Author Topic: Astronomy & Planetary Science Thread  (Read 442102 times)

Offline hop

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Re: Astronomy Thread
« Reply #440 on: 05/21/2018 06:05 pm »
This is pretty interesting... an asteroid of possible interstellar origin has been found in a stable, retrograde solar orbit near Jupiter.  The authors' simulations show the object could have been captured during the formation of the solar system.  The actual paper is behind a paywall, unfortunately, but you can read the abstract by following a link at the end of the article below.

https://phys.org/news/2018-05-interstellar-immigrant-solar.html
The argument for this being interstellar seems rather weaker than many of the headlines suggest. Some comments from other researchers in Lee Billings sciam article
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/astronomers-spot-potential-interstellar-asteroid-orbiting-backward-around-the-sun/

Batygin of course suggests Planet 9 as an alternative ;)
« Last Edit: 05/21/2018 06:06 pm by hop »

Offline Star One

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Re: Astronomy Thread
« Reply #441 on: 05/22/2018 07:51 pm »
This is pretty interesting... an asteroid of possible interstellar origin has been found in a stable, retrograde solar orbit near Jupiter.  The authors' simulations show the object could have been captured during the formation of the solar system.  The actual paper is behind a paywall, unfortunately, but you can read the abstract by following a link at the end of the article below.

https://phys.org/news/2018-05-interstellar-immigrant-solar.html
The argument for this being interstellar seems rather weaker than many of the headlines suggest. Some comments from other researchers in Lee Billings sciam article
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/astronomers-spot-potential-interstellar-asteroid-orbiting-backward-around-the-sun/

Batygin of course suggests Planet 9 as an alternative ;)

I’ve read that article and your use of the term ‘rather weaker’ seems to me over stating what it actual argues.

Offline hop

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Re: Astronomy Thread
« Reply #442 on: 05/24/2018 02:54 am »
The "BZ509 is interstellar" paper is now on arxiv:

An interstellar origin for Jupiter's retrograde co-orbital asteroid - Fathi Namouni, Maria Helena Moreira Morais

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Asteroid (514107) 2015 BZ509 was discovered recently in Jupiter's co-orbital region with a retrograde motion around the Sun. The known chaotic dynamics of the outer Solar System have so far precluded the identification of its origin. Here, we perform a high-resolution statistical search for stable orbits and show that asteroid (514107) 2015 BZ509 has been in its current orbital state since the formation of the Solar System. This result indicates that (514107) 2015 BZ509 was captured from the interstellar medium 4.5 billion years in the past as planet formation models cannot produce such a primordial large-inclination orbit with the planets on nearly-coplanar orbits interacting with a coplanar debris disk that must produce the low-inclination small-body reservoirs of the Solar System such as the asteroid and Kuiper belts. This result also implies that more extrasolar asteroids are currently present in the Solar System on nearly-polar orbits.

Offline Star One

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Astronomy Thread
« Reply #443 on: 05/24/2018 08:07 pm »
[TORONTO] A team of astronomers has performed one of the highest resolution observations in astronomical history by observing two intense regions of radiation, 20 kilometres apart, around a star 6500 light-years away.

The observation is equivalent to using a telescope on Earth to see a flea on the surface of Pluto.

The extraordinary observation was made possible by the rare geometry and characteristics of a pair of stars orbiting each other. One is a cool, lightweight star called a brown dwarf, which features a “wake” or comet-like tail of gas. The other is an exotic, rapidly spinning star called a pulsar.

“The gas is acting like a magnifying glass right in front of the pulsar,” says Robert Main, lead author of the paper describing the observation being published May 24 in the journal Nature. “We are essentially looking at the pulsar through a naturally occurring magnifier which periodically allows us to see the two regions separately.”

Main is a PhD astronomy student in the Department of Astronomy & Astrophysics at the University of Toronto, working with colleagues at the University of Toronto’s Dunlap Institute for Astronomy & Astrophysics and Canadian Institute for Theoretical Astrophysics, and the Perimeter Institute.

