As we continue to discover exoplanets and worlds outside our immediate celestial neighborhood, it’s easy to forget that our own solar system still holds undiscovered wonders.
In 1996, the Galileo spacecraft made a stunning discovery about Ganymede — that the largest moon in the solar system actually has its own magnetic field. We don’t know of any other moons that have one, and this suggests that the moon has an iron core similar to Earth’s.
New planet found "next door" to our solar system
At one quarter the mass of the Earth, the newly-discovered planet is not only one of the closest planets we know of, but also one of the lightest. The planet is named Proxima d .
In 1915, the Scottish astronomer Robert Innes discovered a new star. He called it Proxima Centauri (or rather, Proxima Centaurus).
Chinese Moon mission provides finer ruler for studying the Solar System | The Independent
Planetary scientists may soon have a better yardstick for measuring the evolution of the Moon , following a new study that fills in gaps in the record of meteor impacts on the Moon.
A team of Chinese scientists used data from Chang'e-5 lander, China 's first lunar sample return mission, to fill in gaps in the lunar geologic record and update the chronological models scientists use to study the Moon's evolution that previously relied on Apollo and other 1970s era sample
NASA highlights amazing super bowls in our solar system | Digital Trends
On the day of America’s most-watched sporting event, NASA has dabbled in a spot of wordplay and posted a feature highlighting "10 impressively super, bowl-shaped venues adorning worlds in our solar system."
Keeping with the Super Bowl theme, NASA's Amanda Barnett writes: "Note that if the average speed of an NFL throw is 50-60 mph, and the escape velocity of Phobos is 25 mph, then it’s conceivable that a pro quarterback could throw a ball right off Phobos and into orbit around Mars."
View from Mars Hill: Youngest pair of asteroids in solar system detected | Columnists |
Artist rendition of an asteroid pair, shortly after separation. Over millennia these objects will drift apart and become harder to identify. At 300 years old, the asteroid pair 2019 PR2 and 2019 QR6 are the youngest found to date.
The majority of asteroids in our solar system reside in the area between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter known as the main asteroid belt. Closer to home, scientists have identified additional asteroids known as Near Earth Asteroids (NEAs), whose orbits bring them within the vicinity of Earth.
Water was Already Here Before the Earth Formed - Universe Today
But a new study published in the journal Nature Astronomy proposes a further explanation for Earth’s water. As the prevailing view says, some of it could’ve come from asteroids and comets.
To understand the origin of Earth’s water, scientists study its isotopic compositions. Not only Earth’s water but also the evidence of water in meteorites, asteroids, and anywhere else in the Solar System they find it.
Space junk is making a dangerous mess of our solar system | WFIT
Some of this space junk — ranging from tiny to the size of a school bus — is orbiting at more than 17,000 miles per hour and causing headaches and near-misses that will only become more of an issue with a huge uptick in space launches and more satellites.
The origin of volatile elements in the Earth–Moon system | PNAS
Solar-powered system offers a route to inexpensive desalination: Passive solar evaporation system
An estimated two-thirds of humanity is affected by shortages of water, and many such areas in the developing world also face a lack of dependable electricity. Widespread research efforts have thus focused on ways to desalinate seawater or brackish water using just solar heat.
Now, a team of researchers at MIT and in China has come up with a solution to the problem of salt accumulation -- and in the process developed a desalination system that is both more efficient and less expensive than previous solar desalination methods.
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