A Purdue team suggests Rayleigh-Bénard convection cells explain the quilted appearance of Sputnik Planum region on Pluto. The researchers found that convection could produce the unique terrain, which would renew the surface and erase impact craters.
Researchers developed a new model that suggests strong tidal encounters could be responsible for cracks on icy moons. The model, which uses computer graphics code to simulate the behavior of icy moons, indicates that such encounters could lead to cracks in the surface.
Astronomers at Queen's University Belfast will lead the UK's search for distant supernovae, asteroids, and comets. The LSST telescope will generate a massive scientific dataset of billions of galaxies, stars, and solar system objects, providing insights into the origin of chemical elements and the size and geometry of the Universe.
New research by astronomers at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics examines scenarios for Planet Nine's formation and finds most have low probabilities. The simplest solution suggests the solar system created an extra gas giant, boosting Planet Nine into its wider orbit over time.
Dennis Reuter and his team are selected as finalists for the Samuel J. Heyman Service to America Medal for their contributions to the New Horizons mission to Pluto. The LEISA instrument provided groundbreaking data on Pluto's surface composition, expanding scientists' understanding of the outer solar system.
Astronomers discover a small, dark moon orbiting Makemake, the second brightest icy dwarf planet in the Kuiper Belt. The moon's diameter is estimated to be 100 miles across and its orbit completes around Makemake in 12 days or longer.
New Horizons provided three years of measurements of the solar wind, filling a crucial gap between what other missions see closer to the sun and what Voyager spacecraft see further out. The data helps round out our picture of the sun's influence on space, including the origins of radiation hazards for astronauts.
The Solar Wind Around Pluto (SWAP) instrument collected three years' worth of measurements before the July 15 Pluto flyby. Data showed that the solar wind's tumultuous flow becomes more uniform by the time it reaches Pluto's orbit.
Astronomers have captured the most detailed image yet of a protoplanetary disc around the young star TW Hydrae, revealing concentric dusty bright rings and dark gaps. The new ALMA images show intriguing features that may indicate a planet with an Earth-like orbit is forming in the disc.
Astronomers have captured unprecedented details of the TW Hydrae disk, which may host a super-Earth or an infant version of our home planet. The images show concentric dusty bright rings and dark gaps, including a tantalizing gap at Earth's distance from the star.
Five studies on New Horizons' flyby of Pluto uncover a wide variety of geological features, including tectonics, glacial flow, and cryovolcanoes. The dwarf planet's interaction with the solar wind and icy surfaces also provides insights into its space environment.
A CU-Boulder student-built instrument found only six dust particles per cubic mile near Pluto, revealing the vast emptiness of space. The discovery provides insights into the solar system's formation and evolution.
Goddard's Network Integration Center coordinates communications for Near Earth and Space Networks, ensuring reliable data transmission from space to ground. The center has been operational since Project Mercury and supports human spaceflight missions, including those in low-Earth orbit and beyond.
A newly discovered exoplanet, HD 106906 b, may have been violently ejected from its birthplace close to its star due to a recent gravitational disturbance. The planet is surrounded by a large dust ring or shroud, which could be evidence of the violent episode.
The New Horizons team revealed a diverse range of findings about the Pluto system, including varied landforms, atmospheric complexity, and intriguing moons. The mission has provided unprecedented insights into Pluto's geological activity, with evidence of water-ice rich crusts and multiple haze layers in its atmosphere.
The New Horizons mission has revealed a wide range of colors across Pluto's surface, with dark red regions at the equator and brighter, bluer regions at higher latitudes. The team also discovered significant regional differences in volatile ices on Pluto's surface, including water ice in previously undetected regions.
Data from New Horizons' flyby of Pluto suggest the dwarf planet has been frequently resurfaced by erosion or crustal recycling. The study also reveals large regions of differing brightness on Pluto's surface, carved out by structures similar to terrestrial glaciers.
A new study published in Nature indicates that the Earth's inner core was formed between 1 and 1.5 billion years ago, based on magnetic records from ancient igneous rocks. This finding suggests that the solid inner core started to form as it cooled from the surrounding molten iron outer core.
Scientists have discovered a 'bucket brigade' that brings liquid to Titan's north pole, creating lakes and seas. Meanwhile, NASA's Kepler telescope has opened up possibilities for exoplanet studies. Research also explores abrupt shifts in phenology and vegetation productivity under climate extremes.
Researchers use the Very Large Telescope Interferometer to study a young star with a large proto-planetary disk. They find a significant gap in the inner regions, suggesting a gravitational influence from forming planets.
