Our Solar System Archives - Page 19 of 51

Lightweight Mars-sized Planet Found in TESS Data

Dec 6, 2021 | Asteroids, Comets, Cosmology, Daily Space, Earth, Exoplanets, Our Solar System, Review

A Mars-sized planet was found just 31 light-years away, orbiting its star every eight hours and having 55 percent the mass of the Earth, leading scientists to conclude it’s mostly made of an iron-nickel core. Plus, water on Earth, a huge comet, and a review of a Canon lens.

Earth’s Orbital Changes Possibly Influenced Biologic Evolution

Dec 3, 2021 | Astrobiology, Comets, Daily Space, Earth, Galaxies, Sky Watching, Stars, Supermassive Black Holes

An analysis of over nine million samples of coccoliths whose ages span several million years has led scientists to conclude that changes in Earth’s orbit may have influenced changes in the size and shape of the microscopic algae. Plus, Europe contemplates geologic threats, and a comet is in this week’s What’s Up.

Rocket Roundup for December 1, 2021

Dec 2, 2021 | Asteroids, Daily Space, Jupiter, Random Space Fact, Rockets, Soyuz, Space China, Space History, Spacecraft, SpaceX

During this jam-packed episode of Rocket Roundup, we cover several Chinese launches, SpaceX’s launch of NASA’s DART mission to hit an asteroid, and Russia’s launch of a military satellite. Plus, this week in rocket history, we look back at Pioneer 10’s encounter with Jupiter.

301 Exoplanets Added to Kepler Mission’s Total via Deep Learning

Dec 1, 2021 | Daily Space, Exoplanets, JWST, Mars, ROSCOSMOS, Soyuz, Spacecraft, Stars, Supermassive Black Holes, White Dwarfs

Using a new deep neural network called ExoMiner, scientists have added 301 exoplanets to the Kepler mission’s already enormous total of 4,569 confirmed planets. Plus, updates on Hubble and JWST, how InSight mapped Mars’ inner structure, an ultrahot Jupiter, and rockets. Yup. Rockets.

ALMA Data Helps Confirm Mechanism Behind Gas Stripping of Galaxies

Nov 22, 2021 | Astrobiology, Daily Space, Earth, Galaxies, Mars, Moon, Sky Watching, The Sun

A new research project called the Virgo Environment Traced in Carbon Monoxide Survey (VERTICO) used data collected by the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) to understand just what is stripping star-forming gases out of the Virgo Cluster of galaxies. Plus, calderas, a mass extinction, and this week’s What’s Up.

Quasi-satellite of Earth has Lunar-like Material

Nov 17, 2021 | Asteroids, Crewed Space, Daily Space, Earth, Exoplanets, Our Solar System, Planets, Space Policy, Spacecraft

After five years of observations, researchers have found that the quasi-satellite Kamo’oalewa, which currently orbits the Earth, is similar to a lunar sample collected during the Apollo 14 mission. Plus, Russia blows up a satellite, TESS finds a circumbinary planet, and we interview Dr. Gail Christeson of the University of Texas, Austin, about mapping the Chicxulub crater.