Featured Posts
Drew Ex Machina
18 Aug 2017, 13:21 UTC
I doubt that there are many space enthusiasts or even scientists out there who remember the first time they ever heard mention of the name Tau Ceti (also written τ Ceti). One of the nearest Sun-like stars known, τ Ceti has crept into popular cultural consciousness starting with science fiction stories dating back at least two thirds of a century. My first exposure to the name was probably during the early 1970s while watching syndicated reruns of the classic Star Trek episode, “Whom Gods Destroy”, or possibly any number of scifi movies that graced weekend and late-night broadcast television of the era. I would dare say most people would have similar experiences about their introduction to this star.
Habitable Planet Reality Check: Tau Ceti
18 Aug 2017, 13:21 UTC
I doubt that there are many space enthusiasts or even scientists out there who remember the first time they ever heard mention of the name Tau Ceti (also written τ Ceti). One of the nearest Sun-like stars known, τ Ceti has crept into popular cultural consciousness starting with science fiction stories dating back at least two thirds of a century. My first exposure to the name was probably during the early 1970s while watching syndicated reruns of the classic Star Trek episode, “Whom Gods Destroy”, or possibly any number of scifi movies that graced weekend and late-night broadcast television of the era. I would dare say most people would have similar experiences about their introduction to this star.
io9 Space
18 Aug 2017, 13:10 UTC
Oh Florence, we really needed you this month. There’s a petulant species of brainy monkeys that just can’t seem to get along that probably deserves to be completely wiped out in a fiery collision. But there you go, flying right on by.
Closest Approach Ever By a Large Asteroid Won't End Life on Earth, But Probably Should
18 Aug 2017, 13:10 UTC
Oh Florence, we really needed you this month. There’s a petulant species of brainy monkeys that just can’t seem to get along that probably deserves to be completely wiped out in a fiery collision. But there you go, flying right on by.
The Planetary Society Blog
18 Aug 2017, 11:00 UTC
The August 21st, 2017 solar eclipse is poised to be one of the most spectacular celestial events of the year. And, surely, it will be a pleasant sight for anyone who loves looking up at the sky, like most of us who are members of or love to follow The Planetary Society!
NASA experiments will watch eclipse's effect on atmosphere
18 Aug 2017, 11:00 UTC
The August 21st, 2017 solar eclipse is poised to be one of the most spectacular celestial events of the year. And, surely, it will be a pleasant sight for anyone who loves looking up at the sky, like most of us who are members of or love to follow The Planetary Society!
Scientific American
18 Aug 2017, 11:00 UTC
Glowing "jellyfish" galaxies have revealed a new way to power some of the most powerful objects in the universe. The same process that feeds the most voracious black holes at the galactic centers may also create dangling "tentacles" of newborn stars, a new study found...
Supermassive Black Holes May Dine on "Jellyfish" Galaxies
18 Aug 2017, 11:00 UTC
Glowing "jellyfish" galaxies have revealed a new way to power some of the most powerful objects in the universe. The same process that feeds the most voracious black holes at the galactic centers may also create dangling "tentacles" of newborn stars, a new study found...
AmericaSpace
17 Aug 2017, 23:51 UTC
What Are Those Weird Dark Streaks on Venus? NASA CubeSat Mission Could Find Out
17 Aug 2017, 23:51 UTC
The Planetary Society Blog
17 Aug 2017, 23:07 UTC
Celebrating the 40th anniversaries of the Voyager launches
17 Aug 2017, 23:07 UTC
Astro Watch
17 Aug 2017, 21:28 UTC
Astrophysicists at the University of Texas at Arlington have predicted that an Earth-like planet may be lurking in a star system just 16 light years away. The team investigated the star system Gliese 832 for additional exoplanets residing between the two currently known alien worlds in this system. Their computations revealed that an additional Earth-like planet with a dynamically stable configuration may be residing at a distance ranging from 0.25 to 2.0 astronomical unit (AU) from the star.“According to our calculations, this hypothetical alien world would probably have a mass between 1 to 15 Earth's masses,” said the lead author Suman Satyal, UTA physics researcher, lecturer and laboratory supervisor. The paper is co-authored by John Griffith, UTA undergraduate student and long-time UTA physics professor Zdzislaw Musielak.The astrophysicists published their findings this week as “Dynamics of a probable Earth-Like Planet in the GJ 832 System” in The Astrophysical Journal.UTA Physics Chair Alexander Weiss congratulated the researchers on their work, which underscores the University’s commitment to data-driven discovery within its Strategic Plan 2020: Bold Solutions | Global Impact.“This is an important breakthrough demonstrating the possible existence of a potential new planet orbiting a star close to our own,” Weiss said. “The fact ...