The pulsar is a neutron star that rotates rapidly—over 600 times a second. As the pulsar spins, it emits beams of radiation from the two hotspots on its surface. The intense regions of radiation being observed are associated with the beams.

The brown dwarf star is about a third the diameter of the Sun. It is roughly two million kilometres from the pulsar—or five times the distance between the Earth and the moon—and orbits around it in just over 9 hours. The dwarf companion star is tidally locked to the pulsar so that one side always faces its pulsating companion, the way the moon is tidally locked to the Earth.

Because it is so close to the pulsar, the brown dwarf star is blasted by the strong radiation coming from its smaller companion. The intense radiation from the pulsar heats one side of the relatively cool dwarf star to the temperature of our Sun, or some 6000°C.

The blast from the pulsar could ultimately spell its companion’s demise. Pulsars in these types of binary systems are called “black widow” pulsars. Just as a black widow spider eats its mate, it is thought the pulsar, given the right conditions, could gradually erode gas from the dwarf star until the latter is consumed.

In addition to being an observation of incredibly high resolution, the result could be a clue to the nature of mysterious phenomena known as Fast Radio Bursts, or FRBs.

“Many observed properties of FRBs could be explained if they are being amplified by plasma lenses,” say Main. “The properties of the amplified pulses we detected in our study show a remarkable similarity to the bursts from the repeating FRB, suggesting that the repeating FRB may be lensed by plasma in its host galaxy.”

Additional notes:

1. The pulsar is designated PSR B1957+20. Previous work led by Main’s co-author, Prof. Marten van Kerkwijk, from the University of Toronto, suggests that it is likely one of the most massive pulsars known, and further work to accurately measure its mass will help in understanding how matter behaves at the highest known densities, and equivalently, how massive a neutron star can be before collapsing into a black hole.

2. Main and his co-authors used data obtained with the Arecibo Observatory radio telescope before Hurricane Maria damaged the telescope in September 2017. The collaborators will use the telescope to make follow-up observations of PSR B1957+20.

https://www.dunlap.utoronto.ca/astronomers-observe-unprecedented-detail-in-pulsar-6500-light-years-from-earth/
« Last Edit: 05/24/2018 08:07 pm by Star One »

Offline Star One

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Re: Astronomy Thread
« Reply #444 on: 05/28/2018 08:13 pm »
Mars rocks may harbour signs of life

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The team reviewed studies of fossils on Earth and assessed the results of lab experiments replicating Martian conditions to identify the most promising sites on the planet to explore for traces of ancient life.

Their findings could help inform NASA’s next rover mission to the Red Planet, which will focus on searching for evidence of past life. The US space agency’s Mars 2020 rover will collect rock samples to be returned to Earth for analysis by a future mission.

A similar mission led by the European Space Agency is also planned in coming years.

The latest study could aid in the selection of landing sites for both missions, and help identify the best places to gather rock samples.

The study, published in Journal of Geophysical Research, also involved researchers at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Brown University, California Institute of Technology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Yale University in the US.

https://www.ed.ac.uk/news/2018/mars-rocks-may-harbour-signs-of-life

Offline Star One

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Re: Astronomy Thread
« Reply #445 on: 05/30/2018 08:22 pm »
Does Some Dark Matter Carry an Electric Charge?

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Astronomers have proposed a new model for the invisible material that makes up most of the matter in the Universe. They have studied whether a fraction of dark matter particles may have a tiny electrical charge.

"You've heard of electric cars and e-books, but now we are talking about electric dark matter," said Julian Munoz of Harvard University in Cambridge, Mass., who led the study that has been published in the journal Nature. "However, this electric charge is on the very smallest of scales."

