Planets News - SciTechDaily

“Unusually Massive” – Astronomers Discover a Planet That Shouldn’t Exist

Penn State — Tue, 05 Dec 2023 13:39:06 +0000

Researchers at Penn State have discovered an unusually massive planet, LHS 3154b, orbiting an ultracool dwarf star. This finding, contradicting current theories, prompts a reassessment...

Jupiter’s Surprising Atmospheric Discovery: Webb Reveals Intense 3,000-Mile-Wide Jet Stream

Robert Sanders, University of California - Berkeley — Mon, 04 Dec 2023 23:53:51 +0000

NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope has discovered a high-speed jet stream in Jupiter’s atmosphere, moving at 320 miles per hour and situated 15 to 30...

Cosmic Rhythms: Strange Discovery of a Six-Planet System in Perfect Harmony

University of Chicago — Sat, 02 Dec 2023 22:03:17 +0000

Study led by University of Chicago astronomer Rafael Luque may tell us about how planets form. Scientists have discovered a rare sight in a nearby...

Webb’s Galactic Surprise: Reveals Rocky Planet Secrets in Cosmic Extremes

Space Telescope Science Institute — Fri, 01 Dec 2023 13:40:48 +0000

Astronomers find a range of molecules that are among the building blocks for rocky planets. Space is a harsh environment, but some areas are even...

Cosmic Choreography: Unraveling the 6-Planet Resonance Mystery

Pat Brennan, NASA's Exoplanet Exploration Program — Fri, 01 Dec 2023 05:18:40 +0000

Researchers led by Rafael Luque discovered six planets in a rare gravitational resonance around a smaller, cooler star. This unique arrangement, stable since the system’s...

Hubble’s Big Reveal: Unearthing the Secrets of a Nearby Earth-Sized World

Space Telescope Science Institute — Thu, 30 Nov 2023 02:48:22 +0000

Hubble Telescope confirms the size of Earth-like exoplanet LTT 1445Ac, offering new insights into its composition and the potential for further atmospheric study. Lots of...

Astronaut’s Eye View: Breathtaking Mars Horizon Captured by NASA’s Odyssey Orbiter

Jet Propulsion Laboratory — Wed, 29 Nov 2023 13:45:24 +0000

NASA’s Mars Odyssey orbiter has provided new panoramic images of Mars and its moon Phobos, offering fresh insights into the Martian landscape and atmosphere. The...

Webb Space Telescope Reveals Atmospheric Effects of CO2 on Earth and Exoplanets

The Hebrew University of Jerusalem — Tue, 28 Nov 2023 06:43:58 +0000

A research team, utilizing the James Webb Space Telescope, has discovered that increased CO2 levels lead to more intense warming in regions without direct sunlight...

Hidden Depths: Uncovering Theia’s Mysterious Remnants Inside Earth

David Rothery, The Open University. — Mon, 27 Nov 2023 03:39:00 +0000

New research suggests that large remnants of Theia, a Mars-sized object that collided with Earth to form the Moon, still exist within Earth’s mantle. These...

Did Life Exist on Mars and Other Planets? We May Know Soon

Carnegie Science Earth and Planets Laboratory — Fri, 24 Nov 2023 22:24:58 +0000

“The Holy Grail of astrobiology” – New machine learning technique can determine whether a sample is of biological or non-biological origin with 90% accuracy. Scientists have...

Neon Mysteries in the Cosmos: Webb Telescope Rewrites Planet Formation Playbook

Space Telescope Science Institute — Mon, 20 Nov 2023 09:29:46 +0000

The contrast between the James Webb Space Telescope’s observations and those of the Spitzer Space Telescope, just 15 years ago, indicate changing conditions around a...

Mars Unveils Its Nighttime Secret: Mesmerizing Green Glow Discovered

European Space Agency (ESA) — Sat, 18 Nov 2023 02:55:48 +0000

ESA’s ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter has discovered a green nightglow in the Martian atmosphere, providing crucial data on atmospheric processes and potential illumination for future...

