Webb Observes Enceladus’ Water Vapor Plume
As Enceladus orbits rapidly around Saturn with a period of only 1.37 Earth days, the ejected water vapor is spread along and around its orbit, forming a large torus around…
Almost One-Fifth of Academic Survey Respondents Witnessed Unidentified Aerial Phenomena: Study
Recently, former and current government officials, legislators, and faculty in the United States have called for research on what their government terms Unidentified Aerial Phenomena (UAP, now called Unidentified Anomalous…
Saturn’s Rings are Heating Gas Giant’s Upper Atmosphere, Astronomers Say
The most feasible explanation is that icy ring particles raining down onto Saturn’s atmosphere cause this heating, according to a team of astronomers who analyzed several datasets obtained by the…
Venus is Home to At Least 85,000 Volcanoes, Planetary Researchers Say
There are many thousands of volcanoes on the surface of Venus. These volcanoes provide clues into the interior properties of the planet, properties that are otherwise largely inaccessible to scientists…
Hubble Detects Start of New Saturn Ring Spoke Season
Saturn is known for its iconic, pristine rings. However, the main B ring can have splotches and streaks of darker or lighter material, known as spokes, that may be tied…
Humans Will Likely Not Have Ability to Visit Nearby Exoplanets Anytime Soon, Expert Says
Astronomers recently announced the discovery of TOI-700e, a habitable-zone, Earth-sized planet some 102 light-years away in the southern constellation of Dorado. Could this new discovery lead to humans one day…
Trace Gas Detection Sheds New Light on Atmospheres of Jupiter and Its Volcanic Moon Io
Using data from NSF’s Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array (VLA), the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) and NASA’s Juno spacecraft, two teams of astronomers have examined the distribution of…
Ancient Mexicans Had Very Accurate Agricultural Calendar, Study Says
The accurate agricultural calendar allowed the ancient inhabitants of the Basin of Mexico to plan their agricultural cycle to feed one of the largest population densities on Earth, as well…
Stars and Building Blocks of Their Planets ‘Grow Up’ Together, New Study Suggests
The timing and locations of formation of planetesimals — the building blocks of planets — are crucial to the understanding of planet formation. If we are to form larger planets…