Munoz and his collaborator, Avi Loeb of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics (CfA) in Cambridge, Mass., explore the possibility that these charged dark matter particles interact with normal matter by the electromagnetic force.

https://www.cfa.harvard.edu/news/2018-08

Online Blackstar

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Re: Astronomy Thread
« Reply #446 on: 05/31/2018 01:20 pm »

Offline Kesarion

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Re: Astronomy Thread
« Reply #447 on: 05/31/2018 06:07 pm »
Next astro decadal will not be delayed:

http://spacenews.com/nasa-drops-request-to-delay-next-astrophysics-decadal/


Interesting quote from the article:

Quote
He added he was also concerned that the decadal, whenever it takes place, reflect the diversity of the astrophysics research community. “[A] strategy cannot be important if it is put together by representatives of the top-10 University programs, and by a community group that is all male and has an average age north of 65!” he wrote. “Diverse groups make better strategies, and provide better alignment and buy-in.”

I know this is a sensible topic, so I'll try my best to communicate as civil as possible my worries.

I thought the general unspoken rule for scientist was to not insert their personal politics in their methodology.
Considering the fact that we are talking about multibillion dollar endeavors payed for by taxpayer money you would think the first concern should be to get the most qualified (based on academic merit and prior experience) persons to design these missions and bot prioritize based on arbitrary ideological reasoning, like gender, age or ethnicity.
For example, I don't think it's wise to try to give equal say in planning between a 24 yr old undergrad and a 68 yr old who was involved in several other missions.

We already know how some of these flagship telescopes can have their costs balloon out of control (looking at you JWST), I don't think the science directorate has any wiggle room to reject certain participants because they are male or over 65 if they prove to be the most qualified to carry a given task.


I am worried about this kind of reasoning because over the last to years there have been a couple of times when the same "issue" was brought up at different meetings, and I was wondering if there is any backlash within the astrophysics and planetary scientific communities for what (to me at least) looks like a dangerous pushing of a fringe political dogma in government funded science. 


I know that those soon to retire might be somewhat indifferent, but I am curious if the younger counterparts are worried about possible discrimination and questioning this push for diversity became taboo.

Offline Star One

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Re: Astronomy Thread
« Reply #448 on: 05/31/2018 07:24 pm »
Next astro decadal will not be delayed:

http://spacenews.com/nasa-drops-request-to-delay-next-astrophysics-decadal/


Interesting quote from the article:

Quote
He added he was also concerned that the decadal, whenever it takes place, reflect the diversity of the astrophysics research community. “[A] strategy cannot be important if it is put together by representatives of the top-10 University programs, and by a community group that is all male and has an average age north of 65!” he wrote. “Diverse groups make better strategies, and provide better alignment and buy-in.”

I know this is a sensible topic, so I'll try my best to communicate as civil as possible my worries.

I thought the general unspoken rule for scientist was to not insert their personal politics in their methodology.
Considering the fact that we are talking about multibillion dollar endeavors payed for by taxpayer money you would think the first concern should be to get the most qualified (based on academic merit and prior experience) persons to design these missions and bot prioritize based on arbitrary ideological reasoning, like gender, age or ethnicity.
For example, I don't think it's wise to try to give equal say in planning between a 24 yr old undergrad and a 68 yr old who was involved in several other missions.

We already know how some of these flagship telescopes can have their costs balloon out of control (looking at you JWST), I don't think the science directorate has any wiggle room to reject certain participants because they are male or over 65 if they prove to be the most qualified to carry a given task.


I am worried about this kind of reasoning because over the last to years there have been a couple of times when the same "issue" was brought up at different meetings, and I was wondering if there is any backlash within the astrophysics and planetary scientific communities for what (to me at least) looks like a dangerous pushing of a fringe political dogma in government funded science. 


I know that those soon to retire might be somewhat indifferent, but I am curious if the younger counterparts are worried about possible discrimination and questioning this push for diversity became taboo.

I really do wish you hadn’t opened this particular can of worms as identity politics is a hot button topic at the moment and I don’t want this thread descending into a political civil war. So could you not possibly start a thread in political policy which is where if anywhere this topic belongs.

