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Planet Neptune not guilty of harassment

Researchers found binary systems in the Kuiper Belt would be destroyed by Neptune's interaction, contradicting previous assumptions. The study suggests the region formed near its present location and remained undisturbed over the age of the solar system.

SourceUniversity of Victoria·JournalThe Astrophysical Journal Letters·DateOct 5, 2010

Asteroid found in gravitational 'dead zone'

Asteroid 2008 LC18 is found in the L5 stability region of Neptune, with an estimated diameter of 100 kilometers. The discovery suggests a population of similar asteroids at L5, outnumbering those in the main asteroid belt.

SourceCarnegie Institution for Science·DateAug 12, 2010

Pounding particles to create Neptune's water in the lab

Researchers plan to use FAIR facility in Germany to expose water molecules to heavy ion beams, generating extreme pressure conditions similar to Neptune's core. This will allow scientists to observe 'superionic' state of water, a hybrid phase with oxygen lattice and hydrogen liquid.

SourceIOP Publishing·JournalNew Journal of Physics·DateJul 22, 2010
Meta Quest 3 512GB

Meta Quest 3 512GB enables immersive mission planning, terrain rehearsal, and interactive STEM demos with high-resolution mixed-reality experiences.

Galileo's notebooks may reveal secrets of new planet

Researchers believe that Galileo's notebooks from 1613 may reveal evidence of his discovery of a new planet, which is now known as Neptune. The planet was observed by Galileo as a faint star near Jupiter and moved relative to an actual nearby star.

SourceUniversity of Melbourne·JournalAustralian Journal of Physics·DateJul 9, 2009

$20 million to expand seafloor observatory

The University of Victoria-led NEPTUNE Canada observatory will receive a significant boost in funding, allowing for expansion of its scope and scientific impact. The additional $20 million will enable more comprehensive studies on ocean-climate interactions, fisheries, gas hydrate deposits, and seafloor ecology.

SourceUniversity of Victoria·DateSep 27, 2006

Three new 'Trojan' asteroids found sharing Neptune's orbit

Astronomers have found four stable groups of asteroids around the Sun: Kuiper Belt, Jupiter Trojans, main asteroid belt, and now Neptune Trojans. The new discoveries suggest a large population of high-inclination Neptune Trojans, which may have formed after giant planets settled into their orbits.

SourceCarnegie Institution for Science·JournalScience·DateJun 15, 2006

New capture scenario explains origin of Neptune's oddball moon Triton

A new model for the capture of planetary satellites involving a three-body gravitational encounter between a binary and a planet suggests that Triton was originally part of a binary pair orbiting the Sun. This mechanism introduces a new pathway for satellite capture by planets, which may be relevant to other objects in the solar system.

SourceUniversity of California - Santa Cruz·JournalNature·DateMay 10, 2006
Celestron NexStar 8SE Computerized Telescope

Celestron NexStar 8SE Computerized Telescope combines portable Schmidt-Cassegrain optics with GoTo pointing for outreach nights and field campaigns.

Solar system 'fossils' discovered by Hubble Telescope

Astronomers used Hubble to search for faint Kuiper Belt objects, finding only three small objects in a 15-day period. The discovery suggests that smaller planetesimals may have been shattered into dust by colliding with each other, affecting the number of comets near Earth.

SourceUniversity of Pennsylvania·DateSep 6, 2003

Astronomers pinpoint birth/history of Hale-Bopp

Researchers from the University of Notre Dame and NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center used an infrared spectrometer to determine the carbon monoxide/water ratio in comet Hale-Bopp. The findings suggest that the comet formed 4 billion years ago, providing clues about its history and composition.

SourceUniversity of Notre Dame·JournalNature·DateJun 16, 1999