Scientists, working closely with amateur astronomers, have spotted the dusty tails of six exocomets -- comets outside our solar system -- orbiting a faint star 800 light years from Earth.
via Science Daily
Zazzle Space Exploration market place
Thursday, 26 October 2017
Scientists detect comets outside our solar system
more »
Scientists, working closely with amateur astronomers, have spotted the dusty tails of six exocomets -- comets outside our solar system -- orbiting a faint star 800 light years from Earth.
via Science Daily
Zazzle Space Exploration market place
Scientists, working closely with amateur astronomers, have spotted the dusty tails of six exocomets -- comets outside our solar system -- orbiting a faint star 800 light years from Earth.
via Science Daily
Zazzle Space Exploration market place
Envisioning a new engineering field: Understanding atomic-scale patterns
more »
The phenomenon that forms interference patterns on television displays when a camera focuses on a pattern like a person wearing stripes has inspired a new way to conceptualize electronic devices. Researchers are showing how the atomic-scale version of this phenomenon may hold the secrets to help advance electronics design to the limits of size and speed.
via Science Daily
The phenomenon that forms interference patterns on television displays when a camera focuses on a pattern like a person wearing stripes has inspired a new way to conceptualize electronic devices. Researchers are showing how the atomic-scale version of this phenomenon may hold the secrets to help advance electronics design to the limits of size and speed.
via Science Daily
Astronomers discover sunscreen snow falling on hot exoplanet
more »
Astronomers have used the Hubble Space Telescope to find a blistering-hot giant planet outside our solar system where the atmosphere 'snows' titanium dioxide -- the active ingredient in sunscreen. These observations are the first detections of this 'snow-out' process, called a 'cold trap,' on an exoplanet. The research provides insight into the complexity of weather and atmospheric composition on exoplanets, and may someday be useful for gauging the habitability of Earth-size planets.
via Science Daily
Zazzle Space Exploration market place
Astronomers have used the Hubble Space Telescope to find a blistering-hot giant planet outside our solar system where the atmosphere 'snows' titanium dioxide -- the active ingredient in sunscreen. These observations are the first detections of this 'snow-out' process, called a 'cold trap,' on an exoplanet. The research provides insight into the complexity of weather and atmospheric composition on exoplanets, and may someday be useful for gauging the habitability of Earth-size planets.
via Science Daily
Zazzle Space Exploration market place
Hubble Observes Exoplanet that Snows Sunscreen
Nighttime Titanium Oxide Snow Leaves Dayside Cloud-Free and Cooler
Travelers to the nightside of exoplanet Kepler-13Ab should pack an umbrella because they will be pelted with precipitation. But it's not the kind of watery precipitation that falls on Earth. On this alien world, the precipitation is in the form of sunscreen.
Ironically, the sunscreen (titanium oxide) is not needed on this side of the planet because it never receives any sunlight. But bottling up some sunlight protection is a good idea if travelers plan on visiting the sizzling hot, permanent dayside, which always faces its star. Visitors won't find any desperately needed sunscreen on this part of the planet.
Astronomers didn't detect the titanium oxide directly. They used Hubble to find that the atmospheric temperature grows increasingly colder with altitude on Kepler-13Ab, which was contrary to what they had expected. If titanium oxide were in the daytime atmosphere, it would absorb light and heat the upper atmosphere. Instead, high winds carry the titanium oxide around to the permanently dark side of the planet where it condenses to form clouds and precipitation. The planet's crushing gravity pulls all the titanium oxide so far down it can't be recycled back into the upper atmosphere on the daytime side.
The Hubble observations represent the first time astronomers have detected this precipitation process, called a "cold trap," on an exoplanet.
Kepler-13Ab is one of the hottest known planets, with a dayside temperature of nearly 5,000 degrees Fahrenheit. The Kepler-13 system resides 1,730 light-years from Earth.
via Hubble - News feed
http://hubblesite.org/news_release/news/2017-36
Wobbling galaxies: New evidence for dark matter makes it even more exotic
more »
Astronomers have discovered that the brightest galaxies within galaxy clusters 'wobble' relative to the cluster's center of mass. This unexpected result is inconsistent with predictions made by the current standard model of dark matter. With further analysis it may provide insights into the nature of dark matter, perhaps even indicating that new physics is at work.
via Science Daily
Zazzle Space Exploration market place
Astronomers have discovered that the brightest galaxies within galaxy clusters 'wobble' relative to the cluster's center of mass. This unexpected result is inconsistent with predictions made by the current standard model of dark matter. With further analysis it may provide insights into the nature of dark matter, perhaps even indicating that new physics is at work.
via Science Daily
Zazzle Space Exploration market place
Review: ‘Bill Nye: Science Guy,’ a Portrait of a Fighter for Facts
more »
This revealing documentary follows Mr. Nye as he crusades on behalf of space exploration and against creationists and climate-change deniers.
via New York Times
This revealing documentary follows Mr. Nye as he crusades on behalf of space exploration and against creationists and climate-change deniers.
via New York Times
Rosetta finds comet plume powered from below
more »
via ESA Space Science
http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Space_Science/Rosetta/Rosetta_finds_comet_plume_powered_from_below
Last year, a fountain of dust was spotted streaming from Rosetta’s comet, prompting the question: how was it powered? Scientists now suggest the outburst was driven from inside the comet, perhaps released from ancient gas vents or pockets of hidden ice.
via ESA Space Science
http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Space_Science/Rosetta/Rosetta_finds_comet_plume_powered_from_below
Paul Weitz, Astronaut on Skylab and Challenger, Dies at 85
more »
Captain Weitz commanded the shuttle Challenger on its maiden voyage, and after it later exploded, he was among NASA officials who examined why.
via New York Times
Captain Weitz commanded the shuttle Challenger on its maiden voyage, and after it later exploded, he was among NASA officials who examined why.
via New York Times
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)