Offline Kesarion

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Re: Astronomy Thread
« Reply #449 on: 05/31/2018 08:31 pm »
So could you not possibly start a thread in political policy which is where if anywhere this topic belongs.

Urm, is the use of the word "not" intentional because I'm not sure I understand.

Regardless, I agree that it is a rather off topic conversation for this thread, so it shouldn't be expanded here.


However, this has been a theme in the last couple of years and has been bugging me because no one seemed to even acknowledge it.

Don't get me wrong, I don't want to be that guy who creates political conflict in topics like this, that is not my intent. I have tremendous respect and admiration for the work done by all scientists and engineers working for these observatories, regardless of their personal characteristics or beliefs.

Considering the fact the next flagship after WFIRST (LUVOIR, HabEx, LYNX, Origins) might very well be the most expensive and complex telescope ever launched, one can not help but be a litle worried about the wish of some higherups to select teams based on reasons other than pure merit.


JWST went through a lot of problems troughout the last decade, in part to a lack of rigorous managment, I don't think adding an extra layer of complexity will do any favour to american astrophysics in the next 10-20 years, so that's why I brought such a delicate issue in the first place.


Case in point, I do agree that this conversation needs its own separate thread.


 

Offline CuddlyRocket

Re: Astronomy Thread
« Reply #450 on: 05/31/2018 11:08 pm »
A paper on the possibilities of exomoons in habitable zones:

Exploring Kepler Giant Planets in the Habitable Zone (arXiv)

Quote
(Abstract)
The Kepler mission found hundreds of planet candidates within the habitable zones (HZ) of their host star, including over 70 candidates with radii larger than 3 Earth radii (R⊕) within the optimistic habitbale zone (OHZ) (Kane et al. 2016). These giant planets are potential hosts to large terrestrial satellites (or exomoons) which would also exist in the HZ. We calculate the occurrence rates of giant planets (Rp=~3.0--25~R⊕) in the OHZ and find a frequency of (6.5±1.9)% for G stars, (11.5±3.1)% for K stars, and (6±6)% for M stars. We compare this with previously estimated occurrence rates of terrestrial planets in the HZ of G, K and M stars and find that if each giant planet has one large terrestrial moon then these moons are less likely to exist in the HZ than terrestrial planets. However, if each giant planet holds more than one moon, then the occurrence rates of moons in the HZ would be comparable to that of terrestrial planets, and could potentially exceed them. We estimate the mass of each planet candidate using the mass-radius relationship developed by Chen & Kipping (2016). We calculate the Hill radius of each planet to determine the area of influence of the planet in which any attached moon may reside, then calculate the estimated angular separation of the moon and planet for future imaging missions. Finally, we estimate the radial velocity semi-amplitudes of each planet for use in follow up observations.

Offline Star One

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Re: Astronomy Thread
« Reply #451 on: 06/01/2018 05:11 pm »
The habitability of the Milky Way during the active phase of its central supermassive black hole

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During the peak of their accretion phase, supermassive black holes in galactic cores are known to emit very high levels of ionizing radiation, becoming visible over intergalactic distances as quasars or active galactic nuclei (AGN). Here, we quantify the extent to which the activity of the supermassive black hole at the center of the Milky Way, known as Sagittarius A* (Sgr A*), may have affected the habitability of Earth-like planets in our Galaxy. We focus on the amount of atmospheric loss and on the possible biological damage suffered by planets exposed to X-ray and extreme ultraviolet (XUV) radiation produced during the peak of the active phase of Sgr A*. We find that terrestrial planets could lose a total atmospheric mass comparable to that of present day Earth even at large distances (~1 kiloparsec) from the galactic center. Furthermore, we find that the direct biological damage caused by Sgr A* to surface life on planets not properly screened by an atmosphere was probably significant during the AGN phase, possibly hindering the development of complex life within a few kiloparsecs from the galactic center.

