India is going to Venus! After its trips to the Moon and Mars, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) wants to discover the mysteries of the hottest planet. Venus is a complex planet due to its dense atmosphere and surface activity. The air pressure on the surface of Venus is extremely high. About 90 times greater than the pressure at sea level on Earth. Several features of Venus make it stand out amongst the other planets of the Solar System. Here's wishing ISRO a successful mission, which is likely to take place in 2025.

India is going to Venus! hottest planet's mysteries will be revealed soon

A team of scientists from India, Brazil and France have successfully derived the accurate value of Pluto’s atmospheric pressure.

According to the study, Pluto’s atmospheric pressure on its surface is 80,000 times less than that on Earth.

The astronomers analysed atmospheric pressure on the surface by observing an occultation using the 3.6m Devasthal optical telescope, India’s largest optical telescope, and the 1.3-m Devasthal Fast Optical Telescope (DFOT) telescope.

The telescopes are based in India’s northern Nainital city in Uttarakhand state.

In astronomy, an occultation happens when a celestial object gets hidden from the view of the observer due to another celestial object passing in between them.

A compilation of twelve stellar occultations by Pluto observed between 1988 and 2016 showed a three-fold monotonic increase of atmospheric pressure during this period, India’s Department of Science and Technology said in a statement.

The scientists, including members from Aryabhatta Research Institute of Observational Sciences (ARIES), used signal-to-noise ratio light curves obtained from the sophisticated instruments used in the observations to derive an accurate value of Pluto’s atmospheric pressure at its surface.

It was found to be 12.23 μbar —80,000 times less than the atmospheric pressure at mean sea level on Earth. They also found that the pressure at the surface is close to the seasonal peak of Pluto.

The study also confirms earlier findings that Pluto suffers intense seasonal episodes because of large depression, known as Sputnik Planitia.

For decades, Pluto's poles remain in permanent sunlight or darkness over its 248-year long orbital period leading to strong effects on its Nitrogen atmosphere.

Moreover, as Pluto is now moving away from the Galactic plane as seen from&nbsp;Earth, stellar occultations by the dwarf planet are becoming increasingly rare, making this event a decisive one.

(With inputs from agencies)

A team of scientists from India, Brazil and France have successfully derived the accurate value of Pluto’s atmospheric pressure. According to the study, Pluto’s atmospheric pressure on its surface is 80,000 times less than that on Earth.

A team of scientists from India, Brazil and France have successfully derived the accurate value of Pluto’s atmospheric pressure. According to the study, Pluto’s atmospheric pressure on its surface is 80,000 times less than that on Earth. The astronomers analysed atmospheric pressure on the surface by observing an occultation using the 3.6m Devasthal optical telescope, India’s largest optical telescope, and the 1.3-m Devasthal Fast Optical Telescope (DFOT) telescope. The telescopes are based in India’s northern Nainital city in Uttarakhand state. In astronomy, an occultation happens when a celestial object gets hidden from the view of the observer due to another celestial object passing in between them. A compilation of twelve stellar occultations by Pluto observed between 1988 and 2016 showed a three-fold monotonic increase of atmospheric pressure during this period, India’s Department of Science and Technology said in a statement. The scientists, including members from Aryabhatta Research Institute of Observational Sciences (ARIES), used signal-to-noise ratio light curves obtained from the sophisticated instruments used in the observations to derive an accurate value of Pluto’s atmospheric pressure at its surface. It was found to be 12.23 μbar —80,000 times less than the atmospheric pressure at mean sea level on Earth. They also found that the pressure at the surface is close to the seasonal peak of Pluto. The study also confirms earlier findings that Pluto suffers intense seasonal episodes because of large depression, known as Sputnik Planitia. For decades, Pluto's poles remain in permanent sunlight or darkness over its 248-year long orbital period leading to strong effects on its Nitrogen atmosphere. Moreover, as Pluto is now moving away from the Galactic plane as seen from Earth, stellar occultations by the dwarf planet are becoming increasingly rare, making this event a decisive one. (With inputs from agencies)

Atmospheric pressure on Pluto’s surface is 80,000 times less than Earth, says study

Astronomers have just detected a disk of dust forming around a planet outside our solar system for the first time.

The disk was detected by astronomers from the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy (MPIA) in Heidelberg. The images were taken by the Atacama Large Millimetre/Submillimetre Array (ALMA) in partnership with the European Southern Observatory (ESO).&nbsp;

This revelation sheds light on how moons and planets are formed in planetary systems that are still in their formative stage. For long, scientists have attempted to fully understand how natural satellites of planets are formed, including the Earth's Moon.

To better understand the process, scientists want to observe the creation of satellites like moon around planets situated outside our solar system, i.e., exoplanets. The exoplanet in question&nbsp;resembles the characteristics of Jupiter and is capable of producing multiple moons.

Myriam Benisty, a researcher at the University of Grenoble in France and the University of Chile and also the lead of the study claims that the research "presents a clear detection of a disk in which satellites could be forming”. The study was published in The Astrophysical Journal Letters.&nbsp;

"We obtained our ALMA observations at such excellent resolution that we could identify without a doubt that the disk is associated with the planet, and we are able to constrain its size for the first time,” Max Planck Institute for Astronomy quoted Benisty as&nbsp;saying.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/nasa-solves-40-year-old-mystery-of-jupiters-x-ray-auroras-400739" hreflang="en">NASA solves 40-year-old mystery of Jupiter's X-Ray Auroras</a>

The disk is referred to as a "circumplanetary disk" and surrounds the exoplanet labelled "PDS 70c". The planet bears resemblance to Jupiter and orbits a star situated 400 light-years away.

Earlier, astronomers posited that a moon-forming disk surrounded the planet, but its detection was only confirmed in the study published on July 22, 2021. Scientists claim that the disk has the same distance as Earth does from Sun. The disk accounts for a lot of&nbsp;mass, which could&nbsp;create at least three satellites the size of Earth's&nbsp;Moon!

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/marsquakes-reveal-secrets-of-mars-interior-400155" hreflang="en">Marsquakes reveal secrets of Mars' interior</a>

Astronomers have just detected a disk of dust forming around a planet outside our solar system for the first time. The disk was detected by astronomers from the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy (MPIA) in Heidelberg.

Astronomers have just detected a disk of dust forming around a planet outside our solar system for the first time. The disk was detected by astronomers from the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy (MPIA) in Heidelberg. The images were taken by the Atacama Large Millimetre/Submillimetre Array (ALMA) in partnership with the European Southern Observatory (ESO). This revelation sheds light on how moons and planets are formed in planetary systems that are still in their formative stage. For long, scientists have attempted to fully understand how natural satellites of planets are formed, including the Earth's Moon. To better understand the process, scientists want to observe the creation of satellites like moon around planets situated outside our solar system, i.e., exoplanets. The exoplanet in question resembles the characteristics of Jupiter and is capable of producing multiple moons. Myriam Benisty, a researcher at the University of Grenoble in France and the University of Chile and also the lead of the study claims that the research "presents a clear detection of a disk in which satellites could be forming”. The study was published in The Astrophysical Journal Letters. "We obtained our ALMA observations at such excellent resolution that we could identify without a doubt that the disk is associated with the planet, and we are able to constrain its size for the first time,” Max Planck Institute for Astronomy quoted Benisty as saying. Also read: NASA solves 40-year-old mystery of Jupiter's X-Ray Auroras The disk is referred to as a "circumplanetary disk" and surrounds the exoplanet labelled "PDS 70c". The planet bears resemblance to Jupiter and orbits a star situated 400 light-years away. Earlier, astronomers posited that a moon-forming disk surrounded the planet, but its detection was only confirmed in the study published on July 22, 2021. Scientists claim that the disk has the same distance as Earth does from Sun. The disk accounts for a lot of mass, which could create at least three satellites the size of Earth's Moon! Also read: Marsquakes reveal secrets of Mars' interior

Astronomers detect first proof of 'moon-forming' ring around far-off exoplanet

Astronomers recently discovered four teenage exoplanets situated 130 light-years away from Earth.

The quartet was was found using data from NASA's TESS mission. Exoplanets are essentially planets that orbit a star outside a solar system, for which reason they're also called extrasolar planets.

The planets orbit two orange dwarf stars, both smaller our Sun and named TOI 2076 and TOI 1808, wherein TOI stands for "TESS Object of Interest".

The two dwarf stars are about 30 light-years apart from each other and are continuously moving in the same direction. They're also about the same age, suggesting that the dwarf stars emerged at the same place and from a single process.

"The planets in both systems are in a transitional, or teenage, phase of their life cycle," Christina Hedges from the Bay Area Environmental Research Institute and NASA's Ames Research Center in California, claimed in a statement.&nbsp;

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/nasa-posts-mesmerising-video-of-jupiters-moon-398894" hreflang="en">NASA posts mesmerising video of Jupiter's moon</a>

Hedges hopes to get a better understanding of older planets spread across systems by learning more about the teenage exoplanets. "They're not newborns, but they're also not settled down", Hedges added.

NASA's TESS (Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite) telescope has been mapping 75 per cent of the visible sky from Earth since 2018. It looks for changes in light emission from stars, which could point to a planet passing in front of the stars.

The telescope's initial survey was finished in July 2020, but its mission has now been extended up to 2022. Since its launch, the telescope has helped astronomers navigate and pinpoint over 2,000 exoplanet candidates.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/earth-was-engulfed-by-solar-wind-for-a-few-hours-noaa-398321" hreflang="en">Earth was engulfed by solar wind for a few hours: NOAA</a>

TOI 2076 has three planets around it, sized between those of Earth and Neptune. On the other hand, TOI 1807 has only one planet orbiting it, which is twice the Earth's size. This planet orbits the sun dangerously close, and scientists believe a a there is equal to 13 hours on Earth. Usually, planets don't form so close to their suns, which is why the interest surrounding it has risen.

The study was published in the July 12 issue of the Astronomical Journal.

Astronomers recently discovered four teenage exoplanets situated 130 light-years away from Earth. The quartet was was found using data from NASA's TESS mission. Exoplanets are essentially planets that orbit a star outside a solar system, for which reason they're also called extrasolar planets.

