Apr 15, 2022 | Asteroids, Astrobiology, Comets, Crewed Space, Daily Space, Earth, Galaxies, JWST, Lucy, Mars, Mercury, Moon, Neptune, Saturn, Sky Watching, Stars, Supermassive Black Holes, Venus
An analysis of microscopic features in rocks from the Nuvvuagittuq Supracrustal Belt in Quebec, Canada, which date back between 3.75 and 4.28 billion years, finds evidence of possible microbial life. Plus, a supermassive black hole precursor, temperatures on Neptune, check-ins with various spacecraft, and our weekly What’s Up segment.
Mar 23, 2022 | Climate Change, Daily Space, Earth, Exoplanets, Galaxies, Mercury, Moon, Observatories, Space Policy, SpaceX, Spitzer
Computer models of the effects of an eruption event similar to the Columbia River Flood Basalt show that, despite massive injections of sulfur dioxide into the atmosphere, Earth’s climate rebounded much more quickly than expected. Plus, ORCs, lunar swirls, exoplanets, and diamonds.
Oct 8, 2021 | Active Galaxies, Climate Change, Comets, Daily Space, Earth, Mercury, Moon, Sky Watching, Spacecraft, Stars
An analysis of the most recent sample taken from the Moon and returned by the Chang’e-5 mission shows that the basaltic rock is about two billion years old. This age implies a previously unknown heat source in the region. Plus, how plants and animals record climate change and this week’s What’s Up.
Sep 29, 2021 | Black Holes (Stellar), Climate Change, Daily Space, Earth, Mars, Mercury, Moon, Our Solar System, Stars, Venus
The inner solar system was a wild and wooly place as the planets were forming, and new research shows that the collisions that formed Earth and Venus were likely of the hit-and-run variety. Plus, polar ice loss warps the planet, and a black hole eats a star.
Sep 17, 2021 | Daily Space, Earth, Jupiter, Mars, Mercury, Sky Watching, Venus
Research into the Toba caldera and its super-eruption 75,000 years ago shows that magma continued to flow out of the volcano for thousands of years after the main eruption event. Plus, magma and volcanoes throughout our solar system as well as our weekly What’s Up segment.
Sep 10, 2021 | Asteroids, Daily Space, Dark Matter, Galaxies, Mercury, Sky Watching, White Dwarfs
Using a simple model based on granular physics, like those used for modeling sand or sugar deposits, scientists have recreated the diamond shape of asteroids Ryugu and Bennu in computer simulations. Plus, the origins of loner dwarf galaxies and this week’s What’s Up.