Written by See Venus, Saturn, Jupiter, and Mars align in the night sky this month. From the northern lights ringing in the New Year to a spectacular meteor shower, January is shaping up to be an exciting month for stargazers. In fact, every night this month there is something to admire in the night sky, as a […]
Saturn and its rings, as imaged by the Cassini spacecraft in 2016 NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space Science Institute The rings of Saturn could be much older than previously thought and may have formed around the same time as the planet, according to a modelling study. But not all astronomers are convinced, and a researcher who was part of […]
Jupiter gleams in Taurus northeast of Aldebaran and the Hyades above the figure of Orion. The brilliant planet is unmistakable in the eastern sky at nightfall, shining at magnitude –2.8 with a disk 48.2″ across.Bob King I can’t resist Jupiter’s pull and I’m only half joking. Venus may surpass it in brightness, but at magnitude […]
With a surface hot enough to melt lead and with clouds of sulphuric acid above it, it is a planet often called Earth’s “evil twin” – similar in size, yet worlds apart. Some scientists have long believed it was once much more hospitable, home to cooler temperatures and oceans of liquid water. But now researchers […]
Jupiter is easy to observe at night with our unaided eyes, as well-documented by the ancient astronomers who carefully recorded its slow movements from night to night. It can be one of the brightest objects in our nighttime skies, bested only by the Moon, Venus, and occasionally Mars, when the red planet is at opposition. […]
For nearly 40 years, Uranus and its five largest moons have been dismissed as frozen and lifeless. This view was formed by humanity’s only close encounter with the Uranian system at the edge of our cosmic neighbourhood. Data sent back by Voyager 2 in 1986 indicated that the distant ice giant was sterile and inactive. […]
Illustration of an M-dwarf star covered in sunspots and emitting a stellar flare. Its planet is subjected to fierce stellar activity that strips away the planet’s atmosphere. NASA / ESA / STScI / G. Bacon Which of the nearly 6,000 known exoplanets have atmospheres? With help from the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), astronomers are […]
Scientist James Lovelock gave humanity new ways to think about our home planet – but some of his biggest ideas were the fruit of a passionate collaboration. By Jonathan Watts Continue reading… Source link
A small world in the outer solar system appears to have volcanic activity possibly spurred by liquid water Source link
I have a habit, if I wake some nights, to get up and go downstairs to read. Last night was noteworthy because I could see the moon as a mere horn repeatedly swallowed then reborn from the passing clouds. Through binoculars, however, I could make out the other portion of the whole lunar sphere as a […]