Monday 5 February 2018

Wireless energy source generates electricity from simple motions such as waves, clapping hands

more »
Researchers have developed a wireless energy source that generates electricity from simple mechanical motion, such as the waves in the ocean, the tap of a foot or the clap of a hand.
via Science Daily

TRAPPIST-1 planets probably rich in water

more »
A new study has found that planets orbiting the star TRAPPIST-1 are made mostly of rock, and some could hold more water than Earth. The planets' densities suggest that some of them could have up to 5 percent of their mass in the form of water. The hotter planets closest to their parent star are likely to have dense steamy atmospheres and the more distant ones probably have icy surfaces.
via Science Daily
Zazzle Space Exploration market place

Atmospheres of exoplanets in TRAPPIST-1 habitable zone probed

more »
Astronomers using the Hubble Space Telescope have conducted the first spectroscopic survey of the Earth-sized planets within the habitable zone around the nearby star TRAPPIST-1. Hubble reveals that at least three of the exoplanets (d, e, and f) do not seem to contain puffy, hydrogen-rich atmospheres similar to gaseous planets such as Neptune. The results, instead, favor more compact atmospheres like those of Earth, Venus, and Mars.
via Science Daily
Zazzle Space Exploration market place

Hubble Probes Atmospheres of Exoplanets in TRAPPIST-1 Habitable Zone


Worlds in the Star’s Habitable Zone Are Not Smothered Under Primordial Atmospheres

Only 40 light-years away — a stone’s throw on the scale of our galaxy — several Earth-sized planets orbit the red dwarf star TRAPPIST-1. Four of the planets lie in the star’s habitable zone, a region at a distance from the star where liquid water, the key to life as we know it, could exist on the planets’ surfaces.

Astronomers using NASA's Hubble Space Telescope have conducted the first spectroscopic survey of these worlds. Hubble reveals that at least three of the exoplanets do not seem to contain puffy, hydrogen-rich atmospheres similar to gaseous planets such as Neptune. This means the atmospheres may be more shallow and rich in heavier gases like those found in Earth’s atmosphere, such as carbon dioxide, methane, and oxygen.

Astronomers plan to use NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope, scheduled to launch in 2019, to probe deeper into the planetary atmospheres to search for the presence of such elements that could offer hints of whether these far-flung worlds are habitable.


via Hubble - News feed
http://hubblesite.org/news_release/news/2018-07

Trilobites: Newly Discovered Form of Water Ice Is ‘Really Strange’

more »
Long theorized to be found in the mantles of Uranus and Neptune, the confirmation of the existence of superionic ice could lead to the development of new materials.
via New York Times

ESA creates quietest place in space

more »

Imagine a packed party: music is blaring and you can feel the bass vibrate in your chest, lights are flashing, balloons are falling from the ceiling and the air is filled with hundreds of separate conversations. At the same time your cell phone is vibrating in your pocket and your drink is fizzing in the glass. Now imagine you can block out this assault on your senses to create a perfectly quiet bubble around you, only letting in the unmistakable voice of your best friend who’s trying to get your attention from the other side of the room.


via ESA Space Science
http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Space_Science/ESA_creates_quietest_place_in_space

Coding has no gender

Science above

more »

Space Science Image of the Week: From fundamental physics to exobiology, the International Space Station’s Columbus lab tackles big questions in space science
via ESA Space Science
http://www.esa.int/ESA_Multimedia/Images/2018/02/Space_station_space_science