitationally lensed supernova, which the team named 'SN Zwicky.' Located more than 4 billion light years away, the supernova was magnified nearly 25 times by a foreground galaxy acting as a lens. The discovery presents a unique opportunity for astronomers to learn more about the inner cores of galaxies, dark matter and the mechanics behind universe expansion.
Published Using photosynthesis for Martian occupation -- while making space travel more sustainable
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers are working on sustainable technology to harvest solar power in space -- which could supplement life support systems on the Moon and Mars.
Published 'Hot Jupiters' may not be orbiting alone
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Astronomers challenge longstanding beliefs about the isolation of 'hot Jupiters' and proposes a new mechanism for understanding the exoplanets' evolution.
Published Elusive planets play 'hide and seek' with CHEOPS
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Astronomers have clearly identified the existence of four new exoplanets. The four mini-Neptunes are smaller and cooler, and more difficult to find than the so-called Hot Jupiter exoplanets which have been found in abundance.
Published Long missions, frequent travel take a toll on astronauts' brains
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source A study looking at how the human brain reacts to traveling outside Earth's gravity suggests frequent flyers should wait three years after longer missions to allow the physiological changes in their brains to reset.
Published What made the brightest cosmic explosion of all time so exceptional?
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Last year, telescopes around the world registered the brightest cosmic explosion of all time. Astrophysicists can now explain what made it so dazzling.