Astronomers recently discovered four teenage exoplanets situated 130 light-years away from Earth. The quartet was was found using data from NASA's TESS mission. Exoplanets are essentially planets that orbit a star outside a solar system, for which reason they're also called extrasolar planets. The planets orbit two orange dwarf stars, both smaller our Sun and named TOI 2076 and TOI 1808, wherein TOI stands for "TESS Object of Interest". The two dwarf stars are about 30 light-years apart from each other and are continuously moving in the same direction. They're also about the same age, suggesting that the dwarf stars emerged at the same place and from a single process. "The planets in both systems are in a transitional, or teenage, phase of their life cycle," Christina Hedges from the Bay Area Environmental Research Institute and NASA's Ames Research Center in California, claimed in a statement. Also read: NASA posts mesmerising video of Jupiter's moon Hedges hopes to get a better understanding of older planets spread across systems by learning more about the teenage exoplanets. "They're not newborns, but they're also not settled down", Hedges added. NASA's TESS (Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite) telescope has been mapping 75 per cent of the visible sky from Earth since 2018. It looks for changes in light emission from stars, which could point to a planet passing in front of the stars. The telescope's initial survey was finished in July 2020, but its mission has now been extended up to 2022. Since its launch, the telescope has helped astronomers navigate and pinpoint over 2,000 exoplanet candidates. Also read: Earth was engulfed by solar wind for a few hours: NOAA TOI 2076 has three planets around it, sized between those of Earth and Neptune. On the other hand, TOI 1807 has only one planet orbiting it, which is twice the Earth's size. This planet orbits the sun dangerously close, and scientists believe a a there is equal to 13 hours on Earth. Usually, planets don't form so close to their suns, which is why the interest surrounding it has risen. The study was published in the July 12 issue of the Astronomical Journal.

Scientists find four 'teenage' exoplanets. One of them is really special.

Dark matter is something that has best scientific minds in the world a bit confused. After all, Dark Matter is extremely hard to spot. However, it is considered that most of the matter in the universe is Dark Matter.&nbsp;

Dark Matter can only be detected through the effect it has on celestial bodies. Now Physicists think that dark matter may be warming core of the planets.

Rebecca Leane, a theoretical particle physicist at MIT, and Juri Smirnov, an astroparticle physicist at the Ohio State University (OSU) think that Dark Matter particles are absorbed by planets and due to their gravity, reach the core where they have a warming effect. The researchers have published their study in Physical Review Letters.

They propose use of such exoplanets as 'Dark Matter detectors'. The Physicists say that if we see core of a planet for example, having 14 times the mass of Jupiter, heating up from 200 K to 500 K, we can assume it to be because of Dark Matter.

Not just any planet would do for this exercise, however. The planet must have cooled off after its birth as fiery mass. This means that it should be several billion years old. In addition, the planet must be sufficiently far from heat of the star around which it revolves.

It is considered that centre of a galaxy contains more Dark Matter. The researchers say if we detect a planet getting warmer as it comes closer to the centre. We can treat it as a 'smoking gun' for the effect of Dark Matter.

Dark matter is something that has best scientific minds in the world a bit confused. After all, Dark Matter is extremely hard to spot. However, it is considered that most of the matter in the universe is Dark Matter.

Dark matter is something that has best scientific minds in the world a bit confused. After all, Dark Matter is extremely hard to spot. However, it is considered that most of the matter in the universe is Dark Matter. Dark Matter can only be detected through the effect it has on celestial bodies. Now Physicists think that dark matter may be warming core of the planets. Rebecca Leane, a theoretical particle physicist at MIT, and Juri Smirnov, an astroparticle physicist at the Ohio State University (OSU) think that Dark Matter particles are absorbed by planets and due to their gravity, reach the core where they have a warming effect. The researchers have published their study in Physical Review Letters. They propose use of such exoplanets as 'Dark Matter detectors'. The Physicists say that if we see core of a planet for example, having 14 times the mass of Jupiter, heating up from 200 K to 500 K, we can assume it to be because of Dark Matter. Not just any planet would do for this exercise, however. The planet must have cooled off after its birth as fiery mass. This means that it should be several billion years old. In addition, the planet must be sufficiently far from heat of the star around which it revolves. It is considered that centre of a galaxy contains more Dark Matter. The researchers say if we detect a planet getting warmer as it comes closer to the centre. We can treat it as a 'smoking gun' for the effect of Dark Matter.

Dark matter in space may be heating up core of planets

The Hubble Space Telescope recently shared another marvel of the universe.&nbsp; In a picture, the Hubble captured a nebula situated around 4,900 light years away in the constellation of Gemini.

Named AFGL-5180, the nebula constitutes part of the vast cloud complex called “Gem OB1”. The molecular clouds are usually found near places where stars are born, same as this nebula.

<img alt="hubble" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="3e56e801-f07b-4ce1-a9ca-4061acda2e64" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/oof%20%283%29.jpg" />

From the inside, the nebula is lit spectacularly by a young fiery star which is constantly changing its vicinity as it grows, making way for new cavities to exist in the gas cloud.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="http://13.235.153.162/science/hubble-telescope-shares-image-of-barred-spiral-galaxy-ngc-4535-357503" hreflang="en">Hubble telescope shares image of barred spiral galaxy NGC 4535</a>

Stars are created after cool molecular gas hosts a clump in cloudy form. For a star to form, the clump needs to collapse under its own gravity. As the star attempts to become a physical entity, it begins to spin. Owing to this movement, clouds around it form a disk which disappears into the star owing to its strong gravitational pull.

As visible in the picture, two beams of light can be seen coming from behind the cloud, situated in the top right and bottom left of the picture. These beams mean that the star is growing.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="http://13.235.153.162/science/nasas-hubble-space-telescope-captures-cosmic-cinnamon-bun-344894" hreflang="en">NASA's Hubble Space Telescope captures 'cosmic cinnamon bun'</a>

In November, The&nbsp;Hubble Space Telescope by the&nbsp;National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) had captured a cosmic cinnamon bun.

Unlike many spiral galaxies, UGC 12588&nbsp; (the cinnamon bun) displays neither a&nbsp;bar of stars across its centre&nbsp;nor the classic prominent&nbsp;spiral arm pattern. Instead, to a viewer, its circular, white and mostly unstructured centre&nbsp;makes this galaxy more reminiscent of a cinnamon bun than a megastructure of stars and gas in space.

(Image by Hubble/NASA/ESA)

The Hubble Space Telescope recently shared another marvel of the universe. In a picture, the Hubble captured a nebula situated around 4,900 light years away in the constellation of Gemini.

The Hubble Space Telescope recently shared another marvel of the universe. In a picture, the Hubble captured a nebula situated around 4,900 light years away in the constellation of Gemini. Named AFGL-5180, the nebula constitutes part of the vast cloud complex called “Gem OB1”. The molecular clouds are usually found near places where stars are born, same as this nebula. From the inside, the nebula is lit spectacularly by a young fiery star which is constantly changing its vicinity as it grows, making way for new cavities to exist in the gas cloud. Also read: Hubble telescope shares image of barred spiral galaxy NGC 4535 Stars are created after cool molecular gas hosts a clump in cloudy form. For a star to form, the clump needs to collapse under its own gravity. As the star attempts to become a physical entity, it begins to spin. Owing to this movement, clouds around it form a disk which disappears into the star owing to its strong gravitational pull. As visible in the picture, two beams of light can be seen coming from behind the cloud, situated in the top right and bottom left of the picture. These beams mean that the star is growing. Also read: NASA's Hubble Space Telescope captures 'cosmic cinnamon bun' In November, The Hubble Space Telescope by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) had captured a cosmic cinnamon bun. Unlike many spiral galaxies, UGC 12588 (the cinnamon bun) displays neither a bar of stars across its centre nor the classic prominent spiral arm pattern. Instead, to a viewer, its circular, white and mostly unstructured centre makes this galaxy more reminiscent of a cinnamon bun than a megastructure of stars and gas in space. (Image by Hubble/NASA/ESA)

Hubble Space Telescope beams back mesmerising image of a nebula!

For the most part, our knowledge of the word 'planet' revolves around the idea is that its a huge space rock, cooler than the stars, deriving energy from the one it revolves around. We can't be blamed because Earth is one such space rock. It is (much) cooler than the Sun and derives all the life forming energy from it.

But universe, as infinite it is, has ways to surprise our minds and set ideas we tend to have about it.&nbsp;

Can you imagine a space body almost hot as our Sun all the while being a 'planet'? Well, there are such planets.

Meet Kelt-9 b! It's a planet 670 lightyears away from Earth. It was found in 2016.

It has been found that this planet has a temperature of 5000 K (4726 degree Celsius). This makes this planet hotter than 80 per cent of all individual&nbsp;stars in the universe.

Kelt-9 b is a gaseous planet and it is 1.8 times bigger than Jupiter, the biggest planet in our solar system. It revolves around its star that is twice as hot as the Sun. In addition, Kelt-9 b has a very very short radius of revolution. It means that it revolves around its star in a very close orbit that is smaller even than that of Mercury in our Solar System.

Kelt-9 b is tidally locked with its star. That means that one side of the planet always faces the star when it makes its revolution.

Why studying Kelt-9 b is important

Planets like Kelt-9 b are called 'hot Jupiters' because of their gaseous nature, gigantic size and extremely hot temperature. This means that behaviour of such planets gives us a brilliant opportunity to study Physics in conditions that are nearly impossible to reproduce on Earth.

In other words, these planets can roughly be called giant labs in space!

The universe truly has amazing secrets!

For the most part, our knowledge of the word 'planet' revolves around the idea is that its a huge space rock, cooler than the stars, deriving energy from the one it revolves around.

For the most part, our knowledge of the word 'planet' revolves around the idea is that its a huge space rock, cooler than the stars, deriving energy from the one it revolves around. We can't be blamed because Earth is one such space rock. It is (much) cooler than the Sun and derives all the life forming energy from it. But universe, as infinite it is, has ways to surprise our minds and set ideas we tend to have about it. Can you imagine a space body almost hot as our Sun all the while being a 'planet'? Well, there are such planets. Meet Kelt-9 b! It's a planet 670 lightyears away from Earth. It was found in 2016. It has been found that this planet has a temperature of 5000 K (4726 degree Celsius). This makes this planet hotter than 80 per cent of all individual stars in the universe. Kelt-9 b is a gaseous planet and it is 1.8 times bigger than Jupiter, the biggest planet in our solar system. It revolves around its star that is twice as hot as the Sun. In addition, Kelt-9 b has a very very short radius of revolution. It means that it revolves around its star in a very close orbit that is smaller even than that of Mercury in our Solar System. Kelt-9 b is tidally locked with its star. That means that one side of the planet always faces the star when it makes its revolution. Why studying Kelt-9 b is important Planets like Kelt-9 b are called 'hot Jupiters' because of their gaseous nature, gigantic size and extremely hot temperature. This means that behaviour of such planets gives us a brilliant opportunity to study Physics in conditions that are nearly impossible to reproduce on Earth. In other words, these planets can roughly be called giant labs in space! The universe truly has amazing secrets!

This planet is hotter than 80 per cent of stars in the universe

A planetary system far away was recently found to be harbouring two planets that orbit a star rotating backwards.

The planets are roughly 897 light-years away from Earth. The system is called "K2-290" and consists of three stars and two planets that orbit its main star - "K2-290 A".