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-017-16110-0

Offline Star One

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Re: Astronomy Thread
« Reply #452 on: 06/01/2018 08:10 pm »
Computer simulations suggest reason for strange moon shapes

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The small, inner moons of Saturn have intriguing shapes resembling in some cases ravioli and spaetzle. Just how they came to resemble giant pieces of pasta has been a mystery, but new computer simulations show they likely formed when smaller moons collided in the extreme tidal environment close to the ringed planet.

It all started when Martin Rubin, an astrophysicist at the University of Bern, saw closeup pictures of Saturn’s moons Atlas and Pan that were taken by the Cassini orbiter in 2017. They featured large ridges and central bulges that gave them the appearance of huge flying saucers.



https://astronomynow.com/2018/05/22/computer-simulations-suggest-reason-for-strange-moon-shapes/

Offline Star One

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Re: Astronomy Thread
« Reply #453 on: 06/01/2018 08:38 pm »
Multiple metals – and possible signs of water – found in unique exoplanet

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The team, from the University of Cambridge and the Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (IAC) in Spain, used the Gran Telescopio Canarias (GTC) to observe WASP-127b, a giant gaseous planet with partly clear skies and strong signatures of metals in its atmosphere. The results have been accepted for publication in the journal Astronomy & Astrophysics.

WASP-127b has a radius 1.4 times larger than Jupiter but has only 20% of its mass. Such a planet has no analogue in our solar system and is rare even within the thousands of exoplanets discovered to date. It takes just over four days to orbit its parent star and its surface temperature is around 1400 K (1127° C).

The observations of WASP-127b reveal the presence of a large concentration of alkali metals in its atmosphere, allowing simultaneous detections of sodium, potassium and lithium for the first time in an exoplanet. The sodium and potassium absorptions are very broad, which is characteristic of relatively clear atmospheres. According to modelling work done by the researchers, the skies of WASP-127b are approximately 50% clear.

https://phys.org/news/2018-06-multiple-metals-unique-exoplanet.amp


Offline Kesarion

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Re: Astronomy Thread
« Reply #454 on: 06/04/2018 03:48 pm »
NASA imposes cost caps on astrophysics flagship studies

Quote
In a May 31 statement, NASA said it has instructed the four teams studying proposed missions for consideration by the 2020 decadal survey to “narrow the scope” of their concepts so that their total cost is between $3 billion and $5 billion. That new cap, the statement said, reflected “current and anticipated budget constraints” for the agency’s astrophysics programs.

Quote
At least one of the four mission studies, though, claims to be exempt from this new directive. The Large UV/Optical/IR Surveyor (LUVOIR) mission would develop a space telescope with a primary mirror up to 15 meters in diameter, intended to support a broad range of astronomical research in ultraviolet through infrared wavelengths.[…] In a statement posted to its website, the LUVOIR team acknowledged that it and the other study teams received instructions from NASA Headquarters “to produce versions of their concepts that fit into the $3-5B cost box.” However, it added, “LUVOIR was exempt from this instruction.” It didn’t explain why and how it was granted an exemption.

http://spacenews.com/nasa-imposes-cost-caps-on-astrophysics-flagship-studies/

Offline Star One

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Re: Astronomy Thread
« Reply #455 on: 06/04/2018 08:48 pm »
Tiny Asteroid Discovered Saturday Disintegrates Hours Later Over Southern Africa

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"The discovery of asteroid 2018 LA is only the third time that an asteroid has been discovered to be on an impact trajectory, said Paul Chodas, manager of the Center for Near-Earth Object Studies (CNEOS) at JPL. "It is also only the second time that the high probability of an impact was predicted well ahead of the event itself."

https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?release=2018-124&rn=news.xml&rst=7148

NEOWISE Thermal Data Reveal Surface Properties of Over 100 Asteroids

https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?release=2018-122&rn=news.xml&rst=7146

Globular clusters 4 billion years younger than previously thought

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Globular clusters could be up to 4 billion years younger than previously thought, new research led by the University of Warwick has found

https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2018-06/uow-gc4060418.php

Chemical traces from star formation cast light on cosmic history

https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2018-06/uoe-ctf060418.php

Offline Star One

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Re: Astronomy Thread
« Reply #456 on: 06/05/2018 07:48 pm »
Okay, Last Year’s Kilonova Did Probably Create a Black Hole

Quote
This source, known as GW170817/GRB, has been the target of many follow-up surveys since it was believed that the merge could have led to the formation of a black hole. According to a new study by a team that analyzed data from NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory since the event, scientists can now say with greater confidence that the merger created a new black hole in our galaxy.

