The eight planets of our Solar System and our Sun, to scale in size but not in terms of orbital ... [+] distances. Note that these are the only eight objects that meet all three of the planetary criteria as set forth by the IAU, and that they orbit around the Sun within just a few degrees of the same plane as one another.
Of all the planets, dwarf planets, moons, asteroids and more in the Solar System, only one object can be the densest. You might think, based on the fact that gravitation is a runaway process that just builds upon itself to a greater and greater degree, that the most massive objects of all things like Jupiter or even the Sun would be densest, but they're less than a quarter the density of Earth.
Not to change the topic here:
139 Minor Planets Found in our Solar System | Discover Magazine
Astronomers have discovered 139 new minor planets orbiting the sun beyond Neptune by searching through data from the Dark Energy Survey. The new method for spotting small worlds is expected to reveal many thousands of distant objects in coming years — meaning these first hundred or so are likely just the tip of the iceberg.
Taken together, the newfound distant objects, as well as those to come, could resolve one of the most fascinating questions of modern astronomy: Is there a massive and mysterious world called Planet Nine lurking in the outskirts of our solar system ?
The sun may kick off a new solar weather cycle this month | Space
The sun has been awfully quiet lately, but that could change starting this month, scientists say.
You wouldn't know it without taking a good look at the sun (which, reminder, you should only do with proper eye protection), but our local star goes through cycles of activity, each lasting about 11 years. Right now, the sun is fairly calm as it wraps up what scientists dub solar cycle 24 and begins solar cycle 25 .
Scientists can't predict exactly when that transition will occur, but they know it should be happening soon. "Maybe this month," Clinton Wallace, director of the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration''s Space Weather Prediction Center said of the center's predictions for solar minimum during a presentation coordinated by the National Academies of Sciences yesterday (April 1). "In the next year we'll know when we've hit minimum."
This Fireball Ignored the Solar System's One-Way Signs - The New York Times
It's not unusual for meteors to illuminate night skies over southwestern Australia's desolate landscapes. But the fireball of July 7, 2017, was different. For a full minute and a half, it just kept burning and burning and burning. The object carved a trace of light as wide across as Texas, then faded.
Many meteors disintegrate in our atmosphere, or slow down and crash into the soil. But after its light show, this one kept going, departing our planet with a celestial "thanks, but no thanks."
Not to change the topic here:
The Next 10 Years: Continuing our Solar System Tour | The Planetary Society
Cosmochemist and Assistant Professor, School of Earth and Space Exploration, Arizona State University
* * *
Our survey of the solar system in anticipation of the next planetary science decadal survey continues with Mars, the big outer planets, and the smaller bodies that share the neighborhood. Three more great scientists share their looks ahead. Staying responsibly stuck at home is easier when you can look up at a gorgeous night sky. Bruce Betts is here to help with another fun edition of What’s Up and a Random Space Fact or two.
Jupiter: Largest planet of our solar system | WATE 6 On Your Side
Jupiter is the fifth planet away from the Sun. It is also the largest planet in our solar system and is twice as massive as all the other planets combined. One distinct thing about Jupiter is the Great Red Spot. This is a storm that has lasted for over a century. The storm itself is about twice the size of Earth. Jupiter has short days that last about 10 hours, but exceptionally long years. One year on Jupiter is equal to 12 years on Earth. Finally, Jupiter has more than 75 moons!
Europe's Mercury-bound BepiColombo will swing past Earth soon! Here's what you need to know.
A mission dubbed BepiColombo is bound for Mercury, but in order to reach its destination, it needs to take the scenic route, beginning with a flyby of Earth later this month, during which skywatchers may be able to spot the probe.
BepiColombo, which launched in October 2018 , is a joint project of the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA). The mission is scheduled to arrive at Mercury in December 2025, when it will split into two component spacecraft and begin observing the tiniest planet in our solar system up close.
For NASA's next sun mission, 6 tiny spacecraft will work as one massive telescope | Space
Want to build the largest radio telescope to fly in space? Here's an easier technique: Design six tiny satellites to fly in formation and work together.
That's the approach of a NASA's new Sun Radio Interferometer Space Experiment (SunRISE) mission, which is scheduled to launch no earlier than July 2023. SunRISE aims to help scientists understand the complex relationship between the sun's activity and a host of dangerous phenomena around Earth called space weather.
Happening on Twitter
@soniasodha @mattforde Why on earth is this remotely relevant? NHS workers have lost their lives. They are parents,… https://t.co/GW7WRK2qw9 JuliaHB1 (from London) Wed Apr 01 16:18:53 +0000 2020
Our virus situation is not anything close to Italy, yet we are applying same harsh measures which will drag us down… https://t.co/X1WVb4tF9z ZaidZamanHamid (from Pakistan) Wed Apr 01 18:15:14 +0000 2020
Talk about an unforced error... why on earth would @zoom_us squander their massive goodwill by not building a se… https://t.co/CEKQrpXz9M Jason (from 94107) Thu Apr 02 01:13:22 +0000 2020
No comments:
Post a Comment