Usually, the star of any planetary system spins in the same directions as the orbit of the planets in the system. However, K2-290 does not seem to follow this pathway. Scientists believe that a star's equator is aligned with the orbital route of its planets, for both have grown from the same spinning cloud.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/where-did-the-asteroid-which-wiped-out-dinosaurs-came-from-scientists-answer-363987" hreflang="en">Where did the asteroid which wiped out dinosaurs came from? Scientists answer</a>

The discovery was made by Simon Albrecht at the Aarhus University in Denmark. Upon further study, the researchers found that the orbits of both the planets in the system are not in sync with the star. Essentially, the star's rotational axis is tilted by roughly 124 degrees. This implies that the star spins in the opposite direction of its planets. 
 
For perspective, in our solar system, the sun's rotational axis experiences a tilt of 6 degrees when compared to its planets, suggesting the planets and sun orbit in the same direction.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/scientists-discover-life-where-it-shouldnt-exist-in-antarctica-363842" hreflang="en">Scientists discover life where it shouldn't exist in Antarctica</a> 
 
This botched alignment is not uncommon, for it has been observed in other planetary systems as well. Scientists posit that it could be a result of the turbulence between a star its planets during formative stages. 
 
“Whatever nature can produce, it seems to be produced somewhere,” NewScientist quoted Albrecht as saying.

Albrecht posits that the misalignment is a direct result of the presence of another star which may have created gravitational pressure to mvoe the disc.

A planetary system far away was recently found to be harbouring two planets that orbit a star rotating backwards. The planets are roughly 897 light-years away from Earth.

A planetary system far away was recently found to be harbouring two planets that orbit a star rotating backwards. The planets are roughly 897 light-years away from Earth. The system is called "K2-290" and consists of three stars and two planets that orbit its main star - "K2-290 A". Usually, the star of any planetary system spins in the same directions as the orbit of the planets in the system. However, K2-290 does not seem to follow this pathway. Scientists believe that a star's equator is aligned with the orbital route of its planets, for both have grown from the same spinning cloud. Also read: Where did the asteroid which wiped out dinosaurs came from? Scientists answer The discovery was made by Simon Albrecht at the Aarhus University in Denmark. Upon further study, the researchers found that the orbits of both the planets in the system are not in sync with the star. Essentially, the star's rotational axis is tilted by roughly 124 degrees. This implies that the star spins in the opposite direction of its planets. For perspective, in our solar system, the sun's rotational axis experiences a tilt of 6 degrees when compared to its planets, suggesting the planets and sun orbit in the same direction. Also read: Scientists discover life where it shouldn't exist in Antarctica This botched alignment is not uncommon, for it has been observed in other planetary systems as well. Scientists posit that it could be a result of the turbulence between a star its planets during formative stages. “Whatever nature can produce, it seems to be produced somewhere,” NewScientist quoted Albrecht as saying. Albrecht posits that the misalignment is a direct result of the presence of another star which may have created gravitational pressure to mvoe the disc.

Rare backwards-spinning star spotted in a distant planetary system by scientists

Astronomers recently found a solar system whereby six planets are suspended in a strange rhythm

The solar system hosts stars that seem to be performing a "rhythmic dance" as they continue to dance around the orbits.&nbsp;

The system is located around a star called TOI-178, which is 200 lightyears away, and could help explain how stars in our solar system are born and how they evolve. 
 
Besides being fixed in an unusual rhythmic order, planets in this solar system are also off the expected course, as per scientists. The orbital motion of the system is in harmony, but the physical properties of all planets vary from planet to planet, which challenges the beliefs of scientists around solar systems.&nbsp;All planets have different densities. 
 
“It appears there is a planet as dense as the Earth right next to a very fluffy planet with half the density of Neptune, followed by a planet with the density of Neptune,” Nathan Hara from the Université de Genève, Switzerland, who was also involved in the study told The Independent.&nbsp;

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="http://13.235.153.162/science/scientists-want-to-turn-mars-green-how-will-they-do-it-357498" hreflang="en">Scientists want to turn Mars green. How will they do it?</a> 
 
"It is not what we are used to", Hara added.

The solar system gives a sneak peek into the life of planets that are different from the planets in our solar system, researchers claimed in Astronomy and Astrophysics. 
 
Out of the six planets part of the solar system, all planets except one move in a rhythmic movement, resembling a dance of sorts.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="http://13.235.153.162/science/netizens-express-delight-as-nasa-shares-image-of-neutron-star-357494" hreflang="en">Netizens express delight as NASA shares image of neutron star</a>

They also have "resonant" movements, implying that patterns of movement are repeated as they move on the orbit.

The resonance has been recorded before, especially in Jupiter's moons. But TOI-178 stands out for it represents a more complicated "chain of resonance".

Astronomers recently found a solar system whereby six planets are suspended in a strange rhythm The solar system hosts stars that seem to be performing a "rhythmic dance" as they continue to dance around the orbits.

Astronomers recently found a solar system whereby six planets are suspended in a strange rhythm The solar system hosts stars that seem to be performing a "rhythmic dance" as they continue to dance around the orbits. The system is located around a star called TOI-178, which is 200 lightyears away, and could help explain how stars in our solar system are born and how they evolve. Besides being fixed in an unusual rhythmic order, planets in this solar system are also off the expected course, as per scientists. The orbital motion of the system is in harmony, but the physical properties of all planets vary from planet to planet, which challenges the beliefs of scientists around solar systems. All planets have different densities. “It appears there is a planet as dense as the Earth right next to a very fluffy planet with half the density of Neptune, followed by a planet with the density of Neptune,” Nathan Hara from the Université de Genève, Switzerland, who was also involved in the study told The Independent. Also read: Scientists want to turn Mars green. How will they do it? "It is not what we are used to", Hara added. The solar system gives a sneak peek into the life of planets that are different from the planets in our solar system, researchers claimed in Astronomy and Astrophysics. Out of the six planets part of the solar system, all planets except one move in a rhythmic movement, resembling a dance of sorts. Also read: Netizens express delight as NASA shares image of neutron star They also have "resonant" movements, implying that patterns of movement are repeated as they move on the orbit. The resonance has been recorded before, especially in Jupiter's moons. But TOI-178 stands out for it represents a more complicated "chain of resonance".

Scientists discover solar system with planets in a strange 'rhythm'

Scientists recently witnessed four distant white dwarfs consuming the crust of dead planets.

Most stars, after completing their life cycle simply become white dwarfs, which refers to the core of what once used to be a star. Astronomers claim that the core material is the key ingredient in all living forms.

This core contains carbon atoms, which are the key components of every living form. 90 per cent of all-stars in the universe turn into white dwarfs after finishing their life-cycle.

Mark Hollands from the University of Warwick in the United Kingdom, along with his colleagues witnessed white dwarfs munching on what resembled remains of dead planets. They found that the material which was being consumed by white dwarfs resembled Earth's crust.

This could further help shed light on the creation of planets, and the processes involved in the creation of such planets across our galaxy, and the universe.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/a-massive-star-in-a-far-off-galaxy-just-disappeared-leaving-behind-no-trace-310032" hreflang="en">A massive star in a far-off galaxy just disappeared, leaving behind no trace!</a>

The dwarfs have a very high temperature, running as high as 99,000 degree Celsius. Over billions of years, the stars cool down and become dimmer, until only the core remains. The other remains that are shed&nbsp;off by these bodies contain carbon, which is the fourth-most&nbsp;found chemical in the universe. No life can function without carbon!&nbsp;All of the carbon in the universe is released by stars.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/a-blazing-fireball-produced-a-sonic-boom-in-tokyo-skies-leaving-residents-confused-311108" hreflang="en">A blazing fireball produced a sonic boom in Tokyo skies, leaving residents confused!</a>

In a different study, scientists observed stars in the Milky Way, and analysed the data of a star before they became dwarfs and in the aftermath. The bigger the star, the bigger its dwarf, ie, the core! However, scientists realised the mass of the core was much bigger than previously thought.

Based on the study, the astronomers ascertained that stars bigger than 2 solar masses contributed in the universal dissemination of carbon, while stars smaller than 1.5 solar masses did not.

Their study points to a basic and imperative conclusion, that carbon has been trapped in the universe for more than 4.6 billion years, when our Solar System was formed.

Scientists recently witnessed four distant white dwarfs consuming the crust of dead planets. Most stars, after completing their life cycle simply become white dwarfs, which refers to the core of what once used to be a star.

Scientists recently witnessed four distant white dwarfs consuming the crust of dead planets. Most stars, after completing their life cycle simply become white dwarfs, which refers to the core of what once used to be a star. Astronomers claim that the core material is the key ingredient in all living forms. This core contains carbon atoms, which are the key components of every living form. 90 per cent of all-stars in the universe turn into white dwarfs after finishing their life-cycle. Mark Hollands from the University of Warwick in the United Kingdom, along with his colleagues witnessed white dwarfs munching on what resembled remains of dead planets. They found that the material which was being consumed by white dwarfs resembled Earth's crust. This could further help shed light on the creation of planets, and the processes involved in the creation of such planets across our galaxy, and the universe. Also read: A massive star in a far-off galaxy just disappeared, leaving behind no trace! The dwarfs have a very high temperature, running as high as 99,000 degree Celsius. Over billions of years, the stars cool down and become dimmer, until only the core remains. The other remains that are shed off by these bodies contain carbon, which is the fourth-most found chemical in the universe. No life can function without carbon! All of the carbon in the universe is released by stars. Also read: A blazing fireball produced a sonic boom in Tokyo skies, leaving residents confused! In a different study, scientists observed stars in the Milky Way, and analysed the data of a star before they became dwarfs and in the aftermath. The bigger the star, the bigger its dwarf, ie, the core! However, scientists realised the mass of the core was much bigger than previously thought. Based on the study, the astronomers ascertained that stars bigger than 2 solar masses contributed in the universal dissemination of carbon, while stars smaller than 1.5 solar masses did not. Their study points to a basic and imperative conclusion, that carbon has been trapped in the universe for more than 4.6 billion years, when our Solar System was formed.

Scientists just witnessed dead stars munching on remains of planets

The solar system's two biggest planets, Jupiter and Saturn, came within planetary kissing range in Monday's evening sky, an intimacy that will not occur again until 2080.

Jupiter, Saturn forms the great conjuction in a rare cosmic event

Looks like we might be getting closer to discovering life on mars. Two years ago, scientists discovered a large reservoir under Mars icy surface. Now, they have found three such more lakes!

On Monday, a paper in Nature Astronomy claimed that researchers have found three lakes burrowed under the red planet’s surface, in addition to the saltwater lake discovered earlier. Radar data from the European Space Agency (ESA) was used to discover the water bodies.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/nasa-plans-mission-to-moon-by-2024-to-cost-28-billion-329344" hreflang="en">NASA plans mission to moon by 2024, to cost $28 billion</a>

The report quoted one of the paper’s authors - Elena Pettinelli from the University Rome, who called the discovery mechanism ‘complex’ - "We identified the same body of water, but we also found three other bodies of water around the main one...It's a complex system."

