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: hot
Moon and star Antares morning of March 5, 2021
Let the moon show you Antares, a red supergiant star and the brightest star in the constellation Scorpius the Scorpion on the morning of March 5. Source: https://earthsky.org/tonight/moon-antares-morning-of-mar-5-2021…
Sun’s bumpy magnetic fields might explain why its atmosphere is so hot
The best measurements yet of the magnetic fields in the upper layers of the sun have revealed a landscape of lumps and bumps that may help us predict solar flares Source: https://www.newscientist.com/article/2268544-suns-bumpy-magnetic-fields-might-explain-why-its-atmosphere-is-so-hot/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=home…
Signals in optical band can be used as probe to detect atmosphere escape of hot Jupiters
YAN Dongdong, GUO Jianheng and Xing Lei from Yunnan Observatories of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, collaborating with Huang Chenliang from University of Arizona, deduced that there is an expanding and escaping thermal neutral hydrogen atmosphere around hot Jupiter WASP-121b by simulating the optical transmission spectrum (Hα) of this exoplanet. The study was published in The Astrophysical Journal Letters. Source: https://phys.org/news/2021-02-optical-band-probe-atmosphere-hot.html…
Perseverance rover is on target for Mars landing
NASA’s car-sized rover is currently lined up perfectly for its nail-biting and dramatic descent onto Mars tomorrow. Hot on the heels of China’s Tianwe… Source: https://www.unexplained-mysteries.com/news/343959/perseverance-rover-is-on-target-for-mars-landing…
Spectacular ‘ice volcano’ appears in Kazakhstan
An ‘ice volcano’ has formed above a hot spring in the Almaty region of southeastern Kazakhstan. What is causing this unusual phenomenon? Source: https://www.livescience.com/ice-volcano-in-kazakhstan.html
Galaxies have magnetic fields, too! Images here
Until recently, magnetic fields in the outskirts of galaxies were too faint to be detected. Although it’s still not clear what causes them or how they’re maintained, astronomers have started to create images of their observations of galaxies’ magnetic fields producing beautiful aurora-like effects. See them here. Source: https://earthsky.org/space/images-of-magnetic-fields-in-galaxies…
TESS discovers new worlds in a river of young stars
Using observations from NASA’s Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS), an international team of astronomers has discovered a trio of hot worlds larger than Earth orbiting a much younger version of our Sun called TOI 451. The system resides in the recently discovered Pisces-Eridanus stream, a collection of stars less than 3% the age of our solar system that stretches across one-third…
A new way of forming planets
In the last 25 years, scientists have discovered over 4000 planets beyond the borders of our solar system. From relatively small rock and water worlds to blisteringly hot gas giants, the planets display a remarkable variety. This variety is not unexpected. The sophisticated computer models, with which scientists study the formation of planets, also spawn very different planets. What the models…
German Institute Develops ‘Powerpaste’ That Stores Hydrogen Energy At 10x the Density of a Lithium Battery
A German research organization has developed a magnesium-based “Powerpaste” with an energy density ten times more than current battery technology. Hackaday reports: We’ve been promised hydrogen-powered engines for some time now. One downside though is the need for hydrogen vehicles to have heavy high-pressure tanks. While a 700 bar tank and the accompanying fuel cell is acceptable for a city bus…