The return of the comet-like exoplanet

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Astronomers have focused the Hubble Space Telescope on an exoplanet that had already been seen losing its atmosphere, which forms an enormous cloud of hydrogen, giving the planet the appearance of a giant comet. During earlier observations, it was not possible to cover the whole cloud, whose shape was predicted by numerical simulations. Thanks to these new observations, the scientists have finally been able to confirm the initial predictions.
via Science Daily
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Could interstellar ice provide the answer to birth of DNA?

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Molecules brought to Earth in meteorite strikes could potentially be converted into the building blocks of DNA, researchers have shown.
via Science Daily
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Cassini’s Grand Finale at Saturn: What to Expect

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Flying at 76,000 miles per hour into Saturn’s atmosphere, Cassini will be vaporized in minutes. This is exactly as NASA planned it.
via New York Times

NASA's Hubble Captures Blistering Pitch-Black Planet

Alien world traps most of the visible light falling into its atmosphere

Don't go looking for the proverbial black cat eating licorice in a coal bin on the planet WASP-12b. Twice the size of any planet found in our solar system, the world is as black as fresh asphalt. Unlike other planets in its class, WASP-12b has the unique capability to trap at least 94 percent of the visible starlight falling into its atmosphere.

The temperature of the atmosphere is a seething 4,600 degrees Fahrenheit, which prevents the formation of reflective clouds on the day side. The planet orbits so close to its host that it is tidally locked, which means that it keeps the same side always facing the star.

The exoplanet isn't dining alone. Its host star is also having a feast: gobbling up material swirling off the exoplanet's super-heated atmosphere.

This oddball exoplanet is one of a class of so-called "hot Jupiters" that orbit very close to their host star and are heated to extreme temperatures. WASP-12b circles a Sun-like star 1,400 light-years from Earth.

via Hubble - News feed
http://hubblesite.org/news_release/news/2017-38

Flare Well AR2673

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Almost out of view from our fair planet, rotating around the Sun's western edge giant active region AR2673 lashed out with another intense solar flare followed by a large coronal mass ejection on September 10. The flare itself is seen here at the right in an extreme ultraviolet image from the sun-staring Solar Dynamics Observatory. This intense flare was the fourth X-class flare from AR2673 this month. The active region's most recent associated coronal mass ejection collided with Earth's magnetosphere 2 days later. Say farewell to the mighty AR2673, for now. For the next two weeks, the powerful sunspot group will be on the Sun's far side.

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Splashdown! Crashing into martian mud

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An impactor smashing into an ice-rich surface gave rise to the complex flow features around this ancient crater on Mars.

via ESA Space Science
http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Space_Science/Mars_Express/Splashdown!_Crashing_into_martian_mud

A one-of-a-kind star found to change over decades

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Researchers recently found new evidence that lends support to an existing theory of how the unusual star emits energy.
via Science Daily
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New gravity map suggests Mars has a porous crust

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Scientists have found evidence that Mars' crust is not as dense as previously thought, a clue that could help researchers better understand the Red Planet's interior structure and evolution.
via Science Daily
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First global map of water in moon's soil

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A new study maps the trace concentrations of water implanted in the lunar soil by the solar wind, a water source that could be used as resource in future lunar exploration.
via Science Daily
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