The lakes are spread across 75,000 square kilometres. The largest lake, which lies in the centre of all three is 30 kilometres long, while the three smaller lakes are a “few kilometres wide”.

This discovery could lay the groundwork for finding more life-sustaining characteristics on our neighbour, which has been under the watchful eye of the top brass, given the severity of climate change, which experts fear is nearing a point of no return for Earth.

Scientists believe that such lakes could point to existence of life on Mars!

The detection of three lakes is an extrapolation of the previous findings in the previous region which pointed to what’s being dubbed as the central lake. It was found in 2018, making the first liquid water body ever detected on Mars, which could also mean there is potential scope of life on the planet.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/new-images-of-jupiter-show-new-storm-moving-at-350-mph-328571" hreflang="en">New images of Jupiter show new storm moving at 350 mph</a>

The report, however added that the “finding was based on just 29 observations made from 2012 to 2015." As opposed to that, the new study took into account broader data signifiers - taking into account 134 observations between 2012 and 2019.

Scientists also believe that the salt content in any Martian lake will be over the roof! According to Pettinelli, “from a thermal point of view it has to be salty."

Water bodies with salt content five times over seawater can sustain life. But if the salt content is 20 times over Earth seawater levels, life cannot exist in such water bodies, the report added, while quoting John Priscu, an environmental scientist from the Montana State University.

Looks like we might be getting closer to discovering life on mars. Two years ago, scientists discovered a large reservoir under Mars icy surface. Now, they have found three such more lakes!

Looks like we might be getting closer to discovering life on mars. Two years ago, scientists discovered a large reservoir under Mars icy surface. Now, they have found three such more lakes! On Monday, a paper in Nature Astronomy claimed that researchers have found three lakes burrowed under the red planet’s surface, in addition to the saltwater lake discovered earlier. Radar data from the European Space Agency (ESA) was used to discover the water bodies. Also read: NASA plans mission to moon by 2024, to cost $28 billion The report quoted one of the paper’s authors - Elena Pettinelli from the University Rome, who called the discovery mechanism ‘complex’ - "We identified the same body of water, but we also found three other bodies of water around the main one...It's a complex system." The lakes are spread across 75,000 square kilometres. The largest lake, which lies in the centre of all three is 30 kilometres long, while the three smaller lakes are a “few kilometres wide”. This discovery could lay the groundwork for finding more life-sustaining characteristics on our neighbour, which has been under the watchful eye of the top brass, given the severity of climate change, which experts fear is nearing a point of no return for Earth. Scientists believe that such lakes could point to existence of life on Mars! The detection of three lakes is an extrapolation of the previous findings in the previous region which pointed to what’s being dubbed as the central lake. It was found in 2018, making the first liquid water body ever detected on Mars, which could also mean there is potential scope of life on the planet. Also read: New images of Jupiter show new storm moving at 350 mph The report, however added that the “finding was based on just 29 observations made from 2012 to 2015." As opposed to that, the new study took into account broader data signifiers - taking into account 134 observations between 2012 and 2019. Scientists also believe that the salt content in any Martian lake will be over the roof! According to Pettinelli, “from a thermal point of view it has to be salty." Water bodies with salt content five times over seawater can sustain life. But if the salt content is 20 times over Earth seawater levels, life cannot exist in such water bodies, the report added, while quoting John Priscu, an environmental scientist from the Montana State University.

Hints of life on Mars? Scientists find three lakes buried under the red planet's surface!

What if the universe’s secrets were hiding in the innards of a black hole? Scientists seem to think so.

For long, black holes existed in Hollywood films and science fiction books. But when the first-ever image of one was released last year, the interest in black holes and their anatomy has increased.

Pōwehi

One of such black holes - Pōwehi is allegedly a repository of all of universe’s history. According to a report in New Scientist, the rings of light trapped in the hole’s orbit may be a historical record of its kind.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/dinosaur-era-microbes-lying-dormant-in-ocean-resuscitated-by-scientists-316620" hreflang="en">Dinosaur-era microbes lying dormant in ocean resuscitated by scientists</a>

Comparing the rings of light or photons to a tree, or frames that constitute a film, scientists believe it’s where the history of all universe is stored. In essence, this would make black holes a constituent yet small piece of the puzzle we call the universe, and know very little about.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/astronomers-capture-space-butterfly-from-thousands-of-light-years-away-317627" hreflang="en">Astronomers capture 'space butterfly' from thousands of light years away</a>

Most knowledge about black holes is extrapolatory, based on juxtapositions and far-off observations, and perhaps we will never know what lies inside one of the holes, as&nbsp;the gravitational pull in the holes is strong enough to swallow everything that crosses its path! What scientists do know is that black holes are created in the aftermath of a star’s death, or a supernova.

Photon rings are important

The series of photon rings in the black hole can help scientists study its properties, much like studying branches of a tree to understand its structure.

“Together, the set of subrings are akin to the frames of a movie, capturing the history of the visible universe as seen from the black hole,” the paper asserted.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/a-dead-star-in-our-galaxy-is-emitting-radiation-never-witnessed-before-316671" hreflang="en">A dead star in our galaxy is emitting radiation never witnessed before!</a>

However, black holes are complex entities. Even if we were to somehow access photon rings, we would need to do it on time.

New rings are formed every six days, and they last no longer than this time period, after which the hole swallows them.

So, we may not be able to peek into the past, or perhaps the future, just yet!

What if the universe’s secrets were hiding in the innards of a black hole? Scientists seem to think so. For long, black holes existed in Hollywood films and science fiction books.

What if the universe’s secrets were hiding in the innards of a black hole? Scientists seem to think so. For long, black holes existed in Hollywood films and science fiction books. But when the first-ever image of one was released last year, the interest in black holes and their anatomy has increased. Pōwehi One of such black holes - Pōwehi is allegedly a repository of all of universe’s history. According to a report in New Scientist, the rings of light trapped in the hole’s orbit may be a historical record of its kind. Also read: Dinosaur-era microbes lying dormant in ocean resuscitated by scientists Comparing the rings of light or photons to a tree, or frames that constitute a film, scientists believe it’s where the history of all universe is stored. In essence, this would make black holes a constituent yet small piece of the puzzle we call the universe, and know very little about. Also read: Astronomers capture 'space butterfly' from thousands of light years away Most knowledge about black holes is extrapolatory, based on juxtapositions and far-off observations, and perhaps we will never know what lies inside one of the holes, as the gravitational pull in the holes is strong enough to swallow everything that crosses its path! What scientists do know is that black holes are created in the aftermath of a star’s death, or a supernova. Photon rings are important The series of photon rings in the black hole can help scientists study its properties, much like studying branches of a tree to understand its structure. “Together, the set of subrings are akin to the frames of a movie, capturing the history of the visible universe as seen from the black hole,” the paper asserted. Also read: A dead star in our galaxy is emitting radiation never witnessed before! However, black holes are complex entities. Even if we were to somehow access photon rings, we would need to do it on time. New rings are formed every six days, and they last no longer than this time period, after which the hole swallows them. So, we may not be able to peek into the past, or perhaps the future, just yet!

Black holes may be repositories of all of universe's history!

You can see these 5 planets in the night skies all week long!

NASA’s Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) mission, launched on Wednesday, will "hunt for planets around some of the closest and brightest stars" read NASA's tweet.&nbsp;

The first-of-its-kind mission will aim at finding worlds beyond our solar system, including some that could support life.

Equipped with 4 cameras, TESS will hover across the entire sky for unknown worlds.&nbsp;

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
How many worlds exist outside our solar system? <a href="https://twitter.com/NASA_TESS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@NASA_TESS</a> launched from planet Earth today at 6:51pm ET to hunt for planets around some of the closest & brightest stars. TESS will use 4 cameras to search nearly the entire sky for unknown worlds. More: <a href="https://t.co/5hUW3XhaTo">https://t.co/5hUW3XhaTo</a> <a href="https://t.co/xuH5q0wqN9">pic.twitter.com/xuH5q0wqN9</a>
— NASA (@NASA) <a href="https://twitter.com/NASA/status/986762078852698113?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 19, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

“We are thrilled TESS is on its way to help us discover worlds we have yet to imagine, worlds that could possibly be habitable, or harbor life,” said Thomas Zurbuchen, associate administrator of NASA’s Science Mission Directorate in Washington. “With missions like the James Webb Space Telescope to help us study the details of these planets, we are ever the closer to discovering whether we are alone in the universe.”

TESS is on a mission to find thousands of new exoplanets orbiting nearby stars. According to NASA, the spacecraft will begin its work after approximately 60 days of check-out and instrument testing.

The spacecraft, during its two-year survey mission, will map the southern sky during its first year of observations and the northern sky during the second year covering nearly 85 percent of the sky.

NASA TESS lifted off at 6:51 pm EDT on Wednesday mounted on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, US. 
&nbsp;

TESS is on a mission to find thousands of new exoplanets orbiting nearby stars

NASA’s Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) mission, launched on Wednesday, will "hunt for planets around some of the closest and brightest stars" read NASA's tweet. The first-of-its-kind mission will aim at finding worlds beyond our solar system, including some that could support life. Equipped with 4 cameras, TESS will hover across the entire sky for unknown worlds. How many worlds exist outside our solar system? @NASA_TESS launched from planet Earth today at 6:51pm ET to hunt for planets around some of the closest & brightest stars. TESS will use 4 cameras to search nearly the entire sky for unknown worlds. More: https://t.co/5hUW3XhaTo pic.twitter.com/xuH5q0wqN9 — NASA (@NASA) April 19, 2018 × “We are thrilled TESS is on its way to help us discover worlds we have yet to imagine, worlds that could possibly be habitable, or harbor life,” said Thomas Zurbuchen, associate administrator of NASA’s Science Mission Directorate in Washington. “With missions like the James Webb Space Telescope to help us study the details of these planets, we are ever the closer to discovering whether we are alone in the universe.” TESS is on a mission to find thousands of new exoplanets orbiting nearby stars. According to NASA, the spacecraft will begin its work after approximately 60 days of check-out and instrument testing. The spacecraft, during its two-year survey mission, will map the southern sky during its first year of observations and the northern sky during the second year covering nearly 85 percent of the sky. NASA TESS lifted off at 6:51 pm EDT on Wednesday mounted on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, US.

NASA TESS launch: One-of-its-kind mission to hunt for new, habitable planets

On Monday, June 19, NASA held a media briefing to announce the completed catalogue of exoplanets from the Kepler Mission.

The catalogue lists 4,034 exoplanet discoveries, including 219 new finds. Ten of these new worlds are close in size to the Earth and reside within their star&rsquo;s habitable zone, a location that would permit liquid water on the surface of an Earth-like world.

