Monday, May 17, 2021

Shrinking planets could explain mystery of universe's missing worlds

The new clue arose from a fresh way of looking at the data. A team of researchers led by the Flatiron Institute's Trevor David investigated whether the radius gap changes as planets age. They divvied up exoplanets into two groups—young and old—and reassessed the gap. The least common planet radii from the younger set were smaller on average than the least common ones from the older set, they found.

The implication, the researchers propose, is that some mini-Neptunes shrink drastically over billions of years as their atmospheres leak away, leaving behind only a solid core. By losing their gas, the mini-Neptunes "jump" the planet radius gap and become super-Earths. As time goes on, the radius gap shifts as larger and larger mini-Neptunes make the jump, transforming into larger and larger super-Earths.

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Watching the Skies: 5 planets easy to see this week | WOODTV.com

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — The weather is finally warming up, which means it will be a bit more pleasant to get outside and do some stargazing. Here’s the planet roundup for the week: 

Three planets will have good visibility in the evening sky this week. Mars, Venus and Mercury will all be shining in the west-northwest after sunset. 

Mercury will be getting dimmer from here on out, so now is the time to look for it. The best time to try your luck will be about an hour after the sun has set. 

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Publisher: WOODTV.com
Date: 2021-05-17T21:08:07 00:00
Author: Emily Schuitema
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How Habitable Are Planets That Orbit Red Dwarfs – The Most Common Type of Stars in the Galaxy?

This artist’s illustration depicts an old red dwarf like Barnard’s Star (right) and an orbiting, rocky planet (left). Credit: NASA/CXC/M. Weiss

The authors used Barnard’s Star as a case study to learn how flares from an old red dwarf might affect any planets orbiting it. The artist’s illustration t the top of this page depicts an old red dwarf like Barnard’s Star (right) and an orbiting, rocky planet (left).

Publisher: SciTechDaily
Date: 2021-05-16T19:39:28-07:00
Author: Mike O
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Star light, star bright, check out these 3 planets Saturday night | KOIN.com

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — Attention stargazers and night watchers: with clear skies forecast in Portland Saturday night, be sure to look out for these three planets.

Mercury, Venus and Mars, along with the crescent moon, will be visible after sunset, according to Jim Todd, director of space science education at OMSI.

“The waxing crescent moon will to the lower right of Mars. Mercury will be in the middle of Mars and Venus. Venus will outshine Mercury by 280 times, so seeing Mercury will be difficult,” Todd said.

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Publisher: KOIN.com
Date: 2021-05-15T21:42:25 00:00
Author: KOIN 6 News Staff
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Deep water on Neptune and Uranus may be magnesium-rich | ASU News
Publisher: ASU News
Date: 2021-05-17T08:00:00-07:00
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Star Wars Biomes Locations: All Movies & Planets Explained

Star Wars: Biomes is one of the most unique Star Wars offerings featured on Disney+, taking viewers on a range of flyovers over a series of iconic worlds throughout the galaxy. Not only that, but these dynamic tours make it feel as though one is a passenger on a ship, witnessing several key moments in the Star Wars Skywalker saga and its three trilogies. The Star Wars galaxy holds a vast selection of unique worlds, and some are explored in a new way in the show.

Publisher: ScreenRant
Date: 2021-05-14T22:21:39Z
Twitter: @screenrant
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Astronomers Confirm Third-Nearest Star With a Planet – And It's Rocky Like Earth

In the past two decades, scientists have discovered more and more planets orbiting distant stars—but in some sense, they’re still just dots on a map.

The new planet, called Gliese 486 b, is located just over two dozen light-years from Earth in the direction of the constellation Virgo, and is also made out of rock—though it is hotter and three times larger than our home. 

“This is the third-nearest system with a transiting exoplanet, and it should be just the first in a long line of them for MAROON-X,” said Bean, an associate professor in the Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics. “We’re really happy. We’re going to learn a lot about terrestrial exoplanets over the coming years.” 

Publisher: SciTechDaily
Date: 2021-05-17T03:05:06-07:00
Author: Mike O
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