Astronomers have confirmed the existence of a triple-star exoplanet located 1,800 light-years from Earth. Planets parked in multi-star systems are rare, but this object is particularly unusual owing to its inexplicably weird orbital alignment.
Tag Archives: PLANETS
Astronomers Claim to Spot Multiple Bodies of Liquid Water on Mars
Two years ago, a team of Italian scientists claimed to have discovered a subglacial lake near the Martian south pole. The same team has collected further evidence to bolster this claim, including the apparent discovery of even more buried bodies of liquid water. The new research speaks to the potential for life on Mars, but not everyone is convinced by the evidence. Continue reading Astronomers Claim to Spot Multiple Bodies of Liquid Water on Mars
A Collision With Another Planet May Have Seeded Earth With the Ingredients for Life
New research suggests that much of the material that made life possible on Earth arrived after a cataclysmic collision between our planet and a Mars-sized object billions of years ago—likely the same collision that produced the Moon, the scientists say. Continue reading A Collision With Another Planet May Have Seeded Earth With the Ingredients for Life
Gaze in Awe at Hubble’s Most Detailed View of the Triangulum Galaxy
Usually when astronomers talk about our neighboring galaxy, they’re talking about Andromeda, which is a cozy 2.5 million light-years away. But just a little farther—okay, 500,000 light-years farther—is another spiral galaxy, the third largest in our local group. Hubble has just released its most detailed view yet of that galaxy, which is known as Triangulum (can you see why?). Continue reading Gaze in Awe at Hubble’s Most Detailed View of the Triangulum Galaxy
Behold the Most Distant Object Ever Visited by Spacecraft
The most distant planetary exploration in history required a significant amount of careful planning and preparation, as well as a little bit of luck.
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Salty Water Under the Surface of Mars Could Have Enough Oxygen for Life
Mars may have a hostile, dusty exterior bathed in dangerous radiation, but a new study suggests that it’s possible life could exist under that inhospitable crust. Pockets of salty water with enough dissolved oxygen to support life may be present in certain parts of the planet, according to a new paper published in the journal Nature Geoscience. Continue reading Salty Water Under the Surface of Mars Could Have Enough Oxygen for Life
Saturn’s Rings Rain Organic Compounds Into Its Atmosphere
The Cassini space probe’s fatal plummet into Saturn has revealed that the gas giant’s innermost ring sheds icy showers of rain and organic molecules into the planet’s upper atmosphere at an incredible rate.
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