Using data collected by NASA’s Kepler Space Telescope, scientists have found four free-floating, or rogue, planets near the core of the Milky Way. These planets formed in discs in other planetary systems and were thrown out by gravitational interactions with larger planets. Plus, the early solar system, including ancient Earth, Jupiter’s chemistry, and Mercury’s core.
On this week’s Rocket Roundup, a sounding rocket launches with student payloads, the Russian Space Force launches a classified satellite, and finally, a routine ISS resupply mission. Plus, this week in rocket history, we look back at STS-71 and the first Shuttle-Mir docking.
About 900 million miles away in two different galaxies, a black hole and a neutron star merged, and their gravitational waves have been detected here on Earth. These detections add another type of merger to the collection so far discovered. Plus, new composition data on Mars’ south polar cap and a look back at the Tunguska Event. #AsteroidDay
Jupiter’s moon Europa, an icy world with a subsurface ocean that interests astrobiologists, may actually be hot enough to melt the interior rock and create volcanoes on the ocean floor. Plus, Ryugu, giant planets, fossil discoveries, Martian glaciers, and this week’s What’s Up!
Researchers found that among about 50 supernovae, many had nearly identical spectra, paving the way for making more accurate distance calculations. These calculations, in turn, open up the possibility of using supernovae to better search for dark energy. Plus, OSIRIS-REx, Voyager I, planetary formation, and volcanoes on Mars.
Gamma rays given off by fourteen different sources in our sky could be a sign of the existence of antistars, leading to the potential for breaking the standard cosmological model. Plus, nano dust, the HI-SEAS experiment, hydroxyl at an exoplanet, and this week’s What’s Up.
Get your daily dose of all that’s new in space and astronomy. The sky is not the limit, as we bring you a fast-paced roundup of launches, landings, and everyday discoveries. The Daily Space is brought to you by the team behind CosmoQuest at the Planetary Science Institute, and features hosts Dr. Pamela L. Gay, Beth Johnson, and Annie Wilson.
