Astronomers using a telescope in Mexico have found two more exoplanets – a super-Earth and a sub-Neptune – orbiting a red dwarf star 120 light-years from Earth.
Size comparison of TOI-1266 b, TOI-1266 c, Earth, Venus and Mercury. Image via Institute of Astronomy, UNAM/ Juan Carlos Yustis/ Centauri Dreams .
The innermost of the two planets – TOI-1266 b – is just under 2 1/2 times Earth’s diameter and so is classified as a sub-Neptune (smaller than Neptune but much larger than Earth). The outer planet – TOI-1266 c – is just over 1 1/2 times Earth’s diameter, making it a super-Earth (smaller than Neptune but a bit larger than Earth).
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Meet the Pi planet. It orbits its star every 3.14 days | Space | EarthSky
In a fun cosmic coincidence, researchers used old Kepler spacecraft data to discover an Earth-sized exoplanet with an orbital period of 3.14 days, a number that matches the mathematical constant pi.
Artist’s concept of K2-315b, which has on orbital period of 3.14 Earth-days, the same value as the mathematical constant pi . Image via NASA Ames/ JPL-Caltech/ T. Pyle/ Christine Daniloff/ MIT .
The pi planet was discussed in a new peer-reviewed paper published in The Astronomical Journal on September 21, 2020.
X-ray data reveal 1st-ever planet orbiting stars in another galaxy | Space | EarthSky
While extragalactic “rogue” planets – not orbiting any star – have been reported before, the new exoplanet is the first to be detected orbiting stars in another galaxy. And not just any galaxy … but M51, the beautiful Whirlpool, 23 million light-years away.
The Whirlpool Galaxy (M51), where the candidate exoplanet M51-ULS-1b was detected by the Chandra X-ray Observatory. We see this galaxy face-on. Image via NASA / ESA/ S. Beckwith (STScI)/ the Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA).
'Extreme' exoplanet found orbiting hot blue star - CNN
(CNN) Taking a second glance in space can be rewarding, especially when a closer look reveals a weird exoplanet.
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Volcanoes fuel gaseous atmosphere on Jupiter's moon Io | Space
What is creating the bubbling, gaseous atmosphere on Jupiter's moon Io ? Scientists think they finally have the answer: volcanoes.
Io, the solar system's most volcanically active world, is one of four Galilean moons — the four largest moons of Jupiter, which were discovered by Galileo in the 17th century — and one of 79 total known satellites around the planet.
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Io's atmosphere is known to be primarily made up of sulfur dioxide, but the source of this gas has long been a subject of debate.
NASA's OSIRIS-REx successfully collected bits of an orbiting asteroid | Engadget
NASA made history on Tuesday afternoon as its OSIRIS-REx spacecraft successfully “tagged” the asteroid 101955 Bennu , and in doing so collected a small sample of regolith from the passing celestial body’s surface. This marks the first time that a NASA mission has managed to intercept, interact with and collect samples from an asteroid.
This is far from the first time that humanity has brought a piece of the stars back with us when returning from space. We’ve been doing it pretty regularly since the Apollo moon missions, in fact. The Mir Space Station hung pieces of aerogel on the station exterior for 18 months to collect samples of low earth orbit space debris back in 1996.
As Of Right Now We Have A Mystery 'Mini-Moon' Orbiting Earth. Is It An Asteroid Or 'Space Junk?'
Ironically, it could turn out to be a spent rocket booster that was supposed to visit our one, true Moon back in 1966, but instead got lost in space and is now making an unexpected return visit to Earth.
Here's everything you need to know about 2020 SO, what's going to happen to it, and how scientists will endeavour to find out exactly what it really is.
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2020 SO is orbiting the Sun. In fact, its orbit of the Sun is on the exact same plane as Earth's. It orbits the Sun in 387 days. That's all very rare for an asteroid. So too is its velocity, which is reckoned to be a pedestrian 1,500 mph/2,414 kmh.
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