SwRI scientists suggest that geologic activity brings nitrogen up from Pluto's interior to resupply its atmosphere. They also consider the possibility of cryovolcanism and ongoing geysers as sources of nitrogen.
Researchers created a simulation of Pluto's space environment to estimate solar wind densities and understand how they affect the dwarf planet's atmosphere. The models, which take into account coronal mass ejections and other factors, suggest that Pluto may experience low solar wind densities for about a month before being compressed.
A new study published in Nature provides the first detailed look at Pluto's five known moons, revealing fascinating details about their orbits and rotational patterns. The research found that three of the smaller moons, Nix, Styx, and Hydra, are locked together in resonance, making their orbits more regular and predictable.
Astronomers analyzed Hubble data to find that Nix and Hydra are in chaotic rotation around Pluto. The system's dynamic motion offers insights into binary star systems and potential consequences for life.
Two of Pluto's moons, Nix and Hydra, wobble unpredictably due to a constantly shifting gravitational field created by the double planet system of Pluto and Charon. This effect is strengthened by the non-spherical shape of the moons, which may be similar for the other two moons, Kerberos and Styx.
An international team of astronomers has identified a young planetary system, located 360 light years away, with a disc-shaped bright ring of dust around a star similar to the sun. The disc's brightness and composition are consistent with the Kuiper Belt in our solar system.
A team of researchers from MIT has detected optical features around Chiron that may signal the presence of a ring system, jets, or a shell of dust. The findings are based on observations of a stellar occultation in 2011, which revealed symmetrical and sharp features near the start and end of the event.
Researchers propose that gravitational forces alter ETNO orbits, indicating the presence of unseen planets. Calculations reveal a possible second planet with characteristics diverging from current theories on solar system formation.
Researchers used NASA wind tunnel to study threshold speeds for particle movement on Titan, finding higher speeds than predicted from Earth-based models. The findings can help understand atmospheric forces on icy moons and planets with thin or thick atmospheres.
The largest visible-light imaging survey of dusty debris disks has been conducted around stars as young as 10 million years old and as mature as over 1 billion years. The diversity of these systems suggests gravitational effects from unseen exoplanets or interactions with interstellar material.
The Rosetta-Alice spectrograph has obtained the first far ultraviolet spectra of a cometary surface, revealing an unusually dark comet surface and no large water-ice patches. Hydrogen and oxygen have been detected in the comet's coma.
A NASA-funded study suggests that cracks on Pluto's moon Charon could reveal a past underground ocean. The analysis finds that a high-eccentricity phase in Charon's orbit may have generated large tides, causing friction and surface fractures. This friction would have also caused the tides to slightly lag behind their orbital positions.
The Rosetta-Alice spectrograph is starting its science mission to study the origin, composition, and workings of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko. It will analyze the comet's atmosphere, map its surface, and study fine dust particles.
Researchers found that pivoting planets with wobbling axes of rotation might maintain favorable conditions for life despite being far from their stars. This expands the idea of a habitable planet and where they might be found, particularly in systems with multiple gas giants.
A distant dwarf planet, 2012 VP113, has been found to orbit beyond the known edge of the Solar System, challenging our understanding of its boundaries. The discovery suggests an enormous, unseen planet could be influencing the orbits of inner Oort cloud objects.
Astronomers using data from NASA's RXTE satellite discovered a dozen cloud events where gas clouds moved across the line of sight, dimming X-ray light produced by supermassive black holes in active galaxies. The study triples previous cloud event counts and provides new insights into the environments around supermassive black holes.
A newly discovered celestial object, ROXs 42Bb, located nine times the mass of Jupiter and 30 times further away from its star than Jupiter, defies easy categorization as a planet or brown dwarf. This finding blurs the distinction between planets and brown dwarfs, prompting researchers to re-examine formation theories.
Scientists predict the sun's magnetic field will reverse in three to four months, affecting space weather and potentially cosmic rays. This change marks the midpoint of Solar Cycle 24, with half of 'solar max' behind and half yet to come.
Scientists have captured the first direct images of a snow line in an infant solar system, revealing its role in forming planets. The study uses radio-wavelength images from the Atacama Larger Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) telescope to show a carbon monoxide snow line around TW Hydrae, 175 light-years away.
Researchers have found evidence of an exoplanet forming at a distance of about 80 astronomical units (AU) from its star, TW Hydrae. The discovery is surprising as planets typically form closer to the central star.
