Solar System

Universally speaking, Earthlings share nice neighborhood

harminka — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 13:08:07 -0500

We don't have spacecraft to take us outside our solar system--not yet, at least. Still, astronomers thought they had a pretty good understanding of how our solar system formed and in turn, how others formed.

New computer simulations show how special the solar system is

harminka — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 13:44:13 -0500

Prevailing theoretical models attempting to explain the formation of the solar system have assumed it to be average in every way. Now a new study by Northwestern University astronomers, using recent data from the 300 exoplanets discovered orbiting other stars, turns that view on its head.

Clumps and streams of dark matter in inner regions of Milky Way

harminka — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 14:03:09 -0500

Using one of the most powerful supercomputers in the world to simulate the halo of dark matter that envelopes our galaxy, researchers found dense clumps and streams of the mysterious stuff lurking in the inner regions of the halo, in the same neighborhood as our solar system.

Cassini instrument confirms liquid surface lake on Titan

harminka — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 08:22:33 -0500

Scientists have confirmed that at least one body in our solar system, other than Earth, has a surface liquid lake.

Warm coronal loops offer clue to mysteriously hot solar atmosphere

harminka — Fri, 30 May 2008 08:16:58 -0500

Scientists at NASA reveal a new understanding of the mysterious mechanism responsible for heating the outer part of the solar atmosphere, the corona, to million degree temperatures.

Storm Winds Blow in Jupiter’s Little Red Spot

harminka — Thu, 22 May 2008 00:54:36 -0500

Using data from NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft and two telescopes at Earth, an international team of scientists has found that one of the solar system’s largest and newest storms – Jupiter’s Little Red Spot – has some of the highest wind speeds ever detected on any planet.

Scientists find rings of Jupiter are shaped in shadow

harminka — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 14:19:42 -0500

Scientists from the University of Maryland and the Max-Planck Institute for Solar System Research in Germany appear to have solved a long-standing mystery about the cause of anomalies in Jupiter's gossamer rings.

Solar flares set the Sun quaking

harminka — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 13:07:43 -0500

Data from the ESA/NASA spacecraft SOHO shows clearly that powerful starquakes ripple around the Sun in the wake of mighty solar flares that explode above its surface. The observations give solar physicists new insight into a long-running solar mystery and may even provide a way of studying other stars.

Cambridge academics shed new light on the Sun

seher — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 12:07:33 -0500

New insights into solar activity have been revealed thanks to research from a group of Cambridge academics.

Ancient asteroids formed at solar system's start

harminka — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 11:50:49 -0500

Using visible and infrared data collected from telescopes on Hawaii’s Mauna Kea, a team of scientists, led by the University of Maryland’s Jessica Sunshine, have identified three asteroids that appear to be among our Solar System’s oldest objects.

Astronomers Discover Life-Giving Molecule In Nearby Solar System

seher — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 13:17:57 -0500

For the first time ever, astronomers using the Hubble space telescope have discovered the presence of the organic molecule methane in the atmosphere around a planet outside our solar system. While astronomers say there's no chance that life exists on the exosolar planet, methane is essential for life, opening up the possibility that there could be life somewhere else in the universe.

Copernicus first edition up for sale

admin_huliq — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 07:18:52 -0500

A bookseller is offering a rare first edition of Nicolaus Copernicus' revolutionary book on the solar system at a Tokyo fair.