NASA's Spitzer illuminates exoplanets in Astronomical Society briefing
Friday, 14 January 2022 05:26
Two new studies using data from NASA's retired Spitzer Space Telescope shed light on giant exoplanets and brown dwarfs, objects that aren't quite stars but aren't quite planets either. Both studies will be the focus of virtual news conferences hosted by the American Astronomical Society on Jan. 13.
One investigation shows that the weather on brown dwarfs - which form like stars but don't h Astronomers find evidence for a second supermoon beyond our solar system
Friday, 14 January 2022 05:26
Astronomers have reported a second, super-sized moon orbiting a Jupiter-sized planet beyond our solar system. If confirmed, the sighting could mean that exomoons are as common in the universe as exoplanets, and that big or small, such moons are a feature of planetary systems. But it could be a long wait. The first-ever sighting of an exomoon four years ago is still awaiting confirmation, and ver Newly-Found Planets On The Edge Of Destruction
Friday, 14 January 2022 05:26
Three newly-discovered planets have been orbiting dangerously close to stars nearing the end of their lives. Out of the thousands of extrasolar planets found so far, these three gas giant planets first detected by the NASA TESS (Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite) Mission, have some of the shortest-period orbits around subgiant or giant stars. One of the planets, TOI-2337b, will be consumed b New insights into seasons on a planet outside our solar system
Friday, 14 January 2022 05:26
Imagine being in a place where the winds are so strong that they move at the speed of sound. That's just one aspect of the atmosphere on XO-3b, one of a class of exoplanets (planets outside our solar system), known as hot Jupiters. The eccentric orbit of the planet also leads to seasonal variations hundreds of times stronger than what we experience on Earth.
In a recent paper, a McGill-led Citizen Scientists Spot Jupiter-like Planet in NASA TESS Data
Friday, 14 January 2022 05:26
Tom Jacobs of Bellevue, Washington, loves treasure hunts. Since 2010, the former U.S. naval officer has participated in online volunteer projects that allow anyone who is interested - "citizen scientists" - to look through NASA telescope data for signs of exoplanets, planets beyond our solar system.
Now, Jacobs has helped discover a giant gaseous planet about 379 light-years from Earth, or Ironing out the interiors of exoplanets
Friday, 14 January 2022 05:26
The discovery of more than 4,500 extra-solar planets has created a need for modelling their interior structure and dynamics. As it turns out, iron plays a key role.
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) scientists and collaborators have used lasers at the National Ignition Facility to experimentally determine the high-pressure melting curve and structural properties of pure iron up Virgin Orbit launches seven cubesats on third operational mission
Thursday, 13 January 2022 23:25
Virgin Orbit placed seven cubesats for three customers into orbit Jan. 13 on the third consecutive successful operational flight of its LauncherOne air-launch system.
Space Force chief technologist hints at future plans to build a digital infrastructure
Thursday, 13 January 2022 21:53
Lisa Costa, chief technology and innovation officer of the U.S. Space Force, said the service is eyeing investments in edge computing, data centers in space and other technologies needed to build a digital infrastructure.
Astronomers confront massive black hole at the heart of the Milky Way, Sagittarius A*
Thursday, 13 January 2022 20:48
At the center of the Milky Way is a supermassive black hole, 4.3 million times bigger than the sun, known as Sagittarius A*. Until recently, it was not clear how much of the matter at the heart of the galaxy was Sagittarius A*. Astronomers measured the velocities of four distant stars around the black hole. The movement of the stars indicates the mass at the galaxy's center is composed almost entirely of matter from Sagittarius A*, leaving little room for stars, other black holes, interstellar dust and gas, or dark matter.
Space Norway plots recovery mission for failed subsea cable
Thursday, 13 January 2022 19:11
Space Norway said Jan. 13 it expects to start repairing next month one of two undersea fiber-optic cables it operates between its Svalbard satellite station and mainland Norway, after a failure left the Arctic region without a backup connection.
DoD space policy nominee highlights complex security challenges facing U.S.
Thursday, 13 January 2022 18:58
John Plumb, president Biden's nominee to be assistant secretary of defense for space policy, told lawmakers that the United States has to prepare for the possibility of “conflict extending to, or originating in space.
SpaceX launches third dedicated smallsat rideshare mission
Thursday, 13 January 2022 18:09
A SpaceX Falcon 9 placed more than 100 smallsats into orbit Jan. 13 as the company accelerates the pace of its dedicated rideshare missions.
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Solar power, going down NASA holding out hope for first SLS launch in March
Thursday, 13 January 2022 10:35
NASA officials are holding out hope that the first Space Launch System launch can still take place as soon as March despite a delay in the rollout of the vehicle for a key test until mid-February.
Planet to launch 44 SuperDove satellites on SpaceX's Falcon 9
Thursday, 13 January 2022 09:22
Planet Labs PBC reports announced that the launch of their Flock 4x, consisting of 44 SuperDove satellites, will take place on Thursday, January 13th on SpaceX's Falcon 9 Transporter-3 SSO. This marks the first satellite launch under Planet's new multi-year, multi-launch rideshare agreement with SpaceX.
Planet operates the world's largest constellation of Earth observation satellites; and