The Truth About Saturn’s Rings: Are They Really Disappearing by 2025?

Jonti Horner, University of Southern Queensland — Tue, 14 Nov 2023 22:28:37 +0000

Saturn’s rings, now visible, will seem to disappear in 2025 due to a regular astronomical phenomenon but will reappear thereafter. The current period is ideal...

Unveiling Saturn’s Secrets: Eclipses Reveal Ring Transparency

Lancaster University — Tue, 14 Nov 2023 10:38:46 +0000

A Lancaster University PhD student has measured the optical depth of Saturn’s rings using a new method based on how much sunlight reached the Cassini...

Transient Treasures: Scientists Unearth Gold’s Remarkable Origin Story

Jim Shelton, Yale University — Sun, 12 Nov 2023 18:50:28 +0000

New research offers a theory on how gold, platinum, and other precious metals found their way to shallow pockets within Earth’s mantle. Scientists at Yale...

The Ammonia Trail: Unlocking Cosmic Mysteries of Distant Worlds With Webb

ETH Zurich — Sun, 12 Nov 2023 15:18:38 +0000

The detection of ammonia isotopologues in a brown dwarf by the James Webb Space Telescope offers groundbreaking insights into the formation of gas giants and...

Webb’s Window Into Cosmic Birth: Ice Pebble Drift Sparks Planetary Life

Space Telescope Science Institute — Sun, 12 Nov 2023 04:54:11 +0000

Drifting pebbles deliver water to the inner regions of planet-forming disks How are planets born? Scientists have long proposed that ice-covered pebbles are the seeds...

NASA’s Juno Spacecraft Discovers Jupiter’s Winds Penetrate the Planet in Cylindrical Layers

Jet Propulsion Laboratory — Sat, 11 Nov 2023 21:22:10 +0000

The finding offers deeper insights into the long-debated internal structure of the gas giant. Gravity data collected by NASA’s Juno mission indicates Jupiter’s atmospheric winds...

Earth Through a 2-mm Lens From a 6,000 km Orbit

European Space Agency (ESA) — Fri, 10 Nov 2023 20:56:01 +0000

The TRISAT-R CubeSat, equipped with a tiny camera, captured a unique image of Earth from 6,000 km, contributing to ESA’s research in medium-Earth orbit and...

Deep Earth Discovery: Fragments of Ancient Planet Found in Mantle

Chinese Academy of Sciences — Tue, 07 Nov 2023 00:30:40 +0000

Scientists have found that Earth’s deep mantle may hold pieces of the ancient planet Theia, offering new insights into the Moon’s origin and Earth’s formative...

Life on Venus? Tectonic Clues Point to a Habitable Past

Brown University — Mon, 06 Nov 2023 23:40:30 +0000

Simulations produced by a Brown-led research team offer evidence that Venus once had plate tectonics — a finding that opens the door for the possibility...

Hubble’s Ultraviolet Eye Reveals Jupiter’s Great Red Spot in a New Light

NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center — Mon, 06 Nov 2023 18:14:15 +0000

NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope provides a new ultraviolet image of Jupiter during its opposition, revealing details like the Great Red Spot in false-color to highlight...

Fast and Furious: Jupiter’s Secret Jet Stream Speeds Up to 500 km/h

University of the Basque Country — Sat, 04 Nov 2023 19:26:11 +0000

The James Webb Space Telescope discovered a previously unseen jet stream in Jupiter’s atmosphere. Similar phenomena were observed on Saturn, and both may be linked...

Exoplanet Excitement: Kepler Reveals a Sizzling System With Seven Super-Earths

Frank Tavares, NASA — Sat, 04 Nov 2023 09:26:06 +0000

NASA’s Kepler telescope data has unveiled a new system called Kepler-385 with seven hot, large planets that orbit a star slightly larger and hotter than...