Astrophysicists Predict Earth-Like Planet in Star System Only 16 Light Years Away
17 Aug 2017, 21:28 UTC
Astrophysicists at the University of Texas at Arlington have predicted that an Earth-like planet may be lurking in a star system just 16 light years away. The team investigated the star system Gliese 832 for additional exoplanets residing between the two currently known alien worlds in this system. Their computations revealed that an additional Earth-like planet with a dynamically stable configuration may be residing at a distance ranging from 0.25 to 2.0 astronomical unit (AU) from the star.“According to our calculations, this hypothetical alien world would probably have a mass between 1 to 15 Earth's masses,” said the lead author Suman Satyal, UTA physics researcher, lecturer and laboratory supervisor. The paper is co-authored by John Griffith, UTA undergraduate student and long-time UTA physics professor Zdzislaw Musielak.The astrophysicists published their findings this week as “Dynamics of a probable Earth-Like Planet in the GJ 832 System” in The Astrophysical Journal.UTA Physics Chair Alexander Weiss congratulated the researchers on their work, which underscores the University’s commitment to data-driven discovery within its Strategic Plan 2020: Bold Solutions | Global Impact.“This is an important breakthrough demonstrating the possible existence of a potential new planet orbiting a star close to our own,” Weiss said. “The fact ...
Sky and Telescope
17 Aug 2017, 20:10 UTC
A peculiar white dwarf could be what’s left after a failed supernova explosion. A white dwarf siphons gas from a companion star until it triggers thermonuclear reactions that lead to a bright explosion. NASA/JPL-Caltech A recently found white dwarf — the burnt leftover of a star like our Sun — could be the remnant of a failed Type Ia supernova explosion. One of the characteristics that make Type Ia supernovae interesting for science — apart from the fact that they are exploding stars whose death flashes shine 5 billion times brighter than our Sun — is that they all have the same intrinsic brightness. That means that they act like reference points scattered around the universe for astronomers, who can use them to measure distances. Once one of them pops up in a far-away galaxy, an observer can just measure how bright the exploding star appears to be and determine how distant the supernova — and its host galaxy — must be for it to look that faint. The reason these events’ brightnesses are so reliable is because they are all created when a white dwarf steals too much material from a companion star. When the white dwarf reaches 1.4 ...
The White Dwarf That Survived
17 Aug 2017, 20:10 UTC
A peculiar white dwarf could be what’s left after a failed supernova explosion. A white dwarf siphons gas from a companion star until it triggers thermonuclear reactions that lead to a bright explosion. NASA/JPL-Caltech A recently found white dwarf — the burnt leftover of a star like our Sun — could be the remnant of a failed Type Ia supernova explosion. One of the characteristics that make Type Ia supernovae interesting for science — apart from the fact that they are exploding stars whose death flashes shine 5 billion times brighter than our Sun — is that they all have the same intrinsic brightness. That means that they act like reference points scattered around the universe for astronomers, who can use them to measure distances. Once one of them pops up in a far-away galaxy, an observer can just measure how bright the exploding star appears to be and determine how distant the supernova — and its host galaxy — must be for it to look that faint. The reason these events’ brightnesses are so reliable is because they are all created when a white dwarf steals too much material from a companion star. When the white dwarf reaches 1.4 ...
