Nearby exoplanet smells like rotten eggs
ROBERTO MOLAR CANDANOSA/JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY The atmosphere of HD 189733 b, a gas giant the size of Jupiter, has traces of hydrogen sulphide, a molecule that not only gives off a bad smell,…
Webb identifies an icy world in the constellation of Cetus
When the exoplanet LHS 1140 b was discovered, astronomers hypothesized that it could be a mini-Neptune – that is, a predominantly gaseous planet, but smaller than Neptune. However, after analyzing the latest data…
A ‘scar’ on Mars is seen in detail in new satellite photos
The striking surface feature, called Aganippe Fossa, is a tectonic trench or graben – a long depression bounded on both sides by parallel normal faults. Astronomers first sighted it in 1930, but it…
China’s lunar success puts US in its sights
Simonetta Di Pippo, Bocconi University June 25 2024 marked a new “first” in the history of spaceflight. China’s robotic Chang’e 6 spacecraft delivered samples of rock back to Earth from a huge feature…
Prototypes for habitats far from planet Earth.
Maria Iacobo | School of Architecture and Planning A new MIT course this spring asked students to design what humans might need to comfortably work in and inhabit space. The time for these creations is…
Webb Telescope Captures Long-Anticipated Rare Phenomenon
The new image captured by NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope reveals a rare alignment of stellar jets in the Serpens Nebula, offering new perspectives on star formation. These protostellar jets, observed in the…
Defunct satellites may damage ozone layer.
Robyn Schofield, The University of Melbourne Communications companies such as Starlink plan to launch tens of thousands of satellites into orbit around Earth over the next decade or so. The growing swarm is…
Moon ice in the Artemis era: what we still don’t know
A crucial issue for lunar researchers is the accessibility of water ice at the Moon’s south pole, as experts have long assumed. Research into the feasibility of exploring water ice has become a…
Why look for life on other worlds based on life on Earth?
Cole Mathis, Arizona State University Have you ever played hide-and-seek in a new place? It’s much harder than playing at home. You only know the obvious hiding spots: under the bed, in the…
A radical new theory challenges the existence of dark matter
For decades, the existence of dark matter has been one of the most widely accepted theories in astrophysics and cosmology. This hypothetical, invisible substance is thought to make up around 85% of the…