Puzzling planets with the apparent density of cotton candy probably have rings, according to a new study.
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(Inside Science) -- Scientists have begun to spot a growing number of planets beyond our solar system. Astronomers call a portion of them "super-puffs" because they are far less dense than Saturn or any other known world. But the conundrum could be solved if the astronomers simply reconsider the planets' shapes and include rings on them, according to a new study.
While you're here, how about this:
Food From Thin Air: The Forgotten Space Tech That Could Feed Planet Earth
There are no cows on Mars, but synthetic biology may have a solution for producing the foods we love ... [+] as we travel among the planets.
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More than half a century ago NASA worked out the microbial recipe for sustaining astronauts on long space missions to Mars and beyond. Forgotten for 50+ years, those very same microbes can feed the hundreds of millions of hungry people down here on Earth. Not only that, they may hold the key to a truly carbon neutral, circular economy.
What other planets can teach us about Earth | Stanford News
A composite image shows Earth from the vantage point of a spacecraft in orbit around our planet's moon in October 2015. (Image credit: NASA/Goddard/Arizona State University)
Sometimes, you need to leave home to understand it. For Stanford planetary geologist Mathieu Lapôtre , "home" encompasses the entire Earth.
"We don't only look at other planets to know what's out there. It's also a way for us to learn things about the planet that's under our own feet," said Lapôtre, an assistant professor of geological sciences in the School of Earth, Energy, & Environmental Sciences (Stanford Earth).
The Planets Are Now Your GCal. Here's How To Use Them
And here's another article:
Celestial News: The march of the planets | SteamboatToday.com
The planets of our solar system this month continue to delight sky watchers with their close encounters with the each other and the moon.
The excitement begins before dawn Wednesday, March 18, when the waning crescent moon pulls up alongside the planets Jupiter and Mars. The trio will be grouped so tightly that you can cover the three worlds with your thumb held at arm's length. As a bonus, Saturn shines nearby, about a fist-width to the left of the moon. Look to the southeast between 4 a.m. and 5 a.m., before dawn brightens the sky too much.
Are Low Density "Cotton Candy" Exoplanets Actually Just Regular Planets With Rings?
There's a type of exoplanet that astronomers sometimes refer to as cotton candy planets, or super-puffs. They're mysterious, because their masses don't match up with their extremely large radii. The two characteristics imply a planet with an extremely low density.
In our Solar System, there's nothing like them, and finding them in distant solar systems has been puzzling. Now a pair of astronomers might have figured it out.
The astronomers are Anthony Piro of Carnegie University and Shreyas Vissapragada, at Caltech. Their paper is titled " Exploring Whether Super-puffs can be Explained as Ringed Exoplanets ." It's published in The Astronomical Journal.
All Planets "Go" Starting March 10
March 10 kicks off a period of greater activity. Look for Coronavirus news on Monday, reports Susan Gidel .
After three weeks of appearing to move backward in the sky, Mercury turns direct in motion late Monday, at 11:49 pm EST. Mercury rules trading, commerce and communications, so any snafus encountered with online trading platforms or communications should clear up beginning on Tuesday, March 10.
This three-week period included the record high in the S&P 500 and its subsequent 16% drop, so transparency about the Coronavirus and its economic effect also could become clearer as Mercury begins moving forward again. The Full Moon in Virgo on Monday, March 9 puts the spotlight on health issues, such as the Coronavirus, and details of all sorts. Together, both cosmic events could clear up the issue and its effects.
Red Space Lettuce Might Feed Red Planet Astronauts - The New York Times
When astronauts head for Mars, perhaps sometime in the 2030s, there is a good chance that they will be growing their own vegetables to eat along the way.
In research published on Friday, researchers are reporting that lettuce grown in space is safe to eat and as nutritious as that grown on Earth.
"This was really good," said Gioia D. Massa, a plant scientist at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida and an author of a paper that appeared in the journal Frontiers in Plant Science . "There wasn't anything completely surprising or crazy or weird."
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