These ten join roughly 40 other worlds found by Kepler as possible candidates for Earth&rsquo;s twin. But is the prospect of another Earth really the Kepler legacy?

Teeming with planets

While planets had been discovered around other stars since the early 1990s, the launch of the Kepler Space Telescope in 2009 resulted in them being found in droves. As the numbers increased from tens to thousands of exoplanets, astronomers were able to identify types of planets and speculate on their frequency through our Galaxy; Kepler had given us the ability to do statistics.

Our Solar System suggests there are just two flavours of the planet: Terrestrial worlds like the Earth with rocky surfaces and thin atmospheres, and gas giants like Jupiter, whose solid cores are buried beneath thousands of kilometres of enveloping gases.

This neat, bimodal picture is taken to pieces in the Kepler Mission catalogue.

The catalogue contents reveal gas giants that orbit their star closer than Mercury, other worlds so hot their surface must be molten magma and planets around binary stars like Luke Skywalker&rsquo;s fictional home world of Tatooine in the film franchise Star Wars.

But perhaps the most mysterious entries are the so-called super-Earths.

How super, really?

Over two-thirds of the planets in the Kepler Mission Catalogue have radii of between 1.1 and four Earths, placing them between Earth and Neptune in size. These super-Earths are the most common planet discovered, yet our own Solar System has no analogue to tell us what such worlds might be like.

Are they terrestrial planets with rocky surfaces or mini gas giants with crushing atmospheric pressures? As interest has mounted in the prospect of finding a habitable planet, a key question is whether any of these worlds have a solid surface.

<div class="ui-state-default"><img alt="" src="http://s.wionews.com/photos/file-20170621-28012-eewbpa-20171215072107.png" />
<div class="media-description">
Our Solar System has only cold gas and ice giants and rocky terrestrial planets, but the Kepler Mission revealed many other planet types. (Others)
</div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="javascript:void(0)">&times;</a></div>

At the media briefing, NASA revealed that the Kepler Mission catalogue had produced a clue. A recent journal paper had spotted a split in the distribution of super-Earth planet sizes.

While planets with radii of around 1.3 Earths and 2.4 Earths are equally common, planets with sizes between 1.5 and two Earth radii are much harder to find. The astronomers speculate that this is the division between giant rocky planets and gaseous mini-Neptunes.

Although this strong divide in the super-Earth population has not previously been observed, its location agrees with the small number of planets we have bulk density measurements for. These density values suggest that planets larger than about 1.6 Earth radii have thick, Neptune-like atmospheres.

But while the Kepler Space Telescope can give us both sizes and locations for exoplanets, it cannot tell us anything about their past or the present surface environment. We need theories to explain the different planet types identified within the catalogue.

Explaining super-Earths

One possibility for the split in the super-Earth population is that the rocky planets have had their atmospheres stripped by radiation pouring from a star. Alternatively, the rocky worlds may have formed later from the gas-rich planet-forming disc that dispersed before the planets could accrue a thick atmosphere.

We meet a similar problem for the 50 planets found within the habitable zone. Knowing only their size and location is not enough to determine if their surfaces are similar to the Earth.

<div class="ui-state-default"><img alt="" src="http://s.wionews.com/photos/file-20170621-30205-1l80s3c-20171215072216.jpeg" />
<div class="media-description">
The Kepler Mission data helped reveal a split in the super-Earth planet population, separating large rocky planets from small gas giants (B. J. Fulton). (Others)
</div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="javascript:void(0)">&times;</a></div>

A difference in geology could create a very different atmosphere to our own, or the inability to create protective magnetic fields to shield the planet from sterilising stellar flares. The temperature may even be perfect for liquid water, but the planet entirely dry.

Without being able to probe surfaces, the Kepler telescope was never designed to find a true Earth twin. Rather, the mission catalogue tells us that planets can form around nearly every star and exist in a huge variety of conditions.

The Kepler Mission spanned four years (2009 to 2013), exploring a patch of sky in the Cygnus constellation. In May 2013, the second of the telescope&rsquo;s four gyroscope-like reaction wheels failed and it was unable to keep a stable position.

But the telescope continues to search the sky near the ecliptic plane (where the zodiac constellations lie), using radiation pressure from the Sun for positioning. This has become the K2 mission and has already found over 500 planets.

Future missions such as TESS and JWST (planned launch in 2018) and Ariel (planned launch in 2026) will add to this number, and begin to probe the environment of these worlds.

The Kepler Mission catalogue told us where to look, now we can begin to uncover what alien worlds are truly like.

This article was originally published on <a href="http://theconversation.com" rel="nofollow">The Conversation</a>. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/kepler-mission-has-released-its-catalogue-of-exoplanets-but-what-have-we-learnt-about-these-worlds-79817" rel="nofollow">original article</a>.

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

NASA's Kepler Mission has identified thousands of exoplanets but leaves a lot of questions about alien worlds.

On Monday, June 19, NASA held a media briefing to announce the completed catalogue of exoplanets from the Kepler Mission. The catalogue lists 4,034 exoplanet discoveries, including 219 new finds. Ten of these new worlds are close in size to the Earth and reside within their star’s habitable zone, a location that would permit liquid water on the surface of an Earth-like world. These ten join roughly 40 other worlds found by Kepler as possible candidates for Earth’s twin. But is the prospect of another Earth really the Kepler legacy? Teeming with planets While planets had been discovered around other stars since the early 1990s, the launch of the Kepler Space Telescope in 2009 resulted in them being found in droves. As the numbers increased from tens to thousands of exoplanets, astronomers were able to identify types of planets and speculate on their frequency through our Galaxy; Kepler had given us the ability to do statistics. Our Solar System suggests there are just two flavours of the planet: Terrestrial worlds like the Earth with rocky surfaces and thin atmospheres, and gas giants like Jupiter, whose solid cores are buried beneath thousands of kilometres of enveloping gases. This neat, bimodal picture is taken to pieces in the Kepler Mission catalogue. The catalogue contents reveal gas giants that orbit their star closer than Mercury, other worlds so hot their surface must be molten magma and planets around binary stars like Luke Skywalker’s fictional home world of Tatooine in the film franchise Star Wars. But perhaps the most mysterious entries are the so-called super-Earths. How super, really? Over two-thirds of the planets in the Kepler Mission Catalogue have radii of between 1.1 and four Earths, placing them between Earth and Neptune in size. These super-Earths are the most common planet discovered, yet our own Solar System has no analogue to tell us what such worlds might be like. Are they terrestrial planets with rocky surfaces or mini gas giants with crushing atmospheric pressures? As interest has mounted in the prospect of finding a habitable planet, a key question is whether any of these worlds have a solid surface. Our Solar System has only cold gas and ice giants and rocky terrestrial planets, but the Kepler Mission revealed many other planet types. (Others) × At the media briefing, NASA revealed that the Kepler Mission catalogue had produced a clue. A recent journal paper had spotted a split in the distribution of super-Earth planet sizes. While planets with radii of around 1.3 Earths and 2.4 Earths are equally common, planets with sizes between 1.5 and two Earth radii are much harder to find. The astronomers speculate that this is the division between giant rocky planets and gaseous mini-Neptunes. Although this strong divide in the super-Earth population has not previously been observed, its location agrees with the small number of planets we have bulk density measurements for. These density values suggest that planets larger than about 1.6 Earth radii have thick, Neptune-like atmospheres. But while the Kepler Space Telescope can give us both sizes and locations for exoplanets, it cannot tell us anything about their past or the present surface environment. We need theories to explain the different planet types identified within the catalogue. Explaining super-Earths One possibility for the split in the super-Earth population is that the rocky planets have had their atmospheres stripped by radiation pouring from a star. Alternatively, the rocky worlds may have formed later from the gas-rich planet-forming disc that dispersed before the planets could accrue a thick atmosphere. We meet a similar problem for the 50 planets found within the habitable zone. Knowing only their size and location is not enough to determine if their surfaces are similar to the Earth. The Kepler Mission data helped reveal a split in the super-Earth planet population, separating large rocky planets from small gas giants (B. J. Fulton). (Others) × A difference in geology could create a very different atmosphere to our own, or the inability to create protective magnetic fields to shield the planet from sterilising stellar flares. The temperature may even be perfect for liquid water, but the planet entirely dry. Without being able to probe surfaces, the Kepler telescope was never designed to find a true Earth twin. Rather, the mission catalogue tells us that planets can form around nearly every star and exist in a huge variety of conditions. The Kepler Mission spanned four years (2009 to 2013), exploring a patch of sky in the Cygnus constellation. In May 2013, the second of the telescope’s four gyroscope-like reaction wheels failed and it was unable to keep a stable position. But the telescope continues to search the sky near the ecliptic plane (where the zodiac constellations lie), using radiation pressure from the Sun for positioning. This has become the K2 mission and has already found over 500 planets. Future missions such as TESS and JWST (planned launch in 2018) and Ariel (planned launch in 2026) will add to this number, and begin to probe the environment of these worlds. The Kepler Mission catalogue told us where to look, now we can begin to uncover what alien worlds are truly like. This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article. (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

Opinion: What are NASA's exo-planets

Aliens could be everywhere. There are at least 100 billion planets in our galaxy alone, and at least 20 per cent of them could be habitable. Even if a tiny fraction of those planets &ndash; less than one percent of one percent &ndash; evolved life, there would still be tens of thousands of planets with aliens in our vicinity. But if we want to figure out where to start looking for these neighbours, we need to understand what they might be like and where they might thrive.

Ultimately, we want to understand as much as possible about an extraterrestrial species before we encounter it. And yet, making predictions about aliens is hard. The reason is simple: we have only one example &ndash; life on Earth &ndash; to extrapolate from. Just because eyes and limbs have evolved many times on Earth doesn&rsquo;t mean they&rsquo;ll appear even once elsewhere. Just because we are made of carbon and coded by DNA doesn&rsquo;t mean aliens will be &ndash; they could be silicon-based and coded by &ldquo;XNA&rdquo;.

However, as my colleagues and I argue in our new study, published in the International Journal of Astrobiology, there is another approach to making predictions about aliens that get around this problem. That is to use evolutionary theory as a guiding principle. The theory of natural selection allows us to make predictions that don&rsquo;t depend on the details of Earth and so will hold even for eyeless, nitrogen-breathing aliens.

Darwin formulated his theory of natural selection long before we knew what DNA was, how mutations appeared, or even how traits were passed on. It is remarkably simple and requires just a few ingredients to work: variation (some giraffes have longer necks than others), the heritability of that variation (long-necked giraffes have long-necked babies) and differential success linked to the variation (long-necked giraffes eat more leaves and have more babies).

Darwin&rsquo;s aliens

In our paper, we use evolutionary theory to make a number of predictions about aliens. First, we argue that aliens will undergo natural selection. This is something often either taken for granted or assumed to be an unknown. We show that there are firm theoretical grounds for believing that aliens will undergo (or have undergone) natural selection.

