Yes, we're old enough to remember when Pluto was a planet , and so is the Otford Solar System . Built as a millennium addition to the Kent village of Otford, the model solar system consists of markers representing nine planets, plus the sun. It's a very serious construction — the scale of it is a staggering 1:4,595,700,000 (so 1mm = 4,595.7km), and it captures the positions the planets were in as the new millennium began.
Detailed locations of each of the planets on the Otford Solar System route are hard to come by, probably intentionally, to encourage wandering and exploration of the village. You get the feeling that locals are used to space tourists around these parts — a couple of knowing glances are thrown our way as we intensely photograph what is, to all intents and purposes, a concrete pillar.
New research reveals secret to Jupiter's curious aurora activity -- ScienceDaily
Auroral displays continue to intrigue scientists, whether the bright lights shine over Earth or over another planet. The lights hold clues to the makeup of a planet's magnetic field and how that field operates.
Peter Delamere, a professor of space physics at the University of Alaska Fairbanks Geophysical Institute, is among an international team of 13 researchers who have made a key discovery related to the aurora of our solar system's largest planet.
Solar panels 101: How to calculate your payback period - CNET
A payback period is the amount of time it takes for you to earn back your initial investment. Solar panels can help you save enough money on your energy bills over time to offset the up-front costs. How much you save per month depends on the size of your solar system, your home's energy consumption and other factors.
Calculating the payback period will be unique to your circumstances due to the variability of the upfront costs, as well as the difference in energy costs based on your location. But here are some guidelines to help you estimate when you will break even.
Scientists: "Direct Fusion Drive" Could Get Us to the Edge of the Solar System in 10 Years
An international team of researchers have come up with a fusion-based spacecraft thruster that uses a hydrogen isotope called deuterium as a fuel source, as Popular Mechanics reports .
Their "direct fusion drive," (DFD) — as detailed in a yet-to-be-peer-reviewed preprint — is theoretically able to speed up a spacecraft to a blistering 44 kilometers per second, covering the distance from here to Neptune and beyond in less than a decade.
While electric propulsion systems powered by the rays of the Sun have allowed us to explore the inner reaches of our solar system, venturing beyond Jupiter would require gigantic solar arrays, the team argues in its paper.
Scientists detect X-rays from Uranus | Space | EarthSky
For the first time, scientists have detected X-rays being emitted by the planet Uranus. The discovery was made by a new analysis of data from NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory.
The space agency made the announcement on March 31, 2021, and the researchers published their discovery in the April 2021 issue of the the peer-reviewed Journal of Geophysical Research .
NASA Selects Innovative, Early-Stage Tech Concepts for Continued Study
Illustration of a conceptual radio telescope within a crater on the Moon. The early-stage concept is being studied under grant funding from the NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts program but is not a NASA mission.
JPL's Lunar Crater Radio Telescope advanced concept is among the projects that have been selected for further research and development.
NASA encourages researchers to develop and study unexpected approaches for traveling through, understanding, and exploring space. To further these goals, the agency has selected seven studies for additional funding – totaling $5 million – from the NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts (NIAC) program. The researchers previously received at least one NIAC award related to their proposals.
A final flyby for asteroid Bennu and 5 other top space and science stories this week - KAKE
In a matter of days, robots achieved milestones across our solar system as researchers here on Earth uncovered windows into the early days of humanity. These contrasting advancements amaze us here at the CNN Space and Science team, especially because they happen so often.
Learning how our ancestors created cave art and engraved prehistoric stone maps transforms these early humans from unrelatable figures to relatives with common ground.
Similarly, the robotic investigators we send to planets and asteroids, those rocky time capsules of the last 4.5 billion years, uncover the past of the solar system. Fueling our curiosity, these insights share not only where we came from, but what had transpired long before humans walked across Earth.
NASA Perseverance rover will record Mars helicopter's historic flight
NASA rescheduled the Mars Ingenuity helicopter's first flight to Wednesday after an onboard computer ended a high-speed test of the helicopter's rotors earlier than expected Friday.
NASA announced the delay on Saturday. The agency said the helicopter is "safe and healthy" and that flight controllers are reviewing data from the craft to see what happened. The high-speed test will be attempted later, before the first flight, NASA said.
Ingenuity was attempting to get its four-foot rotors up to full speed 2,400 rpm on Friday when a "watchdog timer" on board the helicopter ended the test. The timer alerts the system to potential problems and halts operations if the craft is not working as planned, NASA said.
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