Researchers have discovered two hot spots in the outer atmosphere of Betelgeuse, a cool red supergiant. The hot spots are separated by half the visual diameter of the star and have temperatures of around 4,000-5,000 Kelvin, much higher than expected.
The study of HR 8799c's atmosphere suggests a core accretion process led to its formation, similar to our Solar System's formation. The exoplanet's composition reveals an elevated carbon-to-oxygen ratio, indicating water ice grains condensed and formed the planet's solid core.
The European Space Agency's JUICE mission will observe ultraviolet emissions from Jupiter's system, providing insights into the composition of the icy moons' surfaces and atmospheres. The instrument will also map the moons' surfaces, sound their interiors, and determine their potential for supporting life in future manned missions.
Using thermal models, scientists pinpointed the extremely cold regions where ice has been found on or below the surface. The dark deposits are thought to be a thin crust of residual organic material brought by asteroids and comets.
Astronomers have discovered that dwarf planet Makemake lacks a significant atmosphere, revealing new insights into its composition. The study used observations of Makemake passing in front of a star to determine its size, density, and albedo, with findings comparable to dirty snow.
The New Horizons team has discovered a high risk of collisions with debris orbiting Pluto due to its fast speed. To mitigate this risk, the team is plotting alternative courses that would preserve most of the science mission while avoiding deadly encounters.
Astronomers at the Gemini Observatory have produced exceptionally high-resolution images of Pluto and its largest companion Charon using a method called reconstructive speckle imaging. The resulting images hint at the exoplanet verification power of large state-of-the-art telescopes combined with speckle imaging techniques.
The US Department of Homeland Security has created a surrogate semi-submersible called PLUTO to test detection systems for maritime security. The vessel is designed to mimic the features of illegal narco subs used by South American drug cartels, allowing operators to test and improve their sensors in real-world conditions.
The discovery of the new moon provides additional clues for unraveling how the Pluto system formed and evolved. The team is using Hubble's powerful vision to scour the Pluto system to uncover potential hazards to NASA's New Horizons spacecraft.
Researchers from Southwest Research Institute and Nebraska Wesleyan University discovered a strong ultraviolet-wavelength absorber on Pluto's surface, indicating the presence of complex hydrocarbon and/or nitrile molecules.
Researchers suggest looking for artificial illumination on distant planets as they orbit their stars, which could provide a measurable signal. This technique relies on the assumption that intelligent life uses Earth-like technologies and could potentially spot alien cities using future generations of telescopes.
A recent study using the TRAPPIST telescope has accurately measured the shape and size of dwarf planet Eris, confirming its status as Pluto's twin. The findings show that Eris is approximately 2326 kilometers in diameter, with an accuracy of 12 kilometers.
Astronomers have captured a new image of a star's disk, revealing spiral-arm-like structures that could indicate the presence of hidden planets. The Subaru Telescope's advanced imaging capabilities have revealed these dynamic features for the first time.
Astronomers at the University of Michigan discovered ocean-like water in Comet Hartley 2, a finding that suggests comets may have delivered a significant portion of Earth's oceans. The discovery was made using data from the Herschel Space Observatory and suggests that the source of Earth's oceans is more complex than previously thought.
Astronomers have detected stardust in debris discs of extra-solar planetary systems, providing insights into the planet formation process. The Jena research team found two systems with transiting planets, using photometric analysis to identify irregularities in the infrared range.
Astronomers at Caltech have discovered that the dwarf planet 2007 OR10, or Snow White, is an icy world with about half its surface covered in water ice. The findings suggest that the red-tinged dwarf planet may be covered in a thin layer of methane, remnants of an atmosphere slowly being lost into space.
Astronomers using the Hubble Space Telescope have discovered a fourth moon orbiting Pluto, the smallest discovered to date. The new moon, temporarily designated P4, was found in a survey searching for rings around Pluto and has an estimated diameter of 8-21 miles.
The Panoramic Survey Telescope & Rapid Response System (Pan-STARRS) PS1 telescope has discovered ten Kuiper Belt residents, ranging in size from 180 to 300 miles, and is expected to find a whole range of objects including dwarf planets and comets.
The CU-Boulder student-built dust counter on NASA's New Horizons mission has reached a distance of 1.67 billion miles from Earth, breaking the record for the most distant working space dust detector. The instrument collected data in agreement with earlier measurements made by NASA's Galileo and Ulysses missions to Jupiter.
The Goddard team designed a one-of-a-kind structure made of never-before-manufactured composite material that withstood extreme cold temperatures. The structure survived temperatures as low as 27 Kelvin (-411 degrees Fahrenheit), exceeding design requirements.