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false"><img alt="" draggable="false" src="http://s.wionews.com/photos/alien2-20171103111319.jpg" />
<div class="media-description">
Illustration of levels of complexity. A) A simple replicating molecule. B) Cell-like entity. C) An alien. (Others)
</div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="javascript:void(0)" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

This is because &ldquo;apparent design&rdquo; is what sets life apart from non-life &ndash; such as a single-celled organism from inert rocks. Living things have many intricate parts fine-tuned for the common purpose of replicating the organism. The only way to achieve this apparent design, or adaptedness, the only way to get a life, is through natural selection.

So as aliens are highly likely to undergo natural selection, we can make some predictions about what they will be like. In particular, our predictions are about complex aliens. By complexity, we mean anything more complex than, say, a virus.

Even a bacterial cell has intricate parts that work together to achieve goals, like moving and eating. In other words, most &ldquo;aliens&rdquo; we would be interested in finding, or even able to find, are complex. That&rsquo;s because the only things so simple that they could have arisen without natural selection would be molecules, which are both physically hard to detect and hard to distinguish from the background of inert molecules. They&rsquo;d also be transient &ndash; without natural selection making them fitter they&rsquo;d disappear. Even if we did find them, we probably wouldn&rsquo;t even classify them as life.

Complexity on Earth has arisen through a handful of something called &ldquo;major transitions in individuality&rdquo;. These occur when independent organisms come together to form a new type of individual. On Earth, genes came together to form genomes, single-celled organisms formed multi-cellular organisms, like us. In some rare cases, multi-cellular organisms, like insects, have formed societies that act as &ldquo;superorganisms&rdquo; themselves. These events are rare, and require extreme evolutionary conditions to occur.

We argue that complex aliens will, too, have undergone major transitions, as this is likely the only way to advance beyond a simple replicating molecule. Because the conditions for major transitions to occur are rare, and because they are quite well understood from an evolutionary perspective, this allows us to say something about the makeup of aliens.

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false"><img alt="" draggable="false" src="http://s.wionews.com/photos/alien3-20171103111404.jpg" />
<div class="media-description">
Illustration of a complex alien that comprises a hierarchy of entities, where each lower level collection of entities has aligned evolutionary interests. (Others)
</div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="javascript:void(0)" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

In particular, just as you and I are made up of cells which are made up of nuclei and mitochondria (the breathing engine of the cell) which are made up of genes, aliens will be a similar nested hierarchy of units. Aliens might not be made of &ldquo;cells&rdquo; as we think of them, but they will be made up of parts which were once free-living, and those parts, in turn, will be too &ndash; all the way down to the aliens&rsquo; hereditary material (whatever it is). Our parts have mechanisms in place that keep all the parts working together to make an organism.

For example, our cells all start as one single cell (the &ldquo;zygote&rdquo;), and this means all our cells are clones, which is why they cooperate to make us. Aliens will have similar ways of enforcing cooperation between their internal parts, at each level of units.

Aliens may not have two legs or any legs at all, but their structure, from an evolutionary standpoint, will be much more familiar than we might have thought. By familiar, I don&rsquo;t mean superficially familiar. They may look, on the surface, wildly different from anything on Earth. But they will be similar on a more fundamental level: their bodies will be constructed in the same way (formerly free-living parts within formerly free-living parts), and they will have undergone a similar evolutionary history (independent organisms cooperating to form new, higher level organisms).

There is much more work to be done to understand what aliens might be like and where we might find them. And the tantalising question &ndash; &ldquo;Are we alone?&rdquo; &ndash; remains unanswered. But, as we have shown, if we&rsquo;re not alone, perhaps we understand more about the makeup of our neighbours than science fiction would have us believe.

This article was originally published on <a href="http://theconversation.com" rel="nofollow" target="blank">The Conversation</a>. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/what-evolutionary-theory-can-teach-us-about-the-appearance-of-aliens-86719" rel="nofollow" target="blank">original article</a>.

Image Credit: Shutterstock and Helen S. Cooper

There is much more work to be done to understand what aliens might be like and where we might find them

Aliens could be everywhere. There are at least 100 billion planets in our galaxy alone, and at least 20 per cent of them could be habitable. Even if a tiny fraction of those planets – less than one percent of one percent – evolved life, there would still be tens of thousands of planets with aliens in our vicinity. But if we want to figure out where to start looking for these neighbours, we need to understand what they might be like and where they might thrive. Ultimately, we want to understand as much as possible about an extraterrestrial species before we encounter it. And yet, making predictions about aliens is hard. The reason is simple: we have only one example – life on Earth – to extrapolate from. Just because eyes and limbs have evolved many times on Earth doesn’t mean they’ll appear even once elsewhere. Just because we are made of carbon and coded by DNA doesn’t mean aliens will be – they could be silicon-based and coded by “XNA”. However, as my colleagues and I argue in our new study, published in the International Journal of Astrobiology, there is another approach to making predictions about aliens that get around this problem. That is to use evolutionary theory as a guiding principle. The theory of natural selection allows us to make predictions that don’t depend on the details of Earth and so will hold even for eyeless, nitrogen-breathing aliens. Darwin formulated his theory of natural selection long before we knew what DNA was, how mutations appeared, or even how traits were passed on. It is remarkably simple and requires just a few ingredients to work: variation (some giraffes have longer necks than others), the heritability of that variation (long-necked giraffes have long-necked babies) and differential success linked to the variation (long-necked giraffes eat more leaves and have more babies). Darwin’s aliens In our paper, we use evolutionary theory to make a number of predictions about aliens. First, we argue that aliens will undergo natural selection. This is something often either taken for granted or assumed to be an unknown. We show that there are firm theoretical grounds for believing that aliens will undergo (or have undergone) natural selection. Illustration of levels of complexity. A) A simple replicating molecule. B) Cell-like entity. C) An alien. (Others) × This is because “apparent design” is what sets life apart from non-life – such as a single-celled organism from inert rocks. Living things have many intricate parts fine-tuned for the common purpose of replicating the organism. The only way to achieve this apparent design, or adaptedness, the only way to get a life, is through natural selection. So as aliens are highly likely to undergo natural selection, we can make some predictions about what they will be like. In particular, our predictions are about complex aliens. By complexity, we mean anything more complex than, say, a virus. Even a bacterial cell has intricate parts that work together to achieve goals, like moving and eating. In other words, most “aliens” we would be interested in finding, or even able to find, are complex. That’s because the only things so simple that they could have arisen without natural selection would be molecules, which are both physically hard to detect and hard to distinguish from the background of inert molecules. They’d also be transient – without natural selection making them fitter they’d disappear. Even if we did find them, we probably wouldn’t even classify them as life. Complexity on Earth has arisen through a handful of something called “major transitions in individuality”. These occur when independent organisms come together to form a new type of individual. On Earth, genes came together to form genomes, single-celled organisms formed multi-cellular organisms, like us. In some rare cases, multi-cellular organisms, like insects, have formed societies that act as “superorganisms” themselves. These events are rare, and require extreme evolutionary conditions to occur. We argue that complex aliens will, too, have undergone major transitions, as this is likely the only way to advance beyond a simple replicating molecule. Because the conditions for major transitions to occur are rare, and because they are quite well understood from an evolutionary perspective, this allows us to say something about the makeup of aliens. Illustration of a complex alien that comprises a hierarchy of entities, where each lower level collection of entities has aligned evolutionary interests. (Others) × In particular, just as you and I are made up of cells which are made up of nuclei and mitochondria (the breathing engine of the cell) which are made up of genes, aliens will be a similar nested hierarchy of units. Aliens might not be made of “cells” as we think of them, but they will be made up of parts which were once free-living, and those parts, in turn, will be too – all the way down to the aliens’ hereditary material (whatever it is). Our parts have mechanisms in place that keep all the parts working together to make an organism. For example, our cells all start as one single cell (the “zygote”), and this means all our cells are clones, which is why they cooperate to make us. Aliens will have similar ways of enforcing cooperation between their internal parts, at each level of units. Aliens may not have two legs or any legs at all, but their structure, from an evolutionary standpoint, will be much more familiar than we might have thought. By familiar, I don’t mean superficially familiar. They may look, on the surface, wildly different from anything on Earth. But they will be similar on a more fundamental level: their bodies will be constructed in the same way (formerly free-living parts within formerly free-living parts), and they will have undergone a similar evolutionary history (independent organisms cooperating to form new, higher level organisms). There is much more work to be done to understand what aliens might be like and where we might find them. And the tantalising question – “Are we alone?” – remains unanswered. But, as we have shown, if we’re not alone, perhaps we understand more about the makeup of our neighbours than science fiction would have us believe. This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article. Image Credit: Shutterstock and Helen S. Cooper

What evolutionary theory can teach us about the appearance of aliens

Our Earth may once have been a spinning, donut-shaped mass of hot, vapourised rock - called &quot;synestia&quot; - according to scientists who proposed the new type of planetary object.

Synestia is a spinning planetary object that forms as planet-sized objects smash into each other.

At one point early in its history, Earth was likely a synestia, said Sarah Stewart, scientist at the University of California Davis in the US.

Current theories of planet formation hold that rocky planets such as Earth, Mars and Venus formed early in the solar system when smaller objects smashed into each other. These collisions were so violent that the resulting bodies melted and partially vapourised, eventually cooling and solidifying to the nearly spherical planets we know today.

In the new study, researchers modeled what happens when the Earth-sized rocky planets collide with other large objects with high energy and momentum.

&quot;We looked at the statistics of giant impacts, and we found that they can form a completely new structure,&quot; Stewart said.

Researchers found that over a range of high temperatures and momenta, planet-sized bodies could form a new, much larger structure, an indented disk rather like a red blood cell or a donut with the center filled in. The object is mostly vaporised rock, with no solid or liquid surface.

They have dubbed the new object a &quot;synestia,&quot; from &quot;syn&quot; - meaning &quot;together&quot; - and &quot;Estia,&quot; the Greek goddess of architecture and structures.

The key to synestia formation is that some of the structure&#39;s material goes into orbit.

In a spinning, solid sphere, every point from the core to the surface is rotating at the same rate. However, in a giant impact, the material of the planet can become molten or gaseous and expands in volume.

If it gets big enough and is moving fast enough, parts of the object pass the velocity needed to keep a satellite in orbit, and that is when it forms a huge, disc-shaped synestia, according to the study. Most planets likely experience collisions that could form a synestia at some point during their formation, Stewart said.

For an object like Earth, the synestia would not last very long perhaps a hundred years before it lost enough heat to condense back into a solid object. However, synestia formed from larger or hotter objects such as gas giant planets or stars could potentially last much longer, she said.

The synestia structure also suggests new ways to think about lunar formation, researchers said.