The study, titled “GW170817 Most Likely Made a Black Hole“, recently appeared in The Astrophysical Journal Letters. The study was led by David Pooley, an assistant professor in physics and astronomy at Trinity University, San Antonio, and included members from the University of Texas at Austin, the University of California, Berkeley, and Nazarbayev University’s Energetic Cosmos Laboratory in Kazakhstan.

https://www.universetoday.com/139366/okay-last-years-kilonova-did-probably-create-a-black-hole/amp/

Offline Star One

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Re: Astronomy Thread
« Reply #457 on: 06/06/2018 08:01 pm »
Collisions of Dead Stars Spray Heavy Elements Throughout Small Galaxies

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Caltech scientists have found, for the first time, that merging pairs of neutron stars—the burnt-out cores of stars that have exploded—create the majority of heavy elements in small "dwarf" galaxies. Heavy elements, such as silver and gold, are key for planet formation and even life itself. By studying these dwarf galaxies, the researchers hope to learn more about the primary sources of heavy elements for the whole universe.

http://m.caltech.edu/news/collisions-dead-stars-spray-heavy-elements-throughout-small-galaxies-82434

Offline Star One

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Re: Astronomy Thread
« Reply #458 on: 06/06/2018 10:45 pm »
One of the Three Closest Stars Looks Friendly for Life

Quote
Alpha Centauri A may be even less deadly than the sun—if there are any planets there.

https://www.popularmechanics.com/space/deep-space/a21098815/biggest-star-alpha-centauri-system-friendliest-to-life/

Offline Star One

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Astronomy Thread
« Reply #459 on: 06/12/2018 08:14 pm »
Astronauts' movement increased subsurface temperatures on the moon, study finds

Quote
It may have been one giant leap for man, but those steps may have consequences for mankind.

The presence of astronauts on the moon caused an unexpected warming of its subsurface temperatures for a period of time in the 1970s, a new study has found after delving into "lost" tapes from the Apollo missions.

https://www.cbc.ca/amp/1.4697741?

'Surprisingly fast' recovery of life at dinosaur-killing asteroid impact site

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Within 30,000 years of impact, Mexico’s Chicxulub crater fostered a thriving ecosystem - a much faster recovery than many sites around the world.

https://www.imperial.ac.uk/news/186670/surprisingly-fast-recovery-life-dinosaur-killing-asteroid/

Mineralogy on Mars points to a cold and icy ancient climate

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WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — The climate throughout Mars’ early history has long been debated – was the Red Planet warm and wet, or cold and icy? New research published in Icarus provides evidence for the latter.

https://www.purdue.edu/newsroom/releases/2018/Q2/minerology-on-mars-points-to-a-cold-and-icy-ancient-climate.html

Diamond Dust Shimmering around Distant Stars:
Nanoscale gemstones source of mysterious cosmic microwave light


Quote
Some of the tiniest diamonds in the universe – bits of crystalline carbon hundreds of thousands of times smaller than a grain of sand – have been detected swirling around three infant star systems in the Milky Way. These microscopic gemstones are neither rare nor precious; they are, however, exciting for astronomers who identified them as the source of a mysterious cosmic microwave “glow” emanating from several protoplanetary disks in our galaxy.

http://greenbankobservatory.org/press/diamond-dust.html
« Last Edit: 06/12/2018 08:29 pm by Star One »

 

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