By now, we have discovered hundreds of stars with multiple planets orbiting them scattered throughout the galaxy. Each one is unique, but a system orbiting the star HD 158259, 88 light-years away, is truly special.
The star itself is about the same mass and a little larger than the Sun - a minority in our exoplanet hunts. It's orbited by six planets: a super-Earth and five mini-Neptunes.
After monitoring it for seven years, astronomers have discovered that all six of those planets are orbiting HD 158259 in almost perfect orbital resonance. This discovery could help us to better understand the mechanisms of planetary system formation, and how they end up in the configurations we see.
Many things are taking place:
A Rare 'Triple Conjunction' Of Planets As Our Brightest Star Sparkles: What You Can See In The
A 'triple conjunction' between Mercury, Jupiter and the Moon will dominate the post-sunset skies ... [+] this week. Here's an image of Venus and Jupiter along with the Moon over ESO's Very Large Telescope (VLT) observatory at Paranal, Chile.
With the full "Cold Moon" just a few days ago, we start off this week with a night sky that's rather bleached in the early-to-late evening, so it's good time to turn your attentions to the Moon. If you have binoculars you could even study the craters along the "terminator" shadow on the Moon.
Solar Cruiser: A Giant Sail Prepares for Space | The Planetary Society
Principal Investigator for the NEA Scout and Solar Cruiser solar sails, NASA Marshall Space Flight Center
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It is many times larger than any previous solar sail, and it will pave the way for even bigger spacecraft propelled by light. Solar Cruiser principal investigator Les Johnson tells us about his latest project and looks to humanity crossing the gulfs of interstellar space. Stellaris: People of the Stars is a collection of science fact and fiction co-edited by Les. Mat and Bruce offer a copy in the new What's Up space trivia contest.
Planetary protection needs more than just NASA, White House plan says | Space
The White House has laid out a plan for overhauling the federal government's planetary-protection rules , which work to prevent contamination between Earth and other potentially habitable worlds.
The document outlines the government's plan for a suite of federal agencies to modernize planetary-protection rules over the course of the next year. Scientists and engineers discuss planetary protection in two directions: keeping other destinations free of meaningful Earth contamination and keeping our planet safe from potentially dangerous extraterrestrial materials.
Other things to check out:
2021 astronomy calendar: When to see full moons, planets, eclipses and meteor showers - CNN
Inside the C.I.A., She Became a Spy for Planet Earth - The New York Times
Linda Zall played a starring role in American science that led to decades of major advances. But she never described her breakthroughs on television, or had books written about her, or received high scientific honors. One database of scientific publications lists her contributions as consisting of just three papers, with a conspicuous gap running from 1980 to 2020.
The reason is that Dr. Zall's decades of service to science were done in the secretive warrens of the Central Intelligence Agency.
Starwatch: Planetary trio visible for first time since 2015 | WJHL | Tri-Cities News & Weather
Later this week, from January 8-11, you will be able to see a planetary trio. Jupiter, Mercury, and Saturn will be low in the west sky.
A planetary trio is defined by three planets fitting in a circle with a diameter less than 5 degrees in width. For perspective, 5 degrees is about the width of three fingers at arm’s length away. They will be closest on January 10.
It may not be the easiest to find these planets. They will be low in the west sky and setting right behind the sun after sunset. The sun’s light may also wash away these planets. The best time to view them is just after 6 p.m., before they set by around 6:45 p.m.
Does it snow on other planets? | Latest Headlines | nptelegraph.com
Ever wonder how snow works elsewhere in the solar system? Turns out, the fluffy stuff takes on different forms than what we're used to on Earth.
More in Watch Now: 3 apps to boost your productivity this year, and more of today's top videos (3 of 6)
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Check out three apps that can help you focus better and manage your time this year, watch th…
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Astronomers set a new Record and Find the Farthest Galaxy. Its Light Took 13.4 Billion Years to Reach us - Universe… https://t.co/k8LGTY1yB2 universetoday (from Courtenay, British Columbia) Tue Jan 05 23:15:02 +0000 2021
Dark matter is tricksy. One possible candidate for this mysterious stuff is a subatomic particle called an axion.… https://t.co/O1FhBOKOZB BadAstronomer (from Boulder) Mon Jan 04 16:29:13 +0000 2021
Astronomers find the biggest black hole ever measured. With a mass of 40 billion suns, the goliath black hole packs… https://t.co/xxT5RleJXE AstronomyMag (from Our tiny corner of the cosmos) Thu Dec 31 17:30:05 +0000 2020
Find out how astronomers went in search of a planet but found the asteroids instead. https://t.co/jo9OPj59BK AsteroidDay (from Observed across 193 countries) Fri Jan 01 17:31:02 +0000 2021
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