The Moon is remarkably like Earth in composition, and most current theories about how the moon formed involve a giant impact that threw material into orbit. However, such an impact could have instead formed a synestia from which the Earth and Moon both condensed, Stewart said.

No one has yet observed a synestia directly, but they might be found in other solar systems once astronomers start looking for them alongside rocky planets and gas giants, she said.

(PTI)

Scientists say the Earth could have been formed from planetary objects colliding with each other

Our Earth may once have been a spinning, donut-shaped mass of hot, vapourised rock - called "synestia" - according to scientists who proposed the new type of planetary object. Synestia is a spinning planetary object that forms as planet-sized objects smash into each other. At one point early in its history, Earth was likely a synestia, said Sarah Stewart, scientist at the University of California Davis in the US. Current theories of planet formation hold that rocky planets such as Earth, Mars and Venus formed early in the solar system when smaller objects smashed into each other. These collisions were so violent that the resulting bodies melted and partially vapourised, eventually cooling and solidifying to the nearly spherical planets we know today. In the new study, researchers modeled what happens when the Earth-sized rocky planets collide with other large objects with high energy and momentum. "We looked at the statistics of giant impacts, and we found that they can form a completely new structure," Stewart said. Researchers found that over a range of high temperatures and momenta, planet-sized bodies could form a new, much larger structure, an indented disk rather like a red blood cell or a donut with the center filled in. The object is mostly vaporised rock, with no solid or liquid surface. They have dubbed the new object a "synestia," from "syn" - meaning "together" - and "Estia," the Greek goddess of architecture and structures. The key to synestia formation is that some of the structure's material goes into orbit. In a spinning, solid sphere, every point from the core to the surface is rotating at the same rate. However, in a giant impact, the material of the planet can become molten or gaseous and expands in volume. If it gets big enough and is moving fast enough, parts of the object pass the velocity needed to keep a satellite in orbit, and that is when it forms a huge, disc-shaped synestia, according to the study. Most planets likely experience collisions that could form a synestia at some point during their formation, Stewart said. For an object like Earth, the synestia would not last very long perhaps a hundred years before it lost enough heat to condense back into a solid object. However, synestia formed from larger or hotter objects such as gas giant planets or stars could potentially last much longer, she said. The synestia structure also suggests new ways to think about lunar formation, researchers said. The Moon is remarkably like Earth in composition, and most current theories about how the moon formed involve a giant impact that threw material into orbit. However, such an impact could have instead formed a synestia from which the Earth and Moon both condensed, Stewart said. No one has yet observed a synestia directly, but they might be found in other solar systems once astronomers start looking for them alongside rocky planets and gas giants, she said. (PTI)

Early Earth may have been donut-shaped: study

Since the &#39;Space Race&#39; era of exploration&nbsp;between United States and Soviet Union, space technology has witnessed major developments.

Astronomers have carried out the study of space with telescopes and have progressed to take forward&nbsp;physical exploration, both by unmanned robotic probes and human spaceflights.

Early space explorations were carried out for military, communications and security purposes&nbsp;but now space colonisation, or space humanisation, is also emerging as a new frontier.

If you want to know how we fare in terms of space travel in the future, have a look at some of the most kickass upcoming space missions:

<h2>Asteroid mining technology</h2>

This year, the world will witness the first flight in connection with the long-term goal of asteroid mining.&nbsp;The Prospector-X test flight&nbsp;is a precursor to the Prospector-1 mission&nbsp;and will test the company&rsquo;s water-based propulsion, avionics and navigation systems. If successful, the Prospector-1 mission will take place before the end of the decade.&nbsp;

<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="480" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/J0vkqQN44I4" width="970"></iframe>

<h2>Blue Origin&nbsp;</h2>

Jeff Bezos&rsquo;s Blue Origin private space firm has a manned test flight dated for early this year. It will be a sub-orbital hop rather than a full-fledged journey into orbit. They also have a space capsule offering&nbsp;large windows and space for up to six people.

<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="480" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/-YJhymiZjqc" width="970"></iframe>

<h2>Cassini&#39;s grand finale</h2>

NASA&rsquo;s&nbsp;Cassini probe has been orbiting Saturn since 2004, and&nbsp;the space agency is set for a finale this year.&nbsp;Cassini will&nbsp;undertake 22&nbsp;orbits between the inner rings and the planet, capturing information and images. Once the&nbsp;orbits are complete, the probe will burn&nbsp;in Saturn&rsquo;s upper atmosphere.&nbsp;Cassini has made many important discoveries since its launch. It spotted liquid-hydrocarbon lakes on Titan and geysers of water ice blasting from the south polar region of Saturn&rsquo;s moon Enceladus.

<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="480" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/59Br_aZ5i3c" width="970"></iframe>

<h2>Chinese probe to&nbsp;land on moon and return with samples</h2>

This is perhaps the most ambitious mission undertaken by the Chinese space agency. So far, China has sent a rover to the moon, but returning back with samples is risky. Chang&rsquo;e 5 mission will see a lunar lander touching down on the moon, gathering samples and bringing them back to Earth. Returning back is difficult as the probe needs to be protected during re-entry.

<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="480" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/lBM5swBrKdY" width="970"></iframe>

<h2>Dawn&#39;s mission&nbsp;</h2>

NASA&#39;s Dawn spacecraft will complete its task this year. The $467-million Dawn mission was launched in September 2007 to study Vesta and Ceres, the two largest objects in the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. The spacecraft has revealed a lot&nbsp;about dry, rocky Vesta and icy Ceres&nbsp;and has found evidence of water ice being&nbsp;common just beneath the dwarf planet&#39;s surface.

<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="480" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/5OFgJwdZxRc" width="970"></iframe>

<h2>Exoplanet hunter</h2>

NASA will continue the search for exoplanets this year. It is teaming up with SpaceX to launch the TESS (Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite) space telescope. TESS will monitor more than 200,000 stars for temporary drops in brightness caused by planetary transits. These planets range from gas giants to potential Earth-like planets. It will spend the early years looking for alien planets that cross the faces of their parent stars.&nbsp;

<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="480" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ZsPStvGgNuk" width="970"></iframe>

<h2>ESA to launch exoplanet telescope</h2>

The year will witness&nbsp;two space telescopes being launched.&nbsp;CHEOPS, one of the telescopes, will be looking at nearby stars&nbsp;already known to host exoplanets. This will give new information about existing planets.

<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="480" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Mwf-zJ0bRb8" width="970"></iframe>

<h2>Falcon Heavy</h2>

Expected to launch in spring/summer, Falcon Heavy will be the most powerful rocket in the world. It will be&nbsp;capable of carrying 60 tons (54 metric tons) to low-Earth orbit (LEO) and 24.5 tons (22.2 metric tons) to the geostationary transfer orbit (GTO).&nbsp;

<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="480" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/u26-CIDaazQ" width="970"></iframe>

<h2>Green alternative to chemical propulsion</h2>

NASA will be launching the Green Propellant Infusion Mission (GPIM)&nbsp;for a new form of green propulsion, as an alternative to hydrazine, the fuel used today. It will lead to&nbsp;fuel loading becoming much safer, faster and less expensive. The alternative also has a higher density than hydrazine with a better thrust and a lower freezing point.

<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="480" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/0rKYHLAThYc" width="970"></iframe>

<h2>Launching satellites from a Boeing 747</h2>

We have had plenty of satellites being launched into space from a jet aircraft, but firing satellites from a Boeing is completely unheard of. Virgin Galactic will be testing its new LauncherOne&nbsp;programme, which aims to carry&nbsp;a 200 kg payload&nbsp;into a &#39;sun synchronous orbit&#39;&nbsp;for less than $10 million.

<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="480" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/L2OT8Fvo1zw" width="970"></iframe>

<h2>Private moon landing</h2>

For an award prize of&nbsp;$30 million, two companies will be fighting to land a robotic craft on the moon, a first for a private entity.&nbsp;Google&lsquo;s Lunar X Prize, in the form of Israel&rsquo;s SpaceIL and the USA&rsquo;s Moon Express programmes are looking to award the company which can achieve this feat. To win, they will not just land the spacecraft but will travel 500 metres and transmit HD video/pictures back to Earth.

<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="480" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/cuXxBoSYmfc" width="970"></iframe>

<h2>Space debris</h2>

The mission is set to launch this year and will test a device that is aimed at capturing&nbsp;orbiting space debris. There will also be a system of spacing junk with an attached dragsail that will allow&nbsp;the existing&nbsp;debris to be pushed out of the orbit. If successful, we might just have less&nbsp;space junk floating around our planet.

<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="480" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ADVlDRmuooA" width="970"></iframe>

(Contributed by: Zeba Khan)

&nbsp;

From mining asteroids to private space flights and even space tourism, here's what you can expect in space exploration in 2017

Since the 'Space Race' era of exploration between United States and Soviet Union, space technology has witnessed major developments. Astronomers have carried out the study of space with telescopes and have progressed to take forward physical exploration, both by unmanned robotic probes and human spaceflights. Early space explorations were carried out for military, communications and security purposes but now space colonisation, or space humanisation, is also emerging as a new frontier. If you want to know how we fare in terms of space travel in the future, have a look at some of the most kickass upcoming space missions: Asteroid mining technology This year, the world will witness the first flight in connection with the long-term goal of asteroid mining. The Prospector-X test flight is a precursor to the Prospector-1 mission and will test the company’s water-based propulsion, avionics and navigation systems. If successful, the Prospector-1 mission will take place before the end of the decade. Blue Origin Jeff Bezos’s Blue Origin private space firm has a manned test flight dated for early this year. It will be a sub-orbital hop rather than a full-fledged journey into orbit. They also have a space capsule offering large windows and space for up to six people. Cassini's grand finale NASA’s Cassini probe has been orbiting Saturn since 2004, and the space agency is set for a finale this year. Cassini will undertake 22 orbits between the inner rings and the planet, capturing information and images. Once the orbits are complete, the probe will burn in Saturn’s upper atmosphere. Cassini has made many important discoveries since its launch. It spotted liquid-hydrocarbon lakes on Titan and geysers of water ice blasting from the south polar region of Saturn’s moon Enceladus. Chinese probe to land on moon and return with samples This is perhaps the most ambitious mission undertaken by the Chinese space agency. So far, China has sent a rover to the moon, but returning back with samples is risky. Chang’e 5 mission will see a lunar lander touching down on the moon, gathering samples and bringing them back to Earth. Returning back is difficult as the probe needs to be protected during re-entry. Dawn's mission NASA's Dawn spacecraft will complete its task this year. The $467-million Dawn mission was launched in September 2007 to study Vesta and Ceres, the two largest objects in the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. The spacecraft has revealed a lot about dry, rocky Vesta and icy Ceres and has found evidence of water ice being common just beneath the dwarf planet's surface. Exoplanet hunter NASA will continue the search for exoplanets this year. It is teaming up with SpaceX to launch the TESS (Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite) space telescope. TESS will monitor more than 200,000 stars for temporary drops in brightness caused by planetary transits. These planets range from gas giants to potential Earth-like planets. It will spend the early years looking for alien planets that cross the faces of their parent stars. ESA to launch exoplanet telescope The year will witness two space telescopes being launched. CHEOPS, one of the telescopes, will be looking at nearby stars already known to host exoplanets. This will give new information about existing planets. Falcon Heavy Expected to launch in spring/summer, Falcon Heavy will be the most powerful rocket in the world. It will be capable of carrying 60 tons (54 metric tons) to low-Earth orbit (LEO) and 24.5 tons (22.2 metric tons) to the geostationary transfer orbit (GTO). Green alternative to chemical propulsion NASA will be launching the Green Propellant Infusion Mission (GPIM) for a new form of green propulsion, as an alternative to hydrazine, the fuel used today. It will lead to fuel loading becoming much safer, faster and less expensive. The alternative also has a higher density than hydrazine with a better thrust and a lower freezing point. Launching satellites from a Boeing 747 We have had plenty of satellites being launched into space from a jet aircraft, but firing satellites from a Boeing is completely unheard of. Virgin Galactic will be testing its new LauncherOne programme, which aims to carry a 200 kg payload into a 'sun synchronous orbit' for less than $10 million. Private moon landing For an award prize of $30 million, two companies will be fighting to land a robotic craft on the moon, a first for a private entity. Google‘s Lunar X Prize, in the form of Israel’s SpaceIL and the USA’s Moon Express programmes are looking to award the company which can achieve this feat. To win, they will not just land the spacecraft but will travel 500 metres and transmit HD video/pictures back to Earth. Space debris The mission is set to launch this year and will test a device that is aimed at capturing orbiting space debris. There will also be a system of spacing junk with an attached dragsail that will allow the existing debris to be pushed out of the orbit. If successful, we might just have less space junk floating around our planet. (Contributed by: Zeba Khan)

