As human telescopes have improved, scientists have been blessed by the discovery of an incredible variety of unusual exoplanets that give insight into the past and future of our universe. Now, a new discovery of an evaporating exoplanet in orbit around a white dwarf hints at what our own solar system will look like in billions of years, after our sun has exhausted its supply of hydrogen, and contracted down into a small, hot, compact white dwarf.
And here's another article:
"Unique in Our Solar System" --Physics of Enceladus's Perpetually Erupting Ocean
NASA’s Cassini mission to Saturn observed surface fissures on Enceladus unique in our Solar System perpetually erupting with water ice from its global subsurface ocean that appear as parallel, evenly spaced “stripes” that are some 130 kilometers long and 35 kilometers apart.
New research led by Doug Hemingway with the Carnegie Institute for Science reveals the physics governing the fissures through which oceanwater erupts from the moon’s icy surface, giving its south pole an unusual “tiger stripe” appearance.
Stargazer December 9 - 15, 2019: The Distant Future of our Solar System | Hawaii Public Radio
For Stargazer, HPR's Dave Lawrence and Christopher Phillips discuss the distant future of our solar system.
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This week Helping Hand welcomes back Therapeutic Horsemanship of Hawaii . HPR All Things Considered Host Dave Lawrence speaks with Executive Director Dana Vennen. According to their website, the nonprofit specializes in riding instruction for special needs individuals, but provides therapeutic riding to individuals of any ability, with a goal to improve the minds and bodies of riders, using horses as partners.
Interstellar object closest to the sun today | Space | EarthSky
The fascinating object 2I/Borisov has been steadily brightening as it nears its encounter with our sun. It’ll pass closest to the sun on December 8, 2019, then flee again toward interstellar space.
2I/Borisov’s orbit. The “2I” stands for “2nd interstellar.” In other words, this is only the 2nd object from a distant solar system known to have swept past our sun. Its perihelion – or closest point to the sun – is just outside the orbit of Mars. Image via Wikimedia Commons user Drbogdan/ NASA .
In case you are keeping track:
NASA's Parker Solar Probe reveals new discoveries about the sun - silive.com
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- More than a year after its launch, NASA's Parker Solar Probe has returned unprecedented data from the area near the sun, which has led to new discoveries published on Wednesday in the journal, Nature.
The findings reveal new information about the behavior of the material and particles that speed away from the sun, NASA said in a news release . This brings scientists closer to answering "fundamental questions about the physics of our star."
Counting Our Lucky Meteorites: Insights into the History of Vesta | Planetary News
The asteroid Vesta is a critical source of important information regarding early solar system processes. With an average diameter of 510 kilometers, it is the second largest asteroid in the solar system, and it is thought to be the source for the most commonly found meteorite group, the HED meteorites*. Furthermore, scientists have strong evidence from the HED meteorites and spacecraft data that Vesta is differentiated; i.e.
A recent study published in Geochemistry journal used a combination of HED meteorite data and Dawn mission data to answer questions about the formation of Vesta's crust. Different rock types form via different processes, so the proportion of one to the other can tell scientists something about which processes dominated Vesta during the formation of its crust.
Two of Neptune's moons dance to keep from colliding
Neptune is the loneliest planet in the solar system. The ice giant, orbiting the sun at a distance of 2.8 billion miles, is the only planet that cannot be seen by the naked eye. Along with Uranus, we have only paid it a single visit, in the late 1980s when Voyager 2 zipped by.
Even harder to see are its moons. The 14th was only officially detected in February, and little is known about most of the others. But by using Hubble observations, Earth-based telescopes and data collected by Voyager 2, scientists have noticed a curious quirk of its two innermost moons, Naiad and Thalassa.
The First Interstellar Comet Could Disintegrate When it Gets Close to the Sun | Discover Magazine
In the months since, astronomers have been measuring the comet's every move as it heads toward perihelion — the point in its orbit closest to the sun. It should make that approach in early December. By studying Borisov's movement, brightness and chemical makeup, scientists have found it's not that different from comets in our own solar system. And that may also mean it could make a dramatic spectacle as it nears the sun.
Here's a recap of what astronomers have discovered to date, and what to look out for in the coming weeks.
Happening on Twitter
"As they absorb carbon dioxide, #oceans becomes less basic and more acidic, in some places dissolving the shells of… https://t.co/Nxzq7Wuqmk leeladaou (from NYC) Mon Dec 09 13:59:28 +0000 2019
On this date December 8 in 1991, leaders of Russia, Belarus & Ukraine signed an agreement dissolving Soviet Union a… https://t.co/8QFhvKRI1S JeffreyGuterman (from Global) Sun Dec 08 17:00:00 +0000 2019
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