Most exoplanets orbiting close to their stars don’t have atmospheres. But Gliese 486b – orbiting a red dwarf star only 24 light-years away – does. It’s close enough to see well. Astronomers will be watching it! Source: https://earthsky.org/space/gliese-486b-hot-super-earth-with-atmosphere…
Tag: Atmosphere
Super-Earth discovered: Data will characterize planetary atmosphere models
During the past 25 years astronomers have discovered a wide variety of exoplanets, made of rock, ice and gas, thanks to the construction of astronomical instruments designed specifically for planet searches. Also, using a combination of different observing techniques they have been able to determine a large number of masses, sizes, and hence densities of the planets, which helps them to…
Space Hurricane Seen Above Magnetic North Pole Was Raining Electrons
The first space hurricane ever was spotted in August 2014, consisting of “an eddy of plasma, a type of superhot, charged gas found throughout the solar system,” reports Business Insider. “And instead of rain, this storm brought showers of electrons.” From the report: In August 2014, satellites observed a swirling mass with a quiet center more than 125 miles above the…
Source of hazardous high-energy particles located in the Sun
The source of potentially hazardous solar particles, released from the Sun at high speed during storms in its outer atmosphere, has been located for the first time by researchers at UCL and George Mason University, Virginia, U.S. Source: https://phys.org/news/2021-03-source-hazardous-high-energy-particles-sun.html…
Fireball lights up the night sky above UK as meteor breaks apart
An meteor breaking apart as it entered the atmosphere above the U.K. might be the most well documented fireball meteor ever seen. Source: https://www.livescience.com/fireball-meteor-spotted-uk.html
Asteroid dust in Chicxulub crater seals deal on dino extinction
Scientists examined rock cores taken from the Chicxulub crater in Mexico, site of the asteroid impact that triggered dinosaur extinction, and found iridium, a telltale sign of asteroids. Source: https://earthsky.org/earth/asteroid-dust-iridium-chicxulub-crater-dinosaur-extinction…
‘Space hurricane’ observed over the North Pole
Scientists have, for the first time, detected a hurricane taking place in the Earth’s upper atmosphere. Hurricanes that form in our planet’s lower atm… Source: https://www.unexplained-mysteries.com/news/344326/space-hurricane-observed-over-the-north-pole…
Most life on Earth will be killed by lack of oxygen in a billion years
One billion years from now, Earth’s atmosphere is projected to contain a million times less oxygen than today, making it uninhabitable to complex aerobic life Source: https://www.newscientist.com/article/2269567-most-life-on-earth-will-be-killed-by-lack-of-oxygen-in-a-billion-years/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=home…
Perseverance saw its own descent stage crash
The Mars rover images a plume of debris from the impact of the descent stage that helped the spacecraft land safely on the red planet. Source: https://earthsky.org/todays-image/photo-mars-perseverance-descent-stage-smoke-plume…
Did you find the message hidden in Perseverance’s parachute?
The striped pattern on the parachute used by the Perseverance rover to land on Mars contained a hidden message. Internet sleuths were able to figure it out within a few hours. Source: https://earthsky.org/space/perseverance-secret-message-dare-mighty-things…