Out-of-the-world space expeditions

An international team of researchers announced on Monday the discovery of 104 new planets outside our solar system, including four that could have Earth-like, rocky surfaces. 
 
Scientists discovered the exoplanets using the Kepler space telescope as well as ground observations by Earth-based telescopes, including four on the summit of Mauna Kea in Hawaii. 
 
The $600 million Kepler mission has allowed scientists to discover more than 4,600 planets -- 2,326 of them confirmed -- since it launched in 2009. 
 
&quot;The diversity of planets is astounding,&quot; said Evan Sinukoff, an astronomer at the University of Hawaii who contributed to the research. 
 
&quot;We discovered many planets about twice the size of the Earth orbiting so close to their host stars that they are hotter than 1000 degrees.&quot; 
 
The latest trove includes 21 situated within their sun&#39;s habitable zone -- the distance from a star that could permit liquid water to exist and support life. 
 
The four potentially rocky planets -- ranging from 20 to 50 per cent larger than Earth -- orbit tightly around the same star in a planetary system about 400 light-years from Earth. 
 
Though the planets rotate around their star even closer than Mercury orbits the sun, two of the planets may have surface temperatures similar to Earth&#39;s, as their star is cooler than our sun, astronomers said. 
 
The unmanned Kepler mission has been scanning 150,000 stars in the Cygnus constellation for signs of orbiting bodies, particularly those that might be able to support life. 
 
It works by observing a dimming in the light of a star, known as a transit, each time an orbiting planet passes in front of it. 
 
In 2013, the space telescope suffered a problem with the reaction wheels that typically keep the spacecraft steady. 
 
NASA subsequently set the spacecraft on a new mission called K2, to study supernovas, star clusters and far-off galaxies. 
 
Scientists verified the latest exoplanets as part of the K2 mission. 
 
(AFP)

The $600 million Kepler mission has allowed scientists to discover more than 4,600 planets since it was launched in 2009

An international team of researchers announced on Monday the discovery of 104 new planets outside our solar system, including four that could have Earth-like, rocky surfaces. Scientists discovered the exoplanets using the Kepler space telescope as well as ground observations by Earth-based telescopes, including four on the summit of Mauna Kea in Hawaii. The $600 million Kepler mission has allowed scientists to discover more than 4,600 planets -- 2,326 of them confirmed -- since it launched in 2009. "The diversity of planets is astounding," said Evan Sinukoff, an astronomer at the University of Hawaii who contributed to the research. "We discovered many planets about twice the size of the Earth orbiting so close to their host stars that they are hotter than 1000 degrees." The latest trove includes 21 situated within their sun's habitable zone -- the distance from a star that could permit liquid water to exist and support life. The four potentially rocky planets -- ranging from 20 to 50 per cent larger than Earth -- orbit tightly around the same star in a planetary system about 400 light-years from Earth. Though the planets rotate around their star even closer than Mercury orbits the sun, two of the planets may have surface temperatures similar to Earth's, as their star is cooler than our sun, astronomers said. The unmanned Kepler mission has been scanning 150,000 stars in the Cygnus constellation for signs of orbiting bodies, particularly those that might be able to support life. It works by observing a dimming in the light of a star, known as a transit, each time an orbiting planet passes in front of it. In 2013, the space telescope suffered a problem with the reaction wheels that typically keep the spacecraft steady. NASA subsequently set the spacecraft on a new mission called K2, to study supernovas, star clusters and far-off galaxies. Scientists verified the latest exoplanets as part of the K2 mission. (AFP)

NASA's Kepler discovers more than 104 exoplanets

Present day Pluto may have a liquid ocean sloshing around under its icy crust, according to to a new analysis of data from NASA&rsquo;s New Horizons spacecraft. 
 
When New Horizons buzzed by Pluto last year, it unveiled clues that the dwarf planet might have &ndash; or had at one time &ndash; a sub-surface liquid ocean. 
 
Scientists from Brown University in the US, who used a thermal evolution model for Pluto updated with data from New Horizons, found that if its ocean had frozen, it would have caused the entire planet to shrink. 
 
However, there are no signs of a global contraction to be found on Pluto&rsquo;s surface, researchers said. On the contrary, New Horizons showed signs that Pluto has been expanding. 
 
The pictures New Horizons sent back from its close encounter with the Kuiper Belt&rsquo;s most famous denizen showed that Pluto was much more than a simple snowball in space. 
 
It has an exotic surface made from different types of ices &ndash; water, nitrogen and methane.&nbsp;It has mountains hundreds of meters high and a vast heart-shaped plain.&nbsp;It also has giant tectonic features &ndash; sinuous faults hundreds of kilometres long as deep as 4 kilometres.&nbsp;It was those tectonic features that got scientists thinking that a subsurface ocean was a real possibility for Pluto. 
 
&ldquo;What New Horizons showed was that there are extensional tectonic features, which indicate that Pluto underwent a period of global expansion,&rdquo; said Noah Hammond, a graduate student in Brown University. 
 
&ldquo;A subsurface ocean that was slowly freezing over would cause this kind of expansion,&rdquo; Hammond said. 
 
Scientists think that there may have been enough heat-producing radioactive elements within Pluto&rsquo;s rocky core to melt part of the planet&rsquo;s ice shell. 
 
Over time in the frigid Kuiper belt, that melted portion would eventually start to refreeze. Ice is less dense than water, so when it freezes, it expands. 
 
If Pluto had an ocean that was frozen or in the process of freezing, extensional tectonics on the surface would result, and that is what New Horizons saw. 
 
The thermal evolution model showed that because of the low temperatures and high pressure within Pluto, an ocean that had completely frozen over would quickly convert from the normal ice we all know to a different phase called ice II. 
 
Ice II has a more compact crystalline structure than standard ice, so an ocean frozen to ice II would occupy a smaller volume and lead to a global contraction on Pluto, rather than an expansion. 
 
&ldquo;We don&rsquo;t see the things on the surface we&rsquo;d expect if there had been a global contraction,&rdquo; Hammond said. 
 
&ldquo;So we conclude that ice II has not formed, and therefore that the ocean hasn&rsquo;t completely frozen,&rdquo; she said. 
 
The new model bolsters the case for an ocean environment in the furthest reaches of the solar system. 
 
The study was published in the journal Geophysical Research Letters. 
 
(PTI)

Scientists think that there may have been enough heat-producing elements within Pluto?s rocky core to melt part of the planet?s ice shell

Present day Pluto may have a liquid ocean sloshing around under its icy crust, according to to a new analysis of data from NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft. When New Horizons buzzed by Pluto last year, it unveiled clues that the dwarf planet might have – or had at one time – a sub-surface liquid ocean. Scientists from Brown University in the US, who used a thermal evolution model for Pluto updated with data from New Horizons, found that if its ocean had frozen, it would have caused the entire planet to shrink. However, there are no signs of a global contraction to be found on Pluto’s surface, researchers said. On the contrary, New Horizons showed signs that Pluto has been expanding. The pictures New Horizons sent back from its close encounter with the Kuiper Belt’s most famous denizen showed that Pluto was much more than a simple snowball in space. It has an exotic surface made from different types of ices – water, nitrogen and methane. It has mountains hundreds of meters high and a vast heart-shaped plain. It also has giant tectonic features – sinuous faults hundreds of kilometres long as deep as 4 kilometres. It was those tectonic features that got scientists thinking that a subsurface ocean was a real possibility for Pluto. “What New Horizons showed was that there are extensional tectonic features, which indicate that Pluto underwent a period of global expansion,” said Noah Hammond, a graduate student in Brown University. “A subsurface ocean that was slowly freezing over would cause this kind of expansion,” Hammond said. Scientists think that there may have been enough heat-producing radioactive elements within Pluto’s rocky core to melt part of the planet’s ice shell. Over time in the frigid Kuiper belt, that melted portion would eventually start to refreeze. Ice is less dense than water, so when it freezes, it expands. If Pluto had an ocean that was frozen or in the process of freezing, extensional tectonics on the surface would result, and that is what New Horizons saw. The thermal evolution model showed that because of the low temperatures and high pressure within Pluto, an ocean that had completely frozen over would quickly convert from the normal ice we all know to a different phase called ice II. Ice II has a more compact crystalline structure than standard ice, so an ocean frozen to ice II would occupy a smaller volume and lead to a global contraction on Pluto, rather than an expansion. “We don’t see the things on the surface we’d expect if there had been a global contraction,” Hammond said. “So we conclude that ice II has not formed, and therefore that the ocean hasn’t completely frozen,” she said. The new model bolsters the case for an ocean environment in the furthest reaches of the solar system. The study was published in the journal Geophysical Research Letters. (PTI)

Pluto may have liquid ocean under ice shell

planets

Planets, News on Planets, stories on Planets, articles on Planets, Planets stories at Wion, Planets news, Planets latest news