K2-18b, which is eight times the mass of Earth, is now the only planet orbiting a star outside the Solar System, or “exoplanet,” known to have both water and temperatures that could support life. The discovery, published in Nature Astronomy, is the first successful atmospheric detection of an exoplanet orbiting in its star’s “habitable zone” ...
A key tracer used to estimate how much atmosphere Mars lost can change depending on the time of day and the surface temperature on the Red Planet, according to new observations by NASA-funded scientists. Previous measurements of this tracer — isotopes of oxygen — have disagreed significantly. An accurate measurement of this tracer is important ...
In an unprecedented feat, an American research team discovered hidden secrets of an elusive exoplanet using a powerful new instrument at the 8-meter Gemini North telescope on Maunakea in Hawai’i. The findings not only classify a Jupiter-sized exoplanet in a close binary star system, but they also conclusively demonstrate, for the first time, which star ...
Last December, scientists discovered an “active” asteroid within the asteroid belt sandwiched between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter. The space rock, designated by astronomers as 6478 Gault, appeared to be leaving two trails of dust in its wake — active behavior that is associated with comets, but which is rarely seen in asteroids. While ...
This week, scientists from NASA’s upcoming Mars 2020 mission joined their counterparts from the joint European-Russian ExoMars mission in an expedition to the Australian Outback, one of the most remote, arid regions on the planet. Both teams came to hone their research techniques before their missions launch to the Red Planet next summer in search ...
If our eyes could see high-energy radiation called gamma rays, the Moon would appear brighter than the Sun! That’s how NASA’s Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope has seen our neighbor in space for the past decade. Gamma-ray observations are not sensitive enough to clearly see the shape of the Moon’s disk or any surface features. Instead, Fermi’s Large ...
Fifty years after the Apollo 11 Moonwalk, a vexillologist looks at the challenge of planting the flag on the Moon. When Apollo 11 astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin planted the United States flag on the Moon 50 years ago this month — July 20, 1969, to be exact — it was a team effort. ...
A determined bunch of scientists set out to map the Moon in preparation for the Apollo landings, but that was only the beginning. A new field of science blossomed, and UA scientists have been involved in nearly every U.S. space mission since expanding out to the Solar System. Here’s a fun thought: Imagine if University ...
Magnetic disturbances caused by phenomena like the northern lights can be tracked by a “social network” of ground-based instruments, according to a new study from the University of Warwick. The researchers, led by Professor Sandra Chapman, have for the first time characterized the observations from over 100 ground-based magnetometers in terms of a time-varying directed ...
NASA is requesting people to take pictures of trees through its recently launched smartphone app — the Globe Observer. The space agency hopes that data collected from the public will help it confirm the accuracy of canopy data collected by its ICESat-2 satellite. Collecting data on trees “Observers can measure one tree or hundreds. The ...
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