Topic: Solar Systems
Volcanic Moon orbiting distant world

Volcanic Moon orbiting distant world

by | Dec 1, 2024 |

Let’s look at a world 635 lightyears away that just might have a fiery moon of volcanic goodness. To be honest, every aspect of this system is hot. The star is similar our Sun, but the planet is on an 2.8 day orbit around that star, and this orbit makes Mercury look super distant from the Sun. From our perspective here on Earth, this world, WASP-49 A, passes in front of its star, allowing us to see it’s size and the chemical make up of its atmosphere. Observations show the planet to be an extremely overheated and a sibling to Saturn. https://youtu.be/52uJItWKWH4?feature=shared Credit: NASA...

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Closer Look: Mars is the Future

Closer Look: Mars is the Future

by | Sep 6, 2024 | ,

Since Mars Spirit and Opportunity first set down on Mars in 2004, there has been a continuous robotic presence on the Red Planet. The Phoenix and Insight Landers have answered specific questions about Mars composition and interior, while a small herd of rovers have...

When Orbits Go Weird

When Orbits Go Weird

by | Aug 14, 2024 |

orbital path of transiting exoplanet TIC 241249530 b As of the day of this recording, Aug 8, 2024, more than 5600 exoplanets have been discovered orbiting more than 4000 alien stars. Within these systems we are regularly finding things our experiences with our own...

JWST Catches Difference in Sunrise and Sunset

JWST Catches Difference in Sunrise and Sunset

by | Aug 14, 2024 |

an artist's concept of the exoplanet WASP-43b Anyone who likes to exercise outside can tell you the sunrise side of the day is far cooler than the evening twilight. Here on Earth, with our rotating world, this is easy to understand. Throughout the night, our planet...

Titan’s Lakes May Have Shoreline Erosion

Titan’s Lakes May Have Shoreline Erosion

by | Jul 23, 2024 |

Image Credit: Cassini Mission Here on Earth we often talk about planetary analogues. These are areas where the landscape here on our planet is geological similar to other worlds. There are regions in the Atacama desert, for instance, that are very similar to Mars. ...

Lava Lakes on Io Images in Infrared

Lava Lakes on Io Images in Infrared

by | Jul 23, 2024 |

I don’t think there is an astronomer who doesn’t love a pretty high resolution image of …well… pretty much anything in space. Give me a crisp clear galaxy, or a nebula, or even a quiet frost field on another planet and I will happily stare at the pretty picture. But...

Jupiter’s Not-enduring Red Spot

Jupiter’s Not-enduring Red Spot

by | Jul 23, 2024 |

Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/SwRI/MSSS/Gerald Eichstadt/Justin Cowart It turns out, Jupiter likes to have giant red spots, but it doesn’t always have the same giant red spot. New research led by Agustin Sanchez-Lavega and appearing in Geophysical Research letters...